Agreed, it's not even insured...

sent you a PM

BTW anyone know where to get it insured? Most people I know tack it on top of their home insurance. I just moved back into my mom's basement suite, so I don't have home insurance under my name right now. The insurance agent, said I'll need to find someone who does jewelry specifically.

Well done. I had really no reference point and guessed 5.25 for my girlfriend (now wife) based on the standard being 6 and from taking a poll of some female friends/coworkers around the same size as her and working off of that.

Turned out she was a 3.5 LOL and I had to do a major resizing which turned out fine in the end but still surprised me. When I brought her to a jewelry store to have her finger measured one of the clerks was shocked and said it was the smallest he had ever seen.

the people in stores are generally useless in measuring fingers because A) they have store specific sizing tools, B) they dont know what they are doing.

so if you're using a standard from a jeweler/store in a mall, it will most likely just be a starting point.

You're also at the mercy of how well the manufacturer sticks to the listed sizes, I'm guessing there's some variance from brand to brand. My ring was inexpensive but it definitely fits much larger than the sizing tool did.

When I bought a ring, I just slipped an existing ring out of her jewellery box, took it to The Bay and asked them what size it was. The lady was really nice and more importantly, the size was correct and the ring fit! :)

Interesting you guys should mention that sizing can be off or store specific.
I guess I never really had a problem with that. Her finger (engagement ring) and my finger (wedding band) were both measured at two different jewelry stores and both fit perfectly. I gave the sizes to Aaron aka The Diamond Shopper (see my review on the previous page) and they fit perfectly.

Anyone know any good jewellers or have recommendations in Vancouver? Have a diamond ring passed down and want to get it reset in a newer style.
Tia

any thoughts on SI1 clarity? anyone buy one of these for their SO?

^ I just bought an excellent cut, eye clean SI1, looked great in store under 10X.. but I won't really know for another month for the custom job to finish. When I checked online, it seemed like most people are fine with SI1 as long as it is eye clean.

which store?

so much to consider besides the clarity

mine was a VS1 if i remember correctly, 2 years later diamond still sparks amazingly even when dirty but i think a lot of that has to do with it's proportions and cut

pretty much all "chain" places and even some more specialty places like that 1800 diamonds in delta did not have GIA diamonds, which to me, is just the starting point.

If you cant see a GIA graded diamond in person, it's pretty hard to get a gauge on some diamond that is graded by X company because who knows their standards.

I feel like starting with GIA graded diamonds, at the very worst you know you are getting that standard

any recomended shops in vanacouver or any rs'ers deal with it?

iPee you in the biz?

ask ZN6 :troll:

What places do you guys recommend I look to get an engagement band made. I already have a diamond on hand.

thanks!

After spending about 1 year looking at rings and studying stones on and off.. I just pulled the trigger on a 2.0 carat triple excellent GIA certified VS1 - G stone ... spent a cool $28k (after taxes) .....*wipes sweat off forehead*!

Just to let most of you guys know that SI1 is perfectly acceptable. SI2 would be the absolute lowest I would go.

As for color i wouldn't go past I/J.

I wouldn't get anything less than excellent cut (ideal cut).


Believe it or not carat quickly became the least important factor once I got seriously looking into stones, in person.

For reference - I could of spent the same amount and gotten a 3 carat, SI2, J Color Stone.

Know your partners finger size as it will really help to visual the carat on her hands. My partner has 4.5 sz fingers pretty slim so a 2carat will really look like a 3 carat on size 5 or 5.5 hands. You can google sizing for reference.

There is a LOT more to stones than the 4 c's. However the 4'cs is a great foundation to start looking. When you really get into it you'll know cut is the most important. Color and Clarity is where you can compromise a little to increase carat size while being within budget.

Like some have said, eye clean is all that matters, for the most part. You could have an incredibly looking SI1 from GIA that could honestly pass for VS2 or VS1 from other grading companies like AGS or IGI. AGS would be the next pick tho if it wasnt GIA.

I feel like I could be a diamond broker now :p there is a lot more to it than this short post! Learn your inclusions as well! That will help you determine if that particular clarity is a clean one or not.

GIA is the gold standard and they really scrutinize each stone. Tough grading forsure.

In addition, by buying lab created diamond - you deny the so-called "blood diamond"

i would never get a lab made diamond.

mined diamonds are one of a kind and you can get them "conflict free" nowadays. sleep well at night knowing you got a 1 of 1.

just my opinion.

Really depends. my gf now wants a big diamond. To her it doesn't matter if it is lab or not. So why not get a lab one so she can get a bigger one. Beside she isn't going ot sell it or anything. Diamonds are a rip off anyways

Holy shit she's your gf now? And you're already talking about marriage? Damn.

why not. We discuss everything from wedding to the farting stores I have at work, to the time she forgot to bring tissue with her when using washroom in China(if you been to China you will know that there are tissue in washroom at all).

Pretty much everything is discuss and we aren't shy about it. You know she is a keeper when you both can laugh when you rip a big one and not be shy about it.

There's no mystique in buying a lab made diamond.

with your GIA cert you know where your rock came from, there's somthing about knowing it was from the earth, to me at least.

My understanding of Lab made diamonds is that they're still 1 of 1. They don't just choose the specs, and then push a button to create a diamond with those specs. They basically just simulate the properties that would generate a diamond, and then still have to see what the color/clarity is.

I believe there is no physical difference, and it's purely mental. For example, you might be ok with a second hand craigslist diamond (assuming authenticity), and someone else might not be.

Lab grown diamonds are not one-of-a-kind in the same way that natural diamonds are. Each earth-mined, natural diamond is a unique work of nature's art. Lab grown diamonds, on the other hand, are mass-produced in diamond factories.

To be honest it's really a no brainer. And the more you look into stones the more you'll realize that of the 4 c's, carat quickly becomes less important. How do i know? I myself wanted a big ass stone!

Last night my diamond arrived from New York so I went to inspect the inscriptions to ensure it matched the GIA certificate and verify the stone under a microscope.

I also viewed a 3.9 stone with a gigantic table that made it look like a 4+ carat. However there was no fire or brilliance to the stone. It was completely dull. See pictures attached.

Price for that stone $28,000
Carat: 3.9
Cut: Good (by GIA standards is not that great - and you NEVER want to compromise here)
Color: K
Clarity: I2 or I1 (I forget)

This buyer spent about the same as I did but you could tell he only cared about size. With such a big carat size it was not eye clean. You could see inclusions all around and even with thick prongs he could not hide all of the inclusions. In my opinion, he got an inferior stone.

A quality stone will perform well in all angles.

Forgive me I dont have the best camera. A lot of this was done under lots of research and consideration of many factors. Just hoping to pay it forward and help others who may be in this decision. Engagement rings in generally can be very expensive and often qualify as a pretty big purchase so I hope this helps!

Although from a slightly different angle, you can clearly see the difference in quality.

EDIT: This was viewed under natural lighting. Yesterday's forecast was rather gray. Stones will perform it's best under proper and direct lighting where you get the sparkle and blingyness.

Pic Below: The 3.9 carat ring that belongs to someone else referenced above.

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Pic Below: My stone that arrived. Now working on a custom micro pave setting. Will update with pictures when ring is complete.


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