EGL-US Diamond- Did I pay a fair price?

[Dreamer_D]

Haha yeah- I forgot my login info so I created a new user. But when I opened it up on my work laptop, I must have already been signed in. Can I delete one of the accounts?

Hmm. I was just a little surprised because when I looked back at your posts as Kimber you asked us about EGL diamonds and we all gave basically the same opinions we gave in this thread. But here you acted like you were hurt by them, and people felt bad for hurting you. Its just feel manipulative is all. I don't like when posters start new accounts and try to pretend the past interactions did not happen. It makes me, and others probably, feel fooled.

 

[John P]

However, I REALLY wanted a 1.5 ct and we HAD to stay under $7K.

If the stone is beautiful to you and was what you wanted, in-budget, that's what is most important. From your description it sounds like a good SI2, regardless of lab.

Since you asked, the thing that pings my radar is your expressed desire for 1.50ct. Do be aware that 7.25mm average spread is equal to a 1.35ct round brilliant of fine-make. This is no problem if it's just the "fact" of the weight you're after, but it may be useful to know when you see other rounds of 1.35+ which appear larger by comparison.

 

[Laila619]

Well I guess I got ripped off. I can't do anything about it now except cry I guess I'm just stuck with a crappy engagement ring for the rest of my life. Now I don't even want to show my friends.

They are modifying the setting and putting it in. I wasn't able to find anything online for that price unless it was far more included than mine. I found one that I liked but it was too expensive.

Don't feel bad, I am sure your ring is beautiful and you should be proud of it. Congratulations on this exciting time in your life!!!

 

[Casey312]

I couldn't find anything in the 1.33-1.40 range that had a spread of 7.26 (that was in my budget anyway). I definitely looked- maybe there were some I wasn't able to find, but I did try to look for something with comparable spread. I found a lot of 1.50's that were spread really poorly (in the 7.15 range) that were GIA certified and VG/Excellent cuts actually. I found several in the 1.40-1.49 range that were spread similarly but they were priced around $7.7-8.5K range unless there were pretty visible inclusions.

 

[John P]

I found a lot of 1.50's that were spread really poorly (in the 7.15 range) that were GIA certified and VG/Excellent cuts actually.

GIA has an 8% overweight rule which excludes any 1.50ct diamond with less-than 7.28mm spread from the EX grade. However their VG grade permits 1.50ct rounds all the way down to 7.10mm spread so you certainly could have seen those.

 

[ariel144]

Casey,

Buying a diamond is a learning experience. And this forum is used by many when they are learning and it is helping them to choose the best diamond for THEM for the price.

You LOVED your diamond before you posted in here, so continue to love it and don't think your friends won't love it too.

I would be interested to know if the EGLUSA cert states H & A "IDEAL" or "IDEAL PLUS". Would also love to see pics of your completed ring.

If I had seen your first post, I would have sent you to usacerteddiamonds.com to search out an EGLUSA H & A IDEAL PLUS. There are many in your price range listed here, all between 7.1- 7.5mm 1.4c - 1.75c. This company will send a couple of your choices to a local appraiser for you to view and pick the best. Your local jeweler can also pull in any of these stones at your request if they are a member of Polygon.net. (Maybe it is not too late to change the stone if you think you have found something better...you might pay additional fees for resetting etc, but if the jeweler is willing...that would be up to them)

The advantage you had was to see your diamond in person and compare it to other stones, so you picked the best within your budget and it is a well performer in comparison to the choices you had, and that is good.

But I am posting on here what I found in your budget from usacerted...not to make you think you didn't get a good deal but for those out there still looking. People can go here to see the certs ....some do not have the certs to view so there are probably more Ideal Plus H &A to be found certed by EGLUSA.

Hope this helps:

Round 1.62 J SI2 Ideal EGLUSA $ 5,419.39 H& A Ideal PLUS

Round 1.44 H SI2 Ideal EGLUSA $5,896.80 H/A ideal

Round 1.57 H SI2 Ideal EGLUSA $6,221.44 h/a Ideal Plus

Round 1.75 H SI2 Ideal EGLUSA $6,526.80 h/a Ideal Plus

Round 1.41 I VS2 Ideal EGLUSA $7,248.53 h/a Ideal

Would love to see pics of an EGLUSA H &A IDEAL OR IDEAL PLUS on this forum.

Congrats on your engagement and try to quit over thinking your choice.

 

[that_someone_special]

Haha yeah- I forgot my login info so I created a new user. But when I opened it up on my work laptop, I must have already been signed in. Can I delete one of the accounts?

Hmm. I was just a little surprised because when I looked back at your posts as Kimber you asked us about EGL diamonds and we all gave basically the same opinions we gave in this thread. But here you acted like you were hurt by them, and people felt bad for hurting you. Its just feel manipulative is all. I don't like when posters start new accounts and try to pretend the past interactions did not happen. It makes me, and others probably, feel fooled.

Smells like salmon...

 

[Casey312]

Well I certainly didn't mean to make anyone feel fooled and I apologize if I did. I really did take the advice to heart... someone mentioned that an EGL-USA was only worth it if it was priced significantly lower and if I looked at it through the loupe and felt comfortable that it was a nice stone. I had not seen this stone at the time of the first posting, although the lady had ordered it in for me to see. I felt that $2K savings was significant enough to warrant considering it.

The other one I mentioned in that post was priced too high (which I learned through this forum!) and was too yellow in color for my taste. I was a lot happier with this one and it was priced much lower. I am really grateful for everything I learned on this site and feel I made an educated decision that I owe in many ways to everyone's advice here. Unfortunately, I remembered the cut specs wrong and posted because I assumed I had paid for an excellent cut when in fact I did not.

And I really was upset... not at anyone here, but just feeling like I had bought something terrible with a big price tag. It was something I really wanted for a while and our budget is tight so feeling that way was upsetting. My fiance came home and I was crying and insisting we call her immediately in the morning before she set it... he told me that he thought it was beautiful, he could tell I really liked it when I was wearing it and it was something that we could afford.

I do really respect what you guys do here because I was a lot more educated- and feel I made a much more informed decision because of this site. So again, I apologize if I offended anyone. But ultimately, it was the best stone I could find in my price range that I personally was able to find and it looked lovely on my finger and I'm not going broke for it so I feel happy with how it turned out.

Again, thank you all for your advice!

 

[Christina...]

EDIT:

 

[Christina...]

Well I certainly didn't mean to make anyone feel fooled and I apologize if I did. I really did take the advice to heart... someone mentioned that an EGL-USA was only worth it if it was priced significantly lower and if I looked at it through the loupe and felt comfortable that it was a nice stone. I had not seen this stone at the time of the first posting, although the lady had ordered it in for me to see. I felt that $2K savings was significant enough to warrant considering it.

The other one I mentioned in that post was priced too high (which I learned through this forum!) and was too yellow in color for my taste. I was a lot happier with this one and it was priced much lower. I am really grateful for everything I learned on this site and feel I made an educated decision that I owe in many ways to everyone's advice here. Unfortunately, I remembered the cut specs wrong and posted because I assumed I had paid for an excellent cut when in fact I did not.

And I really was upset... not at anyone here, but just feeling like I had bought something terrible with a big price tag. It was something I really wanted for a while and our budget is tight so feeling that way was upsetting. My fiance came home and I was crying and insisting we call her immediately in the morning before she set it... he told me that he thought it was beautiful, he could tell I really liked it when I was wearing it and it was something that we could afford.

I do really respect what you guys do here because I was a lot more educated- and feel I made a much more informed decision because of this site. So again, I apologize if I offended anyone. But ultimately, it was the best stone I could find in my price range that I personally was able to find and it looked lovely on my finger and I'm not going broke for it so I feel happy with how it turned out.

Again, thank you all for your advice!

Actually I think your talking about me and this is the advice I gave you...

Enerchi is 100% right! A 1.5 J SI2 is by no means unique enough to buy from someone who was rude, offensive, or just other wise nasty. Besides that I believe that we can find a better J SI2 for a similar budget.

Because you mentioned that in your excitement, you and your DH made a quick decision that you regretted later, I'm going to suggest that you stay far away from EGL stones, unless you are in a position to have the stone independently appraised so you know exactly what you are getting, and then can go back to where you purchased the stone and make an offer based on the advice from the appraiser. We have seen much too often EGL stones that have been graded J SI2 and have really been a KL I1 or worse. EGL is notorious for its soft grading. So the reason the EGL SI2 is cheaper than the GIA J SI2 is because the EGL isn't graded as harshly as the GIA stone, which has the most consistent grading in the world.

Your going to make a very large investment, you've been disappointed once, it would be silly to make the same mistake twice. Would you like somewhere here to make some suggestions within your budget for you?

Also, if you just called Miss Nasty and told her that you wanted the GIA report #, and then posted the report # here, we could give you better advice regarding the stone, I'd walk away from the EGL though....others might disagree, but unless you loved it, louped it and they brought the price down significantly, I wouldn't consider it at all.

Oh, and yes you should be evaluating the stones in many many different lighting environments, store lighting is set up to make even the worst diamonds sparkle, however, that doesn't mean that they will allow you take it outside. I have had a couple jewelers allow me to do this, but don't be surprised or offended if they don't. Ask for a window, it will be the next best thing, and make sure that no matter where you purchase the stone that you have a very good return policy!!!!


Again the only thing that really matters is that your happy with your stone, but now I see that you've started another thread asking for advice and another stone, so I'm not sure what conclusion you have come to.

 

[Casey312]

That was one that I found right before I decided on the one I purchased. I would have preferred it but after considering what I would spend on setting the stone- it was just too expensive. I really wanted it but we originally said $6k was our budget, then we moved it to $7k. When I started looking, I kept looking at $8-9k stones and kind of got caught in the excitement of it all. I had to bring myself back to reality and realize
that I could only afford so much.

They do have a return policy so if I change my
mind within 30 days, I'll get full credit toward a new stone. Hopefully when I get it, I'll
still love it though

 

[Madison2]

Hey,
I remember your story and wondered how you finally made out with your search for your upgrade. You never posted pics of your ring. I would love to see your ring if you don't mind sharing

 

[Casey312]

Here it is! Sorry for the crappy phone pic The lighting is super orangey too, but you get the idea!

 

[Madison2]

Hi Casey,
thanks for posting a pic! Your ring is gorgeous! It faces up very white. Congrats on your new ring and wear it in good health

 

[Casey312]

Thank you!!!!!!!