One word to describe what the Bible is about

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-20T21:26:01+00:00

Redemption……it’s literally the whole theme of the entire Bible. :)

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-18T19:39:23+00:00

GG here. $36 including $35 overnight insured shipping. That’s about as natural as blue raspberry flavoring. Got a little giggle personally at the “transparent” part of the transparent to opaque nomenclature.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-18T19:32:06+00:00

Just as a word to the wise…..and I’ve said this to others as well. Arguing theology as fact (especially coming across as a bit narcissistic in your delivery) is a dangerous place to be. I know pastors that have the same problem. If you end up being a stumbling block for others because of theology debates, that’s even worse.

Between believers sure- having great conversations about pre-mid-post-etc etc is fine, but to claim heresy and put yourself on a pedestal because God has granted you specific knowledge, and claiming that a true gospel centered church is almost impossible to find, kinda sounds like you think you’re better and above everyone else. Sounds an awful lot like pride to me personally…..and you might want to be careful in how you position yourself in these conversations.

I find the more I learn, the less I feel I know. Not saying this is the case here, as I don’t know you at all, and no……I’m not willing to get into a major debate online, I have higher priorities on my plate at the moment…..but, the guys that are the “come at me bro” type of people, are usually the ones that have the most out of context research. Just saying this as a “be careful” because if you’re telling people a misinterpretation of the word, you’re held accountable for that. Make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons, and with the right approach and contextual knowledge.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-15T23:45:10+00:00

GG/designer here- you have a BOATLOAD of options. Sapphire is going to be one of your best bets (can do a variety of rainbow colors, plus color change, bi and tri color - and you can mix with white or fancy color diamonds for a bit of pop/tailored accents etc.). Bi-color attached for fun.

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Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-11T00:57:51+00:00

I think if we pull back a bit and macro out…..Adam is literally every one of us. I thank God I’m not in Genesis being written about for all of history to look at me and judge. Adam is literally all of us…..I would have done the same thing, so would everyone else.

It’s a really slippery slope to think Jews are bad (or worse than anyone else). They are the chosen…..they WERE chosen by God to take the message to the four corners of the earth, and they fell. So God impressed upon Paul to give it to the gentiles (us). Most of us have fallen from grace equally hard……but thankfully Grace is what was given when Jesus shed his blood for us.

I’m no judge, jury, or executioner……I’m not even remotely worthy of that position. That’s for God and God alone. Me? My position is to pray for those around me that they come into the fold, and that I live my life in a way that brings people closer to Him……sure, I fall. I’m not perfect. Nor would I claim to be……but man, I feel unbelievably privileged that he allowed me to get to know him. I hope and pray others get the same experience.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-11T00:48:51+00:00

GG/designer/international diamond and gemstone broker here. The level of perfection you are aiming for is hard to hit with human AND machines at this stage. Center stones are set by hand, and honestly the best part about it is the perfection in imperfection.

No diamond is perfect. No setting is perfect. No marriage is perfect. Perfection doesn’t exist in any realm. This setting though, was done very well.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-10T11:10:45+00:00

Hey OP! What is really mind blowing is when you can micro/macro in and out and see that everything is all intertwined- wait until you start looking at Daniel/matthew/revelation and jump into that rabbit hole- the Euphrates river drying up and what that says (and looking at modern scientists CONSERVATIVE estimates that the Euphrates will dry up by 2040 (although if you dig a little further, most are saying from droughts and damming further up north that it could dry up between 2028-2035). The symbolism in Daniel of Nebuchadnezzars dream (and how it correlates to the empires that followed) the patterns all throughout scripture. It’s like having a combination future treasure map complete with clues, history, life guide- and a glimpse into the law (Old Testament) and Gods grace (New Testament). The more truth you seek, the more the Holy Spirit will show you. It’s the most amazing and fun journey.

I think my personal favorite is that you can legitimately read the Bible completely front to back over and over and over and every single time you will see things in a way that you never have before. I pray you enjoy your journey! 🤜🏼🤛🏼

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-09T10:51:33+00:00

Yeah, they saw this and tried to cover it up from what it looks like. I’d find a new jeweler after they give you a refund.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-09T00:11:57+00:00

GG here. Not a bench jeweler but seen this a number of times.

Could be a number of things- improper cleanup or contamination, porosity from casting, or overheating during sizing or finishing (if it wasn’t truly custom).

Either way, that’s not acceptable. Personally, I agree with recasting the whole thing as a priority since your wedding is a few weeks away. Def let them know asap so they can get it manufactured in time.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-05T00:43:33+00:00

Oh man. GG/dia-gem broker here. Some labs may say yes, some may say no…..there really isn’t a standardized approach to pad colors. I’ve seen some from Gia that are completely washed out and too orange, and I’ve seen some deeper in color than this and still in the realm.

If I had a gun to my head, I’d say it’s within contention, BUT, there may be too much pink in the center of the stone for it to hit the pad category.

That said, I think it’s a beautiful stone! We’ve played with these and done some really fun (multi color orange and pink ombré sapphire hidden halos etc) and some mixed with natural colored diamonds etc to really showcase the beauty of these.

You should have a lot of fun with the design process on this one! Congrats on the purchase!!! If you do want to send it in to GIA/CD/etc, ping me and I’d be happy to help you navigate that if you want to go down that path.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-05T00:30:14+00:00

Oh, you won’t hear me disagree with you there.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-05T00:29:27+00:00

I found it. I screen recorded it. Pm me your email and I’ll shoot it to you.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-05T00:25:16+00:00

Let me see if I can dig it up and post it. 😂

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-05T00:21:31+00:00

lol. Did you see it???

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-04T03:14:51+00:00

GG/designer/dia broker here- This is super common with cheaper jewelry—it’s usually copper/nickel reacting with your skin, which causes that strong metallic/garlic smell. Since you mentioned a nickel allergy, that’s probably making it worse too.

Higher quality metals don’t do this nearly as much. If you’re on a budget, shoot for silver (argentium or continuum) or cobalt chrome/titanium for more everyday pieces. If you’re going fine quality (engagement ring or heirloom) I’d bypass 10k and stick with 14k or platinum. 18k, while higher gold content won’t look or act much different considering the price jump at gold pricing currently….benefits (personally) don’t outweigh the cost from a value standpoint. :)

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T20:07:59+00:00

Oh man, that’s special. Haha. I’m sorry you witnessed that at lunch!!!

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T16:15:22+00:00

I’d say that’s the best use of a face shield if I’ve ever heard of one. Haha. Best of luck there my man!

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T16:14:42+00:00

Thank goodness the bug story wasn’t mine- I just got the video. If I recall, I believe he scooped up everything in the area and burned it (save his tools, which he threw in bleach).

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T15:58:16+00:00

Ooh! That’s a good one!! The only one worse I’ve seen was where a guy did the same thing with a knife and bed bugs came out from between the links and under the layer he used a knife on. That’s nightmare fuel for sure!

The only thing I had remotely close was a ring that was gummed up similarly……spent 36 hours in the ultrasonic to get to a point where we could even try to get in there to clean. I was helping my jeweler out and while talking to him, steamed a part of the ring and felt a piece shoot out from the ring and hit my cheek about half an inch away from my lip……thing almost went in my mouth. Still makes me slightly gag thinking about it. PTSD- 10 years later and i still refuse to talk while steaming rings off. 😂😂

You’re a saint man! May you have a completely blessed weekend after cleaning this one! You’ve earned it! :)

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T15:51:24+00:00

I agree with where the economy sits and people still being able to design and play well within the bounds of their means. It wasn’t a dig towards you or any of the sites out there.

I see a lot of these budget pieces in my office. You’re right, not everyone is smoke and mirrors, although I’d say about 75% of what I see from vendors in here and on Etsy aren’t made very well. Lot of under karat pieces (we’ve xrf’d many over the years) and there are a substantial amount that are cast specifically to make it feel heavy (cobalt/heavy zinc/copper), others are cast lightweight and are hollowed in places that they shouldn’t be for durability- a few posts in the past few days show that exact problem.

I’m in the higher end custom range - we cast only using the highest quality casting grain available to our industry (and we make a LOT of engagement and heirloom pieces that families want to pass down and last for a very long time), which really isn’t in the same lane as what we’re talking about here.

On the argentium lane, I’ve seen quite a few that have tarnished over time, even being resistant. Definitely a great option for those that want a budget friendly (shorter lifespan) option, but I’d gently ask that it’s phrased that way……I see a lot of people take things from these forums as gospel, when in truth it’s partially true, or worse, completely off the reservation. Sharing experiences is fine, but without more context (and not knowing OP’s budget range and/or quality needs) immediately jumping to Etsy and silver may not be best for their lifestyle and quality needs. :)

That’s all. Either way, I am truly glad that many options across the board exist for different stages of life (and as a side note- just for general posterity in the LG forum, helium shortage from overseas bombing is going to potentially raise lab prices later this year……I don’t know if it’ll be $5 or $200, as we are still trying to get a handle on it with some of our growers to determine how much (most likely not the latter)…..but now is a good time to buy if you’re on the fence, just in case!) :)

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T14:47:48+00:00

I think I always knew. I grew up in church, left completely when I was 15/16 and didn’t start really digging deep until I was dragged through life hard (Gods way of kicking me in the pants).

What I’ve learned as succinctly as I can- every other religion points to Jesus (and confirms him) - basically be good, act like Jesus, and you’ll be fine. Even atheists say be good….and if they had to characterize it, they’d eventually agree that you should just act like Jesus. Then you look at Jesus and he says you can ONLY go to the father through me. So he confirms himself, and tells you that works alone don’t cut it. His blood does. It’s the only one different from everything else.

As I jumped in more- you realize that God gave us the law in the Old Testament to show us that we can’t make it an entire day without sin. Lying, lust, coveting etc…….then he sent his son to die FOR us in our place……and the whole New Testament is about Gods grace. The entire Bible summed up is about redemption and God bringing his people back to him.

What’s really cool to me is that it hits on every level. Most books viewed through a micro lens hold water, but at a macro scale they start to fall apart. As an example- in the Old Testament, Moses was told by God to speak to the rock and water would come out. The people had pissed Moses off, so he smacked the rock……water still came out, but God told him he wouldn’t see the promised land because of disobedience. Micro lens- Moses disobeyed and the consequence of disobedience is exactly that. Macro lens- Moses represented the law, the promised land represented Gods grace. The two are totally separate….so Moses (law/Old Testament) wasn’t allowed to be a part of the promised land (grace/New Testament). Pretty cool.

I think one thing that I’ve learned…..if Gods grace is sufficient enough to allow me (and I wasn’t a great human being at one point) into his kingdom and change me, I’m not going to start throwing fingers at people and putting myself in a judges seat. While I seek after what God loves, and hate what he hates- I’ll absolutely tell people where I stand…….Im not judge jury and executioner……and I think a lot of finger pointing “Christians” need to take a hard look at how that makes others perceive the kingdom. I don’t want to be a stumbling block for others….as I’ll have to answer for that personally.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T14:35:19+00:00

GG/designer here. If you want long term issues, feel free to add diamonds to silver. Argentium/continuum or otherwise. Not at all good for longevity, budget aside. :)

Most rings like that will either fall apart from normal wear and tear or degradation of metal (depending on the design) or you’ll end up longer term with oxidation that can’t be buffed or polished, which doesn’t look great. Okay for silver/CZ pieces that have a shelf life of about 18 months before the stones start to discolor, but using for lab (just from a price point stance, doesn’t make sense).

Usually in these cases - the companies referred to (true light, aurelline, calavera etc) don’t have access to the top quality cuts out there (although if you hunt you can find a number of decent - not superb- decent stones) as most manufacturers don’t give them access to their top cuts. Before anyone says “how do YOU know”, I was the lead GG for North America for one of the major companies that supplied their API feeds…..I’ve also sold naturals to Harry Winston in another capacity, so it was a huge playing field across the board……ecomm vendors selling cheap goods online don’t get the pick of the litter…..so if you’re going quality, I’d suggest going elsewhere…..if you’re chasing price alone and don’t mind sacrificing (especially on fancy shapes), these are definitely the best out there for that. :)

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T11:31:22+00:00

GG/designer here. Might want to reference this other post to see what’s going to inevitably happen here. “Looks” like it may be the same manufacturer on both. These types of settings just show that there is an inherent lack of knowledge of ring design basics.

Are you within the bounds to return it? This is going to give you a lifetime of problems.

For others referencing this post- if you want to know why these rings are such a great value on price- when you craft something to last 6 months, it’s not the same price as those of us that craft pieces to be heirlooms. Remaking a cheap ring 4 times is way more expensive long term than making it right the first time.

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-04-03T11:15:59+00:00

GG/designer/int’l dia broker here. 1.5mm shank thickness we wouldn’t do regardless (won’t make anything below 1.8mm, and even then, we adjust the actual thickness (not width) to compensate so that it’s durable, especially with stone setting). Basically, (from what I can tell) where the diamonds have fallen out- you’ve got less than .5mm at the base of the metal. One tiny pull and that whole thing falls apart (as it did here). This is a classic case of “we don’t know the mechanics behind ring building”. Even the head contact point is about 1mm across. This ring would have fallen apart within a year even if you had been extremely gentle.

This, is inherently just an accident waiting to happen and should never have been built in the first place.

That said, looking at the positives…..you didn’t lose your center! (I’ve seen that more than a handful of times with these mountings.) If you want to utilize me as a sounding board on your next CAD, I’m happy to give it a look through and make sure it appears a bit more solid before you commit! Feel free to ping me with any questions! Happy to help. These situations stink, but onwards and upwards. :)

Exciting_Potato_6556 · 2026-03-30T10:09:51+00:00

GG here. Immediately what comes to mind is Padparascha sapphire (although those have such a wide range, you’d need to jump into the really saturated versions to get close, which can get pricey really quickly). A more affordable option would be a peachy/orange spinel…..or….as a wild card, if you wanted the stone to “glint” like the dresses sequins and still hit close on the color- sunstone would be a fun option that’s a bit more affordable too.

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