Anyone know of a reliable place which can set the Asha stone in customized gold ring?
Cheers
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Anyone know of a reliable place which can set the Asha stone in customized gold ring?
Cheers
Quote:
Originally Posted by samurai jack
Locally in Singapore or someone you can send it to who will set it? BTD's forum has several options and I know of some. Did you have a BUDGET? Wow, there's a word you don't hear everyday . . .
I told my fiance about the ring and he was skeptical..showed him btd forum's pics and he was impressed
He still wants me to have that as a backup ring and get me his own.. but I'm still working into convincing him
btw.. I will be at grandma's on friday so i FINALLY get to see my ring!!!
Socal, sounds great! I'm SO excited for you!Quote:
Originally Posted by socaligurl80
If he doesn't come around, ask him to watch Blood Diamond, uncut. Some call it sensational and I actually feel it wasn't graphic enough; the filmmakers themselves said they held back on what they could have shown, all of it more disturbing than anything they did show. And for the naysayers who doubt the extent of atrocities committed by the gemological industry worldwide, particularly in regards to Africa and diamonds, I say be glad they didn't set the movie in 1901. THAT movie would NEVER have gotten made.
This is SO weird. Usually, it's us girls that have to be convinced to see reason, get conscientious, be economical and to stop being close-minded and/or selfish. It's rare to have to the roles reversed so strongly. I don't know whether to feel like this is breakthrough of male oppression or completely puzzled.
So I better understand, does he say why he feels that only a natural diamond is "good enough" for you or have you even asked? This requires questioning. He may have come from a background where he feels having replica, faux or simulated items says something about him or his ability to "provide." And the sale of simulants and synthetics is completely legal so the morality and ethicality angle is shot. My mom would love to pick his brain (she's a psychotherapist)! Hell, I'd like to pick his brain!:D
If I've posed these questions before and you told, either via PM or this thread, I'm sorry. LOL
hahaha no no, don't worry Posh, nothing to be sorry about.
i KNOW it's weird huh? LOL
he USED to not approve of rep bags either until we had a HUGE fight about it not too long ago. He would make FUN of me saying I was the FAKE LADY cuz I bought everything fake (i have quite an authentic bag collection but got into buying fakes this year and bought a LOT of bags) I told him if he'd rather have me buy all the bags I did in the authentic version and spend all his money like water once we got married and had joint accounts.
he then agreed I was right and being a LOT more sensible haha
with diamonds.. u are right. It's him wanting to give me the "best" (but what does the best really mean?) and NOT believing sims can be really good or just as good as a nice diamond.
I showed him this pic... and he asked me over and OVER again.. which one is the one I bought cuz he could NOT believe a sim had such fire :)
and then i explained him.. this is not a FAKE diamond. He needs to think of this as a sparkly stone and voila, his perception about this should change.
pic credit: btd forum
Socali - Im so glad you have your ring, cant wait to see pics, congratulations on your Engagement.
Samurai Jack - Ive had my Asha for 9 months now and have pretty much worn it every day and its still perfect, i have a very active toddler and chase around after her every day, i cant count how many times ive banged by ring into something to stop her falling and theres not a scratch or nick on it, i have a V5 in a moissanite halo, i posted some pics earlier in this thread, have you found someone to set your stone, try Moissaniteco.com, i got my Asha/Moissanite halo from them and the service was excellent, they also sell their own settings and can custom make something for you, they are very well thought of on the BTD boards.
Thanks Mrs. H. Will have a look at their website.
Hi everyone, I wanted to report back. I don't have a camera so I can't take pics but BTD;s ring is AMAZING.
i took it to tiffany in rodeo drive WITH my chanel bling and got EXCELLENT service while looking at their solitaires..
I got a BTD 1.5ct F color version 6ROUND solitaire tiffany reproduction and it looked JUST like a D color tiffany diamond..
we got to see a 2.something solitaire priced at $76k so I was pretty happy about my ring.
however, hubby decided I needed a real diamond in my life as well, so he got me a 1.5ct f color vs1 with very good cut as a real e-ring in a halo setting. I could not sleep for about 4 days thinking about blood diamonds..
I am however happy about both rings and I've worn my asha every single day since I saw her about 10 days ago!!!
my halo is yet to be used... :)
and i promise comparison pics as soon as I have my camera back!!!
they are both F color but the real diamond looks a bit yellower!
It's nice that you don't have a cheap man, really. They are so blasted many of them walking around! But like my mom always says, there's a time to spend money and there's a time to hold onto it for the future or other more important things. She has always said she'd rather spend that kind of money on having a well-built home (homes built today are SOOOOO thrown together, even so-called "luxury" homes). I can attest to that because the home my parents have was built decades and decades ago and is so completely solid that a structural engineer that they hired for a project they wanted to do in their basement said a wrecking ball would have to strike the home several times before any of the walls would budge. But people would rather casually buy a throw-away McMansion but spend $40,000 on a ring they have scrutinized to the nth degree. Hmmmm . . . lasting sheleter in a sanctuary where you will build a life with your husband or a "rare" rock that can be cleaved by a strike from a butter knife. Which would you choose as a symbol of everlasting love?:DQuote:
Originally Posted by socaligurl80
But "the best" is terribly subjective and your boyfriend should realize that by this point. Some people feel a Timex is just fine while others need a Rolex to feel like all is right with the world. Then there's us smart replica buyers who know its all just a ridiculous game and the real winner is the person who keeps the most money in their pocket while still gaining the look and performance of the genuine article. That's kind of winner I want to be at the end of the day. I follow the Warren Buffet School of Ostentation: true luxury is the freedom from worry about money and little-to-no debt. He may not have a Ferrari but he could buy one if he desired and that's reassuring enough for him. And that's just plain brilliant and deeply alluring, to me. But I don't think anyone has clued him in to replicas and once he knows he'll have several Rolexes instead of just one! LOL
Mrs-H-, I looked into this and poured over the boards at BTD. I then called and spoke with some jeweler friends and got confirmation of several things. I think a mix of Asha and Moissanite is the best idea because smaller Ashas are so scarce, like the ones one would use in a halo setting. You have the complete right idea! A large center or main Asha with Moissanite as the supporting stone. The good thing about this is that any problems with coloration, which is actually not a huge concern for Moissanite I discovered, is mitigated with a smaller Moissanite. Version 5 Asha, Moissanite and Palladium is an absolute winning combination. I believe your ring is in platinum, correct?Quote:
Originally Posted by mrs-h-
I thoroughly envy you, Mrs-H-. You totally have pulled together the Lady Who Lunches look!! You are who I aspire to be when I become a settled, married lady!:) Do you drive a Mercedes too? LOL
I'm certain we won't be able to tell them apart. I'm so glad we have choices. Ten years ago, you didn't have any cultured diamond or simulated diamond and pretty much had to settle on mined diamonds. Now, we all have options and the options equal diamond in most every measurable way.Quote:
Originally Posted by socaligurl80
Funny enough, I learned from my jeweler friend that the reason diamonds are most often set in yellow gold is because it helps offset the yellowish hue of most diamonds. Whiter metals like platinum, palladium and platinum make that yellow just pop in any setting. I honestly did not know this.
I understand, Socal. I was the the social crusader child even when I was small. My parents told me how I would constantly be giving my things away as a toddler and "helping" strangers if I ran off out of view. LOL It hasn't changed but I temper it with a bit more practicality.Quote:
Originally Posted by socaligurl80
But buying that ring had more to do with himself than you. He bought it to prove something more to himself because I'm sure you were being completely direct and honest when you told him an Asha would do. The thing to do is just accept it and wear it occasionally so that his ego is soothed; men are such simple creatures in this regard. Just like I say to the guys around here to get her what she asked you for or what she wants, that also goes for the ladies who have men who insist on getting them expensive gifts. Sometimes, it is to show the world he's prosperous and can lavish his woman with just about anything she likes. I can't stress how nice it is to have a man who wants to ensure you WANT FOR NOTHING. To me, that's how it should be but I think my views may considered old-fashioned. Either way, I have a couple of genuine bags for just this reason! It tickles him and makes him happy to be able to buy them for me so I indulge him by accepting them. LOL ;)
I couldn't find anyplace on Moissaniteco.com where I could buy Asha. Could you please help with this?Quote:
Originally Posted by mrs-h-
Jack, Asha is sold ONLY by Betterthandiamond.com (there's no such thing as "factory seconds" or anything so if a seller you find is advertising this, they're purveying something else). BTD holds the technology and soon-to-be-patented processes used to make Asha behave visually very much like a mined diamond.Quote:
Originally Posted by samurai jack
Go to their site and you can see loose stones, set stones, cultured pearls, cultured diamonds, cultured rubies, cultured Alexandrte and cultured emeralds. Almost everything they offer is 99.999999% indistinguishable from their natural counterpart thanks to science. :D
Thanks Posh. Mrs. H had mentioned getting Asha V5/Halo from Moissaniteco.com .....so was wondering if they sold loose Asha stones as well. So the best option would be to buy Asha loose stone....have it shipped to one of the known/trusted jewellers (who can handle Asha) and then have something custom-designed. What say?
Your welcome, Jack. Yes, if you prefer to have a custom setting done, buying a loose Asha is going to be your best bet. At the BTD forums, there are several trusted jewelers who do custom work and are familiar with how to set Asha correctly. Also, BTD offers instructions that you can print and give to any other jeweler or smithy with whom you prefer to work. If for whatever reason the instructions prove foreign to that individual, they offer a number that the artisan can call to get guidance. There's a LOT of support even after you buy your stone and they make sure you are happy even after the ring is on your finger!:)Quote:
Originally Posted by samurai jack
Samurai Jack - Moissaniteco dont have an Asha section on theitr own site yet as they are working on their very own Asha site, if you e-mail them or contact them via the live help area on their site they will advise you, they also sell Asha's unset, they recently did a run of Old European Cut Asha's and they were TDF, i love the old cuts and these were spectacular but a bit on the small side for me and they sold out very quickly.
Posh - I dont drive, but if i did it would probably be a Land Rover :lol: , im very fortunate to live in a city with excellent transport links but will be moving to rural Ireland some time next yeat and will need to drive then, my ring is in 14K white gold as it wasnt offered in Palladium at the time of purchase or i would have chosen that instead.
Socali - So glad you love your ring, i've left my diamond engagement ring in my jewelery box since getting my Asha, i love it, your Halo sounds gorgeous, hope to see some pics.
Here is a question that remains kinda unsolved for me.....to go for V5 or V6? Heard V5 is closer to real deal but V6 is more resillient. Would it make sense to get....say a V5 for a ring and V6 for earrings/pendant (as there is hardly any wear n tear with these accessories when compared to a ring).
comparison pics
both are 1.5ct
the tiffany solitaire is a v6 asha, it has some (a LOT) of inclusions I had not noticed until I took pics (I´m not a hardcore jewellery person so I dont own a lupe)
and the halo setting ring is a real diamond F color VS clarity GIA
notice how the heart and arrows on the real diamond are smaller
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...0/DSC02201.jpg
btw, i noticed this only AFTER I took the pics but it REALLY bothers me how the REAL diamond is set in such a crooked way
Socal, I see what you mean. But you have to be looking at it very closely. They both look great and I think both are winners. I have been considering a right hand ring with Moissanite and Asha but am having a hard time choosing a pre-cast setting. Do you think custom work would be good to shoot for or is there too many pratt falls with that route? I'm scared because I don't want to be that woman who is labeled difficult because something is a millimeter off. And you know what? I AM that woman. LOLJack, version 6 Asha, from what I have read, is trying to compete more with Moissanite than diamond, like version 5 seems to be. Version 6 sparkles more, like large Moissanite, because sparkle seems to be the order of the day with modern tastes. It doesn't seem to be enough to just have the diamond sitting on your hand, quietly waiting for recognition; it now has to announce its presence and demand accolades. LOL You have to go with what looks right to you. The solution? Buy both and send back the one that does not work for your personality, wardrobe and style.
Mrs. Nderwater recently had a local jeweler make a custom antique setting for her 2ct Asha. Before it was mounted, each of the jewelers & gemologists we showed it to were extremely impressed with stone. One gemologist was gushing over it, and even showed it to us under her microscope without ever realizing that it was only a CZ. Now that the stone is mounted, in a quality setting it's easily mistaken for a $50,000 vintage piece.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nderwater
This just shows the quality and effort that goes into these very special simulants. Getting cultured white diamonds is very difficult (thank you, DeBeers) and will probably be that way until whatever agreement DeBeers has with the cultured diamond industry (which I'm certain includes cash) is broken or expires. The Asha is the next best thing and actually makes more sense economically.
Wink has made it possible for men and women to indulge their jewelry fantasies for far less than ever before. Betterthandiamond.com is the democratization of jewlery on a truly grand scale. And with the leftover money you can still eat and save for a rainy day!:D
I've been contemplating a mans ring, white gold/platinum/palladium with a large emerald for some time now. I have a massive jones for anything green (won't even buy a car if it's not green) and the white metal/green stone combo I simply love.
Having perused BTD's site I am most definitely going with a cultured one. Emeralds are mined in much the same way as diamonds with a lot more ecological damage and similar social impact on the local people. When you add in the clarity of the BTD stone vice a mined one and the perfect greenish blue color as well as the price it's a no brainer!
Now to find a nice setting that catches my eye.
Funny you should mention that - next on my wife's wishlist is a Chatham cultured Emerald ring. She's even more into researching jewelry and gemstones than I am into watches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfa437
Cultured emeralds are the way to go, S. Just like nature, only better. And more eco-friendly.
And here's another tip you may want to use regarding a jewelry piece: find a jeweler who makes custom pieces frequently. In New York, this is a snap. Just do what we women have done for decades and have it made. And we don't have pieces made because there are no options out there for us that are already done; we have things made because we can and we're picky. ;) Just find a jeweler who will listen to your needs and is in tune with your imagination.
It's just like choosing the person you will have decorate/design your house or do your nose job. Your home being your sanctuary, you wouldn't just let anyone do anything with it, right? Same applies to your body which is your temple. How your temple is adorned matters and you need someone who has done a lot temples. So whether you're getting a tummy tuck or tiara, GET REFERENCES. I'm sure that you want to have a piece that you can, without shame, pass on to little S. who'll like it enough to wear it even when you're not around. And custom work is not as pricey as it would sound. The jewelers who do custom pieces frequently are less expensive than those whose primary business is the ready-made works. The BTD forums are full of people who know industry people who do this kind of work and come highly recommended.
Definitely check it out. :cheesy:
Great to see your posts, again, Posh. Been missing reading your missives.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crackberry
Thank you, Berry. You're very kind. I really try.
O.k?. You can do better than that.
Don't buy diamonds for your wife,buy fake ones.
So if everyone did that,what would be the appeal?.
Why buy a Benz when a bus pass does the same thing,and is more eco-friendly.
Jewelry is junk. Just because I've paid a lot of money for some of it doesn't make it not junk. The fact that something is expensive doesn't make it not junk. The fact that it was found in a pile of dirt doesn't make it not junk.
CVD diamonds are far more perfect than anything that could be found naturally anyway.
And a blowjob is a blowjob. Maybe it make more sense for somebody to channel resources into something that results in individual productivity gains rather than supporting a wife.
Yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Archronos
But you are buying a fake of the real thing,and i know this is not the forum for that discussion i guess,but there is the desire to buy the fake of that 'junk' you are talking about,and while the minority is o.k with trying to pull off fakes,the majority won't settle for less than the real deal,of course.
Right?.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave123
I'm not one of those people who equates a genuine bag or genuine watch or genuine ring with a stone in it to love or respect or caring. And I suspect that many other people, men and women, feel the same way I do. I don't look at buying a replica watch, bag, simulant or cultured gemstone as buying something of low quality. Many of these items are as good and made the same way (sometimes in the same place) as the original I look at it like you saved all this money, money that could be put in savings, used for a trip somewhere in the world at moment's notice or even given to charity so someone somwhere can have sandwich. I know very well that some of the replica bags I carry and the few replica watches I own look just like the real thing and will pass in 99% of the situations I'm in in my life. And I don't run in circles where repping is okay by any means. Just buy selectively and carefully, just like you would with anything else.
And I drive Mercedes. Trust me, there's nothing to it. Somebody can buy the same car with the same mileage for the price of a new Ford Taurus and look like they paid retail, just like me.
I value financial independence and frugality. That doesn't mean I live in ascetism or buy off brand at grocery store. Since I work in the luxury goods industry and analyze this stuff on a daily basis, I see it all for what it really is: overpriced junk. Well, maybe not junk, but definitely crap.
But I carry all this stuff with pride and my man can give me this stuff without fear of disrespecting me. He knows who I am. I would rather have a vacation house in Hilton Head than a 4 carat diamond ring in a five story walk-up in Park Slope.
I'm just saying there are marks out there that will bite at anything shiny, and pay lots of money for it. I'm not a fish or a mark. Maybe we're just from different generations, but I channel resources the way I do without shame. I value some things very highly, and others not so highly. I think diamonds are junk. They will never approach the complexity of man-made artifacts that embody an accumulation of hundreds of years of knowledge. Except for the CVD ones.
Maybe diamonds will someday be used to make computer chips, and then the naturally made ones will be considered junk because they're so flawed, small, and therefore useless. Diamonds can't be melted down into a uniform product like gold. They embody discrete units of imperfectedness. Even if the natural ones are refined, they will never be perfect.
The price of a diamond is based on its supposed rarity, but they aren't rare:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/200...NDS_index.html
and there are a lot of people that either don't feel like thinking for themselves, or can't, so they value, and desire things only according to price. Price is, after all, the consensually agreed upon value of an object.
If for some reason CVD diamonds become more expensive than natural diamonds (which might some day be considered junk), will you then look down on people purchasing natural diamonds for their wives because they are purchasing the cheaper alternative? The flawed natural stone that is a poor approximation of a perfect stone?
Just in case there was any doubt, here's what Aleksandr A. Malinin, advisor to Alrosa which is the state-owned diamond company of Russia, had to say to the New York Times about these wonderful stones everyone seems to love so much:
“We have to tell people that diamonds are valuable. We are trying to maintain the price, just as De Beers did, as all diamond producing countries do. But what we are doing is selling an illusion,” meaning a product with no utility and a price that depends on the continued sense of scarcity where there is none.
Yes. An illusion. These are rocks, y'all. Pretty rocks, yes. But at the end of the day, they're plain, old ridiculous rocks. Only an idiot would invest in them, think they're forever or equate them with love. And no one wants to be with an idiot.
I cant even describe how much I disagree with you. As my wife has become more educated about jewelry and the retail industry which supports it, we have visited countless shops and looked at hundreds (jeez, thousands?) of settings. Now that I know what to look for, I am aghast at the cheap crap sold by most jewelry chains - small diamond side stones which are cloudy, dull, or even single cut. Cultured gemstones passed off as natural. Thin, porous or even hollow gold work with careless tool marks, poor alignment symmetry and inconsistent milgrane. Retail stores all across carry jewelry which no informed, self respecting man should be buying for someone he cares about. But guess what, that's what sells - because gemstones are expensive, and ordinary people buy what's in their budget.
Custom jewelry though, from a respected jeweler is a totally different animal. I'm talking about artisans who care about their craft - not the assembly pieces you'll find at Helzberg or on QVC. My wife worked with her jeweler to design a piece she really liked, and he took his drawings to a skilled carver who cut the wax from which the ring was cast. Her ring was finished with care and is gorgeous even under magnification. Despite the fact that her center stone was an Asha CZ, the smaller stones in the ring were full cut, conflict-free diamonds and delicately mounted. We debated platinum, but settled on 18K white gold as prices were swinging upward at the time. We inspected the ring before and after it was rhodium plated and are very happy with the finished product.
If this is 'turning jewelry into junk,' 'not the real deal,' and 'just being cheap' than I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the industry and how to get the most value from your dollar (without supporting the diamond cartel). And I won't even dignify your last statement with a response.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nderwater
Well said. On her next piece, you may want to consider palladium; most all the attributes of platinum, except the cost which is more in line with white gold. And no pesky, yearly rhodium plating. You may even wish to have the ring remounted in palladium sometime in the future too.
This will also incidentally save some money because their won't be the trip to the jewelry store which will cause the itch to come. The itch that makes you want to buy something. :p
It's the same way for a lot of things (where the inventory held on hand at a store is crap with a name on it and a high price tag) where you can get custom made, better quality product for less than the ready-made equivalent. Take a look at suits at some "high end" department store sometime. You'd be surprised at how much people will pay for a fused suit just because it has somebody else's name on it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nderwater
Just my two cents on diamonds, moissanite, btd asha and regular cz's. I own all of them. CZ's look nice in sunlight and direct light, The Asha is very pretty but looks flat in certain lighting conditions and the moissanite sparkles like crazy, more than diamonds and certainly more that badly cut diamonds but it lacks depth, I find. I wear a moissanite band daily with my plain platinum wedding ring because I don't have to worry about cracking a stone on my eternity ring. I also wear Asha earrings quite often but not as often as my moissanite earrings. My yellow and white diamond rings and earrings have fire, sparkle and flash in all lighting conditions and I never get tired of looking at them. Flawed rocks they may be, but so far nothing I have seen can match up on all counts (not talking about price here, just beauty), not even moissanite which I really love. And if the price of diamonds ever comes down considerably, I will be the first in line to buy in bulk!
Do you feel that the higher scintillation and fire of moissanite, in larger carat weights, can be a little off-putting because its so much higher than diamond? I like the stone, really, when used in conjunction with other simulants or cultured stones. But by itself in large carat weights, do those extra visual attributes make the stone seem less "natural, " if you will?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mitsouko
Hi Posh, yes it does put me off in higher carat weights as you cannot even see the stone for all the scintillation and that just looks funny. Plus the cost rises dramatically for larger carat sizes and that makes it less appealing also. I do love it for under a carat sizes, especially for eternity or half eternity style rings or as sidestones. They even have them in fancy colours now, which is awesome.
a year later (!) and this thread is still going.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfa437
Be very wary on how you have the emerald mounted, you want no exposed 'corners' of the stone - they are so damned easy to break/chip. Too soft a stone IMO for daily wear (esp for a man).
.
It's not going to be a daily wear item, kind of like my SOH chrono with the mesh- brought out on special occasions :D