Well I just bought a pair of OECs

[distracts]

Call me crazy but I like the pendant, have you tried cleaning it up and putting it on a chain?

I can’t take the little string crap off until I’m sure I don’t want to return it, and I was waaaay too post-Thanksgiving lazy today to figure out if I could just, like, hold the diamond part in the ultrasonic, lol. I imagine I’ll be more motivated to try in the coming days.

The pendant is nowhere near as weird irl as it looked on the pictures.

 

[yssie]

They look like beautiful stones! Ditto @dreamer_dachsie - please don't recut either!

Assuming they're eyeclean and your colour and size estimations are within the right neighbourhood... IMO you paid a "good" preloved price - it's not the deal of the century, but it's certainly less than you'd have spent with a vintage retailer, and pairs command a premium.

My only concern is that there might be surface-breaching pavilion inclusions or nontrivial chips/nicks that are hidden under the prongs - with precision-cut RBs you can count on internal reflection to unearth more of these sorts of skeletons. The ultrasonic helps!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

@dreamer_dachsie and @LightBright now that I’ve seen them in more lighting, I’ve abandoned that idea. The initial lighting I usually see jewelry in is the flat indirect lighting of my bedroom or office that is great for colored gems but not really where diamonds shine their best. Once I carried them around I got more excited.

Looking at your photo and videos I was going to tell you that you are looking at the stones in basically the WORST lighting possible! lol... you need to first get a baby toothbrush and some dish soap and just give them a scrubba dub dub. Then you need to go outside in natural lighting under a tree! Or, you can sit looking out a south facing window and hold your hand up in front of the glass. Those are the best ways to look at diamonds, which also must be very clean to look their best.

 

[Dreamer_D]

And I really like the pendant. I'd get it cleaned up and the prongs checked and wear it!

 

[AV_]

Might they be studs?

 

[distracts]

oh. oh guys. you convinced me to clean them. the top stone, which I already thought was good, is AMAZING. The bottom stone is still only fine. But the top one is the one I had already picked out for the pendant - "fine" like the bottom stone is good enough for a bracelet or a multi-stone ring with colored gems, and it'll also not look so bad when it's not right next to the other.

I have new pics and video I'll post in a minute.

They look like beautiful stones! Ditto @dreamer_dachsie - please don't recut either!

Assuming they're eyeclean and your colour and size estimations are within the right neighbourhood... IMO you paid a "good" preloved price - it's not the deal of the century, but it's certainly less than you'd have spent with a vintage retailer, and pairs command a premium.

My only concern is that there might be surface-breaching pavilion inclusions or nontrivial chips/nicks that are hidden under the prongs - with precision-cut RBs you can count on internal reflection to unearth more of these sorts of skeletons. The ultrasonic helps!!

Yeah, "good" preloved price is all I expect or want. I don't think I've ever gotten a deal of the century, and I expect if I ever get one it will only be the one! THIS was the PS deal of the century, and it's already been gotten. Good preloved price is basically what I aim for with diamonds. I have had the money saved up for a diamond pendant for a while but could never pull the trigger on a retail price despite looking weekly at my favorite diamonds (all around $6k for 1-1.2 cts, various colors/clarities). I just kept thinking - I could buy a demantoid garnet instead. I could get in on the opals like with your earrings. $6k can go a LONG way in the CS world, and one diamond? One measly diamond? Not even two carats of one? (These are the things I normally DO NOT say in Rocky Talky, ahahahaha!)

re: inclusions - They are absolutely eyeclean as set. I honestly can't spot a damned thing with my loupe faceup even with side lighting, except tiny speckles that could be either dirt or inclusions, and some stuff I'm pretty sure is dirt even though I've cleaned them. They look like my VS2 earrings (I don't have anything higher clarity in appreciable size, and everything lower clarity I can easily spot the inclusions because there are fairly prominent crystals). Earlier I thought I saw a black needle but it was just a stiff black hair on the outside that blew away when I sprayed it with the canned air. lmfao. I'm not practiced at spotting inclusions in diamonds. That's part of why I'm taking them to an appraiser - I figure even when set they will be able to see a lot more than I can.

The girdles look a tiny bit chewed up in places but as I could easily see that in the listing pictures, and it is common with OECs, it doesn't bother me. Facedown I can see a small kind of brownish blob underneath the edge of one girdle, but I can't seem to find it if the diamond is faceup and it is on the diamond that I think still might be dirty, AND right underneath a slightly chewed-up girdle, so it might just be dirt stuck in there.

If there are chips or inclusions underneath the prongs - that will suck pricewise since idk if I can return once I unmount them and I then may have overpaid but I also understand that I bought an already-set item and shit happens. Chalk it up to "win some, lose some." I've had a lot of good luck with jewelry purchases and if I have one spot of moderately bad luck, it'll be fine. And also I pretty much only like/want six-prong settings on rounds so we could just cover that shizz right back up and it'd be like I never even saw it.

Looking at your photo and videos I was going to tell you that you are looking at the stones in basically the WORST lighting possible! lol... you need to first get a baby toothbrush and some dish soap and just give them a scrubba dub dub. Then you need to go outside in natural lighting under a tree! Or, you can sit looking out a south facing window and hold your hand up in front of the glass. Those are the best ways to look at diamonds, which also must be very clean to look their best.

The weather really made a big difference here - yesterday it was grey and so foggy there was no sun. Today it was sunny. The south-facing tip was great!

And I really like the pendant. I'd get it cleaned up and the prongs checked and wear it!

Yeah - if I don't decide to get the stones unmounted and sent to GIA or EGL, I will definitely be wearing the pendant through the holiday season while thinking about settings!

Buying diamonds makes me feel so diamond-dumb. I know all these things and tell other people these things all the time but have no clue when I get a diamond myself.

And of course I did the genius thing and said "instead of buying one, why don't you buy TWO at once?" It sounded good at the time to get a matched pair, so that even if I want to separate them now, I can put them back together later. Also I just like things, and more things sounded better than fewer things.

 

[distracts]

Might they be studs?

They're destined for pretty much anything EXCEPT studs! I have a pair of diamond studs I never wear and a pair of moissy studs I wear all the time, and these are bigger than my goal size of 6mm (since I collect colored stones and want studs in every color, pushing up the size makes it harder and harder to collect them all the same size - diamonds are comparatively super easy to find). I know it may seem like sacrilege with a matched pair but since I am not planning on selling either, I can always put them back together later if I do want to sell. I want a pendant and then something else.

 

[distracts]

Too much of a closeup of my fingers lol, but finally a video that actually captures the fire (for reference, I am wearing all black and my phone case is gray, and the house is gray, so they're not reflecting colors for sure):

https://imgur.com/a/w6jDmen

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Oh my goodness those are a treat for the eyes, what beautiful diamonds. Just imagine how great they will look in the sun!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Those are definitely erring closer tho old mine cushions! The most recent picture makes it clear. Still bordering on OECs, but the cushion shape is clear in that last shot. The setting is just making them look rounder bc the basket is for rounds. I Have had diamonds of this make before and they are very special. I would wear them in a ring to see the light show, or keep them together on a pendant. Look at those teensy tables! And shallower crowns compared to true OMCs. In the right lighting, these will be firecrackers.

 

[missy]

Too much of a closeup of my fingers lol, but finally a video that actually captures the fire (for reference, I am wearing all black and my phone case is gray, and the house is gray, so they're not reflecting colors for sure):

https://imgur.com/a/w6jDmen

Those are GORGEOUS.
So thrilled for you @distracts !!!!
What a special find these are and are going to make amazing pieces whatever you decide to do with them. All I can say is SWOON!!!!!

 

[AV_]

Those are definitely erring closer tho old mine cushions! The most recent picture makes it clear. Still bordering on OECs, but the cushion shape is clear in that last shot. ... I Have had diamonds of this make before and they are very special....teensy tables! And shallower crowns compared to true OMCs. In the right lighting, these will be firecrackers.

Very true this!

Roundness seems to have been an optional modification of old models that followed crystal shapes (table & early brilliants) for some time & proportions were kept in the same vein; beautiful possibilities.

 

[distracts]

 

[distracts]

Those are definitely erring closer tho old mine cushions! The most recent picture makes it clear. Still bordering on OECs, but the cushion shape is clear in that last shot. The setting is just making them look rounder bc the basket is for rounds. I Have had diamonds of this make before and they are very special. I would wear them in a ring to see the light show, or keep them together on a pendant. Look at those teensy tables! And shallower crowns compared to true OMCs. In the right lighting, these will be firecrackers.

Hmmm... that should be a video but at least on my phone it is only showing up as a picture. But it is definitely a video and if you did not see it as a video, you should.

Oh my goodness those are a treat for the eyes, what beautiful diamonds. Just imagine how great they will look in the sun!

PRETTY GREAT it turns out!

Those are GORGEOUS.
So thrilled for you @distracts !!!!
What a special find these are and are going to make amazing pieces whatever you decide to do with them. All I can say is SWOON!!!!!

Now that I’ve seen them in various lighting, they are EXACTLY what I was hoping they’d be!

Very true this!

Roundness seems to have been an optional modification of old models that followed crystal shapes (table & early brilliants) for some time & proportions were kept in the same vein; beautiful possibilities.

Yeah they are mostly round - but not entirely. As Dreamer guessed, the crowns aren’t as high as some antique stones. They’re still quite firey in most lighting though, and they match quite well with the other smaller OECs I have and love (apparently I have a type when it comes to them?).

I still think there’s dirt on one of the stones - I’m going to get a more robust brush and scrub at it a bit more today after soaking it to see if I can dislodge it.

 

[LightBright]

Too much of a closeup of my fingers lol, but finally a video that actually captures the fire (for reference, I am wearing all black and my phone case is gray, and the house is gray, so they're not reflecting colors for sure):

https://imgur.com/a/w6jDmen

Holy crap, you’ve got a matched impeccable pair. Almost certainly cut together by an artisan of the highest order. Moi et Toi (or keep them in the pendant together) would be the only humane thing to do! Love the culets. Love this pair so much! Congratulations!!

EC8’s Legendary example:

A Tale of Two OMCs - My Moi et Toi by DK

A few weeks ago I received my Moi et Toi ring by DK. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results; Amy was wonderful to work with and the bench team did a fabulous job! This ring ended up being a year + project. As this was to be a rhr I didn’t want a solitaire so I first started thinking about a...

www.pricescope.com

 

[yssie]

They get more beautiful with every photo you post and I admit I am thoroughly lustful

 

[distracts]

Holy crap, you’ve got a matched impeccable pair. Almost certainly cut together by an artisan of the highest order. Moi et Toi (or keep them in the pendant together) would be the only humane thing to do! Love the culets. Love this pair so much! Congratulations!!

EC8’s Legendary example:

A Tale of Two OMCs - My Moi et Toi by DK

A few weeks ago I received my Moi et Toi ring by DK. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results; Amy was wonderful to work with and the bench team did a fabulous job! This ring ended up being a year + project. As this was to be a rhr I didn’t want a solitaire so I first started thinking about a...

www.pricescope.com

Ah well then I’m inhumane - a diamond solitaire pendant 1-1.2 cts is the top of my wishlist and I started out just looking for a diamond for that so they’re going to be separated. And while I thought I’d like the idea of a moi et toi... at the end of the day they’re just diamonds and I’m not that jazzed by diamonds or a diamond-only ring, and want to hack away at the things closer to the top of my wishlist.

They get more beautiful with every photo you post and I admit I am thoroughly lustful

I think it’s my diamond photography getting better with each photo

 

[Dreamer_D]

I didn’t know that was a video! Lol... it looked like a photo when I looked last night. Yes, excellent cuts, truly spectacular.

I am loving that pendant with both diamonds. Your most recent photos are spectacular and really show the excellent faceting. Truly a needle in a haystack find to have not one, but two such perfectly cut old diamonds.

Would you consider wearing it "as-is" for a few weeks and then revisiting the idea of separating these twins? Old cuts are so rare, and such a perfectly matched pair like this who have spent the last 100 years together... it would be nice if they could stay together!

 

[Slickk]

Ohmygoodness, they are so delicious! Truly a beautiful pair! I would love to see a stunning moi et toi. They look so perfect together! Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[AV_]

Yeah they are mostly round - but not entirely. As Dreamer guessed, the crowns aren’t as high as some antique stones. They’re still quite firey in most lighting though, and they match quite well with the other smaller OECs I have and love (apparently I have a type when it comes to them?).

Doesn't everyone!

I am trying to guess from the photos how one of the stones is better & only see higher brighteness under the table in one & ever so slightly. Their kind of optical symmetry rather asks for motion - even in still shots they look as if not still [like a good painting of water]

... a diamond solitaire pendant 1-1.2 cts is the top of my wishlist and I started out just looking for a diamond for that so they’re going to be separated.

They are not separated unless you sell the pair. I might hope that you keep it at the back of some drawer, just in case one day a white/color/white three stone beckons, or somesuch [color studs & single diamond pendant & three stone ring with its pair & sides matching the studs - whatnot!... ]

 

[whitewave]

Too much of a closeup of my fingers lol, but finally a video that actually captures the fire (for reference, I am wearing all black and my phone case is gray, and the house is gray, so they're not reflecting colors for sure):

https://imgur.com/a/w6jDmen

OMG

 

[distracts]

Ok after soaking it overnight and scrubbing it and soaking it and scrubbing it again - I was able to identify the inclusions in the one stone and get decent photographs of the girdle damage. Not sure if it’s the cut or these inclusions that makes the one stone sparkle differently - I know it doesn’t come across in the pics or vids but I’d say in the middle it has 30% less sparkle than the prettier stone. Drives me crazy to see it side by side, which is why these are out for a moi et toi or twin stone pendant for me. I don’t think it’ll bother me if it’s set alone though.

The dark cloud at 12-2 is the inclusion - can be hard to spot from face up.



Girdle damages between 7 and 9 o clock prongs:


GIrdle damage by the 5 o clock prong:

 

[Dreamer_D]

That kind of girdle abrasion is common in old cuts. It would not concern me.

The "inclusion" still looks like dirt on the pavilion to me.

You can't see a pendant when you wear it, so how can the performance difference "drive you crazy"

If you consider that these diamonds were cut by hand over 100 years ago, with no computers or machines to help plan the cut, does it help you accept their "flaws"? I hope so. ETA: I suspect that you will accept less than perfect cut for the best color in other gems. In this case, less than "perfect" cut is traded off for authentic antique provenance -- the history, the magic, the craft. Perfectionism is in the mind. And so is an appreciation for antiquity and hand made goods. Maybe cultivating the latter will quell the former.

No, I will not shut up about this.

 

[distracts]

That kind of girdle abrasion is common in old cuts. It would not concern me.

The "inclusion" still looks like dirt on the pavilion to me.

You can't see a pendant when you wear it, so how can the performance difference "drive you crazy"

If you consider that these diamonds were cut by hand over 100 years ago, with no computers or machines to help plan the cut, does it help you accept their "flaws"? I hope so. ETA: I suspect that you will accept less than perfect cut for the best color in other gems. In this case, less than "perfect" cut is traded off for authentic antique provenance -- the history, the magic, the craft. Perfectionism is in the mind. And so is an appreciation for antiquity and hand made goods. Maybe cultivating the latter will quell the former.

No, I will not shut up about this.

Oh, I’m absolutely not bothered by the flaws in terms of keeping them and wearing them separately, lol. They’re still planned for my original projects that I wanted them for. The best I can say about keeping them together is that if I ever sell them, it would be as a matched pair. I’m thinking now of a cuff bracelet for the second with a hexagonal setting. Then they’d be worn often as a matched pair even if it was a necklace-bracelet pair.

The inclusion DOES look like dirt but at this point I’m confident it is not. I can see the bottom of the stone from a lot of angles and now that I cleaned off what was definitely dirt, this looks more internal rather than surface. It looks to be quarter to half a millimeter below the table, aligned at a similar angle as the pavilion to disguise it. I’d love it if it would clean off but I soaked it overnight in sparklepak plus and scrubbed and ultrasoniced it like ten times so I’d be shocked if it’s not squeaky clean.

 

[Rfisher]

your setting ideas sound lovely!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I just want a pendant with two 1ct cuchiony OECs lol!

 

[foxinsox]

Man those really do look a million times better when clean and you did totally luck out and get two very sparkly fiery stones. I love your idea for a bracelet/necklace combo.. I'd be tempted to suggest putting the one you like least into the pendant and the one you like most into the bracelet so you can see that one...

 

[winnietucker]

These photos are so gorgeous!

 

[distracts]

I just want a pendant with two 1ct cuchiony OECs lol!

What would this pendant even look like though? I have googled and can't find any I like. I'm not really into the current one - it's not bad but not my style.

Man those really do look a million times better when clean and you did totally luck out and get two very sparkly fiery stones. I love your idea for a bracelet/necklace combo.. I'd be tempted to suggest putting the one you like least into the pendant and the one you like most into the bracelet so you can see that one...

YES cleaning them really helped. SO MANY places that sell secondhand jewelry don't clean things and it's so concerning to me like - clean your stuff please! They looked like I hoped they would from the measly two pictures they were listed with.

I'm going to the appraiser tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that he'll agree with the stats they were sold as.

 

[junebug17]

Wow, they're beautiful @distracts! Great find!