Quest over...many thanks! (long, but pics included)

[quaeritur]

Dear Fellow Pricescopers-

I think the time has come to start spreading the gratitude about. I have many of you to thank for sharing knowledge, experience, ideas, and much of your valuable time to help me learn all I now know about diamonds. I hope to keep learning more, and also hope that the knowledge I've gained so far can help others here as well

.

Secondly, I'd like to thank several vendors for the time they dedicated to me and my quest for endless photos and no complaints, and for dedicating me time at their offices; GoodOldGold for tutorials, Jonathan for his e-mails and Charlie for spending over two hours showing me goodies at the store; Wink for his patience, expertise, for going above and beyond even my expectations of a vendor, and for making me feel like his one and only customer; Barry for taking time into his evening to show me exceptional SuperbCert stones; Henry and Brian at WhiteFlash for talking me through a couple of options from their ACA line and expert selection; DirtCheapDiamonds for excellent customer service and patience as I vacillated over one of their rocks too. A round of applause to you all

!

I started my quest at the beginning of this year. I wanted to celebrate paying off ten years of crippling student loans by buying myself something beautiful (and frivolous) that would give me endless enjoyment... you guessed it, a diamond! I knew I wanted a tension set ring, and through this site also found BooneRings (thanks also to Bruce, for answering so many of my questions!). Then, I decided I wanted a very very very specific diamond, and laid out an unmeetable list of criteria (hence the many vendors I dealt with). The carat weight needed to have meaning (I had three possible #s in mind), it had to be D or E color, SI1, thin to slightly thick girdle, with no open feathers on the girdle, perfect cut (by all standards, HCA, AGA, and AGS, with awesome IS image to boot), and most importantly, medium to strong blue fluorescence. Finally, it had to knock my socks off when I saw it and be priced under $4,000. Well, ladies and gents, I'd like you to meet my three finalists:

 

[quaeritur]

more info on the three...
[Edited to add] The HCA scores are tough to read in the image. They are 0.8, 0.6 and 1.2 respectively.

 

[quaeritur]

and...

 

[Stephan]

You did a great job!
My favorite is 0.76 D VS1!

 

[quaeritur]

The three finalists were as follows:

0.91 E SI1 WhiteFlash Expert Selection (discussed here)
6.17X6.20X3.87
depth 62.5%
table 54.7%
crown 34.7 deg (33.9-35.6)15.6%
pavilion 40.7 deg (39.8-41.7)42.9%
girdle slightly thick
strong blue fluorescence
GIA VG/VG, AGS0 proportions, HCA 1.2, AGA cut 1A

0.76 D VS1 Venus by Infinity brand, inspection courtesy Wink Jones (discussed here
5.89X5.91X3.60
depth 61%
table 55%
crown 34.3 deg
pavilion 40.6 deg
girdle thin to medium
medium blue fluorescence
GIA VG/X, HCA 0.6

0.79 D SI unbranded cut w/good H&A pattern from Blue Nile
6.0X6.03X3.64
depth 60.6%
table 57.1%
crown 34.7 deg, 14.8%
pavilion 40.6 deg, 42.8%
girdle thin
medium blue fluorescence
GIA X/X, AGS0 proportions, HCA 0.8, AGA cut 1A

All three are exceptional stones. I eliminated the 0.91 first because it did not face up noticeably larger than the other two, as most of the extra weight seems to be in the girdle. Also, it was very close, but just a tad off on just a few things, in other words, just shy of perfect. The 0.76 really put up a fight. I wanted to look at a Venus, as I was considering having the "perfect" stone cut or recut by Paul Slegers, if it did not already exist. This is one gorgeous stone!

. The cut is out of this world, truly a sight to behold. And the performance is just wow. However, this was not one of the #s I was looking for, and at VS1 clarity, it was just outside of my price range. Also, I had brought it in as a reference stone, and though it almost twisted my arm because of its beauty, in the end, I found the one with everything I wanted. I'm happy to report that it measured up to the Venus in terms of performance, so it's the one I'm keeping

. I'd feel terrible about sending the Venus back to Wink after how wonderfully accommodating he's been, if it weren't for the fact that my husband has ordered an EightStar from him for an anniversary gift later this year

.

Sorry to have bored you with the saga, but it's as short as I could make a report of seven months' worth of arduous searching. Just for reference, here was my first choice of what I wanted, and what I got:
0.79 D SI1 - yep, exactly that number, color AND clarity
awesome #s - uh huh, they don't get much better than that
cut quality - in the bag
blue fluor - not as much as the other two, but enough for me to like it
IS image - beautiful
under $4,000 - yes, but I know that I could have gotten a stone w/these specs for a little less from some of the other vendors I listed before. That's where I paid up for Blue Nile's marketing and sleek website. I'm OK with that, I guess.

Also, the moment I set eyes on that 0.79, I just knew it was the one. Folks here have often said to go with the one that speaks to you... this one did. I'm glad I took my time to find it, and that I was able to pick it out of this amazing lineup!

Now, on to the appraisal and setting!!!

 

[researcher]

Congrats! What a difficult decision you had--all 3 are at the top in terms of cut and color! I think you made the right choice though! I know close to nothing about rounds, but the one you chose is the one I like best from the pics! Yea!!! Great work!

 

[quaeritur]

Thanks Researcher (and Stephan, even though we didn't pick the same one)...

Here's a pic of this stone "speaking" to me

... tee hee.

 

[quaeritur]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that while I wanted an SI1, it did have to be eye clean from all angles, since the tension setting really can't hide much. This stone has many tiny inclusions, but they are clear and scattered about, with nothing right under the table. I haven't been able to find them at all without a loupe. The cert is here.

I should also take a moment to thank Blue Nile, since they were prompt in sending me Sarin info, even though they could not accommodate my request for any additional photos or information. I found them to be very professional, though I didn't get the same warm fuzzies as I did dealing with some other PS vendors.

 

[quaeritur]

And here is a collage of some of my favorite moments with my new diamond... the precious....these shots are unadulterated except for cropping

 

[chrono]

The last collage you posted just hit that sweet spot in my heart, capturing the flash and beauty. Thanks for sharing the journey of picking the right diamond with us. Now hurry up and pick a setting. I want to see hand pictures!

 

[WinkHPD]

Dear Lady Q,

Thank you for such a glowing report on Paul's Venus by Infinity diamonds and congratulations in finding the one that spoke the loudest to you. It was a LOT of fun helping you on your search and I enjoyed the time spent talking with you. It is always the best part of my day, talking with someone as excited about searching for a diamond as you were.

I know that .79 is an important number to you, and that you know how rare it is to find a stone of .79cts cut that well when a medium cut .80 would have brought more money. It makes my heart happy for you that someone did this stone correctly!

Wink

 

[quaeritur]

Thanks Chrono, it's been a really fun quest, though at times I despaired of finding exactly what I wanted! I can't wait to see hand pics either!!!

And a big thank you to you too, Wink, for helping me so much and taking so much time to talk to me about diamonds. I really appreciate it! Now, good luck wrestling this gorgeous Venus out of my clenched fist!

 

[Mara]

Great choice and beautiful stone Q!

I am a bit surprised that in the end the Blue Nile non H&A stone was the winner, but in looking at the pictures, I did think that it looked extremely great! I tend to discount BN for two reasons. 1) lack of information on their stones (aka pictures, reports etc) and 2) their price hikes over other vendors of what I construe better quality stones. You sure found a winner though. Also, I see the IS image...is BN doing these for customers now? If so, kudos to them..it means alot.

For whatever reason that E SI was NOT speaking to me in that lineup picture. I would have chosen one of the other 2 as well just from the pictures you posted...but in real life I know things are often different!

Congratulations on such a discriminating eye and PLEASE post more pix.

Oh and what is this about an EIGHTSTAR for an anni gift? For you or him!? Spill!

 

[researcher]

Those pictures are PHENOMENAL! I know it helps to have a spectacular stone, but what camera and settings were you using? SPECTACULAR!!!

 

[quaeritur]

Mara-

That makes two of us -I'm slightly shocked I found this stone at BN, and even more so because it isn't even one of their sig series! I agree w/you on all counts re Blue Nile. I do love the search tool on their website, and every once in a while I'd go back to play with it, just for kicks. Well, imagine my amazement when this puppy turned up! Anyway, I immediately put it on hold and requested Sarin info -the #s were awesome. They still don't provide any helpful images at all, so that was going to be the true test. Once I got all three stones (and a maxed out credit card to show for it!) I took those pics with my home setup -I plagiarized the "ideal mousse cap" and got an IS. I set it up on my lighttable, and voila. By the way, all three IS images were taken the same way, with extremely strong backlighting. I think it's a testament to all the stones that they looked so good even with that kind of backlight! Thanks though, I'm glad you like the final choice. I was kinda with you on the 0.91, though it is truly a beautiful stone as well!

Funny thing is, before I learned anything or found PS, I used to think BN was the best of the best. Then I discovered the PS vendors -who really take it to a different level. Oh well, I guess I'll have to buy other diamonds from the rest of 'em, ey?

Researcher-

Thank you! I have a Nikon Coolpix 5700 that has an amazing macro mode. I set those shots up outdoors in the sun (for the most part), switched the white balance to sunny day, and burned out my retinas taking the pix

. Oh, I also dropped ISO to 100, which makes them nice and smooth. Heaven knows that stone is bright enough!!!

 

[moremoremore]

I think I just went blind!...Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!!! AMAZING shots and an AMAZING stone...that sucker IS blinding....CONGRATS!!!

 

[quaeritur]

----------------
On 7/26/2004 12:16:19 PM Mara wrote:


...
Oh and what is this about an EIGHTSTAR for an anni gift? For you or him!? Spill!----------------

Oops, I missed that part! Ummm, well, my husband (who is NOT a fan of jewelry OR shopping) took pity on me in my obsessive diamond search and suggested that maybe he could get me a solitaire pendant for our 7th anniversary this September. What a guy! So, I kept looking for the perfect just shy of 0.50 ct. D-E SI1-I1 stone for that little project. With fluor, of course. Couldn't find one I liked. So, with the help of Wink and Dana at EightStar, a 0.59 D SI1 with strong blue fluor was located. It really does turn blue in sunlight -I got to see it and take pics before the recut- I think it's soooo cool. So anyway, now I have no idea what's up with it and it's driving me MAD!

Hubby has intimated that the recut might be done and it might be on its way to GIA... it's pretty exciting!!!

Actually, I've always wanted to have a lovely, simple set of diamonds: right hand ring, solitaire pendant, and studs.

 

[Patty]

Great choice quaeritur!

I can't wait to see it set.

And the pendant will be great too!

 

[elepri]

Wow, that's some pretty amazing flashes! Please post pictures when it's set.

 

[quaeritur]

Here is a hearts image I took with my homemade setup and IdealScope. Not the clearest, but enough to give an idea of some pretty nice hearts for an unbranded cut!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Congrats Q.

But why not buy them all?
They are all nice diamonds

 

[quaeritur]

Thanks Garry. OK, I'll keep 'em. And your credit card # is...?

 

[noobie]

Those are fabulous pics! I like the way you went about it. I always tell people to buy both and look at them, but in your case it was three!




P.S. Seven months, you've got stamina

 

[WinkHPD]

Lady Q,

I just had a nice conversation with a gentleman in Boulder with whom you shared the stones that you had. I appreciate the courtesy!

Wink

 

[Lynn B]

Ohmyword! Gorgeous, positively GORGEOUS! What color and fire! Great job, Q -- can't WAIT to see it set.

All I can say is... WOW!

Lynn

 

[MelanieC]

WOW! It's so beautiful. Congrats on your new diamond and all the hard work that went into it. I love your choice. Your husband is quite the nice guy, that 8 Star sounds fabulous!!

 

[Mara]

The 8* sounds absolutely great, Q....you sneaky gal.

Please let us know when it's done. There was a .57 H I1 locally here in San Jose a few months back that I saw at Willow Glen Jewelers which was absolutely stunning and the massive sparkles hid the inclusions. Price was nice too because of I1. Did you consider that one at all? If it's still available!

 

[quaeritur]

Thanks noobie, Lynn, and Melanie! I'm so impatient to get it appraised and set!!! I keep playing with it

Mara- I didn't know of that one. I was willing to go down to an I1 for a pendant, but I really wanted a D or E color (color is to me what size is to you

), and because I specifically wanted the blue fluor, it ended up being a custom job. There's something really romantic about the notion that a stone is being (re)cut just for me!

 

[quaeritur]

I couldn't resist taking more pics... This stone is just amazing

.

 

[quaeritur]

I've been looking at this diamond in all sorts of different lighting conditions... it's so cool. Here are a couple of examples