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The Asscher cut stone that I'm having brought in has the following specifications: 1.05ct, E, VS2, Depth 68.7%, Table 63%, Perfect Square: 5.60x5.59x3.79. The price is $3500 CDN.
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May 12, 2010 20:01
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Is the diamond certified by a laboratory? If so, which one?
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May 12, 2010 20:14
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drat, meant to post that. It is graded by EGL. When the guy brings in the diamond I'm going to have the EGL lab in Vancouver verify that the diamond matches the certificate. Seems like I'm getting a good price based on pricescope. I do realise that generally EGL is not as strict in grading compared to GIA or AGS. Here is the cert: http://i39.tinypic.com/2qve105.jpg Rhaegar fucked around with this message at 03:31 on May 13, 2010 |
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May 12, 2010 22:30
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Ran into a problem. Johnny and I were pretty much set on a deal. He gave me a great price with appraisal paperwork included. My girlfriend however, does not like the idea that the diamond only has a written appraisal/"is from the internet" and is not lab certified. She had some horror story of her mom having trouble getting a repair done, and as a result is giving me a giant headache. I know from this this thread that Johnny is a stand up guy, and I have no worries about him. Can you guys think of anything I can tell her to make this still possible, or am I going to have to go storefront and empty my pockets for lab certified?
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May 13, 2010 00:08
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Vital Signs posted:Ran into a problem. Johnny and I were pretty much set on a deal. He gave me a great price with appraisal paperwork included. My girlfriend however, does not like the idea that the diamond only has a written appraisal/"is from the internet" and is not lab certified. She had some horror story of her mom having trouble getting a repair done, and as a result is giving me a giant headache. I know from this this thread that Johnny is a stand up guy, and I have no worries about him. Can you guys think of anything I can tell her to make this still possible, or am I going to have to go storefront and empty my pockets for lab certified? This is really supposed to be something you are getting for her, not something she is picking out. She might as well buy it if she is going to have this much say....why tell her where it came from at all...you can get it certified for 50-100 later and if there is a problem with it, if you trust this guy, then I'm sure he will fix it.
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May 13, 2010 01:09
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SplitDestiny posted:For the reception, I'm not sure what we are doing yet. I have a few ideas such as a dinner cruise. The only problem with a dinner cruise is that anyone who might want to leave early, can't. Like Great-Grandma Esther who's falling asleep on your second cousin and needs to be in bed by 4pm... She's not going to be able to cut and run. It just might hinder some people from making the trip at all.
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May 13, 2010 01:11
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Vital Signs posted:Ran into a problem. Johnny and I were pretty much set on a deal. He gave me a great price with appraisal paperwork included. My girlfriend however, does not like the idea that the diamond only has a written appraisal/"is from the internet" and is not lab certified. She had some horror story of her mom having trouble getting a repair done, and as a result is giving me a giant headache. I know from this this thread that Johnny is a stand up guy, and I have no worries about him. Can you guys think of anything I can tell her to make this still possible, or am I going to have to go storefront and empty my pockets for lab certified? Tell her that while she's welcome to buy you a diamond ring from anywhere she'd like, you're going to be buying her ring off the internet.
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May 13, 2010 01:17
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Vital Signs posted:Ran into a problem. Johnny and I were pretty much set on a deal. He gave me a great price with appraisal paperwork included. My girlfriend however, does not like the idea that the diamond only has a written appraisal/"is from the internet" and is not lab certified. She had some horror story of her mom having trouble getting a repair done, and as a result is giving me a giant headache. I know from this this thread that Johnny is a stand up guy, and I have no worries about him. Can you guys think of anything I can tell her to make this still possible, or am I going to have to go storefront and empty my pockets for lab certified? Simple, If your girlfriend cares that much, tell her to look into a reputable independent appraiser in your area so that you can have the diamond looked at by a third set of eyes. If everything is as it should be, then she can suck it up and deal with it, and on the off chance there's a discrepancy, you can figure out the direction you want to take from there.
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May 13, 2010 03:52
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Emasculatrix is my hero.
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May 13, 2010 04:35
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JohnnyRnR posted:Emasculatrix is my hero. I'm pretty sure that any woman who truly cares about the worth of her ring must be keeping it in mind as a backup plan for after the divorce...which is fair enough, given the circumstances. When my turn comes, instead of a ring, I'll be asking for half of the title on the house.
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May 13, 2010 05:04
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Hey JohnnyRnR, in case you missed my post I replied above regarding the lab certification. Thanks!
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May 13, 2010 05:11
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Emasculatrix posted:I'm pretty sure that any woman who truly cares about the worth of her ring must be keeping it in mind as a backup plan for after the divorce...which is fair enough, given the circumstances. There are some lame, materialistic women who equate the value of the ring with how much her man supposedly loves her. I don't think ANY of those women are in this thread.
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May 13, 2010 07:27
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Rhaegar posted:drat, meant to post that. It is graded by EGL. When the guy brings in the diamond I'm going to have the EGL lab in Vancouver verify that the diamond matches the certificate. Seems like I'm getting a good price based on pricescope. I do realise that generally EGL is not as strict in grading compared to GIA or AGS. Are you sure that's going to be eye clean? Normally with VS2 I wouldn't be bothered but combined with EGL's rep and the fact that it's a step cut, I don't know what to make of the inclusion in the table and the two feathers in the lower right corner. (Are they feathers? I can't even tell, EGL's lack of key for inclusions and insistence on using blue ink on pale blue drives me crazy)
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May 13, 2010 11:26
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Emasculatrix posted:I'm pretty sure that any woman who truly cares about the worth of her ring must be keeping it in mind as a backup plan for after the divorce...which is fair enough, given the circumstances. The reason why I want her having a say in it is because she is the one wearing it, not me. I want her to like it. Edit: Emasculatrix, you dissin on my internet purchases fool? Vital Signs fucked around with this message at 13:46 on May 13, 2010 |
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May 13, 2010 13:35
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Rhaegar, the problem isn't that the EGL grades aren't as strict, it's that they are sometimes complete and absolute fictions. I have seen EGL stones with a color grade of 'F' that were realistically an 'I' at best. Their clarity grades can be off by 1 or 2 grades as well. EGL diamonds aren't bad per se, but the reason sellers use EGL certificates is to create a false value proposition. "Look! It's a D, VS1 and it's cheap!!!" When in reality another grader might classify the stone as a G, SI1 so with proper grading the value created in the transaction evaporates. I looked up your diamond with the company sending it to your guy in Vancouver. It looks like this certificate comes from the EGL Israel laboratory, which sadly, is the most notorious for being wildly across the board. That's not necessarily a deal breaker, but you have to do your due diligence. 1) Ask to see your diamond compared next to a GIA F or G colored stone. A true E will look a little 'crisper' than the G color. Most likely this diamond is a true G to H - Still not a bad buy. 2) This is an EGL VS2 clarity so I'd be questioning the center inclusion that is marked on the diamond plot. It is located in a place that would concern me, and my main question is "What kind of inclusion is it?" If it is a black carbon inclusion in the table it is what we call a "Weak VS2" that someone else might give a different grade. Ask to see the stone under a microscope. On pricing, know that you can't really compare prices with the USA online diamond sellers. The retail sellers in Canada have many import fees that they have to pay before you ever see the diamond so their prices will be higher. Also, you have my condolences that you have to pay VAT on an engagement ring.
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May 13, 2010 14:46
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That's extremely helpful. Thank you. How did you determine that this diamond was graded by EGL Isreal? My initial requirements was that the diamond be G-H in color so even if it's not an E and is a few steps down I'm okay with that. The VS2 rating though I'm concerned about. That was my minimum for exactly the reason that Rootbeer pointed out: it's a stepped cut. When I talked with my broker about the asscher cut I made a point that I wanted it to be eye clean. I'll have to look very carefully at the diamond when I look at it on Monday and if I'm not satisfied I'll ask to for a different diamond and maybe GIA certified just to be safe.
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May 13, 2010 15:47
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The original seller listed that the diamond was certified by EGL Israel. Sometimes you can tell by the certificate numbers as well. Sadly, GIA certificates are no guarantee in and of themselves. Many diamond manufacturers try to dump their "lucky certs" through ecommerce sellers. Customers just think "Oh! VS2!" and don't have the education to accurately grade their diamonds. This is why it's important to have a jewelry guy that you can trust and speak openly with and get honest answers. Admittedly I'm a little biased on that front.
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May 13, 2010 16:52
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LorneReams posted:This is really supposed to be something you are getting for her, not something she is picking out.
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May 13, 2010 17:08
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How did you figure out who the original seller is? I can't find that information on the website.
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May 13, 2010 17:11
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gvibes posted:I kind of don't understand this attitude, though I know that it's the overwhelming majority. I think it's extremely important that she likes what she's going to be getting, and doesn't have to wear something she hates the rest of her life. I'm therefore going to let approve what I'm buying. You are supposed to know enough about the person you are proposing too, to be able to pick a ring you would know she would like. If she is completly picking it out, why not split the cost, as that would actually make more sense considering you are now a partnership.
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May 13, 2010 17:14
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It makes sense to get some direct input in terms of design, since she'll be wearing it a long time. When it comes to financial details, however, that should be left to whoever pays for it. You wouldn't buy a birthday gift for someone and expect them to ask how it holds up for resale.
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May 13, 2010 17:25
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Rhaegar posted:How did you figure out who the original seller is? I can't find that information on the website. You can't, but I can. I was able to identify the house who was providing the diamond to your guy in Vancouver since they were also offering the diamond to us at the same time.
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May 13, 2010 17:35
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Ah, okay well thanks for your help. I'll keep all this in mind when I check out the stone on Monday. Part of the package is a free appraisal with a local Vancouver appraisal firm (although from what I understand this is more to determine value for insurance purposes rather than regrading the diamond) plus I'm going to do make use of the EGL Jewelry Webguard service to verify that the diamond matches the certificate (although now I'm thinking that his probably won't tell me much). The guy I'm working with seems pretty honest. This is his own business, although fairly new, and he and his wife have their GIA certificates. Ultimately if the diamond looks good to me and is eye clean I'll probably go with it.
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May 13, 2010 17:56
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That's the important part. If you like the diamond then go with it.
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May 13, 2010 18:06
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LorneReams posted:You are supposed to know enough about the person you are proposing too, to be able to pick a ring you would know she would like. If she is completly picking it out, why not split the cost, as that would actually make more sense considering you are now a partnership. Maybe my little lady is just really picky. And really, our finances are going to be combined regardless, so any purchase is effectively splitting the cost. I should note that I gave her a rough budget, and she came in at half the bottom end
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May 13, 2010 19:14
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^^^gvibes is rightLorneReams posted:You are supposed to know enough about the person you are proposing too, to be able to pick a ring you would know she would like.
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May 14, 2010 07:42
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Emasculatrix posted:It makes sense to get some direct input in terms of design, since she'll be wearing it a long time. When it comes to financial details, however, that should be left to whoever pays for it. You wouldn't buy a birthday gift for someone and expect them to ask how it holds up for resale.
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May 14, 2010 13:26
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Hey everyone. I am looking at buying an engagement ring for my girlfriend and have set my eyes on this setting with a Marquise Cut diamond. The ring style is perfect for what my girlfriend would want, and the fact that it's a bridal set makes it even better. The issue I'm having is that I don't know what to think about Novori. I've found maybe two or three good/bad reviews for this site online (not counting their testimonial section), and I don't know if I trust it. I've contacted them recently to ask a few questions and to see if I can look at the diamonds somehow, but have yet to hear back. Has anyone seen similar bridal set styles at more widely known online stores? I've looked at recommended sites from the PriceScope forums (White Flash, James Allen, etc.), but none show similar bands in yellow gold. If I send a link of this ring to one of these other sites, would they be able to custom-make something similar (or even inform me of bands they carry that they don't advertise)? Would the custom-make be worth the extra cost that will go into the purchase just because I'm not trusting of a site that has exactly what I want? Thanks for your help! (P.S. I asked the same thing on PriceScope and was told that a band like that is less contemporary and would be hard to find at other vendors. I was just wanting to get SA's opinion on the matter.)
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May 14, 2010 15:56
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JohnnyRnR posted:This is why it's important to have a jewelry guy that you can trust and speak openly with and get honest answers. Admittedly I'm a little biased on that front. This really can't be stressed enough. I knew the guy who I bought my diamond from for years, and he took me into his office with a microscope to show me inclusions, give me an idea about the stones relative to one another. He spent probably at least 3 hours with me going over a small handful of diamonds that he wasn't going to make a huge profit on, and I felt great about the purchase. And after looking at comparable stones from online sellers, I feel better. 
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May 14, 2010 17:01
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All this talk of rings makes me very happy about my situation. My grandma runs a jewelry company and we don't want stones, so when we were visiting her, she brought us to the workshop, measured us, had us pick a band thickness, and done. The rings are free, and not many people can say that their grandma made their wedding rings. 
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May 14, 2010 23:06
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Good-Natured Filth posted:Hey everyone. I am looking at buying an engagement ring for my girlfriend and have set my eyes on this setting with a Marquise Cut diamond. Pricescope isn't wrong, the style of ring you're looking at was much more popular 20 to 30 years ago, which means it won't be as easy to find on line, especially in yellow gold. What I would recommend in your case is that you shop locally and look for jewelers who might have older rings in stock; I know for a fact that the jewelry store I worked at in Chicago had tons of settings in a similar style jut sitting in a lower cabinet because the demand for them just wasn't there anymore. I bet you could get a good deal if you went to some of the smaller jewelry stores in your area and asked for some of their older style rings. If you do strike out, custom is always an option, but I guarantee you that there are jewelers in every city with rings in that style, they just no longer put them out on display.
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May 15, 2010 02:17
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Although my current boyfriend and I aren't planning on getting married, we've discussed differences in marriage customs. He is an Iranian Baha'i, and they do an engagement period of 3 months. Is this in any way enough time to plan a wedding? I've read parts of the thread, and all of my friends who are/were engaged do it for at least a year so all the planning goes well.
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May 15, 2010 17:24
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AnnaBanana posted:Although my current boyfriend and I aren't planning on getting married, we've discussed differences in marriage customs. He is an Iranian Baha'i, and they do an engagement period of 3 months. Is this in any way enough time to plan a wedding? I've read parts of the thread, and all of my friends who are/were engaged do it for at least a year so all the planning goes well. A year is to give yourself time to do everything at a leisurely pace. You could do it in three months if you had to, for sure. Certainly some people, like wedding dress salespeople will exclaim over that, but as long as you're firm with them (I'm hitched on this day, if you can't have the dress 2 weeks before I can go elsewhere) it can definitely get done. Moreso if you aren't a fussy bride and don't require everything to be perfect. Alternately, if you two ever decide to take the plunge, perhaps it would be possible to bend that rule a bit. You could begin planning a year ahead of time, but not actually become engaged/act surprised at a ring until 3 months prior. That way you have a good long time to figure things out, and get to do the 3 month thing. That largely depends on his tradition though, and I don't know enough about Baha'i to say if that would fly or not.
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May 15, 2010 19:31
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That is a big relief. I don't know about the rule bending, but I guess I would just have to ask him.
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May 17, 2010 02:00
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Ottawa proposal was a success. There's a Tulip festival every year that we took a walk to. I found her favorite color of tulips and surprised her there. Unfortunately the weather was a bit miserable so the picnic idea was nixed. She was completely surprised and loved everything about it. JohnnyRNR / Johnny Brookheart helped design and create the ring I chose. I had a general idea of what I was looking for, and Johnny was very patient and helpful. Despite some setbacks that couldn't be helped, he delivered on time and allowed for my plan to go off without a hitch. I can't recommend him enough to anyone looking to go through the engagement ring process as painlessly as possible. I tried working with several brick and mortar jewelry stores and always ended up frustrated and annoyed with their sales tactics and lack of interest in my specific needs. If anyone has any more specific questions or concerns I would be happy to discuss them, in the thread or privately (PM works fine). I should also mention Johnny went out of his way to make sure my resizing and one other, minor after-the-fact issues were taken care of without extra cost. Ok, that is enough about Johnny. Here are some photos of the ring! It's a platinum, antique style design with a .705ct diamond and some accent diamonds on each side.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.  Click here for the full 2000x1500 image.
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May 17, 2010 06:26
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That's a gorgeous ring. Have you thought about what the matching band will look like?
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May 17, 2010 17:01
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yawnie posted:That's a gorgeous ring. Have you thought about what the matching band will look like? Not yet. We will both be in Afghanistan within the next few months for a year each, so we have until late 2011 / early 2012 to figure that out. In the mean time I'm sure Johnny will be able to come up with a good idea or two 
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May 17, 2010 18:15
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Hoy loving wow, that's beautiful work!
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May 19, 2010 22:03
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(Thank you) I'll put together some images this week of other custom engagement rings we've done. It's fun doing bespoke work because every piece is so different from the last.
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May 22, 2010 16:44
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So how do you know when a ring is the right size? My ring rotates constantly and easily slips over my knuckle but then this morning I woke up and my fingers are unusually large and it suddenly fits. Is it normal for rings to seem way too big until hands are swollen?
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May 22, 2010 19:28
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