Diamonds can be purchased from overseas, but for ring setting, I just let the jewelers here to set it here in Malaysia. Unless if you are confident that the size is correct, then you can purchase the whole diamond ring from overseas. I did it here because I am afraid that the ring size is not too suitable.

Band? You referring to wedding bands I presume? I bought mine from SK jewellery, but you can try to ask many of the jewellers out there, like Tailored Jewel, iDo Jewellery, ZCOVA, Eumayco, these are some of the non-mainstream stores and probably can customize the design to your liking.

Shipping from overseas from reputable companies using reputable courier such as Fedex is relatively safe.

Good luck!

WhiteFlash& High Performance Diamonds offer Free Shipping Worldwide via Fedex.

Brian Gavin Diamonds will charge shipping, it will depends on the price of the diamond your purchase. It may be somewhere between USD 55 - USD 75 I guess. But their diamonds are really top notch.

I am affiliated to both WhiteFlash and Brian Gavin. So if you need help purchasing from them, please let me know and I am happy to assist. If you want more value for money, I would say WhiteFlash. This is because their price is slightly cheaper than its competitors and they offer free shipping. Besides, their customer service is very very friendly and helpful. Their series is called "A-Cut-Above", but if you want really top-notch diamonds, then Brian Gavin has a series known as Black by Brian Gavin. Brian Gavin do have a Signature series which I will consider it the same range as WhiteFlash's ACA. In other words, Black by Brian Gavin is the new top series.

As for High Performance Diamonds, I am not affiliated to them, but I know that their imaging technology is a bit old school, but then their diamonds (Crafted by Infinity series) are quite highly recommended by Todd Gray from www.niceice.com. He is a diamond buyer with 30+ years experience. Also, you will see the name Crafted by Infinity (CBI) and the diamond cutter Paul Slegers' name appear quite a bit in PriceScope (a popular diamond forum).

Another highly reputable jeweler that is close to home will be Jann Paul in Singapore. You can always get to them via FB. They are friendly peeps. They do have plenty of educational videos on YouTube so do check them out, and you will understand what your money is spent for if you ever buy a Super Ideal diamond.

Importing in diamonds from overseas is subject to GST, unfortunately, so prepare to fork out the 6%.

And for expensive - I don't think it is expensive. You can of course get normal GIA diamonds here at a cheaper price, probably by a few hundred ringgit to thousand plus (including ring setting and diamond, aka final price), but the proportions are not that great. Proportion is one of the important factors in determining a diamond's performance. In fact, they may be cases whereby the diamond is sold at a price similar to what you can get online and ship to Malaysia. Mind you, I am talking about normal GIA diamonds. If you ever want to purchase a Hearts & Arrows (aka Super Ideal) diamond here in a brick-and-mortar store, then the price should be higher than what you can get online. Also some jewelers (mainstream or non-mainstream) may claim that they are selling Hearts & Arrows as well, but take a look at the H&A image they provide you, it may not be true. Anyway, Hearts & Arrows are very subjective to each individual interpretation, but there are general guidelines that you can find online. I believe some people may purposely say it is perfect H&A and try to sell it to you at a higher premium, but as a matter of fact, the stone does not meet H&A standard, probably not even barely. So that's why I like to purchase online because I can see all the images I need to see - Hearts & Arrows image, Idealscope image, ASET image, Actual Diamond Image, 360 degrees video. These are the things that set these jewelers are other normal jewelers apart.

As of ring settings, certain brick-and-mortar stores will do it, such as Diamond and Platinum, Degem, Poh Kong, Tomei, etc. You can just walk-in and ask. Price varies.

If you prefer custom design, look for non-mainstream stores such as iDo Jewellery, Eumayco, Memory Jewellery (just type in Facebook or Google them). Price varies as well.

Personally will prefer non-mainstream stores because it is easier to talk to via Facebook.

Hope this helps and good luck!

All right, you made me Google abit:

I will take it from Paul Slegers (who oversees the cutting process for Crafted by Infinity):
https://www.pricescope.com/community/thread...2/#post-2878903

Overall, he said that AGS is slightly loose in terms of Colour compared to GIA, but slightly stricter in terms of Clarity.

And also take a look at this post:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/thread...2/#post-2878672

https://www.pricescope.com/community/thread...3/#post-3090363

Overall, AGS is stricter in terms of cut grading.

My own experience:
I have an AGS F colour for my wife. I look at it from the side, not face-up, I can see some slight tint of yellow. I look at another E colour from Lazare (they use their own grading system), the differences can be seen, but the gap is not that wide. To me, it is acceptable. However, if I were to grade my own stone, I would say it may be a high-G colour or a low F-colour. My guess is that if I were to send the stone to GIA, the result will be "G". But that is just my guess for my stone, if the AGS F colour is in the higher spectrum of the F colour range, then GIA should return F colour. Maybe I am just being picky. Well...

FYI, when I bought my stone, I have almost 0 experience. Now that I checked back the diamond image, it is actually not that "white", compared to other WhiteFlash ACA F colour.  Of course, I would prefer slightly whiter colour, but then, this diamond now belongs to my wife now, and the value it carries a significant value that can't be graded by any lab now. I am actually okay if it is graded a G colour by GIA because to me it is always an F. Ok, I am getting carried away... So, let's see the good side of things, my diamond has a very very red Idealscope image, more red than some ACA F colour, and this makes my stone to be very "white" under sunshine. It is returning so much light that someone close to me said it is too white. . So, that's the importance of idealscope when determining performance, and that's the performance of a super ideal diamond.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the information on AGS cert is more than GIA cert. For example, you will get the Clarity plot on the AGS cert to determine the location of the inclusions, while for GIA, you will only get that if you purchase a 1ct diamond. So that's where AGS wins, to me.

Overall, I won't be concerned whether an AGS F is actually a GIA F now, because to me, these 2 labs are comparable, besides, now I will look at the diamond photos and make comparison between different stones that share similar colour and make a call whether the colour should be considered a F colour. If one F is whiter than the other F colour, that means that the first diamond is on the higher spectrum of F colour and GIA should come out the same result. But for simplicity's sake, I will just assume they are the same colour grade.

Also, Colour grading is done by human, not machine. They compare to a master stone to see which grade this stone should fall into. So, there can be variations, but should not be too far apart. One colour grade to me is acceptable.

You will do fine with either GIA or AGS.

Here is some read-up: https://www.whiteflash.com/ags-vs-gia/

Haha, that CBI is fantastic. Unfortunately, it is ON HOLD by someone else. It has been ON HOLD for more than a month, not sure why still the same status.

As for the BGD, it is absolutely stunning. Although eye-clean, but you will be able to see the reflection of its inclusion if you take a look at the Hearts & Arrows image. However, I hope this is not something that will turn you down. Its idealscope is one of the best I have seen. It will return a lot of light. And crown angle at 34.9? It will return a lot of fire. Overall this is a stunner.

This E VS1 is also one of the diamonds I may consider: http://black.briangavindiamonds.com/diamon...?a_aid=myengexp (affiliate link).  Performance wise F VS2 may win slightly, but if you want something with higher colour and clarity, E VS1 is the one. Which one will I buy myself? My Asian mindset tells me E VS1. In terms of value for money, E VS1 seems to be value for money because for extra RM 600++ (USD 138) can go up 1 level for both colour and clarity respectively, which is great. In terms of performance, I don't think there will be noticeable difference, so my another mindset tells me why not save the RM 600++. Besides, the idealscope and hearts & arrows of the F VS2 seem to be better very very slightly. So that's where the value of F VS2 lies. If you want better performance, F VS2, if you want better "paper specs" E VS1.

For me, I will probably buy E VS1 because performance wise, both are roughly similar and guaranteed to perform, hence I will go for better "paper specs". Besides, wifey will probably be slightly happier as well. But each person has their own preference, if you prefer the F VS2, just go for it. I would say you can't go wrong with any of them.

Alright, back to your question: if you ask me 0.42 CBI or 0.41 Black by BGD? Despite the CBI is a very very beautiful diamond, I am betting on the 34.9 crown angle of the Black by BGD to bring a lot of fire! Hence, I will for for the 0.41ct Black by BGD.

Please remember that Black by BGD does not cover shipping cost, so you need to factor in this fact as well.

Hope this helps.

Diamond 1 - CBI E VS2 - 0.42ct, 4.84 - 4.86 X 2.97 mm - $1423
Diamond 2 - Black by BGD E VS1 - 0.414ct, 4.81 x 4.83 x 2.96mm - $1430
Diamond 3 - Black by BGD F VS2 - 0.41ct, 4.78 x 4.8 x 2.96mm - $1292

Diamond 1 wins in terms of size compare to Diamond 2, while Diamond 2 wins in terms of clarity.

My preference will be below:
Diamond 2
Diamond 1
Diamond 3

The reason I prefer Black by BGD is because I have confidence with Brian Gavin because of the legacy he left with WhiteFlash ACA. And since this is the pinnacle of his work, I am sold. However, this is because I have experience with WhiteFlash before and read about them. However, do note that BGD does not provide free shipping worldwide. I am not sure how much to be exact, but I am guessing around USD 55. Feel free to check with their helpful online support.

However, for first-timer, I would most likely go with CBI, this is because the images they provide is really excellent, despite the lower quality photos due to their more "old-school" technology compare to BGD's state-of-the-art machine. Other than that, they do provide free worldwide shipping via Fedex and this make it more value for money. Besides, I just noticed their Free Gem Kit with Diamond Purchase contains the following:
Temporary diamond holder which resembles a ring means you can use that temporary holder to propose! After that, you and your love one can go and look for the perfect ring design for your loose diamond.

If you buying from Brian Gavin, would appreciate if you can add my blog as your referral. If you are buying from High Performance Diamond, I am not affiliate to them, but I know someone who does, if you need help, then I can refer you to him because he knows the owner of HPD personally.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with either of these diamonds. Good luck and all the best! 

Diamond 1 - CBI E VS2 - 0.42ct, 4.84 - 4.86 X 2.97 mm - $1423
Diamond 2 - Black by BGD E VS1 - 0.414ct, 4.81 x 4.83 x 2.96mm - $1430
Diamond 3 - Black by BGD F VS2 - 0.41ct, 4.78 x 4.8 x 2.96mm - $1292

Diamond 1 wins in terms of size compare to Diamond 2, while Diamond 2 wins in terms of clarity.

My preference will be below:
Diamond 2
Diamond 1
Diamond 3

The reason I prefer Black by BGD is because I have confidence with Brian Gavin because of the legacy he left with WhiteFlash ACA. And since this is the pinnacle of his work, I am sold. However, this is because I have experience with WhiteFlash before and read about them. However, do note that BGD does not provide free shipping worldwide. I am not sure how much to be exact, but I am guessing around USD 55. Feel free to check with their helpful online support.

However, for first-timer, I would most likely go with CBI, this is because the images they provide is really excellent, despite the lower quality photos due to their more "old-school" technology compare to BGD's state-of-the-art machine. Other than that, they do provide free worldwide shipping via Fedex and this make it more value for money. Besides, I just noticed their Free Gem Kit with Diamond Purchase contains the following:
Temporary diamond holder which resembles a ring means you can use that temporary holder to propose! After that, you and your love one can go and look for the perfect ring design for your loose diamond.

If you buying from Brian Gavin, would appreciate if you can add my blog as your referral. If you are buying from High Performance Diamond, I am not affiliate to them, but I know someone who does, if you need help, then I can refer you to him because he knows the owner of HPD personally.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with either of these diamonds. Good luck and all the best! 

Congratulations on your purchase.    Mind sharing how much they charge you for shipment to Malaysia?

Usually will ship out like next day after they received the payment? When did you complete your transaction? Have they made any confirmation with you?

Oh? Mind sharing part of the contents?

Your credit card charge went through and was then submitted through our credit card protection system. This process is followed for all credit card charges, and in particular for overseas credit cards.

The insurer can not tie the cardholder to the phone #, email address, and billing address and we can not get a guarantee on the funds from the charge.

Oh, you use credit card.  I thought it is more expensive, no? Never have experience with CC before but wire transfer is pretty fast and it only cost RM 10 via M2U. I think credit card has much more rules to comply probably to reduce fraud cases.

As for when to ship, they should ship like right away after their account has been credited, since the diamond is in their inventory.

Maybank AMEX card?

how liao? 

Fedex? Should be on the spot. Exact amount. Prepare enough change yea.

My Fedex guy don't have change and don't accept credit card. Won't be that hard la, just prepare more RM 1, RM 5, RM 10 notes, as well as some coins. Also, based on your purchase price, you add on 6% GST and a little extra. Then you can get a rough estimate on how much you need to pay.

By the way, how much is the shipment?

care to share some pics after that? How long it took from shipping off to arrival btw?