7 replies to this topic

[smeegle]

I am determined to have the perfect ring (the only thing i care about for my wedding) but some weeks of researching diamonds and dealers has left me dazed and confused! fiancee has delegated research to me. he is responsible for paying!

Question 1: are supercerts, eightstars etc more hype than real? the marketing is quite slick. may I be able to get an ideal cut with a higher carat and the same brilliance if i follow the dimension guidelines? or is it worth just getting one of these? i am just keen on the a decent sized stone with max flash. or is it not smart to sacrifice carat (and cash!)for one of these so called super cuts?

Question 2: anyone heard of www.dimendscaasi.com based in chicago? i love their innovative settings & they also sell eight stars too so i was wondering if anyone has heard of good/bad/indifferent experiences with them.

Question 3: I love the gelin abaci tension set ring. i am looking for the solitaire to go into the setting. any experiences/comments with this setting?

i am in fear now of post purchase blues so i think i will take some time before i select. any help on above will be grt.

[jan]

Definitely take your time and do your homework before you buy. You might also go and *look* at many diamonds. You will find some of the differences minute and maybe not seen to your eye. Everyone's taste is different. What may appeal to you as a buyer may not be what everyone wants. The only perfect diamond for you is the one that you pick. Have fun shopping and don't make it a drag. BTW We also carry the Gelin-Abaci tensions settings. They are very popular in our store and they make a very nice product.



Jan
www.dbof.com

[barry]

Hi, smeegle

I appreciate and emphatize with your daziness and confusion in making an informed purchasing decision. It's not easy.

There are scores of diamond websites on the internet today that proclaim their diamonds as being the "best". Very easy to say but very difficult to demonstrate.

I agree that you should do your homework and get as much information about the diamond's characteristics as possible. The more knowledge and information you have the more certain that you will be getting good value for your hard-earned money.

At the minimum you should demand a lab report, preferably from either GIA or AGS and a Cut Analysis that is done either on a Sarin machine or OGI's Megascope machine.
These analyses will tell you whether the cutter has correctly proportioned the stone, e.g.; a 1 carat round brilliant of proper proportion should have an average millimeter diameter of approximately 6.50. If the diamond weighs 1 carat with a diameter of 6.3, you will know that the diamond will visually present like a .90 carat but you will be paying the 1 carat price, which depending on the color/clarity may be up to 20% greater.

If the vendor can supply you with photos, especially if you are considering an SI-1 or lower clarity grade, so much the better. Not all SI clarity grades are equal and whether or not the inclusions are eye-visible depends on the size, color, and location of the inclusions.

Equally helpful when shopping on the Net is providing you with a light performance analysis of the diamond. This will tell you of the intensity and distribution of light,
degree of dispersion and of scintillation.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

[highfly]

so, what is Eighstar??

[TheRock]

An Eightstar diamond is an incredibly cut diamond in which every facet is precisely cut. EightStar diamonds are cut for what is referred to as "optical symmetry". As the diamond is being cut, they use a patented "Firescope" to align the facets of the diamond. By doing this they are trying to maximize the path of light back to the viewer while limiting the amount of light leakage through the stone.

There are very few EighStar diamonds available because of the time, effort and expense involved in cutting. They are cut out in Sonoma County, CA by a gent named Richard von Sternberg and his wife Alison.

While I do not carry EightStar diamonds, I have seen & studied them and they are gorgeous but be prepared to put your money where your eyes are. They can be upwards of 40% on other well cut diamonds.

The most asked question I get when people talk about EightStar's is "are they worth it?" The answer is, they are worth it to someone! Beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder.

[jan]

There are many out there that don't perfer to see a darker star pattern in a stone, called optical symmetry on the internet. You really have to *see* the diamonds in person to see what pleases you the most. Make sure that you look at it in different lighting conditions as well. In GIA's recent study they found that some of the optical patterns that have been popular in the last few years have actually dropped the brilliance of the diamond for an optical pattern. To each his own though. Some like it, and some don't.



Jan
www.dbof.com

[highfly]

Quote

some of the optical patterns that have been popular in the last few years have actually dropped the brilliance of the diamond

so what you're saying is that the "hearts & arrows" or other optical patterns can actually diminish the overall brilliance of certain stones? under what circumstances does this happen? this is very interesting!

[jan]

It occurs when there is too much extinction or darkness. The optical pattern will actually darken the look of the stone from the face up position. I've seen it in stones with wider mains that have a bolder arrow pattern.


As mentioned before, some clients don't care to see this dark pattern in the stone while others want it to stand out.


If you look at a lot of different stones in different lighting conditions, you will begin to notice the differences.






Jan
www.dbof.com