Well I just bought a pair of OECs

[distracts]

I just bought a pair of approx 1.1 ct OECs that are allegedly J-K VS2-Si1. The pics were ok and there was no lab report so it was a bit of a leap of faith purchase. Return policy is decent (two weeks) and it’s a website I trust and have bought from/returned to before and I’ve found their written descriptions accurate on previous purchases. I’ll have to get them appraised to make sure the stats are in line with what they were advertised as, but if they are and they look as nice as I think the cut will be, they’re my Christmas present.

I’m just really nervous because these are the biggest diamonds I’ve ever bought. I wouldn’t worry if I had spent this much on a sapphire or something but just the idea of it being diamonds is tripping me out.

I have two ideas for what to do with them - I’ve always wanted a diamond pendant somewhere around 1-1.2 cts, and I had never been able to decide between an AVC or OEC, and I’ve also always wanted a toi et moi ring with two OEC diamonds of 1 ct or so each (ridiculously decadent, I know!). Though I’ve now been thinking maybe I could do a toi et moi ring with one of the diamonds and a colored stone, or a vertical three-stone “stoplight” style ring with red and blue gems like I’ve been liking lately. So. I don’t know. I have ideas though and these diamonds were the target size for all of the ideas, and a good price so - I’m crossing my fingers that it will work out the way I’m hoping. I don’t want to get too attached to any of the ideas in case I end up returning - though if I do that I may just bite the bullet and get an AVC for a pendant since I really want to upgrade my solitaire pendant size from 0.3, lol.

Just posting because I have the purchase anxiety and I couldn’t post before I bought them because there was no way to put them on hold.

 

[distracts]

These are the pictures - the side view looks concerning but on previous purchases I have found that this site does not clean their jewelry before selling it, so I’m hoping that’s just dirt. It looks to me to be pretty surfacey? So far I’ve had good luck with decent deals on OECs but I’ve never bought any over .6ish ct or $1k before.

Cuts look decent - definitely not perfect but they look like the kind I like. The bottom one looks more potentially leaky or nailheady in the middle but - we’ll see. Those were the only pics so I’ll just have to see in person.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

They are amazing!
what diameter are they? And pretty please, more pics when you get them!

 

[AV_]

The designs remind a beauty of a ring seen in town - two rounds set in short drop shaped bezels with a tiny ruby cab inbetween along the finger, perhaps something to model once they arrive,

....o
----- o -----
....o

 

[distracts]

They are amazing!
what diameter are they? And pretty please, more pics when you get them!

I don’t have the diameter - you have about as much info about them as I do! The carat weights are listed as 1.12 and 1.17, with no and faint fluorescence respectively, and polish and symmetry on both described as fair, which seems pretty usual for OECs.

My half-carat OEC that I adore I bought based on a blurry picture and a description that said something like “old diamond, pretty white, around half a centimeter across, can’t see any obvious inclusions” and my jeweler thinks it’s an H si2 (it does have a crystal inclusion on the face that is easy to see with a loupe, and can be seen without in the right light from 8-10 inches, but not from farther), so that was even less info - but also only $500, lol. (That diamond also accidentally got shipped to someone other than me because the seller was shipping two things out and accidentally put the put the address labels on the wrong packages - but the recipient fortunately returned it and it all got sorted out. Imagine my surprise when I had bought a diamond and opened up a package containing a cameo instead!) So like I said, I’m crossing my fingers that they turn out to be as advertised.

The designs remind a beauty of a ring seen in town - two rounds set in short drop shaped bezels with a tiny ruby cab inbetween along the finger, perhaps something to model once they arrive,

....o
----- o -----
....o

Ooooh. Sounds pretty! There is a ruby cab that Mastercut Gems has that I keep looking at but never pull the trigger on. It’s an oval though. Ivy New York has a number of diamond and sapphire and ruby or diamond and red and blue spinel three-stone rings that I think are amazing, like this one:

Namya and Luc Yen Spinels Tricolore Ring

Cobalt Blue Spinel Vietnam 0.81 ct, Red Spinel Namya 1.44 ct, Rose-cut Diamond 1.15 ct, Diamonds 0.59 ct / 109 pcs, 18k gold IVY signature Tricolore Ring features two most coveted gems: Red Spinel from the legendary Namya mine in Burma and Blue Spinel from another legendary Luc Yen mine in...

ivynewyork.com

 

[CSpan]

How exciting! I mean they reek vintage glamour so I am hopping for your sake they are fabulous.

When do they arrive?

 

[AV_]

Ivy New York has a number of diamond and sapphire and ruby or diamond and red and blue spinel three-stone rings...

It is close to what I have seen, if with rather different proportions; the center ruby cab I remember must have been cca. 4 mm, no more than half the diameter of the pears which were Large, bezels & all. Having the 'center' stone no more than an accent is not common, must admit; this worked because the color caught the eye among all the white [reminding red berries in the snow & these www !].

 

[LLJsmom]

Congratulations!! They look beautiful. Can’t wait to see them.

 

[distracts]

How exciting! I mean they reek vintage glamour so I am hopping for your sake they are fabulous.

When do they arrive?

The shipping says Friday - rather unfortunate timing ordering on a Saturday right before a holiday! I’d say maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll arrive Wednesday, but in terms of timing in getting to the appraiser within the return period, it may be easier if they arrive later, lol. I had someone I used to go to who I could take things into pretty much any time but he unfortunately passed away recently, and while I have picked out someone new I actually haven’t taken anything in yet so don’t know how busy they are and how quickly I can get an appointment. Hopefully quickly?

 

[CSpan]

Fingers crossed soon but within your appraisers hours.

 

[foxinsox]

They look very promising - what is the setting they're in? Can't wait to see them when they arrive! I'll vote for toi et moi - one that size will be quite lush!

 

[distracts]

They look very promising - what is the setting they're in? Can't wait to see them when they arrive! I'll vote for toi et moi - one that size will be quite lush!

It’s some kind of funky crescent-shaped pendant. I think that hole on the second picture to the left is where a chain would go.

 

[MamaBee]

I just bought a pair of approx 1.1 ct OECs that are allegedly J-K VS2-Si1. The pics were ok and there was no lab report so it was a bit of a leap of faith purchase. Return policy is decent (two weeks) and it’s a website I trust and have bought from/returned to before and I’ve found their written descriptions accurate on previous purchases. I’ll have to get them appraised to make sure the stats are in line with what they were advertised as, but if they are and they look as nice as I think the cut will be, they’re my Christmas present.

I’m just really nervous because these are the biggest diamonds I’ve ever bought. I wouldn’t worry if I had spent this much on a sapphire or something but just the idea of it being diamonds is tripping me out.

I have two ideas for what to do with them - I’ve always wanted a diamond pendant somewhere around 1-1.2 cts, and I had never been able to decide between an AVC or OEC, and I’ve also always wanted a toi et moi ring with two OEC diamonds of 1 ct or so each (ridiculously decadent, I know!). Though I’ve now been thinking maybe I could do a toi et moi ring with one of the diamonds and a colored stone, or a vertical three-stone “stoplight” style ring with red and blue gems like I’ve been liking lately. So. I don’t know. I have ideas though and these diamonds were the target size for all of the ideas, and a good price so - I’m crossing my fingers that it will work out the way I’m hoping. I don’t want to get too attached to any of the ideas in case I end up returning - though if I do that I may just bite the bullet and get an AVC for a pendant since I really want to upgrade my solitaire pendant size from 0.3, lol.

Just posting because I have the purchase anxiety and I couldn’t post before I bought them because there was no way to put them on hold.

@distracts I’m so happy for you! Don’t worry because you said they had a good return policy. You can play with the diamonds and see what you really want. I can’t wait to see what you decide! Pics please when you get them!

 

[KristyDarling]

I will always, always vote for the Toi et Moi ring! (it's on my Someday List, too!)

 

[PreRaphaelite]

If you wanted to make them earrings, though, there’s a pair of platinum mounts up for sale that might just fit:

Steven Kirsch Platinum Earring Settings $1700 | Loupe Troop

loupetroop.com

Im not affiliated with the seller or the mountings, I‘ve just been drooling over them!

 

[missy]

Ooh they look lovely! Cannot wait to see them and see what you decide. You cannot go wrong IMO with a pair of beautiful OECs no matter what you decide to create with them.

 

[ringo865]

Ooh pretty! And it looks like you could wear it as is while you decide.

 

[distracts]

@distracts I’m so happy for you! Don’t worry because you said they had a good return policy. You can play with the diamonds and see what you really want. I can’t wait to see what you decide! Pics please when you get them!

Thanks for the reassurance! I am such a nervous wreck when I buy things sometimes!

If you wanted to make them earrings, though, there’s a pair of platinum mounts up for sale that might just fit:

Steven Kirsch Platinum Earring Settings $1700 | Loupe Troop

loupetroop.com

Im not affiliated with the seller or the mountings, I‘ve just been drooling over them!

definitely not earrings - I have a pair of OEC earrings 1.2 cttw that I NEVER wear, choosing to wear either CS earrings or my moissanite studs. And these are bigger than my preferred stud size - trying to collect all 6mm studs though I haven’t made much progress.

Ooh pretty! And it looks like you could wear it as is while you decide.

Yes - being used to buying loose stones, it will be fun to get something where I can look at them without fear of accidentally launching them across the room and losing them!

 

[distracts]

It arrived! The bottom diamond is definitely darker in body color than the top one and also does go a little nailheady from straight-on, but to an amount I find acceptable and I’ll ask the appraiser if he thinks it’s something that could be fixed with a bit of recutting. Like if it’s a “the diamond is a smidge too deep” issue it might be able to be fixed. From any not straight-on angle it looks really good. From the profile shot you can see they aren’t set so they are completely aligned and I wonder if that was on purpose to reduce the nailhead effect if you’re looking at the pendant straight-on.

The top diamond (on the left in some of these) is excellent from any angle I think.

No inclusions are jumping out at me though I haven’t looked at them with a loupe and they seem potentially in the J/K range (ie, read to me as pretty white but I can see some body color) but I haven’t compared them to my CZ color example set or walked around the house with them to see in different lighting.

Bottom diamond seems to be about 6.5mm and top one is about 6.4mm, with a bit of variation on either way on both due to both the cut and my own trouble with calipers.

Please, people who buy more diamonds than I do, share your thoughts on them.

 

[Dreamer_D]

These are gorgeous. I would not call it a nail head. Just obstruction, which is normal in this style of cut. These are older European cuts, bridging between the rustic style of cutting used on old mine cushions and the precision style used for more modern styles of European cuts. This make is never "perfect" in terms of optics, there is always some obstruction as they were intended to be viewed in candle light not overhead lighting. I think they are amazing and rare and beautiful.

With those diameters and this make they are both over a carat for sure. What did you pay for them?

PS: Don't you dare recut either of these. They are rare and perfect as they are.

 

[distracts]

These are gorgeous. I would not call it a nail head. Just obstruction, which is normal in this style of cut. These are older European cuts, bridging between the rustic style of cutting used on old mine cushions and the precision style used for more modern styles of European cuts. This make is never "perfect" in terms of optics, there is always some obstruction as they were intended to be viewed in candle light not overhead lighting. I think they are amazing and rare and beautiful.

With those diameters and this make they are both over a carat for sure. What did you pay for them?

PS: Don't you dare recut either of these. They are rare and perfect as they are.

Oh gosh hearing YOU say this is so nice since you have such amazing diamonds.

I paid $6k once you include tax.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Suites are rare, seems like a fair price to me for the size!

The most important thing is -- do you love them??

 

[distracts]

Suites are rare, seems like a fair price to me for the size!

The most important thing is -- do you love them??

I don’t know!

I love them whenever I look at pictures of them?

But when I hold them in my hand they’re just diamonds... pretty diamonds but, you know, diamonds. Not got any fun colors or anything (eta: they are firey, but they are not a blob of color like a colored gem). I’m not sure they “spark joy.”

BUT I do not feel like my 0.3 ct oec diamond pendant “sparks joy” and yet I wear it nearly every day and want one around 1 ct. Nor do my moissanite earrings that I also wear nearly daily. I like them when I put them on but when they’re not on me I’m pretty uninterested in them. I think that’s just how I feel about clear stones in general, lol. I bought this because I have been on the lookout for a pendant diamond and it was like “actually that seems like a good price for two, I can surely come up with a project for the second.” Lol!

That’s why so much depends on the stats being right regardless of what I think, because while I’m happy to overpay for the right thing with colored stones, with diamonds I need to feel like I got a reasonable deal. If they end up having a lower color or clarity then that could push them pretty quickly out of that territory.

I honestly haven’t gotten out of bed today other than to sign for the package... still in a bit of Thanksgiving food coma. But I should call the appraiser to get an appointment.

 

[winnietucker]

Can’t wait to see what you do with these!

 

[whitewave]

Oooh, they look lovely, and yes definitely dirty from the pics.

Good buy! I think they will look amazing as earrings.

 

[distracts]

I tried to get some sparkle/fire shots but I’m really not used to photograph diamonds and the camera is only capturing part of what I see. I’m going to try to figure out how to post the video I took.








The cats tried to participate

 

[distracts]

https://imgur.com/a/NG558XQ

 

[LightBright]

These are gorgeous. I would not call it a nail head. Just obstruction, which is normal in this style of cut. These are older European cuts, bridging between the rustic style of cutting used on old mine cushions and the precision style used for more modern styles of European cuts. This make is never "perfect" in terms of optics, there is always some obstruction as they were intended to be viewed in candle light not overhead lighting. I think they are amazing and rare and beautiful.

With those diameters and this make they are both over a carat for sure. What did you pay for them?

PS: Don't you dare recut either of these. They are rare and perfect as they are.

Thank you Dreamer for lending your expertise. These are stunningly cut diamonds and nearly identical. They were likely cut by the same cutter. Please do not ever think that a modern cutter could tweak a very slight difference between two old cut stones (I believe it’s not nailhead and the difference is barely perceptible). Any modern cutter who accepts such a project would be truly irresponsible, and most certainly would destroy the original mastercut. Your old cut stones are nearly perfect. Congratulations!

 

[distracts]

@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.

 

[lydial]

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