Strong Windowing in Emerald Cut, Engagement planned for next week...Help

[Joseph Herrera]

Mainly it has areas that look like sand blasted glass from some angles. Its tricky sometimes because of focus issues.
That is why you have to manually control the tilt to check it from multiple angles back and forth once you identify an area.

I think I see what you're referring too, on the back side right?

Also, do any of you all know of any websites that pick out really high performing EC's and generally only carry strong stones? I know they would be a bit pricier but maybe worth it?

I see whiteflash likes to market themselves as something like this but not sure if they have good EC's

 

[0515vision]

Jonathan @Rhino at Distinctive Gem can give you concierge service. It will cost you a bit more, but he has all the expertise and imaging equipment you could ask for. He has numerous youtube videos you can browse to get a sense of him. I've personally purchased from him.

His website prices aren't always up to date, so don't hesitate to reach out and ask for price comparisons.

@Karl_K developed his own Emerald Cut, so you're always welcome to keep looking and asking his opinion here. It will just take a bit more time.

And be aware that there are lurkers on PS who snag recommended stones out from under people all the time. That might be what happened to that last stone. As a result, some people only post a really good stone when they know the OP or expert will be online. This is harder with ECs bc someone like me always needs a PS expert's eye to confirm.

Good luck! We're rooting for you!

 

[0515vision]

I have no idea if these are lively. And they might be out of your price range. But I thought I'd give it a shot.

3.05 E VS1 $1996
https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/inventory/?sku=7498049780&skuu=7498049780

3.02 E VS2 $1756 - and I'd want the experts to confirm that this would be eyeclean
https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/inventory/?sku=1473634121&skuu=1473634121

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Hey 0515 Vision! Thanks so much for helping out

Think I will reach out to Jonathan then, I have been working 16 hour days so it's just tough to find time for this.

The first stone you sent certainly looks a lot more lively than the second in my opinion!

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Jonathan @Rhino at Distinctive Gem can give you concierge service. It will cost you a bit more, but he has all the expertise and imaging equipment you could ask for. He has numerous youtube videos you can browse to get a sense of him. I've personally purchased from him.

His website prices aren't always up to date, so don't hesitate to reach out and ask for price comparisons.

@Karl_K developed his own Emerald Cut, so you're always welcome to keep looking and asking his opinion here. It will just take a bit more time.

And be aware that there are lurkers on PS who snag recommended stones out from under people all the time. That might be what happened to that last stone. As a result, some people only post a really good stone when they know the OP or expert will be online. This is harder with ECs bc someone like me always needs a PS expert's eye to confirm.

Good luck! We're rooting for you!

Do you have any advice for meeting with Jonathan? I know you said you've worked with him before.

 

[0515vision]

Do you have any advice for meeting with Jonathan? I know you said you've worked with him before.

Email or call him through his website.

Exclusive Ideal Cut Diamonds | Distinctive Gem Inc.

The home of Distinctive and August Vintage diamonds online. The world's first patented ideal vintage cut diamonds in way of oval, cushion and old European cut round diamonds.

www.distinctivegem.com

16hr days!!! Plus an emerald cut search!!! Plus planning a proposal!!!
You’ve got your hands more than full!

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Email or call him through his website.

Exclusive Ideal Cut Diamonds | Distinctive Gem Inc.

The home of Distinctive and August Vintage diamonds online. The world's first patented ideal vintage cut diamonds in way of oval, cushion and old European cut round diamonds.

www.distinctivegem.com

16hr days!!! Plus an emerald cut search!!! Plus planning a proposal!!!
You’ve got your hands more than full!

Hahahahaha I also am planning an engagement party and renovating my family home back in the Caribbean

Life of a consultant

 

[lovedogs]

Do you have any advice for meeting with Jonathan? I know you said you've worked with him before.

He's grrst. I've worked with him multiple times. Call or email, and he will walk you through everything.

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Spoke with Jonathan and was able to quickly grab a stone, he is checking it out tomorrow and will send me videos. Will include here for everyone.

It ended up being ~$4k which is a bit out of my price range but I think the confidence of having him check it out for me is definitely worth it. Perhaps if I had more time I could've done more searching online.

Just wanted to thank all of you again for the help!

 

[lovedogs]

Spoke with Jonathan and was able to quickly grab a stone, he is checking it out tomorrow and will send me videos. Will include here for everyone.

It ended up being ~$4k which is a bit out of my price range but I think the confidence of having him check it out for me is definitely worth it. Perhaps if I had more time I could've done more searching online.

Just wanted to thank all of you again for the help!

In my view it's worth spending a bit more (as long as you are able) to have peace of mind

 

[0515vision]

I have no idea if these are lively. And they might be out of your price range. But I thought I'd give it a shot.

3.05 E VS1 $1996
https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/inventory/?sku=7498049780&skuu=7498049780

3.02 E VS2 $1756 - and I'd want the experts to confirm that this would be eyeclean
https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/inventory/?sku=1473634121&skuu=1473634121

@Karl_K, any chance you could take a look at these two?

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Here is the new rock!!! https://www.distinctivegem.com/prod...emerald-cut-private-reserve-lab-grown-diamond

Looks crazy

 

[Karl_K]

@Karl_K, any chance you could take a look at these two?

The first one looks very promising but the second not so great face up.

 

[0515vision]

Congrats! We’d love to see photos once you get it!

 

[joe2]

I see your hunt has ended in a success! I'm sure you are going to be very happy with the results. One more thing is off the long list of things to do.

After looking through several more stones this is the best one that I saw. I'm confident it has issues that I dont see.

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yes that one from Jon is much better

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Ok so here is the side by side with the original stone. Left is new stone right is old stone. View attachment 977554

This is the new stone close up (right)

This is the new stone close up standalone

This is the new stone close up in a setting

Now for the old stone

Old stone alone in tweezers

Old stone in setting

 

[Joseph Herrera]

Takeaways from this.

Old stone was bought from Ritani ~$1500, all the good specs you'd expect out of an EC (but the cut was not great which led to subpar light performance (IGI certification)

I reached out to John at Distinctive gems and he hooked me up with this new stone ~$4000, all the good specs you'd expect out of an EC but each one slightly better than the original e.g. E color, no Cutlet, etc. (GIA certification)

The stone from John is obviously much much better cut, he says it will probably be one of the best cut EC's i'd come into contact with throughout my life which I do genuinely believe.

On receiving the stone and comparing them in real life light (outdoor and indoor) side by side, you can tell one is better than the other but I didn't notice a HUGE difference between the two. it was obvious that the stone from John was better and I would even say that looking at it was somewhat mesmerizing where as the original had a bland middle and some light leakage, it just missed something.

Given that and the fact that my girlfriend would not have been able to tell the difference, I'm not sure if I can really justify spending 2.7x the price of the original.

Part of me is considering just returning it and getting something that isn't as perfect and is just in between my first stone and this one for around $2000 - $2500 e.g. the stone that @0515vision sent recently: https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/inventory/?sku=7498049780&skuu=7498049780

I don't think in any way that John has "ripped" me off, he was great and I believe what he sold me was a very fair price. I'm just thinking that in the real world, my girlfriend would not notice and or care whether her stone was in the top 5% vs top 1%

Curious to hear your thoughts on the matter and if the price jump is worth it from your perspective! (I know everyone's situation and priorities are different

 

[0515vision]

Ok ... I have some skin in the game bc everyone likes it when someone chooses their pick. But the stone on Ritani is marked as SOLD even though it's still up on Adiamor and Loose Grown. I suspect that someone purchased it through the Ritani site.

I fully understand that $4k is a lot to spend on something you're not sure of. I vote using a CZ and seeing what PSers can find for you. Although it's time consuming, it's not impossible to find a nice EC. There's another thread going on right not (although she's looking at 7-8ct), so a lot of great EC knowledge is going around right now.

 

[lovedogs]

I love the stone John found. I feel like it's a world better, but the price difference is a lot.

 

[0515vision]

Here are two possibilities (I posted three but saw that one was sold). Granted some of them have slightly subpar crystal. But I figure that's better than having lots of windowing or dead zones. @Karl_K, @lovedogs can you comment?

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

This one might have too many dead zone, but they seems to blink with tilt.

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

 

[0515vision]

Two more possibilities that aren't listed as sold. And we're not going for perfect, PSers. We're going for better than the first stone, and better priced than Jonathan's stone.

We're going for Goldilocks!! @Karl_K @lovedogs @Dreamer_D @joe2?

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

 

[lovedogs]

Here are two possibilities (I posted three but saw that one was sold). Granted some of them have slightly subpar crystal. But I figure that's better than having lots of windowing or dead zones. @Karl_K, @lovedogs can you comment?

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

This one might have too many dead zone, but they seems to blink with tilt.

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

I like the 2nd one! I like the on and off blinking

 

[lovedogs]

Two more possibilities that aren't listed as sold. And we're not going for perfect, PSers. We're going for better than the first stone, and better priced than Jonathan's stone.

We're going for Goldilocks!! @Karl_K @lovedogs @Dreamer_D @joe2?

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

Inventory

Shop your perfect lab grown diamond from thousands of ethically sourced certified lab created diamonds inventory.

www.loosegrowndiamond.com

Not a fan of these. I feel like there's a lot of crystal issues

 

[joe2]

Same shape different cut, just throwing it out there.

Media Links

maybe

Loupe360

loupe360.com

 

[Dreamer_D]

If this is an issue of the second stone being too expensive for comfort, then absolutely send it back and try to find something smaller withing budget that is as well cut.

But your assumption that you gf “won’t know the difference” is interesting. I feel like most people recognize a truly well cut diamond especially when they wear it every day. People comment all the time on how sparkly my engagement diamond is. They see it is better than other diamonds. I think it’s worth having a better cut diamond.

How about letting her pick instead of making the decision for her.

 

[joe2]

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Media Links

wish that one rotated vertically, it may be nice

Loupe360

loupe360.com

 

[0515vision]

I think it's definitely worth doing a side-by-side with Jonathan's pick and a Goldilocks pick. That first has way too much windowing. Hopefully, Jonathan will give you enough time to do a side by side. @Karl_K has said before (I think) that even though videos and ASETs may look good, fancies really need to be seen in person.

The first stone is a hard pass, and Jonathan's stone looks lovely. But let's see if you can find something in between that works for the eye and the pocket.

 

[joe2]

I would take both stones outside into the sunlight, shade, car, to dinner, wherever you normally go. If you don't love them, if you don't say to yourself " that's a very nice diamond" return them.
Here's a whiteflash stone. Take a look https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-dream-ec-from-whiteflash.244807/

 

[joe2]

2.16-Carat Emerald Lab Created Diamond

This is diamond detail page for 2.16-Carat Emerald Lab Created Diamond- I.D.JEWELRY

idjewelry.com

After looking at 100's that's the most lively horizontal spin video I've seen.
Call IDJ and see if they have "your" stone. It can't hurt to call.

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We are a top jewelry store in NYC’s Diamond District. Shop our collection of high end diamond eternity bands, engagement rings, stud earrings and more.

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