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I noticed that Bsodmike likes to show his jewellery, so I thought "wtf. I will show off THE RING".
So, here's the story. I have treated my wife badly for a few years now; we have moved house to keep on with my job, and she has had to drop friends, pack up and follow. She's an entertaining old bat, so I appreciate her efforts.
Anyway, I recently decided to move again, to Paris. She went a bit apesh1t, as we haven't even finished the renovation of our new home, so I decided to bribe her.
I did what I always do with any project, estimated a budget, researched options, researched mechanisms and learned all I could about the subject; diamonds and rings. There's a lot to learn, but learning is my business.
Eventually, I was able to source an already certified (by GIA) diamond from the cutter in India. My contact at the other end was a genius and he found me a Colour H, Asscher (Like a square emerald cut) that had been mislabelled as a J, and I bought it.
The quality of a diamond is largely governed by the four 'C's:
Carats - The weight
Colour - Generally speaking the closer to colourless the better, though pretty colours are different
Cut - Without a good cut you may as well wear a bit of gravel
Clarity - The clearer a diamond the more it flashes and shines
For those of you who don't know, the proportions of a diamond are very important in it's appearance. Too deep and the light is reflected off sideways; too shallow and the light passes straight through. Mine is a perfect cut for an Asscher. In fact, as diamonds go, mine is close to perfect. Colours come in stages from D to Z, with DEF being colourless and GHI being effectively colourless. There is little detectable difference between any of these colours, however the price difference between an H and a D is immense.
It's a 2.02 ct Asscher - Big, and a nice popular shape
Clarity: VS1 - Excellent
Colour: H with very strong blue fluorescence - Virtually colourless
Dimensions: 7.23x6.89x4.63 (ratio 1.05) - almost perfect for an Asscher
Depth: 67% - Perfect for an Asscher
table: 61% - Perfect for an Asscher
Cut: Excellent
Polish :Excellent
Symmetry :Very Good (Ideal ratio is 1.00, mine is 1.05, so it's half a percent off. Big deal)
Mine is further improved by having a very strong blue fluorescence, which lightens it by about another grade in almost any light except candlelight. It has excellent cut and polish, which are a big help with a fancy cut as it has big facets that flash rather than glittering like a round brilliant would do.
I bought a 1940 platinum art deco ring, and had it re-polished. It has four little (0.08 ct), but excellent quality, shoulder diamonds, and had housed an emerald that had been chipped and needed re-cutting.
I had the stone set in the ring by Tiffany’s, Paris, as they were no more expensive than anyone else, and I think you will agree that the end result is fabulous.
This shot's a bit crappy, probably because I used my silver pen as a support, but possibly because the indoor light was firing the fluorescence.
The total cost to me, after VAT and import duties, was approximately 25-30% of what Tiffany's would have charged for the same ring. To be a little crude about it, I expect to spend a lot of time face down on my wife in the next few weeks.
If any of you decide to get engaged any time soon, it may be worth your while to investigate on-line diamond sales, and save yourself a shedload. The general wisdom is that you should spend a few months salary on an engagement ring. My take is that you could spend 3 weeks salary and get what you could have spent 3 months worth on. It's worth a little effort, I think you'll agree.
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Originally Posted by Brucelles
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