Newbie needs help

[pcheng]

Will I need to get a copy of the Sarin report as well? And what will that help me determine?

 

[Mara]

You can ask for a Sarin, the Whiteflash site gives you all the info that is listed on the Sarin anyway. If you do get the Sarin, you can compare it to the GIA/AGS cert copy to be sure that it all matches up. That in combination with H&A images, IS image, closeups of the stone itself, and any other paperwork they can give you would most likely help you in feeling more comfortable with the purhcase. Also Whiteflash and many other vendors have excellent return policies. Good luck--whatever you choose!

 

[pcheng]

Anyone else that could comment on this diamond?

Shape A Cut Above H&A
Carat 0.68
Color G
Clarity VS2
Measurements (mm) 5.72-5.73 x 3.47
Table % 57
Depth % 60.7
Crown Angle ° 34
Crown % 14.5
Pavilion Angle ° 41
Pavilion % 43.4
Polish Ideal
Symmetry Ideal
Girdle Thin 0.7% to 1.2% Faceted
Culet Pointed
Fluorescence No

Edit*
Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Very Good
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 1.3 - Excellent - within TIC range


P.S. I am waiting to hear from them about the documentation Mara. They are very helpful.

 

[pcheng]

Well this diamond did not work out for me. The 48hour hold I had on it turned into a 24hour hold and they sold it today.

Back to searching.

P.S. It was such a beautiful diamond.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 3/13/2003 1:26:25 PM pcheng wrote:

Well this diamond did not work out for me. The 48hour hold I had on it turned into a 24hour hold and they sold it today.

Back to searching.

P.S. It was such a beautiful diamond.
----------------

Were you informed of this? A 48 hour hold is a 48 hour hold. I'm confused.

 

[Lugus]

Ya, that doesn't seem like good business practice. When I put my diamond on hold, I would have been crushed if it had been sold before I committed to buying it.

I'd love to hear an official response.

 

[Mara]

Yikes that is no fun. Are there other stones around that range that they may be willing to negotiate with you on, considering they sold the diamond out from under you? Part of the perks of a hold is so that you can effectively get more information such as you were trying to do here...without worry that someone else will be able to steal your stone--esp if you speak about it pretty frankly on a forum such as this.

 

[Mara]

Here are some other stones from WhiteFlash that are around your budget or slightly over. I would try to negotiate a deal with them considering that it sounds like they sold your stone before you had decided on it and your hold was still in effect. You may have a bit of leverage here--if you care to use it. For example if one of the stones below catches your eye and its $3027, see if they will make that $2500 or something, its only about $200 more than you would have paid for the original stone and the $3027 stone below is .07c larger. Try to think of it like that.

That said..these are all ACA stones. Again, be sure to confirm that the SI1's are 100% eye clean.

Good luck!


http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=366593#

.65 F VS2 $2527


http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=2516#

.74 G SI1 $3027


http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=2552

.74 G SI1 $3027


http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=2481#

.74 F SI1 $3322


http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=365084

.74 G VS2 $3367

 

[pcheng]

They sounded sincere when they told me about it. Apparently they changed their system to 24hour holds instead of 48hour holds (which is stated on the website). I contacted them and they were going to send me information on a 0.64 diamond they had which is a bit cheaper. I still haven't heard back from them.

Yes Lugus, I was crushed when I saw that they sold the diamond. I was 99% ready to buy it and started thinking of how to propose now that I had a diamond. But now I am back to square one. Looking to find a diamond.

I would love to be able to get a better diamond in a better deal but I cannot see how they would drop a $3000 diamond to $2500 and if they do then with tax it would go high over my budget.

I really liked that diamond. I hope I find something comparable.

 

[Lugus]

I have heard some wonderful things about whiteflash, but I would not consider a stone from them if this had happened to me. I understand how things like this could happen, but it doesn't excuse it. Were I you, I would try my hand at getting that 3k diamond for 2.5k. If it didn't happen, I'd walk away and find a dealer that you could put your trust in.

0.73-Carat, G Color VS2 clarity SuperbCertTM
http://www.superbcert.com/products/index.cfm?Product_ID=410&Product_Subcategory_ID=2&Product_Category_ID=3&Product_Group_ID=1

0.73-Carat, F Color SI1 clarity SuperbCertTM
http://www.superbcert.com/products/index.cfm?Product_ID=354&Product_Subcategory_ID=2&Product_Category_ID=3&Product_Group_ID=1

lots more of these at www.superbcert.com

 

[Mara]

You can only ask...the worst they can do would be to say no! You will never know until you try. They may be accomodating, I have also gotten emails from customers of WF who say they have negotiated even less than their Pscope price was listed for in order to meet a customer's budget. Good luck!

 

[pcheng]

Those rocks are nice Lugus but way out of my price range. I try to get a stone for a max of about $2500. I didn't see any stones aroung my range at superbcert.

They helped me when it came to adjusting the price for the 0.68 diamond but now that it is gone I don't know what to do. I might talk to them.

*Edit*
I did ask them if there were any other stones that my budget would be able to cover but they said they had none. It seems that if they were able to give me a better price on a larger stone they could suggest that.

 

[Lugus]

----------------
On 3/13/2003 5:49

8 PM pcheng wrote:
Those rocks are nice Lugus but way out of my price range. I try to get a stone for a max of about $2500. I didn't see any stones aroung my range at superbcert.

They helped me when it came to adjusting the price for the 0.68 diamond but now that it is gone I don't know what to do. I might talk to them.

*Edit*
I did ask them if there were any other stones that my budget would be able to cover but they said they had none. It seems that if they were able to give me a better price on a larger stone they could suggest that.----------------

Sorry, forgot about the price range thing

I saw mara's post above and tried to find similar options at another vendor. If you find a stone you like, it is always worth calling to negotiate a price.

I am very disapointed to hear that they were unwilling to work with you to fix their mistake. Were I considering purchasing a diamond, I would have scratched them off my list after hearing this.

 

[Mara]

There is the .65 F VS2 that I posted for $2500. I would call them, say you are interested, and that you would like to know if they would be amenable to giving you that stone for $2500 out the door, tax included, and with a white gold solitaire setting--due to their mistake and the fact that they gave away the stone you were just about to buy.

You may have to push a little harder to get them to do what you want. Saying 'they didn't offer' shouldn't be the end of it. It may not be the ideal way to do it and in a perfect world YES, they would offer to help you out on their own, etc....but in the end it comes down to your agressiveness and willingness to push a little to get what you want. If you push, they probably will accomodate you, esp since they know you post on this forum. They are a business first and foremost and the loss of a few hundred bucks in the end over a big potential customer hassle and/or black mark on their stellar rep is just not worth it to them.

They say that you catch more flies with honey but when honey doesn't work, I like the brute force method myself!

Be polite but firm. Who are you working with? Leslie is the Dr. of Sales at WF and she posts on this board, she has been very helpful to me in the past via email etc, maybe you should try making direct contact with her and telling her your story. [email protected]

Good luck!!

(BTW Lugus...I ran a search with his parameters and the only ones that came up within his range or slightly out were WF....so I did think of SC but didn't see anything either!)

 

[pcheng]

I've been working with Leslie and she is very helpful. That is one of the reasons that I don't want to push too hard since she has been helpful from the beginning. She was supposed to see about a 0.64 ct stone and send me the pictures and dcumentation about it as well as a price for it. Its on hold till tomorrow but I still haven't received any of the information. Hopefully I will get it before tomorrow so that noone buys this diamond as well.

A larger stone would be very nice though.

 

[Lugus]

It would be nice if they "made it happen" for you. Please let us know what happens. I'm sure there are other people considering purchase from whiteflash that are awaiting your results as well.

 

[pcheng]

Ok. This is one of the options given to me and I want your opinions.

Shape A Cut Above H&A
Carat 0.721
Color I
Clarity VS2
Measurements (mm) 5.83-5.86 x 3.51
Table % 55
Depth % 60.1
Crown Angle ° 34.5
Crown % 15.4
Pavilion Angle ° 40.5
Pavilion % 42.3
Polish Ideal
Symmetry Ideal
Girdle 1.2%-1.7% Thin to Medium Facet
Culet Pointed
Fluorescence Inert

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread or diameter for weight Excellent

How bad is an I color diamond? Will it be notisable?

 

[Mara]

This sounds like it could be a winner. The HCA scores are excellent..all around. The I color will most likely face up white, did you ask if it does face up white in their eyes? They should give you an honest answer. Some I's can be a little off color, but also since this is an extremely well cut stone which will reflect back amazing light return, the diamond will probably face up even whiter than a non-well cut I color stone. Alot of people have I colored stones on here and have been very happy. This stone may be an excellent compromise, it is very well-cut, and you get a bigger carat weight and a VS2 clarity to boot! I saw an I color stone from the 1920's in an antique plat setting and it faced up white, I had no idea it was an I. I put it next to a D and saw no difference, especially when the stone is mounted, it is much harder to tell color.

I don't recall if you are placing this in yg or wg or plat...(and I'm too lazy to scroll to look), but if you are doing it in YG, then the diamond may even face up slightly whiter than an I, as the YG will absorb slight amounts of color from a stone. WG may have somewhat of the same effect since there is YG in WG and its not as icy colorless as platinum.

All in all--the numbers look good, if the pricing is good, I would say to get the IdealScope and H&A images from WhiteFlash. If those look good, try to negotiate a deal for the solitaire setting thrown in for $100 or so, and it's a done deal! You definitely have a well cut stone there in the ACA lineup, and the VS2 clarity is a big bonus!!

Make sure its on hold and they dont give it away again!

 

[fire&ice]

As Mara said, ask about the "I" in face up. In a stone this size, you should not see much body color especially since this a well cut stone. I have a large "I" & mine is set in platinum. It's plenty white for me.

Good luck - I hope they are treating you real nice!

 

[Giangi]

That stone sounds really beautiful!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lugus]

Nice to hear they pointed you towards a nice stone. Personally, I would not go with an I color, but then again I would not go with an F color

Went with an E.

If the I color is good color for you though, this could be the winner.

 

[pcheng]

I would like to post an update to my diamond search. After talking with Lesley at Whiteflash I decided to buy the 0.72ct diamond that they had. I just received it and it looks beautiful. Lesley was very helpful and courteous and the delivery was fast.

Now what do I need to do? The diamond comes with a verification report from an appraiser. Should I also have it appraised or should I just have someone look at it to tell me whether the diamond is what the certificate states?

Please let me know as soon as possible

 

[Mara]

Congrats on getting what sounds like a great stone. What you do at this point is really up to you. If you feel comfortable with the purchase and your eyes are happy with what they see, you don't need anyone else to second your opinion.

Or if you want to get things checked out, I would suggest taking the stone to an independent appraiser to have them check it out. It may cost around $100-200 depending on what you have done, but in my opinion it is worth it to get the confirmation. I wouldn't suggest taking it to a jewelry store or a place that sells stones, because they may be tempted to try to discredit your stone to get you to buy one from them. It sounds odd, but it does happen. An independent appraiser will give it to you straight because they work for no one but themselves (and you if you pay them!).

At the top of the Pricescope pages there is a link to Appraisers. Try to find one in your area....or post your area on here and maybe someone can be recommended to you from the forum members.

Good luck and congrats again! Did you have the stone set in a solitaire band also from WF?

 

[pcheng]

I had the stone indentified by a GIA certifite appraiser but not appraised. They told me that the stone is the one described in the AGS report and that the independent appraisal is fine to have my diamond insured.

I would like to thank Leslie at Whiteflash for the help. They were very professional and even though there was a slight problem with the hold period for the one diamond that I was looking at, Leslie provided me with a better option and because of the error gave me a better deal too. Everyone in Whiteflash was very helpful even though I mostly talked to Leslie and the shipping was fast. I got my diamond within a day and didn't have to stay awake for too many nights thinking it was on a car somewhere.

Now on to the search for a ring to put the diamond in. And a nice way to propose. Any ideas are welcome.

I would also like to thank everyone here in this forum for helping me go through all this trouble of finding the perfect (for my budget) diamond.

 

[LesleyH]

pcheng:

Thank you for your kind words. It was a pleasure working with you. Pleased you were able to find someone independent to verify that the diamond is the one you bought.

I am pleased that you are happy with your new A CUT ABOVE -it is a really beautiful diamond.

LesleyH
www.whiteflash.com
www.whiteflash.com