My small but mighty CBI upgrade

[Lvoeshinythings]

Beautiful! Am so glad you got the diamond you wanted and now the setting you want. Congrats.

 

[Lykame]

Awww wonderful! Lovely new old setting! It looks lovely! You look like you've made all the best decisions that make you as happy as possible and you've worked with some wonderful people along the way!

Also hope your new central diamond is giving you great joy and that you're learning its personality!

Congratulations!

 

[natasha-cupcake]

I love the reset! It's lovely and I think it was a great idea to retain some of your original ring. There's nothing like a CBI. And the entire HPD team is incredible. I've always said that my HPD ring was the best non-essential purchase I've ever made. So happy for you. Congratulations!

 

[AprilBaby]

You must have the most beautiful diamond in London! Happy wife, happy life!

 

[Dmndsr4evr11]

After silently reading PS for 10 years, I finally have something to post!

I will apologise in advance for my lengthy thread but I am absolutely thrilled with my ring and would like to share my happiness and experience with you all.

I have been married for 6 years and got engaged with a 0.60 carat I SI1 triple X GIA diamond which was set in a platinum setting with diamond shoulders. I was very happy with the ring but I always yearned to have a super ideal cut diamond.

I had been thinking of a possible upgrade for around 3 years but I never pulled the trigger as I had given birth to my two boys over the past 4 years and time just seemed to fly by.

Over the past 6 months I began thinking of an upgrade again and it was @KristinTech and her thread about a starter CBI diamond which gave me the push.

I contacted the wonderful Melissa at HPD to explain to her that I would like a CBI diamond. To be honest I didn’t think it would even be possible for me to have a CBI diamond because we had recently moved into a lovely new home and the only way this would have happened is if HPD accepted my diamond as a trade in.

To my surprise they did accept non CBI diamonds and this became the step towards my CBI diamond journey. I traded in my original diamond plus a J VS2.

My requirement was simple. I wanted a similar carat size to my original diamond but with a much higher colour and clarity and of course the best cut. So I decided on E VS1 because if I’m honest the tint in my I and J diamond did bother me a lot.

I felt a bit sad about letting go of my original diamond but my husband supported me in this upgrade which made me feel better about it. Upgrades are not really a thing where I live (London) so this is a very big deal for me. My husband and I have agreed that this would be the one and only change which is why I went straight for the E VS1.

I was very nervous about shipping my diamonds to the US but the wonderful Wink, Jamie and Melissa reassured me that it would not pose a problem. Wink wanted me to have the diamonds removed from the mounts before sending so that HPD would not have to pay customs to receive my diamonds from me.

This was made very easy for me by Melissa who guided me to the lovely Faye and Manu at Durham Rose in London (who are also authorised sellers of CBI diamonds) who removed the diamonds from the settings for a small fee.

I will confess I had no idea on how to send the parcel to HPD because upon checking FedEx, UPS etc it became apparent that I would not be able to send my package with full insurance as it would be over the amount that they insure for in case of theft or loss.

Melissa came up with a sensible solution of emailing me a prepaid FedEx label which covered the contents under their own insurance which they use to ship parcels. So all I had to do was package up my diamonds and attach the commercial invoice and shipping label and drop off to FedEx. I reimbursed HPD for the cost of the shipping label and I had peace of mind that my diamonds would reach them in two working days.

Once my diamonds and the certificates were received by HPD, they were examined by Wink. I also sent my plain platinum wedding band for polishing and before I knew it I had received an email from Melissa to tell me that my rings were ready to ship.

Jamie sent me pictures which I must have looked at about a thousand times!

I received my rings yesterday and I am thrilled with them. The diamond seems to dance and the arrows are constantly flashing. It is completely icy and white and I love it. I have taken some photographs but they do not do the ring justice. Its impossible to photograph what I see.

The diamond is set in a simple platinum Stuller setting with a knife edge with engraving along the edges. The setting is more beautiful than I had anticipated.

Sorry about the huge essay and I hope you enjoy the pictures! I’ve tried to take pictures where you can also see the pattern along the knife edge.

I would like to say a special thank you to Melissa who held my hand throughout this journey and answered my many emails as I was very nervous about the entire process. Thank you to Wink and Jamie too. I am a fan of HPD for life and I would recommend them to international customers especially those looking to upgrade non CBI diamonds. Nothing is impossible when working with HPD.

I present my 0.64 E VS1 CBI diamond in a platinum Stuller setting in size 3.75.

Congratulations on your icy white upgrade! It’s beautiful! Sorry had to edit. Didn’t see that you already posted hand shots.

 

[Dmndsr4evr11]

Perfect! Congratulations, again!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Just beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing with us!!

 

[MrsBlue]

Gorgeous ring and it looks beautiful on your hand. Congratulations!

 

[arhzay]

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments. I have enjoyed sharing my experience and pictures with you all.