Mrs. M., this trip, I only looked at one Daussi, and it was a honker... in a nice way. I'll get to writing about it later... I still have to lift photos and check my notes (actually I think they were pretty brief). However I owe you an apology because I remember you asked me this question before I went to DBL the LAST time. And I addressed it with David the last time, but, I never wrote about it. So, I DO have an answer.  

Last visit, I tried on two Daussi rings with similarly sized center stones (the center diamonds were either about half a carat or three-quarters of a carat each, I just can't remember – maybe David remembers.) Anyway, they were BOTH lovely (I'll try to dig up which ones they were... I know that at least one has been SOLD).

First, I was impressed with the microset "single" shank ring. Normally, I would have considered the overall scale too small for my taste, but, when I tried it on, the ring held its own on my hand and looked quite lovely. This very much surprised me.

Now, by comparison, when I tried it on, the split shank ring did look like "more" when it was on my hand. And, I quite liked that aspect about the ring. Really, I was surprised to see that BOTH rings looked noteworthy on my hand, however, the split shank was a clear winner in terms of the overall BLING factor. And, for that very reason, I would have chosen the split shank if I'd been shopping for a Daussi because in my "advanced" years, I prefer a little larger scale. Twenty or thirty years ago, I might have gone with the single shank.

That being said, there was something incredibly charming and sweet about the first ring (and it wasn't dinky). So, basically, if you are looking at Daussi's and you want the most bang for your buck, in terms of size, then the split shanks give the illusion of the most size. However, as we know, size isn't everything and the other styles are quite lovely. The thing about the Daussis is, there are a gazillion styles, and combinations of styles, available for rings. This makes it difficult to choose JUST one.  

(Mrs. M. for what it is worth, SOLD R2748 was one of my favorites of the Daussi group).

Does this help?

On the DBL site, have you all noticed the R-numbers starting to appear today under each photo on section cover pages? (Ie, you don't have to open up to a specific, individual piece to determine its stock number). What do you all think? 

It was looked at on your behalf omc.....

Namtan, I hope you have a wonderful trip. I have to say, I'm with your husband on the tickets decision. Unless you are some sort of masochist, if you can afford it, any flight longer than 30 minutes is better in business class.

Do you find that getting a new ring makes you want to get more new rings? That's my problem.

Funny how that works, ehh? 


OK, OMC, just for YOU, I'll skip ahead in my notes... next up is R3114.



I have struggled to come up with clever words to describe this 72ct Fancy Deep Orangy Yellow radiant diamond... words that tell you something you don't already know. However, I can not. Basically, with this one, WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get. And, I think this is good, because this is an extremely fine, color-saturated, well-cut, pleasingly shaped, gleaming little bar of marmalade. It really does look like the photos, and, in my opinion, all the DBL photos of this diamond look relatively alike... in other words, there are no surprises with Miss Marmalade.

My "notes" for this one are pretty ridiculous... "Great. Rich." That's all I wrote. At the time, it seemed to say it all. This diamond is all about the color. Pretty much, if you like the color, I think you will like the diamond. To my eye, the color is, as it is graded, more yellow or golden, than orange. However, the rich, orangy overtones are there.

OMC, if I remember correctly, you were quite smitten with a little orange oval that was in David's office the last time I was there (actually, we were all smitten with it). In many respects, Miss Marmalade reminds me of that stone. They both show highly saturated, in-yer-face kind of color. Although, to be honest, without seeing them side-by-side, I think this one may actually be more intense and evenly saturated throughout. And, when I mentioned the orange oval to David, I do believe that I heard him mumble that he may prefer this one...

So really, in my mind, the decision to purchase or not to purchase this diamond lies within the boundaries of size, shape, color and appropriateness. The rest is pretty much top-notch.

As far as size goes, certainly this is not a large diamond. However, at 6.49 x 4.62 x 2.71mm, with a spready face, it is large enough to hold it's own as a center to something stunning without a setter having to fight its size to make it happen. With the longest side at 6.49mm, and a less-than 5mm short side, I wondered how this diamond would look – bigger than 3/4 of a carat? Smaller? I know David wrote in his DBL description that he thinks it looks larger than its weight... probably so. Personally, for me, the stone's narrowness puts it more on the average-small side for me. However, I know firsthand that a diamond of this size and color intensity CAN be extremely impressive.

For example, I was IN LOVE when I tried on now SOLD Fancy Intense Yellow-Orange oval R1485. That piece featured a .58ct center stone with VERY similar color (a little more orange) and measurements that are remarkably similar – 6.67 x 4.24 2.49mm. The rich color transcended any size considerations that one may have had. This memorable beauty was divine (and I don't think that its color was as even as in R3114), and I think that it is fair to say that many CDIers continue to lust over this little powerhouse ring!:



Another can't-miss-it piece featuring a stone of similar weight, size and color is R1703, with a .71ct Fancy Intense Yellow pear measuring 7.26 x 4.50 x 3.04mm:



And, for one more comparison, here is one of my ALL-TIME favs, R1298, featuring a larger, 1.07ct Fancy Vivid Yellow rectangular cushion (more yellow here) measuring 7.18 x 5.38 x 3.34mm. If you figure the similarity in color and quality between this and R3114, and then figure the difference in price between the two (naturally figuring in that one is a RING and one is loose, but one can do the math here) it is kind of a no-brainer...:



OMC, I can't really address appropriateness here because I don't know what project you may be twirling around in your head. For me, I kept seeing something bezel-set. An interesting color, suitable for a man or a woman. As an EW ring? I can see it on it's own surrounded by luscious metal. Something very modern. Very basic. Very masculine. Or, NS, highlighted by high whites... custom-cut baguettes maybe, with platinum, a la something deco? Something very vintage. Very intricate. Very feminine. The stone does have flexibility in terms of suitability. And, heaven knows, you may be looking for a basic, prong-set tie tack... 

The style of the lost ER, with the baguettes, is right on the lines of what I was thinking with a deco-inspired ring. And, it is my personal favorite option for this diamond. I imagine it would be a relatively pricey setting, however, I feel this diamond would warrant such an effort and you would be very pleased.

Good for you, PinkLady! It saves a lot of money, that way. 

Mikla, I think that "tangerine" is too orange and too pure a hue to describe this one. To my eye, this is a more complicated, complex color (and to be honest, when I took the marmalade out of the fridge just now to compare... it was a little too orangy as well). This dazzler is more yellow than orange.

Every time a photo of Miss Tropicana is posted, my heart breaks a little bit more.

I'm only kind of kidding...

Gosh, I loved that ring!  If the owner ever trades up (which I know she won't because the ring is perfection), my husband is going to have to hide my phone.


Trink - Lovely description of Miss Marmalade.  She does seem like a very complex gal. 

May I ask about little Strudel?  If the subject is too sensitive, I'll go ahead and delete my post, just let me know.   

Go, Strudel! 

Lucky me.    Yes, it is EXACTLY like being a new mama. 2-3AM every night, I am feeding the kitten. And, I take care of DH's 7-month-old grandson a couple of days each week and there are some MORE young-uns here at the house (must start a new thread tomorrow about THAT)...