Comments on a Used Diamond Appreciated

[dkennedymi]

I have been offered a previously-owned diamond through an estate dealer. They say it is a G SI1 1.22 carat and they want $5,000. The only specs I have been given are:

Table 60
Depth 59
Pavillion 45
Girdle Thin to Medium
Flour None

They are willing to get it GIA certed but will tack this fee onto the price. They have also offered to have it re-cut as an ideal cut. Is it even worth considering? The price seems O.K., but I''m not sure it''s worth the hastle. Comments?

 

[belle]

you could get a ''new'' diamond that has at least a grading report for that. i wouldn''t bother unless this is EXACTLY the type of stone you are looking for and you don''t want to put any more effort into finding a diamond.

 

[valeria101]

Guessing a pavilion angle around 42 degrees... and a relatively flat crown... and not the most brilliant thing in the world in consequence. OK, maybe that''s not the most optimistic picture but the numbers are far from complete (or precise, probably) and I can''t possibly see the diamond either.

For rounds, cut quality makes a big chunk of the price. Sure enough, 5k would not be too much for 1.2cts G/Si1 well cut. But at this point, the ''well cut'' part is a bit in the air (more unknown than anything, IMO) and the G/SI a seller''s guess rather than independent grading as for the diamonds I took into consideration evaluating that price tag.

So... maybe THIS can help with the cut quality department. Whether that is G/SI1 or H or Si2 would make a difference too (likely 5k still sounds OK_ish, just not great anymore). But if the stone doesn''t look all that great, it would still be more a matter of cut.

All in all, there isn''t much enthusiasm in this post, is there...

My 2c

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/26/2006 4:35:26 PM
Author:dkennedymi


They are willing to get it GIA certed but will tack this fee onto the price. They have also offered to have it re-cut as an ideal cut. Is it even worth considering? The price seems O.K., but I'm not sure it's worth the hastle. Comments?

Great, but between certification, cost of the recut and weight loss, I can't imagine you would end up with anything very different from a G/SI1 diamond with proper grading, around 1cts and 6k. And that is available off the bat (btw. this is listed for $6070 on the 'Cut Quality Search' here - the price on the website is a bit more... 'guess for different forms of payment or something). There should be more out there, maybe from the same shop you have visited. This came first as a reasonable example.

One way to look at it, I guess.

 

[denverappraiser]

Is the point of this to get a similar diamond for a better price? Assuming it is, pay careful attention to what is being offered. Recutting to ‘ideal’ proportions will increase the desirability to some folks but it will also reduce the weight and add some risk of damage during the cutting process. If you’re not in the business of recutting diamonds to make them more valuable, I strongly recommend against this approach. It IS possible to make money doing this, but it’s nowhere near as easy as people think it is. Buy it for what it is, not what it might become (or what it used to be). Adding a GIA exam will increase the price but add some confidence that it’s properly graded, as would an inspection by a qualified appraiser. If you use the search engine at the top of the page, you can search for stones that are superficially similar to that as well as for various permutations that you can put together. The difference between a G-SI1 and an H-SI2 is considerable and far from obvious to most people. Do you otherwise love the stone?

It’s interesting that they mentioned the pavilion but none of the other cut measurements. This is not an easy thing to measure. Where did this data come from and why didn’t they supply the crown as well?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Orlando (at the moment)

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/26/2006 4:35:26 PM
Author:dkennedymi
I have been offered a previously-owned diamond through an estate dealer. They say it is a G SI1 1.22 carat and they want $5,000. The only specs I have been given are:

Table 60
Depth 59
Pavillion 45
Girdle Thin to Medium
Flour None

They are willing to get it GIA certed but will tack this fee onto the price. They have also offered to have it re-cut as an ideal cut. Is it even worth considering? The price seems O.K., but I''m not sure it''s worth the hastle. Comments?

i wouldn''t take the risk for 5k.

$3000 maybe

thats assuming it would grade G SI1 AGS 000 1.05-1.10ct after recut.

 

[ladykemma]

offer no more than $2000 for the stone. table is big.