Just dropped by Diamond & Platinum at Mid Valley yesterday. Was asking for the ring setting for my loose diamond, but on top of that, I also asked about their Estrella diamonds. Most Estrella Diamonds are graded by IGI lab, which according to some websites on the internet, the standard is a bit loose compared to GIA/AGS. Refer to http://beyond4cs.com/grading/difference-between-gia-ags-egl-igi/ and https://www.diamonds.pro/igi/. Since I was there, I requested the salesperson to show me the Hearts and Arrows of a Estrella diamond, and yes, they indeed have one small Estrella diamond around for my viewing pleasure. :)
Well, well, took a look into the H&A scope... and my conclusion is wow, it is pretty, as far as that loose Estrella diamond was concerned, I dare to say the loose diamond's Hearts & Arrows was even prettier than my WhiteFlash ACA, unfortunately, but only by a slight margin, on first look (But hey, no regrets here, I love my stone! :D) Anyway, this does not guarantee all Estrella diamonds will be as good as the one I saw, therefore, before purchasing, it is important to see the loose diamond, from top, for the Arrows, and from bottom, for the Hearts. Same goes for any other diamonds. All diamonds are pretty unique in their own way and one diamond, regardless of their brand, can be better than another diamond of another brand. Anyway, it is worth to take a look at Estrella diamonds at Diamond & Platinum if you are on the hunt for an engagement ring.
Update: 12 September 2016
My main concern is that their stone is graded by IGI. Read here on the reason why. The sales pitch from the salesperson mentioned that IGI was even better than GIA, but research on the internet tells otherwise. So if you have a friend with a GIA graded diamond, you can just bring him/her along to compare the stone colour, by putting them side by side. As for clarity, it is hard to compare side-by-side, so safest bet is to take something with a higher clarity. Let's say your target is VS2 for GIA, then perhaps you should take a VS1 for IGI. Same logic goes for the colour of the diamond, if your target is G colour for GIA, perhaps you should take F colour for IGI. Of course, this is just my advice as a layman, and so far I did not find any solid proof on the internet that IGI is not on par with GIA, I am just trying to play safe. At the end of the day, if you are at the shop, just fix to your budget and take a look at the each option clearly. Move the diamond around to see it sparkles, along with its rainbow effect. I did not ask about the price, but I doubt it will be cheaper than anything I can get through online purchase, especially when the stone gets bigger.
To be fair, I just did a brief search on the internet, and I did not find any solid proof on the internet that says that IGI is worse than GIA. Some even said the way IGI grades loose diamond is on par. However, it seems that IGI will grade for mounted jewellery and loose diamond, but GIA will only grade loose diamond. Read here: http://www.pricescope.com/forum/rockytalky...ia-t154566.html
P.S.
1. My salesperson at Diamond & Platinum is friendly and helpful. ;)
2. Just a highlight of the price if we purchase online: A 0.412ct WhiteFlash ACA diamond will cost roughly RM 5,800 (including everything (GST, bank charges), using USD exchange rate of 4.2). A 18K white gold setting here will be from RM 1,500 to RM 2,000. So the total price for the ring will be less than RM 8,000. Refer here.
3. I am not here to tell you that you should buy online. I am just sharing to you guys that there is other option other than brick-and-mortar stores. :) If you feel more comfortable to buy at brick-and-mortar stores, then buy all means by from those stores. At the end of the day, it is a very personal thing and a very personal experience.
4. I am writing this post because I felt that Estrella diamonds are worth sharing because I have seen it personally. Although I don't prefer the IGI cert, they do have GIA or AGS graded stones, but at a limited quantity.
5. Lastly, always do your due diligence before purchasing. :)
Well, well, took a look into the H&A scope... and my conclusion is wow, it is pretty, as far as that loose Estrella diamond was concerned, I dare to say the loose diamond's Hearts & Arrows was even prettier than my WhiteFlash ACA, unfortunately, but only by a slight margin, on first look (But hey, no regrets here, I love my stone! :D) Anyway, this does not guarantee all Estrella diamonds will be as good as the one I saw, therefore, before purchasing, it is important to see the loose diamond, from top, for the Arrows, and from bottom, for the Hearts. Same goes for any other diamonds. All diamonds are pretty unique in their own way and one diamond, regardless of their brand, can be better than another diamond of another brand. Anyway, it is worth to take a look at Estrella diamonds at Diamond & Platinum if you are on the hunt for an engagement ring.
Update: 12 September 2016
My main concern is that their stone is graded by IGI. Read here on the reason why. The sales pitch from the salesperson mentioned that IGI was even better than GIA, but research on the internet tells otherwise. So if you have a friend with a GIA graded diamond, you can just bring him/her along to compare the stone colour, by putting them side by side. As for clarity, it is hard to compare side-by-side, so safest bet is to take something with a higher clarity. Let's say your target is VS2 for GIA, then perhaps you should take a VS1 for IGI. Same logic goes for the colour of the diamond, if your target is G colour for GIA, perhaps you should take F colour for IGI. Of course, this is just my advice as a layman, and so far I did not find any solid proof on the internet that IGI is not on par with GIA, I am just trying to play safe. At the end of the day, if you are at the shop, just fix to your budget and take a look at the each option clearly. Move the diamond around to see it sparkles, along with its rainbow effect. I did not ask about the price, but I doubt it will be cheaper than anything I can get through online purchase, especially when the stone gets bigger.
To be fair, I just did a brief search on the internet, and I did not find any solid proof on the internet that says that IGI is worse than GIA. Some even said the way IGI grades loose diamond is on par. However, it seems that IGI will grade for mounted jewellery and loose diamond, but GIA will only grade loose diamond. Read here: http://www.pricescope.com/forum/rockytalky...ia-t154566.html
P.S.
1. My salesperson at Diamond & Platinum is friendly and helpful. ;)
2. Just a highlight of the price if we purchase online: A 0.412ct WhiteFlash ACA diamond will cost roughly RM 5,800 (including everything (GST, bank charges), using USD exchange rate of 4.2). A 18K white gold setting here will be from RM 1,500 to RM 2,000. So the total price for the ring will be less than RM 8,000. Refer here.
3. I am not here to tell you that you should buy online. I am just sharing to you guys that there is other option other than brick-and-mortar stores. :) If you feel more comfortable to buy at brick-and-mortar stores, then buy all means by from those stores. At the end of the day, it is a very personal thing and a very personal experience.
4. I am writing this post because I felt that Estrella diamonds are worth sharing because I have seen it personally. Although I don't prefer the IGI cert, they do have GIA or AGS graded stones, but at a limited quantity.
5. Lastly, always do your due diligence before purchasing. :)
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