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My experience on buying the best cut 2.5cts super ideal diamond I could find

whitewave said:
I think we are all clear that:

A. Is Brian Gavin Diamonds

B. Is Whiteflash

C. Is High Performance Diamonds/CBI

Of course, we all love Victor Canera, so I’m glad you received a gorgeous ring from him.


I’m going to call you out on your “white lies” part about HPD.

Specifically, if you are going to accuse Wink, an Angel here on earth who we don’t deserve, of little white lies, then you need to say what that was. Otherwise, it’s BS.


ETA: I have 3 CBIs and the sapphire 3 stone in my avatar has two CBI side stones.

The aqua ring in my avatar was made by BGD. I also have stud jackets from them as well as a dainty sapphire and diamond band.
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Can we not call people out on this stuff in what is essentially his SMTB/vendor review thread? He gave his honest review. Don’t attack him because you don’t like it. This is why so many regulars here are scared to post honest reviews if they don’t have a great interaction with a vendor.
 
distracts said:
Can we not call people out on this stuff in what is essentially his SMTB/vendor review thread? He gave his honest review. Don’t attack him because you don’t like it. This is why so many regulars here are scared to post honest reviews if they don’t have a great interaction with a vendor.
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How do we know it’s an honest review when he said a vendor is a liar?

For it to be an honest review, he should explain that.

If he chooses not to, then we can all decide among ourselves whether we believe it or not.
 
Also, I’m just putting that out there. I certainly don’t intend to pick a fight with OP because there is no point to that. I’m letting him know that statement is suspect. Whether he wants to address it or not is his business.

I don’t need to post about it any more.

Thanks for understanding my point of view.
 
whitewave said:
I think we are all clear that:

A. Is Brian Gavin Diamonds

B. Is Whiteflash

C. Is High Performance Diamonds/CBI

Of course, we all love Victor Canera, so I’m glad you received a gorgeous ring from him.


I’m going to call you out on your “white lies” part about HPD.

Specifically, if you are going to accuse Wink, an Angel here on earth who we don’t deserve, of little white lies, then you need to say what that was. Otherwise, it’s BS.


ETA: I have 3 CBIs and the sapphire 3 stone in my avatar has two CBI side stones.

The aqua ring in my avatar was made by BGD. I also have stud jackets from them as well as a dainty sapphire and diamond band.
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Your guesses were the same as mine, and @uxr51 confirmed them in post #27 upstream.

I thought of disclosing them the other day before he posted, but I did not feel it was my place to do so because I didn't want any blow back to come his way for things he said. Many times we see these type of threads turn into bash wars from passionate customers and enthusiasts.

Everything I know of @Wink is he is nothing but a good and honest person. We've seen him do good things for people that didn't deserve it in the past. I also see how he has interacted with myself and countless others here. It takes about 5 minutes to understand Wink is a rare bird that loves his craft, loves people and does the right thing because it's simply the right thing to do.

So my confidence and opinion of Wink and his character is not shaken in the least by this review.

On the flip side, our tone or approach to the matter may deter @uxr51 from sharing more about the situation so we may all better understand just exactly what happened.

FYI, here is a WF link to H&A and ideal cut diamonds and how they are related but don't always go hand in hand.

A Guide to Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Cut Diamonds

Hearts and Arrows diamonds are cut with superior symmetry. Learn more about hearts and arrows diamonds and where to buy them at Whiteflash.
www.whiteflash.com
 
whitewave said:
How do we know it’s an honest review when he said a vendor is a liar?

For it to be an honest review, he should explain that.

If he chooses not to, then we can all decide among ourselves whether we believe it or not.
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Wow. This is exactly why I did not want to name the vendors. I feared this would happen based on older threads. If you want I would be happy to discuss it in private or in a specific thread.
 
@sledge yes and Wink is also a former Marine who served our country....

I realize the thread is OPs opinion, but I think to say “some white lies” implies that he somehow has proof of these lies, so he is saying Wink is a liar. He didn’t say, “I felt like there may have been some white lies” etc.

I’m a former high school English teacher who taught writing and term paper classes, so perhaps I’m coming at it from that point of view. In grading, I would mark the paper on this sentence and suggest the writer explain or remove.

Maybe that is unfair to OP, but I get the feeling he is a man with strong convictions and POV so I think he can handle this critique. Perhaps he didn’t know how it would come across to his audience and maybe I am doing him a favor by pointing it out.

At any rate, those are my comments and I move on from them.

His ring is gorgeous and I’m glad he found Victor to be a vendor who met all of his needs. I congratulate him on his upcoming nuptials.

:kiss2::saint::appl:


Peace and love....
 
uxr51 said:
Wow. This is exactly why I did not want to name the vendors. I feared this would happen based on older threads. If you want I would be happy to discuss it in private or in a specific thread.
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I’m good, thanks. I apologize that you take offense to my point of view. Above all, I am thrilled for you that you now have a beautiful ring for your intended.
 
whitewave said:
I’m good, thanks.
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Rule #1 of marriage -- the wife is always right (even if she's not right, we let her be right)

Rule #2 of marriage -- when she says "nothing" or "it's all good" then certainly something is wrong and nothing is good at all

Rule #3 of marriage -- when the wife realizes the husband is right and apologizes, it's best not to gloat to avoid harm

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Seriously, I think it'd be good to understand the white lies if @uxr51 will oblige us.
 
sledge said:
Rule #1 of marriage -- the wife is always right (even if she's not right, we let her be right)

Rule #2 of marriage -- when she says "nothing" or "it's all good" then certainly something is wrong and nothing is good at all

Rule #3 of marriage -- when the wife realizes the husband is right and apologizes, it's best not to gloat to avoid harm

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Seriously, I think it'd be good to understand the white lies if @uxr51 will oblige us.
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Rule #1 is only true if the parenthetical is deleted, @sledge

When are you going to get this?
 
whitewave said:
@sledge yes and Wink is also a former Marine who served our country....

I realize the thread is OPs opinion, but I think to say “some white lies” implies that he somehow has proof of these lies, so he is saying Wink is a liar. He didn’t say, “I felt like there may have been some white lies” etc.

I’m a former high school English teacher who taught writing and term paper classes, so perhaps I’m coming at it from that point of view. In grading, I would mark the paper on this sentence and suggest the writer explain or remove.

Maybe that is unfair to OP, but I get the feeling he is a man with strong convictions and POV so I think he can handle this critique. Perhaps he didn’t know how it would come across to his audience and maybe I am doing him a favor by pointing it out.

At any rate, those are my comments and I move on from them.

His ring is gorgeous and I’m glad he found Victor to be a vendor who met all of his needs. I congratulate him on his upcoming nuptials.

:kiss2::saint::appl:


Peace and love....
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Just wanna say that he never names Wink in his review. Wink has employees in sales. The OP used the word "them" (referring to HPD a few times). So from what he said, I don't come to any conclusions about the specific person he is speaking about.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
Just wanna say that he never names Wink in his review. Wink has employees in sales. The OP used the word "them" (referring to HPD a few times). So from what he said, I don't come to any conclusions about the specific person he is speaking about.
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Good point, thanks for making it.
 
It’s true that some CBI photos have issues.

The CBI diamonds never do. Wink sends technical viewers with his diamonds so you can see for yourself that there are no issues. There never are.

HPD has arranged live showings for people with questions like yours. I have attended two of those sessions in my area. People with those photo questions were satisfied that the actual diamonds were perfect.

I am sorry you couldn’t see them in person. I do wish CBI or HPD would hire a photographer. I once asked HPD to redo the ASET of my 2.79 F-VS1 CBI and it was provided. The new ASET showed perfect symmetry.

The other vendors you named have really good photo departments and do a very nice job.
 
uxr51 said:
Wow. This is exactly why I did not want to name the vendors. I feared this would happen based on older threads. If you want I would be happy to discuss it in private or in a specific thread.
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OP, you've done a really good job in being thoughtful about your review, and in navigating Pricescope. Don't be put off by peoples inquiries, no one here is bashing any vendor, but its certainly helpful for said vendor. I know that I would have a different approach on certain vendors based on the feedback from this forum. This approach would not affect my ultimate decision, but would guide interactions.

That said, there are vendors that have been called out as rude, and have prolific customer service issues who I would not use. Your experience does not highlight any of these things, so I think you are good to engage and provide some details.

Please give us some hand shots once you propose!
 
uxr51 said:
Wow. This is exactly why I did not want to name the vendors. I feared this would happen based on older threads. If you want I would be happy to discuss it in private or in a specific thread.
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You said your piece, it is helpful to the community. You don't have to engage any further IMO.
 
This is not a comment on any diamond, any image or any specific vendor.
Just a specific issue in general.
I have had this conversation with many vendors.

When you post images as representative, then when an issue is found in an image someone asks about it and you say its an image issue you set yourself up for being called a liar.
There is a conflict in what your presenting them.
Do they believe the image(s)? or what you say? or do they just move on because they do not like what happened? or do they call you a liar in public and it damages your reputation?
 
Ok, I have no horse in the game since I am brand new to super ideals. I went with a CBI because I didn't want to have to do a ton of research on stones, I am super busy, I had money in pocket and I know the specs I can tolerate- there happened to be a stone in my wheelhouse.

BUT if the CBI stone you were interested in was the "deal of a lifetime" like you said, why not take them up on their policy to see it in person? They send you a loupe and an idealscope, the report, lavish, stone holders, etc in every shipment and you have THIRTY days to return. I'm sorry, you said you did your homework and all- but this was a no-brainer. I would have had the stone shipped to me and checked it out.

You wrote a review about these diamonds, but you NEVER saw them in real life. And I get that, I was waffling between a CBI and a WF stone and asked for advice on here. I chose the CBI because I had 30 days to sit on it and did not have the money to shell out to see both of them. At your price point, I would have tried them all out. I also would like to know about the "white lies" accusation. I would never write that about a vendor without disclosing what that was.

And for the record, I love VC. I had an emilya and I'll admit freely that I am a fan girl- I just found his stones were higher priced than the other super ideal vendors. I also love WF and spent a lot of time talking to Becca about a five stone ring but decided to go with IDJ ONLY because I could get larger stones for cheaper. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from any of them.

As far as BG I found your review to be spot on. Not someone I would be interested in dealing with. So I agree with you there....
 
Folks asked him to identify the vendors. He does so and some take exception. I doubt this in any way diminishes anyone that was considering a CBI diamond. It was just his experience and his opinion. Now he is sorry he did what he was asked to do. I think the reputation for all the vendors he contacted speak for themselves. The more business you do, the chances of something negative being said about something or other. That is just the nature of doing business. He simply chose a diamond from another well regarded vendor - he clearly wasn’t going to buy from all of them - and I didn’t come away with the notion that he called Wink a liar. I think anyone that has ever had contact with Wink or has read his posts would cast him in a bad light. However, it was the OP’s money and his choice to spend it with whomever he chose based on whatever information he gleaned from them. This is surely not the only sale HPD has missed out on and it won’t be the last. The good news is that all the vendors he mentioned are still making sales every day and all offer a fine product. Loyalty to a vendor or business is a wonderful thing - being rational about it all is a core value.
 
MissGotRocks said:
Folks asked him to identify the vendors. He does so and some take exception. I doubt this in any way diminishes anyone that was considering a CBI diamond. It was just his experience and his opinion. Now he is sorry he did what he was asked to do. I think the reputation for all the vendors he contacted speak for themselves. The more business you do, the chances of something negative being said about something or other. That is just the nature of doing business. He simply chose a diamond from another well regarded vendor - he clearly wasn’t going to buy from all of them - and I didn’t come away with the notion that he called Wink a liar. I think anyone that has ever had contact with Wink or has read his posts would cast him in a bad light. However, it was the OP’s money and his choice to spend it with whomever he chose based on whatever information he gleaned from them. This is surely not the only sale HPD has missed out on and it won’t be the last. The good news is that all the vendors he mentioned are still making sales every day and all offer a fine product. Loyalty to a vendor or business is a wonderful thing - being rational about it all is a core value.
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And this is why I hesitated to post....I sincerely wanted to know why he wouldn't, with his budget, choose to see these stones in person.
 
soxfan said:
And this is why I hesitated to post....I sincerely wanted to know why he wouldn't, with his budget, choose to see these stones in person.
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in a perfect world he might have but at 40k+ a stone, that would be a lot of money to shell out - not including shipping them all back and forth. I can only assume that from images and conversations, he thought he chose the best diamond for him. I just hate to see someone beat down because they named vendors (as they were asked to do) and folks took exception to his opinions. That’s not particularly fair IMO and would discourage others from doing so. I hope he comes back and shares pictures with us instead of writing us off.
I honestly think that at the end of the day, everyone was glad to see him get a diamond that he feels very confident in - even though they may have disagreed in part with what he said. That is what makes the PS world go round!
 
Dancing Fire said:
Yup, Like this one, so I asked Wink to double check the heart at 12:00 under a H&A scope to be sure that it was a photo issue, and Wink said it was a photo issue. CBI would never let a heart like this one to slip in without noticing it.
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This is just another reason why @Wink and @John Pollard encourage all of their clients to view CBI diamonds with YOUR OWN EYES, in 3D living color. A 2D photo and/or ASET cannot always be 100% accurate.

Here is an example of two different AGS lab reports on the SAME diamond (that I traded in) with different numbers and different ASET image. As much as we want everything to be exact (I am a retired Software Engineer and GIA Gemologist 1989) that isn't always the case. As shown in these two reports AGS isn't 100% accurate either.


I think many of us have been erroneously taught to rely on the "papers" instead of our eyes. YMMV
 
cflutist said:
This is just another reason why @Wink and @John Pollard encourage all of their clients to view CBI diamonds with YOUR OWN EYES, in 3D living color. A 2D photo and/or ASET cannot always be 100% accurate.

Here is an example of two different AGS lab reports on the SAME diamond (that I traded in) with different numbers and different ASET image. As much as we want everything to be exact (I am a retired Software Engineer and GIA Gemologist 1989) that isn't always the case. As shown in these two reports AGS isn't 100% accurate either.


I think many of us have been erroneously taught to rely on the "papers" instead of our eyes. YMMV
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SI1 down to SI2, eh? So I could have bought my wife your old diamond for cheaper than you paid? :bigsmile:

Seriously, that is pretty crazy.

 
I agree that It is always a plus to be able to see a stone and the old mantra on PS was that you weren’t buying paper. However, imagery today can give you a pretty fair idea of what you are getting - at least enough to decide to order a stone to consider. You are never stuck with these recommended vendors as they have great return policies.
 
sledge said:
SI1 down to SI2, eh? So I could have bought my wife your old diamond for cheaper than you paid? :bigsmile:

Seriously, that is pretty crazy.

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But CBI pricing was also lowered in those 5 years and with the full trade-in value, I paid very little for my 2.18 E-VS1 with the 54% table that you love so much, lol.
 
cflutist said:
But CBI pricing was also lowered in those 5 years and with the full trade-in value, I paid very little for my 2.18 E-VS1 with the 54% table that you love so much, lol.
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Waiting for CBI to cut me a 2.99 ct with the identical specs..:pray:
 
Thank you OP for the detailed post and your new ring looks great.

The white lies comment is probably the perception from the OP and I would guess he didn't find the answer to the question he asked just beforev satisfactory,

i.e. he already made up his mind it wasn't the perfect diamond due to the hearts, HPD were not keen to accept that conclusion.
 
cflutist said:
But CBI pricing was also lowered in those 5 years and with the full trade-in value, I paid very little for my 2.18 E-VS1 with the 54% table that you love so much, lol.
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:love: :love: :love:

I just assumed you were gifting it to me when you decided to get your next stone. Don't worry I will love it just as you have, and more importantly I promise to taunt @Dancing Fire with it, lol.

Seriously, you know I love that E. The F wasn't bad but just thinking & talking about the E makes my heart beat a little faster.
 
For any lurkers contemplative if the honesty of the HPD company: I have purchased 2 diamonds from HPD and have never felt there was even an inkling of dishonesty; indeed they are SO honest (about everything) that I feel like I am talking to a relative when I communicate with them ! The LACK of over salesmanship is what sets them apart. No pressure to oversell, to overspend, to upgrade, anything. The diamonds speak for themselves. You will not find a better cut; maybe if you are lucky you will find an equivalent, but not better. Images are just that. The real things speak the truth.
 
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