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Idesofmarch17

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Or just get a non-diamond. Mrs. Ides and I had ethical issues with diamonds, especially the really good synthetics that have been flooding the market. Essentially, you literally don’t know anymore if you are buying a diamond that was natural or manmade, as some of the synthetics are so good they are unidentifiable. Lots coming out of China.

So, she got this beautiful, color changing sapphire in a carat size that we could never afford if it was a diamond. She was so pumped - a stone that changes in the lighting that is very rare, without as many ethical issues and inflated market, and a much bigger stone than she would have gotten. Plus she loves being the unique one amongst her friends. And the ring was custom designed by me, so extra points there too.

so anyway, huge fan of non-diamond engagement rings. Happy to chat more if anyone is interested, bu I’m a huge proponent of no diamonds (except small ones for accents).
 

ronscuba

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Considered all of those things and decided I liked her (and my life) more than the watch. Having spent an embarrassing amount of time researching because that's my personality. Clarity is the one (unless she can see every imperfection with her naked eye when you go in just to see what she likes in which case thoughts and prayers to your checkbook.) Definitely not cut - If you go for the best cut you can find it actually looks bigger (and sometimes the mm measurement is actually bigger)
Agreed. Can't see clarity differences with the naked eye. The cut of the diamond affects how much it sparkles which can affect perceived size.

Side topic. Finger thickness and hand size can affect what carat size looks good.
 
Last edited:

Texasmade

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Considered all of those things and decided I liked her (and my life) more than the watch. Having spent an embarrassing amount of time researching because that's my personality. Clarity is the one (unless she can see every imperfection with her naked eye when you go in just to see what she likes in which case thoughts and prayers to your checkbook.) Definitely not cut - If you go for the best cut you can find it actually looks bigger (and sometimes the mm measurement is actually bigger)
That's why I cut my hair in that area.
 

Dino944

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Considered all of those things and decided I liked her (and my life) more than the watch. Having spent an embarrassing amount of time researching because that's my personality. Clarity is the one (unless she can see every imperfection with her naked eye when you go in just to see what she likes in which case thoughts and prayers to your checkbook.) Definitely not cut - If you go for the best cut you can find it actually looks bigger (and sometimes the mm measurement is actually bigger)

I did a ton of research years ago. You buy the right ring, you do it right, and you don't have to do it over again. I have friends who have sometimes without telling the husband, upgraded and traded the center stone of their engagement ring in for the same shape, but larger, better color, better clarity and or cut.

If you can see the inclusions/imperfections in the stone with the naked eye, don't bring that one home. As for cut, there is an ideal cut for every shape stone. There is a slight variation in percentage for the stone's proportions. However, a better cut is not generally going to look bigger. Generally stones cut to look bigger have a bigger table (top surface), tend to be shallow, so not much light goes through them and there is very little fire/sparkle to the stone. Rings cut to look bigger are not the best cut, but everyone has their own preferences and some people want a stone that looks bigger than it really is.

Anyway, hope that you are eventually able to get a Daytona if that is your grail watch. Cheers!

Or just get a non-diamond. Mrs. Ides and I had ethical issues with diamonds, especially the really good synthetics that have been flooding the market. Essentially, you literally don’t know anymore if you are buying a diamond that was natural or manmade, as some of the synthetics are so good they are unidentifiable. Lots coming out of China.

So, she got this beautiful, color changing sapphire in a carat size that we could never afford if it was a diamond. She was so pumped - a stone that changes in the lighting that is very rare, without as many ethical issues and inflated market, and a much bigger stone than she would have gotten. Plus she loves being the unique one amongst her friends. And the ring was custom designed by me, so extra points there too.

so anyway, huge fan of non-diamond engagement rings. Happy to chat more if anyone is interested, bu I’m a huge proponent of no diamonds (except small ones for accents).

I like non-diamond engagement rings, but still it seems most women tend to want a diamond. Also something like an emerald is not only more expensive than a comparable diamond, but they are too fragile for daily wear. Anyway, very cool that you went with something different.
 

UnFacconable

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I think that's the crux of the whole thing. Some people just want to get in and get out with the watch, hand over the money, and be done with it. That's fine, it's just different than someone who, for whatever reason, wants an "experience".

Exactly. I have a few nice watches but have almost never set foot in a watch store. There may have been a time or two where I spent a few minutes browsing with my wife but few and far between and not meaningful.

I had a friend pickup my BLNR for me from the store (out of state AD) and the rest of my purchases have been shipped to me (Nomos, 214270, Speedy and a bunch of Seikos and G-Shocks (thanks @LA Guy for getting me hooked on that habit)). I hear the stories people have for acquiring watches, or Hermes products and I think (i) that sounds like a job, (ii) I already have a job, and (iii) that job sounds worse than my job. I do my best to avoid spending my time on things I don't enjoy unless I "have" to, and one of the benefits of the 21st century is that in person commerce is largely by choice rather than necessity.

That isn't to say that I don't waste my time - obviously I have a few thousand posts here and have wasted plenty of time over the years but I prefer to waste my time in small increments while sitting in meetings rather than large blocks of time where I could be spending time with my family or avoiding my family and doing hobbies.

It's not dissimilar to charitable giving. I find that when you give people money they invite you to events which I have no interest in attending and I end up spending time explaining why they need to stop asking me to do things. I get that there is an ROI there for fundraisers, but it's definitely a steeply negative ROI for me. Compound that with the fact that I hate the idea of giving people money that they spend in an attempt to extract more money from me rather than using it for the purposes given, and let's just say it's counterproductive from my perspective.
 

double00

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Or just get a non-diamond. Mrs. Ides and I had ethical issues with diamonds, especially the really good synthetics that have been flooding the market. Essentially, you literally don’t know anymore if you are buying a diamond that was natural or manmade, as some of the synthetics are so good they are unidentifiable. Lots coming out of China.

So, she got this beautiful, color changing sapphire in a carat size that we could never afford if it was a diamond. She was so pumped - a stone that changes in the lighting that is very rare, without as many ethical issues and inflated market, and a much bigger stone than she would have gotten. Plus she loves being the unique one amongst her friends. And the ring was custom designed by me, so extra points there too.

so anyway, huge fan of non-diamond engagement rings. Happy to chat more if anyone is interested, bu I’m a huge proponent of no diamonds (except small ones for accents).

i ended up going with a pink tourmaline (retailed from a gem dealer who happened to own the mine locally) and found a great local bench jeweler, it all worked out nicely.

sapphire is a good choice for a ring, some stones are bit soft and will wear over time.
 

Ambulance Chaser

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3C641466-794F-43E2-BCD1-4A9202D0893A.jpeg

Mechanical watches are fun and games until the lume falls off an hour marker, requiring a trip to the Swatch Group Spa. ? The last service was in 2013, so the watch is overdue. Just wasn’t planning on this expense.
 

ronscuba

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I did a ton of research years ago. You buy the right ring, you do it right, and you don't have to do it over again. I have friends who have sometimes without telling the husband, upgraded and traded the center stone of their engagement ring in for the same shape, but larger, better color, better clarity and or cut.

If you can see the inclusions/imperfections in the stone with the naked eye, don't bring that one home. As for cut, there is an ideal cut for every shape stone. There is a slight variation in percentage for the stone's proportions. However, a better cut is not generally going to look bigger. Generally stones cut to look bigger have a bigger table (top surface), tend to be shallow, so not much light goes through them and there is very little fire/sparkle to the stone. Rings cut to look bigger are not the best cut, but everyone has their own preferences and some people want a stone that looks bigger than it really is.

Anyway, hope that you are eventually able to get a Daytona if that is your grail watch. Cheers!



I like non-diamond engagement rings, but still it seems most women tend to want a diamond. Also something like an emerald is not only more expensive than a comparable diamond, but they are too fragile for daily wear. Anyway, very cool that you went with something different.
My ex wife used to work for Lazare Kaplan. I learned diamond cut has to do with cut angles, proportions. Lazare markets their "Ideal Cut" as a precise design and cutting formula to maximize light reflections from all angles to create a diamonds brilliance.

Her ring really sparkled.
 

Nickd

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Just to drag you away from the diamonds for a moment. Does anyone own an Oyster Perpetual, date or not, or an Air King, in 34 or 36mm and can do a wrist shot? I’m trying to get an idea of how they look size wise, in the middle of lockdown so I can’t got to a shop and look myself.
 

BLAUGRANA

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With regards to SAs, I prefer it that they aren't knowledgeable. Last year I went into a local AD and the SA was brand new. I suspect the AD didn't even have them trained properly. So I used it to my advantage. I asked the SA if they had the green dial Datejust with the green ceramic bezel. He showed me all the watches in the case and I told him he must be mistaken, that all the watches he was showing me in the case weren't Datejusts but rather they were Submariners. So he went in back and came out with the Hulk and said "is this it?" I told him it indeed was the green dial Datejust with the green ceramic bezel.
 

jischwar

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With regards to SAs, I prefer it that they aren't knowledgeable. Last year I went into a local AD and the SA was brand new. I suspect the AD didn't even have them trained properly. So I used it to my advantage. I asked the SA if they had the green dial Datejust with the green ceramic bezel. He showed me all the watches in the case and I told him he must be mistaken, that all the watches he was showing me in the case weren't Datejusts but rather they were Submariners. So he went in back and came out with the Hulk and said "is this it?" I told him it indeed was the green dial Datejust with the green ceramic bezel.
This is absolutely hilarious, especially if you decided to buy it
 

sinnedk

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With regards to SAs, I prefer it that they aren't knowledgeable. Last year I went into a local AD and the SA was brand new. I suspect the AD didn't even have them trained properly. So I used it to my advantage. I asked the SA if they had the green dial Datejust with the green ceramic bezel. He showed me all the watches in the case and I told him he must be mistaken, that all the watches he was showing me in the case weren't Datejusts but rather they were Submariners. So he went in back and came out with the Hulk and said "is this it?" I told him it indeed was the green dial Datejust with the green ceramic bezel.

LOL this can't be true
 

Scuppers

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Speaking of Breitling (boutiques), have been receiving emails about this the last couple of days: Available as pre-order. Thoughts?

i think i like it, but am certainly not in the market for another breitling.

D39A868D-C201-4D89-9437-D525A36E50B1.png
 

Nickd

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It looks like a watch for rich hipsters. Fine if people like it, but it’s a hard no from me.
 

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