Are small diamond inventories low right now?

[eks6426]

I''ve been doing the search for diamonds for earrings and it just doesn''t seem like there are tons of choices out there right now. Is this true or just my imagination? If true, any idea on when inventories will go back up?

 

[Lord Summerisle]

depends what you class as small...

 

[perry]

No and Yes, depending on what you are looking for.

There is no general shortage of small diamonds (1/2 carat or less: or 3/4 or less).

There, however, is an apparent shortage of small "super ideal cut" diamonds that some of the Pricescope vendors carry, and that pricescope educates people on.

In that case, the Xmass shopping season bassically whipped it out.

The issue here is that while there are a few (and only a few) daimond cutters who focus on cutting very good "ideal" or "super ideal cuts" - and they principally focus on 1 Carat and larger, but will cut some 3/4 carat to 1 carat. There is just not normally the markup needed in the smaller diamonds to cover the extra care to cut the very good diamonds.

Thus almost all super ideal cut, or just verry good cut diamonds, below 3/4 carats results from when the diamond rough can be best cut to such proportions. Otherwise the rough is cut to maximize weight.

The vendors who specialize in carrying such high quality smaller diamonds litterly search for that 1/10 of 1% of production to find and stock those diamonds. By Xmass they usually have built up a small stockpile of such diamonds. Then Xmass shopping madness takes over and they are gone.

I know for a fact that there is one vendor out there looking for a specific matched set of super ideal cut small diamonds for me - and has been looking for 3 to 4 months (I could use another set...) Said vendor indicated to me recently that they rejected 7 matched pairs for their inventory recently.

The vendors are looking for those high quality small diamonds, and will find them and restock them. But they are a "find" and not just something that routinely rolls off of a production line.

If you really feel that you need such a diamond now - I suggest Hearts On Fire. They cut down to 1/4 carat. Very bueatiful, verry verry good, and priced like any of the other branded diamonds. You will get lots of positive comments. See your local H O F dealer.

Perry

 

[YoungPapa]

IslandDreams,

I don''t know what you consider "small", but there''s another reason you might not be finding what you need.

Internet retail value on a 1/4ct stone of say G/H color and SI1 clarity is about $250-$300. The cost to get a GIA report on a diamond of that size is somewhere near $100, probably less. Even assuming you could get a GIA report for $60 you''re still talking about adding 25% or so to the cost of the stone. For that reason most smaller diamonds are never sent to labs. Internet companies sell almost nothing but laboratory graded diamonds, so stock on these smaller stones is limited.

If you need the super-ideals then a branded supplier can get you something in time. If you just want great diamonds with no premiums then just about any vendor can get you a pair in a moments notice. You won''t find the stones on their website but there is no shortage of those diamonds on the market!