u/TheJoyStrategy

Hello LabCreatedDiamond Squad!

I would love some opinions on this Ashoka-cut lab diamond before I have it set.

It’s a 3.05 ct E VVS1 (10.43 × 6.49 mm).

I’m planning to put it in a low-profile platinum Georgian-style bezel with fine claw prongs.

Does the stone look like a good Ashoka to you?

Any issues with the light performance, extinction, or faceting that you’d be concerned about? Or does it look like a solid choice?

Thank you in advance!!

Here's the video of the 3.12 ct Fancy Brown VS2 octagonal step cut, low set in platinum with side lab diamonds!! What do you think? I'm in love!

I wasn’t looking for this fragrance.

If anything, I thought I was looking for another fragrance that gave me the same feeling as Le Labo Thé Noir 29. Then I went chasing the perfect citrus through Nicolai Cap Néroli. Then there was the green, almost cinematic sense of place from Hermès Un Jardin sur le Nil. Every time I found something I loved, I realized it only captured one piece of what I was actually after.

Looking at my collection now, there are a lot of fragrances that I’m genuinely happy to own. Thé Noir 29 is still one of the smartest fragrances I’ve ever smelled. Angélique Noire is effortlessly beautiful. House of Bō Casablanca has become one of my absolute favorites and probably sits comfortably at number two in my collection. d’Annam Pomelo Oolong is pure happiness in perfume form. Un Jardin sur le Nil still transports me somewhere every time I wear it. Even things like Etat Libre d’Orange Above the Waves, Chloé Nomade, and MFK Gentle Fluidity Gold fill very specific roles that I wouldn’t want to lose.

But somehow Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique Extrait de Parfum steals a little bit from all of them.

It has some of the composure and polish that made me fall for Thé Noir 29. It has the brightness and ease that I kept searching for in citrus fragrances. It has the sense of optimism and lift that I love in Pomelo Oolong. It has some of the refinement that makes Guerlain Angélique Noire so special. And it has that rare ability to feel put-together without ever feeling formal or overly deliberate.

The funny thing is that when I first smelled it, I didn’t think it was revolutionary. It was much more dangerous than that: I could instantly imagine wearing it every day. I wanted to swim in it.

The longer I spend in this hobby, the more I think that’s what actually matters.

There are fragrances I admire more than I wear. There are fragrances in my collection that are fascinating, atmospheric, intellectual, or technically brilliant. But Fleur Narcotique is the one I keep reaching for.

After a year of sampling, buying, selling, and chasing the next thing, I’m thrilled to find one I want to wear every day.

Ex Nihilo Fleur Narcotique Extrait de Parfum is the one that finally made me stop looking. And that’s a great feeling. 🙌

I need a reality check.

These are (maybe?) images of the same diamond: a 1.99 ct Fancy Vivid Blue oval lab diamond.

HERE is the Loupe360 listing: https://loupe360.com/diamond/LG675597698. The video attached is the tweezer video after I purchased it (for 330 dollars!! Great deal so I kinda want to keep it, but that shouldn’t be the only reason I keep it).

To me, they look like two completely different diamonds.

The Loupe360 looks icy blue-gray and fairly low saturation - what I was looking for. The tweezer video looks much darker, much more teal, and much more saturated.

Am I crazy, or do these look like two separate stones?

And if you were expecting the Loupe360 stone, would you be happy with the stone in the video? I was going to set it with diamonds around it but am thinking a bezel might help soften the bright teal color?

Curious what everyone sees and what your suggestions are!!

I know fancy colored lab diamonds aren’t for everyone, but I am absolutely obsessed with this one.

3.12 ct Fancy Brown VS2 octagonal step cut.

The outline is unlike anything I’ve owned before—part octagon, part shield, part Art Deco window. And then there’s that wild geometric center that creates a perfect little octagon floating inside the stone.

The color is somewhere between blush, champagne, rose gold, and cognac depending on the angle. In motion it has so much personality.

Most diamonds are beautiful. This one is interesting.

And honestly, that’s what made me fall in love with it. What do you think?