Date: 7/24/2005 11:41:59 PM
Author: lulubboy
thanks for the insight.
However, all his diamonds are GIA certified. Isn't that all I really need to feel assured that the diamonds are real. and good cut.
THanks.
luluboyDate: 7/24/2005 11:41:59 PM
Author: lulubboy
thanks for the insight.
However, all his diamonds are GIA certified. Isn''t that all I really need to feel assured that the diamonds are real. and good cut.
THanks.
As John points out above, GIA doesn''t address the cutting at all, neither does Rappaport. For superficially similar stones, the details of the cut can make a factor of two difference in the final price.Date: 7/24/2005 11:41:59 PM
Author: lulubboy
..... and good cut.
Date: 7/25/2005 11:15:05 AM
Author: set2374
If you do not have to pay brokers and finder''s fees, it is very possible to find excellent quality stones for 20 back of rap. Despite some earlier comments, I have seen ideal cut diamonds AGS0 for 20 back. To get that kind of deal though, you are not going to a jewlery store or even getting it online. You will have to deal directly with and importer/cutter. I went through the NY office of a larger india based diamond cutting company. Every stone they had was 20 back, no discussions on price, just whip out the calculator. The stones were absolutely magnificient and they did not charge a premium for AGS0 H&A stones. In order to purchase from them. They are primariliy a wholesale operation that will work with private customers. It sounds like you have a similar connection and that''s terrific. You should, however, take the time to learn about cut and know what questions to ask and what to look for in a stone. The online vendors and jewlery stores (for the most part) are purchasing their diamonds, listing them or otherwise taking them on memo and are making a profit. They have to get their stones for some price in the 20 back or less to be able to make a reasonable profit if they turn around and sell at or around rap. The people selling to them are making a profit as well. So, if you do have this type of connection, it''s perfectly reasonable to be able to get a deal at 20 back. Know what you''re getting though. GIA is not a certificate of quality. It is a grading report that will fairly describe the stones features, incluing flaws. So you need to know how to analyze this information to make wise choice. I would shop around at various other places before you go to your connection. Look at lots of stones, including ideals and well cut stones and learn about table and depth percentages, crown and pavilion angles, girdles widths and all the other goodies before you go to your family connection. Generally, you when you go to that connection, you''re going to make a purchase and it''s not a long drawn out process. You''ll need to know what you want and bring cash, so make sure you know what you''re getting that day. Good luck.
I’ve never met a serious diamond dealer who isn’t aware that well cut stones will sell for more than similar but poorly cut ones.
lulubboyDate: 7/25/2005 9:39:54 PM
Author: lulubboy
I have gotten the feeling that people on this board have a negative tone about getting good hookups even if the place is reliable. the reason I know that is because my friend who is an advid dimond shopper just purchased 3 diamonds from him at his store for his fiance and informed me about his shop.
I understand that we should do our due diligence.
about cash.. who said anything about cash... The store takes all major CC.
Ok guys and gals... this is the store and website.
http://www.littlegoldbag.com/
enjoy..
now tell me how they plan to rip me off...?
lulu... the advice that Neil is offering is right on. Nobody here is against a good deal, everyone is. I have been buying diamonds in the industry for roughly 25 years now and am very familiar with the types of diamonds that are sold and traded at 20-25% back and even at the real wholesale level we're not talking pristine goodies. We've experimented with stones like this and even have some on our site ... our educated consumers see and know about them but they sit ... many for years. The difference is that people know precisely what they're getting for the price. Do as DF requested ... post the stats. Let's see some details (table size, crown angles, pavilion angles, girdle, culet at the very least) and get an indicator if this is the deal its made out to be or if you're getting snowed. We'll let you know if its worth further investigating or not. This forum is designed to help consumers and steer them in the right direction. My counsel would be no different.Date: 7/25/2005 9:39:54 PM
Author: lulubboy
I have gotten the feeling that people on this board have a negative tone about getting good hookups even if the place is reliable. the reason I know that is because my friend who is an advid dimond shopper just purchased 3 diamonds from him at his store for his fiance and informed me about his shop.
I understand that we should do our due diligence.
about cash.. who said anything about cash... The store takes all major CC.
Ok guys and gals... this is the store and website.
http://www.littlegoldbag.com/
enjoy..
now tell me how they plan to rip me off...?
Date: 7/26/2005 10:22:45 AM
Author: lulubboy
Ok. thanks for educating me. I am going to check out and post what I found out there in the next few weeks when i am back in that area.
So.. The GIA certification tells me a good amount of material...
but what we are fishy about is the CUT.
So how do you evaluate CUT? Is that information with the diamond certification somewhere.. I am sure the dealer will know.
Date: 7/26/2005 10:22:45 AM
Author: lulubboy
What are the ideal cut values so I can compare when I am there... are the cut nuumbers referring to the depth and stuff like that?
Here''s a graphic that demonstrates what common and uncommon diamonds look like under reflector technology. The top 2 are common kaka which are a dime a dozen the bottom 2 represent less than 1% of diamonds cut in the world.Date: 7/26/2005 11:10:27 AM
Author: lulubboy
do you guys/gals really buy the ideal scope and take it into the store to look at diamons??
So am I getting this right...
if there is leakage/ white color/ pink and NOT red it is bad.
So what I want to see is ALL RED COLOR right?
lulubboyDate: 7/26/2005 10:33:05 AM
Author: lulubboy
ok.. just read the site about cut.
Do you guys actually briing with you some sort of ideal scope reader to look at the diamon??
Also I looked at the table of vaules such as table % and depth %.
Last time I was at the shop, they had these numbers on the diamonds.
Also whatelse should I be looking for???
and how to measure it.
Thanks again.
I will prob use the same criteria for my gf''s brother in law cause I can definitely get around 30-35% below rapport cause of the direct connection.
Date: 7/26/2005 1:22:40 PM
Author: lulubboy
So where are the ideal cut ranges and numbers.. aka normal ideal values to the things that was listed above?
perhaps THESE ?
I can ask them about the diamond but I need to know the ideal ranges.
You can probably ask for 'AGS0' proportions, but now AGS has expanded its criteria for ideal cuts to include optical measurements and even more stats. The new standards are harder (if not impossible) to bootleg. Otherwise, what is 'ideal' depends on who is talking. AGS had some opinion which changed, and other labs have their own, different standards.
... she got a 2 Carat for less than 10K.. And the numbers are kosher.
if you know those numbers are ok, how about these that interset you ?
I hope these guys who would give you the goo deal (is it 20-25 or 30-35 back?) can also be trusted with quality. Otherwise, numbers will not help much.
To my knowledge GIA and AGS have not yet released the tolerances of their parameters for ideals to the public yet. AGS has released cutting guidelines for factories to follow but the charts are so huge space does not allow for publishing plus the fact they are copywrited. Some of us have them on CD and can demonstrate to clients who ask how one can tell if a stone is ideal according to the new standards or not for either system but those who have this info at this point in time is very limited.Date: 7/26/2005 1:22:40 PM
Author: lulubboy
So where are the ideal cut ranges and numbers.. aka normal ideal values to the things that was listed above?