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The upgrade to end all upgrades...

I hope you don’t think about these cost questions from people at all. There will always be people who ask “how much did it cost?” for whatever reason. I have been that person too. If you’re comfortable share. If not, that’s fine too. Who cares why they ask. Heck. I don’t even wanna know. Enjoy that HUGE gorgeous diamond. Seeing the video gave me DSS in two seconds. Now my stone is looking like a speck of dust. Wahhhhh!!!!
 
lulu_ma said:
No, I get it-makes total sense. I guess it would be helpful for us (me) to know who a couple of the super high dealers were for future reference.

Of course, it’s great that you were able ultimately give your business to a small business owner!
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The vendors who had the highest costs were always "DM for pricing" like gee, thanks no transparency there and I could tell they were "virtual stones" as they could never give me videos/pics other than the ONE they posted. I feel awful when I DM for pricing and it's way the heck out of my budget.

I say this with a caveat because obviously an in-house stone would be cheaper than one they had to source. However, it always seemed like they moved towards the end of my budget (I hate it when they refuse to give me pricing till I say what budget I have- what are you just going to jack up the price till it's just right under my max?) when I asked about what XYZ stone is priced at.

Another point I want to make is that, if it is a stone owned by a jeweler, the price is only negotiable by a bit- and ultimately if you let it slip through your fingers it will most likely be sold to a private client and therefore would not pop back onto the market. "Buy now or cry later."
Begonia said:
Enjoy your stone in good health! If you're out my way, drop by for tea and give us a look. I've not seen such a beauty in person and am not likely to. @Daisys and Diamonds will probably bring cake if we ask nicely :)
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Where are you roundabouts?
 
LLJsmom said:
I hope you don’t think about these cost questions from people at all. There will always be people who ask “how much did it cost?” for whatever reason. I have been that person too. If you’re comfortable share. If not, that’s fine too. Who cares why they ask. Heck. I don’t even wanna know. Enjoy that HUGE gorgeous diamond. Seeing the video gave me DSS in two seconds. Now my stone is looking like a speck of dust. Wahhhhh!!!!
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It's just weird to me- I know people at work are always trying to prod for information since we just moved to the area. "Do you rent or own? What neighborhood did you buy in? How much was your house? How many bedrooms? Think you can rent a room to me?" I don't usually talk about costs unless with my close PS friends (love you girls!) because we're debating the finer points of the pros and cons and we've also met each others' SOs and families.

For settings, I'm very transparent- because the fact of the matter is many of the settings are mini pieces of OOAK "sculptures." It's hard to gauge how much a completely hand-forged setting with the particular skillset that Mike has. I will say, it is embarrassing to admit exactly how much just a setting has cost me.
 
Resonance.Of.Life said:
I've been on the hunt for a bigger upgrade since 2020 when I sold Isla (3.02 GIA i si1 antique cushion 9.47mm X 8.83mm) but with the caveats that it would have to be a) an actual antique and b) be whiter than my last upgrade. Both of those conditions are really hard to fulfill since many of the bigger, whiter antique diamonds have been recut into modern cuts. I got a text from Grace of Jewels by Grace one day (March 2022) indicating that Anup (Jogani Jewels) had just sourced the perfect stone for me. I made my way to LA a few days later to see the stone in person as it was definitely a rare bird, a 6.76 carat GIA H Si1 antique cushion (12.25 mm X 11.49 mm). My first impressions were, "Holy cannoli that diamond is HUGE. And holy crap, that thing is white!" I took a few days to mull over it, and decided to ultimately pass on it as it was still a very expensive diamond and I was just shocked at sheer size on my tiny fingers. Needless to say, the diamond was sold very shortly after I passed on it due to the rarity of size and color.

I would peruse IG looking for any 5 carat + GIA H or higher antique cushions with very little success on any nicely faceted ones. I began to regret passing on the 6.76 and thus, I started searching for it. I found it for sale online by searching for the specs. However, we were in the process of buying a second home (our dream home) and had to wait for that purchase to be done with. Once I got the go ahead from the hubby, I enlisted the help of 88 Star Jewels and purchased the stone from her. Grace of Jewels by Grace graciously allowed me to use her cutter to fix the slightly off center culet (something that only I could be bothered with ) and I was able to observe a master diamond cutter work his magic!

I am waffling between getting a very simple solitaire (ala Ring Concierge's antique signature setting) and getting a solitaire with a very fancy gallery from Mike of David Michael Jewels as he made my last ring and I utterly loved how delicate but sturdy the unique the design was. Even though I am a halo girl, these tiny fingers cannot handle a giant rock plus a halo with the lack of real estate. I'm flirting with a floral design again and a more celestial themed design since I have a lot of under gallery space due to the size of the diamond. image0 (3).jpeg

As I've traditionally named my big cushions, I'm at a loss as to what to call this stone- Moby (as it is my great white whale), BDE (Big diamond energy or.. Big D**K energy), ect ect... Open to suggestions!
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that is one fabulous diamond
she needs to come with a fainting warning
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:kiss2:
 
Resonance.Of.Life said:
The vendors who had the highest costs were always "DM for pricing" like gee, thanks no transparency there and I could tell they were "virtual stones" as they could never give me videos/pics other than the ONE they posted. I feel awful when I DM for pricing and it's way the heck out of my budget.

I say this with a caveat because obviously an in-house stone would be cheaper than one they had to source. However, it always seemed like they moved towards the end of my budget (I hate it when they refuse to give me pricing till I say what budget I have- what are you just going to jack up the price till it's just right under my max?) when I asked about what XYZ stone is priced at.

Another point I want to make is that, if it is a stone owned by a jeweler, the price is only negotiable by a bit- and ultimately if you let it slip through your fingers it will most likely be sold to a private client and therefore would not pop back onto the market. "Buy now or cry later."


Where are you roundabouts?
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So dang far up in Canada on an island.
 
Resonance.Of.Life said:
It's just weird to me- I know people at work are always trying to prod for information since we just moved to the area. "Do you rent or own? What neighborhood did you buy in? How much was your house? How many bedrooms? Think you can rent a room to me?" I don't usually talk about costs unless with my close PS friends (love you girls!) because we're debating the finer points of the pros and cons and we've also met each others' SOs and families.

For settings, I'm very transparent- because the fact of the matter is many of the settings are mini pieces of OOAK "sculptures." It's hard to gauge how much a completely hand-forged setting with the particular skillset that Mike has. I will say, it is embarrassing to admit exactly how much just a setting has cost me.
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I get that. I’m not saying you should be more transparent. I’m just saying don’t let people who want you to be bother you. You don’t owe anyone anything. It’s not your problem if they think you do. It’s theirs.
 
The sun came out but again this stupid phone takes crappy photos.IMG_2422.jpeg
 
Resonance.Of.Life said:
Not that I am aware of.
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Darn. That's a shame. Wouldn't it be great if diamonds came with biographies??

"I started as a prism in the bedrock of South Africa, and was transported via ship to Amsterdam in 1902, where a 7th generation diamond cutter was commissioned by her father to cut me into a cushion cut for a European princess. I stayed with her until the family faced financial ruin and was sold to a nouveau riche woman, who... "
 
Begonia said:
Darn. That's a shame. Wouldn't it be great if diamonds came with biographies??

"I started as a prism in the bedrock of South Africa, and was transported via ship to Amsterdam in 1902, where a 7th generation diamond cutter was commissioned by her father to cut me into a cushion cut for a European princess. I stayed with her until the family faced financial ruin and was sold to a nouveau riche woman, who... "
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Well, I hereby dub thee the biographer of Amalthea .
 
Oh my… your rock is gorgeous!!! I am so happy for you that you found her again! ❤️❤️❤️
 
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Any further progress on the dream setting?
 
Asscherhalo_lover said:
Any further progress on the dream setting?
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Not as of yet- I really want to take my time and make sure it is what I want.

I love intricate settings but I want it light and airy and not so... robust /heavy in looks if that makes sense.

Plus Mike was on vacation for a bit so that stalled a lot of the progress. I'm in no rush and I was assured that he could punch out my ring for me in 8 weeks because it would be the only project during that time frame.
 
lulu_ma said:
ROL, needless to say, your stone is stunning, but all of this pricing talk has really piqued my interest!

If you feel comfortable, can you rank the sellers by price range-without price specifics of course-and share that list with us? I think this would be a great data point for us old cut lovers.

ETA: I have not contacted any vendors about your stone!
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I've decided to give ranges with the caveat that prices were obviously the lowest with Grace/Anup as they had originally sourced the stone (2022) and the prices thereafter with the other vendors would have had to change hands several times until it landed with a particular dealer who owned the stone (2023).

Anup/Grace 155k (March 2022)
88Star/Rare Carat 175-185k (June/July 2023)
OWD over 195k (June/july 2023)
Rita on the Rocks over 200k (June/July 2023)
Kelly K Over 220k (June/July 2023)
 
Resonance.Of.Life said:
I've decided to give ranges with the caveat that prices were obviously the lowest with Grace/Anup as they had originally sourced the stone (2022) and the prices thereafter with the other vendors would have had to change hands several times until it landed with a particular dealer who owned the stone (2023).

Anup/Grace 155k (March 2022)
88Star/Rare Carat 175-185k (June/July 2023)
OWD over 195k (June/july 2023)
Rita on the Rocks over 200k (June/July 2023)
Kelly K Over 220k (June/July 2023)
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Wow. This is extremely helpful. I am not surprised about Kelly K. But I thought Rita was more reasonable. It’s a win-win that you were able to give a former PSer the business!
 
Rare Carat and 88 Star were literally within a few thousand of each other. I was more surprised that OWD and Rita were also within a few thousand of each other.

I don't know what the dealer who owned the stone ended up paying for it when it changed hands at least twice from what I can gather, but interesting margins on the the top two priciest vendors. There were other vendors that offered the stone for anywhere from 180-208k , but I didn't write them down these were the ones that stood out to me as being bigger IG vendors and a PS favorite.
 
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