the legacy diamond?

[pinoybruin]

http://www.thelegacydiamond.com/index.html?partner=
Anyone hear of this company (good or bad reviews)? A local dealer just made a reference to their diamonds and I was wondering if it was worth looking into.

 

[Amys Bling]

i do not have any experience with this company. Hopefully someone will chime in who does..

 

[pinoybruin]

I guess it isn't well known.

 

[oldminer]

The claim by the cutting firm which sells these is that they are superior to all other diamonds in light performance measured by a device which is not named but sounds like Gemex in terminology. Claiming that all aspects are greater than any others is a pretty radical claim for any round diamond. It seems either incredible or puffery in salesmanship. However, it might be an excellent looking diamond.

The crown looks like standard faceting while the pavilion has all full length facets and no lower girdle faceting. This surely will make a difference in appearance, but is this enough of a change to actually create more light return, more sparkle, etc? It looks like a formula to create somewhat less light return, but science can measure the end result better than my guesswork. I have no idea of the cut parameters these are fashioned to meet and the repetitive nature of each one in cut dimensions. Maybe they are strictly cut and maybe they are cut in many different parametric styles. In other words, are they a consistent make or not?

Hopefully, someone will post a few sample photos at some point or a seller here will find the time to test a few. Then we'll all know a lot more.

 

[pinoybruin]

Thanks for your time oldminer. It is grately appreciated. Since there isn't a great amount of info on them I am still going to drop by and look at the diamonds that he wants to show me.

 

[antelope1]

Just keep in mind, lighting in jewelry stores is expensive and fantastic. No diamond will ever look as good outside the store as in the store. Insist on looking at the diamonds under different types of lighting.

 

[Lula]

Thanks for your time oldminer. It is grately appreciated. Since there isn't a great amount of info on them I am still going to drop by and look at the diamonds that he wants to show me.

It's great that you are going in to take a look at them. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. There is no doubt a premium associated with this cut. Make sure you understand why these diamonds cost more. What I've found is that many small, locally owned jewelers are now carrying these "special cuts" with more facets. They charge more for these. It's my belief -- and I could be way off here -- that somewhere there is a diamond cutting facility (or more than one) that is marketing these "specialty cuts" to small jewelers as a way to draw in more customers. But if so many smaller jewelers are carrying them, how exclusive are they, really?

2. The stones I've seen that are cut with this facet pattern look great in spotlighting (think jewelry store lighting). So they look "wow" in the store compared to traditional (57 facets) diamonds. But how great do they look in "normal" lighting, e.g., office lighting, under a lamp in your own house? But since they look wonderful in the store, you can see how customers would be drawn to them, and, in turn, how that may help stores sell more of this cut.

3. There have been some threads discussing branded cuts with additional facets. The Star 129 and the Solafsera are two brands that cut beautiful diamonds with additional facets. I believe Good Old Gold carries both brands, and I've seen the Star 129 in local jewelry stores. Anyway, the gist of those threads was that the additional facets do not do much for smaller diamonds (under 1 carat) and may actually serve to break up the diamond's flash into many small white sparkles rather than a mix of small sparkles and larger colored flashes. So if you are considering a stone that is less than a carat, make sure you compare a traditional 57-facet diamond (well-cut, like a Hearts on Fire or Jared's Peerless brand) of the same size to the "specialty cut" diamond your jeweler wants to show you. And make sure your jeweler is not showing you his/her specialty cut stone next to some poorly cut traditionally faceted stones. I've had that happen to me, so you need to make sure any "comparison" they use is a fair comparison. Ask to see the specialty cut next to an AGS 000 or a GIA ExExEx cut. Look at both stones in a variety of lighting conditions.

 

[pinoybruin]

Thanks for your time oldminer. It is grately appreciated. Since there isn't a great amount of info on them I am still going to drop by and look at the diamonds that he wants to show me.

It's great that you are going in to take a look at them. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. There is no doubt a premium associated with this cut. Make sure you understand why these diamonds cost more. What I've found is that many small, locally owned jewelers are now carrying these "special cuts" with more facets. They charge more for these. It's my belief -- and I could be way off here -- that somewhere there is a diamond cutting facility (or more than one) that is marketing these "specialty cuts" to small jewelers as a way to draw in more customers. But if so many smaller jewelers are carrying them, how exclusive are they, really?

2. The stones I've seen that are cut with this facet pattern look great in spotlighting (think jewelry store lighting). So they look "wow" in the store compared to traditional (57 facets) diamonds. But how great do they look in "normal" lighting, e.g., office lighting, under a lamp in your own house? But since they look wonderful in the store, you can see how customers would be drawn to them, and, in turn, how that may help stores sell more of this cut.

3. There have been some threads discussing branded cuts with additional facets. The Star 129 and the Solafsera are two brands that cut beautiful diamonds with additional facets. I believe Good Old Gold carries both brands, and I've seen the Star 129 in local jewelry stores. Anyway, the gist of those threads was that the additional facets do not do much for smaller diamonds (under 1 carat) and may actually serve to break up the diamond's flash into many small white sparkles rather than a mix of small sparkles and larger colored flashes. So if you are considering a stone that is less than a carat, make sure you compare a traditional 57-facet diamond (well-cut, like a Hearts on Fire or Jared's Peerless brand) of the same size to the "specialty cut" diamond your jeweler wants to show you. And make sure your jeweler is not showing you his/her specialty cut stone next to some poorly cut traditionally faceted stones. I've had that happen to me, so you need to make sure any "comparison" they use is a fair comparison. Ask to see the specialty cut next to an AGS 000 or a GIA ExExEx cut. Look at both stones in a variety of lighting conditions.

I will be highly critical when it comes to lighting and comparisions. Thanks for the info on the solasfera; i didn't know their cutting had different effects on on different size diamonds. Also, I will be looking at a diamond around the 1.25 to 1.5 range. I will be seriously shopping around and B&M stores and if not, I will be considering JA or GOG.

 

[antelope1]

I will be seriously shopping around and B&M stores and if not, I will be considering JA or GOG.

Just a thought:

Pricing for rounds is very competitive. If there is a particular diamond that you like, I would suggest using the PS search tool and restricting the color, carat weight, and clarity to what your diamond looks like, then look in the dimensions column to identify the exact diamond that you're looking for -- I'm going to bet you that it will be listed by multiple sellers (especially if it is a virtual stone, and not a branded ultra-premium cut [think WF ACA for example]), then you can check the cert # and make SURE the listings are for the same diamond. If JA has it for cheaper than everyone else...great. If GOG can beat them, great. But if the same diamond can be had from another vendor...for less...I'd consider buying it there instead...

 

[pinoybruin]

I will be seriously shopping around and B&M stores and if not, I will be considering JA or GOG.

Just a thought:

Pricing for rounds is very competitive. If there is a particular diamond that you like, I would suggest using the PS search tool and restricting the color, carat weight, and clarity to what your diamond looks like, then look in the dimensions column to identify the exact diamond that you're looking for -- I'm going to bet you that it will be listed by multiple sellers (especially if it is a virtual stone, and not a branded ultra-premium cut [think WF ACA for example]), then you can check the cert # and make SURE the listings are for the same diamond. If JA has it for cheaper than everyone else...great. If GOG can beat them, great. But if the same diamond can be had from another vendor...for less...I'd consider buying it there instead...

Thanks for the advice. The rule of thumb is all branded diamonds aren't shared, correct?

 

[briolette]

Funny that I ran into this thread. Just a couple of days ago, I saw some of these diamond on display at a local jewelry store in town (if you're in the Austin area, it was Benold's).

I was very underwhelmed. I would say light performance looked "different" but necessarily "better" Granted this is looking at a stone in a store under nice overhead lighting and maybe the Legacy performs better across all lighting situations, but I wrote it off as mere marketing and branding....just my two cents.

 

[pinoybruin]

I'll be looking at it at Devon's in Fresno, CA.
He mentioned that I could browse his company's stones but the legacy diamonds would not be found on their. Also by the looks of it they seem to be pricing their diamonds on the high side.