Carrots and Carats - Show Me The Money!

by Errolyn

On 21 Nov, we drove back to Penang to visit with some old time diamond merchants. Yeay, you got it, no ring, no proposal yet. I told Ju Han that I am a very Ker Lian person - no proposal, no intentions voiced and yet I am running around planning everything……

Well, anyway, we figured we'd try to find THE stone and then have it set. Goodness me - this quest for the right ring has been going on for a few months - even checked out Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang in Hong Kong, Love & Co. in Singapore, the varioussss jewellers in Malaysia and yet…..

On Sat morning, Ju Han went down to speak with Dad and Mum to ask for my hand in marriage. Dad was happy and mum almost cried….Ju Han was perfect in his delivery I think because mum was impressed! So now he officially had my hand in marriage. Dad drove us around town - Chulia Street, what street what street, visiting diamond traders/merchants and honest to goodness goldsmith shops….If you are fine with not having a certified gem, the diamond traders can give you a FANTASTIC deal on good stones. Of course, it's all based on the eye of the trader to tell you if the stone is a F or G colour and VVS or VS quality. But unless you are a stickler for the scientific analysis or unless you're buying a perfect 1 carat stone, the GIA/IGI/AGS cert doesn't serve any purpose.

We saw a couple of nice stones but the specifications we wanted were not available sadly. Everybody seems to have a lot of 0.7s and over 1 carats. Apparently it's difficult to find 8 pointer diamonds because the cutters would prefer to cut them bigger and sell them at a premium. Anything above a 5 pointer, 7,8,9 pointer and 1 carat jumps in price scale by a pretty number!

So, anyway, we couldn't find one we really loved - of course seeing loose diamonds for the uninitiated can seem quite boring. I loved almost all the 1 carat ones - a 1.02 carat G VS uncertified stone was quoted to us for about RM22k. Mmmmmm……

For those of you buying diamonds - you must realise that buying D colour and VVS1 (very very small inclusions) is not necessary unless you are a PERFECTION freak. These stones usually cost a bomb and you end up sacrificing size for colour and clarity. Having said that, it is important to buy stones that Look Good. Hence, an F or G colour VS1 or VS2 gives the best value. You see the thing is nobody is going to be using a 10x magnification loupe to view your diamond to see the inclusions - unless your diamond is not Eye Clear (inclusions being very close to the top of the table or face of the diamond) and without a 10x magnification loupe, nobody can see the VS (Very Small inclusions). Coming to colour, there are stones that are also tinted or have a flourescence that can change the look of the diamond. For example, those with a Blue Flourescence will look rather blue-ish depending on the severity of the tint (which is naturally occuring by the way).

So, those without a tint (Flourescence is just too long to type!), unless you place a G colour next to a D colour, you won't be able to really see the yellow of the lower colour diamond. There are people out there who actually love Warm Coloured Diamonds though - those like a I (slight yellow) onwards to a K or even J colour. Note - Warm diamonds and Yellow diamonds are completely different. Yellow diamonds are very rare and thus, expensive! Warm diamonds are white diamonds with minerals in them which cause a yellow hue to evolve…..

However, with all the fuss of visiting diamond merchants, in the end we got our GORGEOUS engagement diamond solitaire from Gold Heart - a Triple Excellent (Cut, Polish, Symmetry all excellent) stone set in a Classic Crown Setting of Platinum. Mmmmmmmm…..The brilliance is unmistakable and the fire is unmatchable. I think Gold Heart cuts their diamonds differently because the reflection of light is that which I've not seen elsewhere! Diamond & Platinum's Estrella diamonds are also very nice looking but the price deters completely.

And now, I have a GIA certified diamond that eases Ju Han's mind to no end. Of course, I could have gotten a non certified stone for half the price! ;)

I have no proposal yet to date so no ring on me finger yet. We also haven't found good looking wedding bands yet. I would love to have a white band dispersed diamonds all around it but well, we'll see. I need something that matches the Engagement Ring!

So, Engagement Ring - SET!

Update: I just checked all measurements and my ring is of 1A quality - thank god it's worth the price we paid!!!