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Advice Wanted [WTA] Proposal Ring & Wedding Bands, Please advice me!! Need Help!!

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post Oct 22 2017, 01:18 AM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 21 2017, 12:44 PM)


But if can, wait for Brian Gavin's Black by Brian Gavin to restock. I have seen the one I like but it is under Reserved. sad.gif

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U mean this one?

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds...gs-104095241029
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post Oct 22 2017, 07:46 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 22 2017, 11:50 AM)
Hmm. Did you buy that?
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I wish to haha. This one was bought by some1 for 5stones ring. U can now search their inventory there are total of 5 E VVS2 stones but all is being reserved.
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post Oct 22 2017, 10:59 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 22 2017, 09:12 PM)
wow. how you know?
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I thought I told u before during our conversation previously? Haha
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post Oct 23 2017, 11:10 AM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 22 2017, 11:13 PM)
Hmm, need to check back... lol.  laugh.gif How is your hunt so far.
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I was thinking to get the newly added 0.408 G VS2 Black by Brian Gavin but I happened to get an advice from Brian while talking to their CS he didnt recommend to take this stone if H&A is the concern. So at the end of the day I didnt take this stone haha. I am still liaising with one of their senior consultant if she can help to talk to Brian to customize a diamond based on my personal preference haha tongue.gif . For price concern I still do not know the details yet but she mentioned that the customer who requested for extra 4 E VVS2 for the 5 stones ring paid the similar price like the one you interested. You can check the price now from their inventory for all the 0.4carat E VVS2 Black by Brian Gavin. I believe those stones are still there until the ring is complete.
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post Oct 23 2017, 12:28 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 23 2017, 11:54 AM)
Haha, the diamond that I was interested in is this: https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds...gs-104096208004. I did not go into more details about others, but that should be pretty similar somehow. The reason I picked this E VS1 is because I like the contrast it is showing in the certificate, also the fire seems to be fiery, probably due to the small table @54.9%. Then the measurements checks out well with this formula = L x W x D x 0.0061. wink.gif But nonethless, they are all hand-picked by Brian himself, so the quality is there, I am just having some fun playing by the numbers.

Btw, what is Brian's concern on the H&A? By right, he won't put it into Black category if it doesn't adhere to his standards.
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The E VS1 is part of the 5 stones ring as well according to their CS. I didnt go into details what was his concern actually. I noticed there "seems" to have some uneven shape in H&A so i went to ask CS to get their advice. Brian was there he helped to relook at the diamond and advised me not to take this stone if H&A is my concern haha
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post Oct 23 2017, 01:55 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 23 2017, 01:40 PM)
Hmm? I am guessing either the 2 hearts next to each other at the 12 o'clock positions, or you are referring to one/two of the arrows at 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock?  blink.gif

Glad you spoken to Brian btw. Haha.
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Both actually lol. Probably just I overthought hmm.gif

What do you think?
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post Oct 23 2017, 03:04 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 23 2017, 02:33 PM)
The H&A image is slightly tilted to one side. But even if I tilt my phone a little to see, I can see the 2 hearts at the 12 o'clock positions have a tiny bit of height variance. Hey, I used a ruler and put it on my phone lol. As for the arrows, I won't really get bothered by then because it is nothing unusual among super ideals, although I hope it can be better. Sometimes things can be due to photography setup, but as far as BGD is concerend, they are using state-of-the-art photography tools, so I guess the variances are really there. But to be fair, diamond cutting is handcraft after all, so don't be surprised by such slight variances even if they are one of the top super ideal vendors. Nonetheless, if you don't feel comfortable with it, it is okay to skip it first and wait for another one that can make you feel comfortable with. You are the customer afterall. Lol.

And while speaking about this, there are these 2 diamonds in store: https://black.briangavindiamonds.com/diamon...?a_aid=myengexp (affiliate link). You will have to wait abit for the images for this newborn.

https://black.briangavindiamonds.com/diamon...?a_aid=myengexp (affiliate link).

Personally, based on the cert ASET, I like the 2nd diamond more because it has more contrast. The IdealScope image seems to show some very slight light leakage and a purist can probably complain about it, but ASET tells me there js no weak light return around the corner of the table (green colour light), therefore I find this acceptable. This diamond is there since April... makes me wonder whether it is the same diamond I saw before last time or not... well, nvm that. Lol.
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I actually came through this 2 diamonds before already haha. For the 0.421 G VS1 I tried to put in the HCA tools the score is 0.7. According to the website scores of 0-1 are often good for earrings and pendants, but usually not as good for rings. I don't know what is the exact reason but I think I will skip this lol

As for 0.440 G VS1 yea you are right it was there for quite some time already. I believe it is still not being taken because of the HCA score. The score is 1.9 but the light return, fire, scintillation are very good instead of excellent only laugh.gif
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post Oct 23 2017, 03:28 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Oct 23 2017, 03:11 PM)
You are a picky one bro. Lol. Which is good btw, nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, don't over rely on HCA, it is a rejection tool after-all. It takes into account 17 facets of a diamond only, instead of 57 facets (excluding the culet).

When images are there, always rely more on images.

Personally, I like to look at the video as well and  trust your own eyes, and recently, I like to look at the cert ASET because I find that the "blue burst" (which signifies contrast) seem to be related to the colour sparkles (fire) of the diamond. When you see the fire and white flashes... you will want to keep the diamond for yourself and forget about proposal. tongue.gif
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Yea i think i am too picky at the number already when you told me your personal reference to have more fire on the diamond lol. Actually I still do not know if larger table diameter will affect much on the fire and scintillation or not. Like the 0.440 G VS1 it has pretty wide table diameter which is one of the reason stop me from considering it lol. I noticed there is one newly crafted E VVS2 stone that reserved for the 5stone ring has a table diameter at 57.9 but the video seems good also. Honestly I also confused already which one should i go for, images / video or number? confused.gif
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post Nov 6 2017, 05:44 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 1 2017, 12:05 PM)
Remember that I told you the E VS1 got some weaker light return? Apparently the certificate when viewing from the phone and viewing from desktop is different. I believe the phone one is an old version. After viewing the latest certificate, there is no weaker light return, which is good.

Given that fact, the E VS1 suddenly becomes a better buy compared to the G VS1.

The ASET of the G VS1 looks better on cert and image compared to the ASET of the E VS1 though. And the arrows of the G VS1 also look abit better. Performance wise, the G VS1 looks better based on ASET of the certificate as well. However, I can only say all these are very slight difference. Now, I think I better check with Brian Gavin Diamonds on what makes the diamond dropped to Signature level. Will get back to you on the findings.
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You still can find some diamonds from signature line that actually can be categorized as Black line according to the diamond consultant. If not mistaken the E VS1 was being sent to evaluate before the Black by Brian Gavin being introduced. And hence it is in the Signature category.
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post Nov 7 2017, 01:48 PM

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Just to share something here.

Take a look at below Black by Brian Gavin, I was in dilemma choosing the "best" among these three diamonds though I know I wont go wrong with any of them. These three are within my budget so in my mind I would like to go for the one that "out-perform" the other two diamonds. I asked the diamond consultant if she could help to pull out these diamonds and tell me which one has more fire based on her experience seeing diamonds almost everyday. I personally will pick the 0.408 G VS2 due to the cut proportion and the blue burst around the table in the ASET image. After evaluation she told me that the stone that caught her eyes the most is the 0.421 G VS1 having the three stones side by side. I was surprised by her selection as I thought she would propose the 0.440 G VS1 in order to make more money tbh tongue.gif

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds...gs-104095918007

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds...gs-104095918008

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds...gs-104092974051

I dropped an email to Todd from niceice.com also and surprisingly his choice goes to 0.421 G VS1 as well without having the diamond on hold. He mentioned that this diamond is a really good middle ground between the three diamonds, he likes the proportions of this diamond the best. The proportions are right in the middle of the spectrum, in what represents the true sweet spot.

-- While I know that the 62% total depth on the 0.408 carat, G-color, VS-2 clarity, Black by Brian Gavin diamond is not a big deal because it is due to girdle thickness, the truth is that it bothers me from a mind-clean perspective because I tend to be kind of a purist when it comes to proportions. And while the 34.9 / 40.9 degree crown/pavilion angle combination on the 0.44 carat, G-color, VS-1 clarity, BBGD are perfectly fine and totally going to produce the right look, my brain niggles at me a little bit because I know those measurements are right on the edge of things. Totally insane, I know, Brian reminds me of this all the time! I usually respond with "well, you're my mentor, I blame you!" but it doesn't provide any sense of relief ;-) --

I have a doubt on his selection also because I realized there is not much blue burst in the ASET image compare to the other two diamonds. I kinda agree with his point of view in the explanation below and finally made my purchase.

-- That type of blue (clustering at the base of the arrows) is only going to provide more contrast, which creates depth of field and intensity. It's kind of funny, but when we look at the ASET / Ideal Scope images for diamonds, we tend to want to see things as perfect as possible, but when diamonds are actually cut "perfectly" they lose a little intensity of sparkle, thus the goal is to cut them really close, but not quite perfect.

I realize that this might seem counterintuitive at first glance, but allow me to explain. Imagine that a diamond is like a small pond of water, if you toss a pebble into the middle of the pond, it is not likely that the ripples will reach the shore. Whereas if you toss the pebble about halfway between the middle of the pond to the edge, you're more likely to see the effects of the light reflecting off the surface of the water. It's the same with certain types of drums, the best sound is achieved by striking the skin of the drum, slightly off center. With that in mind, we're looking for near-perfect but not quite perfect optical precision and that little bit of extra contrast just off the mid-point is going to create some beautiful intensity. --

SO good luck to all those who still hunting for their best diamonds. Hope this helps smile.gif
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post Nov 7 2017, 03:24 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 7 2017, 02:44 PM)

Truth to be told, among these 3 diamonds, I think I will go with 0.408 G VS2. 0.440 G VS1 is close enough for me to buy due to its larger size and better clarity, but I guess those proportions if plugged in into HCA, you will see VERY GOOD score instead of EXCELLENT, further impacting my mind-cleanliness. Of course, HCA is just a rejection tool and since HCA is still below 2, it did not actually impact my mind-cleanliness that much, and knowing that it is a Brian Gavin product further balances it back, due to his reputation. However, the 0.408 G VS2 will be my first choice because I think I like the table to be smaller and the crown to be higher for better fire. Also, the lower girdle is 77% and should produce bolder sparks! Just like yours. tongue.gif And lastly, it is cheaper by USD 260!  tongue.gif

Oh, one more thing... there is one more thing that I found interesting... try applying L x W x D x 0.0061 to your diamond... you will see that the carat calculated for your diamond is the closest.  If you are in a tricky situation whereby you don't know which one to pick, perhaps this minor trick will be able to assist you. It is found in Todd Gray's blog and it is taught to him by Brian as well (if not mistaken). thumbsup.gif

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Oh yea one more thing... the reason why I didn't go for 0.408 G VS2 is because of the feather inclusion at the edge of the girdle. I know it has no issues at all in VS1/VS2 diamonds but I just not comfortable with it biggrin.gif The other weird reason why I chose BGD over Whiteflash because of the presentation box tongue.gif

And yea I know the trick to "calculate" the carat weight that I learnt from niceice..
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post Nov 7 2017, 04:09 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 7 2017, 03:50 PM)
Haha seems like you have learned a lot. Yes, the feather inclusion. Don't say you, I am not comfortable with it, but then, I have faith. Besides, the crack does not look too long.

Lol. You fall for that box.  laugh.gif

Although, WhiteFlash has no fancy box, but they will give you a cherry wood ring box if you ask. Of course, it does not worth much, but I find it better than the typical ring box, at least it looks unique in Malaysia somehow. Anyway, there are a lot of "hide-able" ring box in the US that sells at ridiculous high price, but will be useful for surprise proposal. Besides, the way WhiteFlash presents the diamond certificate is more propoer, IMO. They put it inside a protector and it feels more premium.

Well, you are not weird (maybe a little  brows.gif ), but eager to get the best diamond there is out in the market.
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I am not talking about the Black by Brian Gavin ring box. I am referring to the black satin box haha. Now I have two ring box in hand tongue.gif

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/news/how...ment-ring-cost/
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post Nov 7 2017, 04:30 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 7 2017, 04:17 PM)
Oh? Brian FOC you he black satin box?!  hmm.gif And Black by Brian Gavin got another ring box?!
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Yup Black by Brian Gavin got another ring box. I requested to have ring box instead of loose diamond box and they agreed to give for free. Then when I purchased the Black by BG they told me there is a special packaging for that compare to other categories. I insisted to get the black satin box and I thought they will only package it like normal but in the end are special packaging with one ring box plus one extra black satin box biggrin.gif

If you wanna know how it looks like I can take a picture later.
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post Nov 7 2017, 04:46 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 7 2017, 04:39 PM)
WOW picture please. Btw, mind if I share your pics on my blog?  drool.gif

Btw, how they package your loose diamond?  hmm.gif
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You mean the Black by Brian Gavin ring box picture? Go ahead to post on your blog after I upload later. But my phone quality is not that good fyi.. I try my best haha..

I requested the temp ring holder as well. So it was "mounted" on the ring holder.


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post Nov 7 2017, 05:15 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 7 2017, 05:01 PM)
I mean "everything" - The boxes (plural) and the ring holder. lol. Wow, they are so generous. Who do you liaise with mostly? Brian himself? Or sales consultant?
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Ah okay.. the special packaging exactly the same that you posted on your blog. Just the ring box is different.

Brian normally not around. I talked to their diamond consultant most of the time.
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post Nov 9 2017, 07:15 PM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 9 2017, 02:52 PM)
The 0.44 has 78% LGF hence the sparks may be slightly thinner than the one from 0.408, which has 77%. And as mentioned before, I like fire, so I would go for the one that seem to give me better fire. But then, I think both should be pretty similar because 0.44ct has a steep crown angle as well, despite the shorter crown height. Overall, I will still say 0.408 is the best option for value for money. But please note that there are feather inclusions at the edge of the diamond, but the risk is really low for it to crack further.

If you are not comfortable with that, then I think VS1 is a good choice. Because you don't really need to care about inclusions anymore. But for me, it is USD 260 difference between them, which means, more than RM 1000. So, it is give and take. The >RM 1000 is actually paying for the higher carat weight, larger size, and better clarity.

Who do you check with btw?
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I think he is talking about the 0.407 E VS1 Signature that we "think" should fall into Black..
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post Nov 11 2017, 01:29 AM

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QUOTE(kambingkoh @ Nov 10 2017, 09:20 PM)
Thank you! Btw, good news for you. Brian Gavim is giving out free international shipping until end of year. Remember to use promo code FREESHIPPING17 during checkout.

[attachmentid=9321389]
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I got the newsletter also.

Damn.. i should wait.. patiently.. aih..
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post Dec 16 2017, 01:38 PM

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Black by BGD just restock a lot 40pointers in their inventory. Serious buyers can go take a look thumbup.gif

 

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