How do PS'ers upgrade their diamonds?

[JDDN]

Hi there!

I'm looking to upgrade my current 1.76 MRB which is set in a platinum solitaire setting. I've been lurking big time and I was wondering how all the PS'ers have upgraded their beautiful stones? Ie, did you sell your old ring/diamond? Did you keep it? Did you do a trade-in?

Hubby bought the diamond through BrilliantEarth and while I'm not opposed to going through their lifetime upgrade policy, I feel that I could have an easier time and more of a selection going through different vendors. That being said, if going a route other than BE's upgrade policy will mean losing a significant portion of what hubby paid, then we should probably stick to upgrading with BE.

Thanks so much!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The answers will be all of the options you named! I kept my original diamond ring and got a new one and then upgraded that through the same vendor. Sometimes people sell and start over at a more preferred vendor. In your case, it would all depend on whether BE could get exactly what you want and whether their cost would be similar to other vendors who sell the same thing. Yes, you will lose some money selling on your own, usually, unless diamond prices have increased a lot since you bought it. And how much you get is somewhat dependent on how desirable your current ring or diamond is to others.

If I were in your position, I'd probably list my ring for consignment and see what happens. That way, you could be free to choose whatever vendor you wanted. Love Affair Diamonds, Jewels by Grace, and Good Old Gold all offer consignment services. Read their terms carefully as costs will differ between the three somewhat depending on the final sales price of the item being sold. They can help you price your ring and give you a ballpark idea of the range it might bring.

 

[Mayk]

I consigned mine with Jewels by Grace because I didn't want to do business with the same jeweler and I'd changed the setting. I also in turn purchased a preloved upgrade from Jewel by Grace. A Brian Gavin Blue which I was thrilled to get and had been stalking as a possible replacement once my ring sold.

 

[wildcat03]

JDDN - your ring sounds like what my SO and I are starting to search for. If you decide to list it, please also post it on Pre-loved, and I'll keep an eye out for it!

 

[kmarla]

I kept my original RB set for nostalgic reasons. I do feel bad though because it truly never sees the light of day anymore but I just can't let it go. I bought a beautiful upgraded princess diamond two years ago from a PS vendor and after much careful thought just sold it a couple of weeks ago privately. I did lose some money but I can live with it. I didn't upgrade with the original vendor because I would have had to spend twice as much, which wasn't in my budget. I also own a different RB diamond from another PS vendor. I used the money from the sale of the sold diamond, and the excellent return/upgrade policy of the existing RB diamond to upgrade again. I will have my new diamond in a few weeks hopefully and have no plans to upgrade after this. So I've done a bit of everything. I think the most important thing to pay attention to is the upgrade policy where you purchase your new diamond. They are not all created equal.

 

[JDDN]

Thank you for your input and advice Diamondseeker, Mayk and kmarla! BrilliantEarth's upgrade policy is lifetime, but you must spend at least 50% more than what you paid of your old diamond. So as you can imagine we'd need to spend quite a bit to upgrade. I'd probably get a larger diamond and one with a higher color and clarity (cut is firm-no wiggle room) than if starting from scratch just to meet to policy rules.

I think I could find a great diamond with BE, but I have a few hesitations. One, they do not provide ASET or IS images and their inventory is virtual so I would need to bring in an IS when viewing the diamonds. I can do this as I live close to San Francisco, but I don't have confidence of using one correctly and accurately. I love the fact that I'll be able to see the stones firsthand, but I really don't want to be fumbling around with an IS and questioning myself in the showroom. Two, whilst lurking at some old posts I came across one from about a year ago from a person wanting a Canadian diamond for his fiancé. BE came up and the poster found out of 8 diamonds, 6 were offered at about 2K less than what BE was selling for on other websites. That's a bit disheartening. And the third is that we'd need to spend a lot to meet their upgrade policy.

Soo, maybe I'll look into consigning it and get more information that route.

Wildcat - I'll post my ring on Preloved and you can check it out. A quickie, it's 1.76 carat MRB, F color, VS2, triple EX by GIA, no flouro set in a 6 prong cathedral solitaire, I'd say about a 2mm shank. The prongs are very delicate, not boxy.

Thank you everyone for your input!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think you are far better off selling it and starting over. You will lose a little maybe, but you won't overpay on the new diamond. Then if you go with one of the vendors with lifetime, no minimum upgrade, you won't be stuck if you change your mind later and want to trade-in again!

I order to post on pre-loved, it has to be listed for sale somewhere else...one of the consignment jewelers above, loupetroop, ebay, etc. The great thing about consignment is that they will handle collecting the payment and sending out your ring. Most people will be hesitant to send a large amount to an individual they do not know. I think Love Affair Diamonds may have the lowest consignment fee for the value of the diamond you have.

 

[JDDN]

Perfect, thank you so much for the advice Diamondseeker. It's very much appreciated!