Pricescope Loose Diamond Search Price Validity

[dugout41]

Given the experience demonstrated on the board, I would appreciate any opinions/comments/criticisms regarding using this search engine for loose diamonds as an expectation for the market value of a quality stone.

i''ve recently been viewing various stones on-line and am curious as to the comparable value of these on-line vs someone going to the diamond district in NYC.

1.58 F VS1 61.7% 55% AGS thn-med no id id neg 7.52x7.49x4.63 $18250

For the above example, is this a negotiable price or can I do better on the street? Is this a retail price or wholesale price? Is it possible for a consumer such as myself to even obtain a wholesale price on-line?

Thanks in advance.

Dugout

 

[strmrdr]

The prices listed are internet retail which is close to rock bottom anywhere retail price.
Some b&m''s can come close some cant.

 

[denverappraiser]

Dugout,

Welcome to Pricescope.

I think your premise is flawed from the beginning. ‘Wholesale Price’ is not a valid concept. It’s true that dealers buy things and resell them to others for (hopefully) higher prices but it is not correct to assume that all dealers pay the same prices and that there is some bottom line number that can be called ‘wholesale’. This conception leads to all manner of marketing malarkey. Retailers these days consistently describe themselves as wholesalers. Words like broker, distributor, siteholder, manufacturer, importer, cutter and miner are also fairly popular. Not that any of this makes a bit of difference. Devote most of your shopping energy to the deal being offered and very little the way the dealers describe themselves.

I’ve not observed the street in NYC to be a particularly good place to buy much of anything beyond hot dogs but many people do seem to enjoy the atmosphere there and a visit to the circus does make for an interesting story to tell your friends. Personally I would stick with the inexpensive souvenirs and do my diamond shopping elsewhere.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[dugout41]

Thanks for the insight.

So the prices i''m viewing are basically what i''ll see anywhere else and considered a good price...basically i''m just wondering if i shell out 18k for a rock that i find on the web, is it a good deal comparable to going elsewhere?

i''ve been to a few high end dealers w/ the woman, i was preparing to sell a kidney when we were at cartier...

some of the others just seem like used car salesmen which turned me off....

friends tell me their stories, but most of them were in different price brackets so it''s hard to compare what''s a good deal since the price goes up almost exponentially....

 

[Regular Guy]

I''d agree with both Storm, and with Denver''s colorful use of language.

Additionally, note, where you say:

Date: 9/27/2005 4:37:32 PM
Author:dugout41
.... this search engine for loose diamonds ...

you''ll want to be careful to distinguish one search engine from the other. Although the quick search provides data comparable to that you''ve shown, the other db here, a search by cut database, is distinguished by:

- having more data, so you can more reliably not only see them as an attractive option, but have a clearer understanding it will perform well (and look at this one found there, priced at either $17,5 or $18,5 depending on how you pay for it, for example).
- those particular diamonds, unlike those on the quick search, are almost without exception in the hands of the listed vendors, so they can look at them for you live
- frequently, those options are priced lower or as low than comparables that would otherwise have to be called in, making them not only the pick of the crop, but bargains at that, in their own right.

See the link below my signature on more detail.

Regards,

 

[denverappraiser]

The prices listed here are generally considered pretty good and the advertising dealers are first rate. Beating the prices at Cartier isn''t especially difficult but some people enjoy that experience as well. We''re not all the same and very few of Cartier''s customers went there expecting it to be a discount store. If you find that you want to shop at a storefront dealer and they are willing to match the pricing of the dealers here, you should be impressed. There are, of course, reasons beyond the price why you should shop with a local merchant and your interest in their added value will depend on your style of shopping and what you consider to be important.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[dugout41]

thanks again, and thanks for the links

another question,
is there a comparable difference in the HCA rating between a 1.8 and a 1?

I found two diamonds that I like one was a 1.8 and one was a 1? The 1 was a little smaller but neglible to me. Is it that obvious to choose the 1? Is the calculation definitive to the quality of the diamond?

I noticed that in the calculation there is no entry for the girdle....any comments greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[hoorray]

Hi Dugout41,

You can do some searches on HCA and find lots of discussion. THe net net is that it is a great screening tool, but not the final answer. Differentiating anything under 2 is not the right way to make a selection.

WHen you find a few stones you are interested in, contact the vendor(s) and ask for pictures and for someone to pull the stone and look at it, describing the key points to you. Compare the diameters forsize,not the weights. Diameter is what you see.

You might consider having your final 2 sent to a local appraiser so that you can select the one that appeals to your eyes the most, in person.

Good luck, and keep asking questions. If you post the specs andl/or links of the stones you are considering,people will give you opinions.

 

[dugout41]

great idea...ok here are two stones that i''m highly interested in....any thoughts?

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=53&item=315329#

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1105206.htm

thoughts?

obviously the VS1 has better clarity and the difference in size is neglible to me.....

 

[Shay37]

I really like the numbers on the Whiteflash stone. The Idealscope is also very good. This is an expert selection which means it has been cherry picked by Brian the Cutter. I really don''t have enough info on the James Allen stone to tell you yes or no. You would need to get a copy of the AGS report for cut numbers and the location of the inclusions. That would really help us make a decision between the two. Sorry I couldn''t be more help.

Shay

 

[perry]

Concerning your question on HCA.

Anything at or below a 2 is probably a great looking diamond. Beyond that, you need to see it. A diamond with an HCA with a 2 may look much better than one with a HCA of 0.5.

The HCA is really a tool to sort out most of the bad diamonds; telling which ones you should inspect in person (or have an expert inspect). Of course, you need to know what kind of look your expert likes...

The HCA is also not perfet. There are a few diamonds above 2 that look great, and it is possible to have some below 2 that look bad because the HCA assumes that the diamond is round and the facets are uniform.

An IdealScope tells a lot more (and works on all shapes).

Perry

 

[strmrdr]

The WF stone is sold. did you buy it?

The JA stone has a nice ideal-scope image.
The diamond is badly tilted in the photo however.

that and the angles on the cert point to a nice diamond.