Dear forum

[sorjee]

Dear forum

I''m a newbie diamond buyer from the UK....who needs to buy an e-ring

Thanks to this website, and all of the posters here, i''ve learnt a lot of things...and i think i''ve found my perfect stone, and would love to hear your opions.

1.03 ct F VVS2 Round Ideal Cut
. Depth %: 61
. Table %: 55
. Crown Angle: 34.5
. Crown %: 15.5
. Pavilion Angle: 40.9
. Pavilion %: 43.1
. Girdle: Medium-Faceted

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_details.aspx?idno=57343#

It scored 1.1 (with the numbers above) on the HCA score, and was rated excellent overall. Using the numbers on the Sarin report (from Whiteflash page) i think it scored slightly lower.

I think the Idealscope andAset images look great....nice and symmetrical arrows, with no leakage. I don''t think this stone has any hearts tho

The GIA report shows that there are harly any inclusions.

What do you guys think? Is there anything obviously wrong with this stone?

I''m based in the UK, and i think i need to pay 2.5% duty and 17.5% tax

Can anyone confirm this?

Ok, hope to hear from you all soon.

Regards,
Sorjee

 

[Ellen]

Hi sorjee,

The stone is beautiful! Nothing wrong with it. However, you could easily go down in clarity some, this is a wee bit higher than needed. If you really want it, that''s fine, but if you just want something where you can''t see inclusions, there are many options there.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 3/18/2008 8:22:38 AM
Author:sorjee
I''m based in the UK, and i think i need to pay 2.5% duty and 17.5% tax

Can anyone confirm this?

Yes, the UK citizens will chime in at some point and verify this for you for certain, but I''m pretty sure that''s right. I don''t know why you''re so angry about it, though; compare this stone to ones of similar size/cut/clarity in the UK and you will probably find you''re saving a considerable amount of money, even after you pay your taxes and import duty.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Yes, I''m afraid that''s right - VAT plus import tax. It is still cheaper than buying an equivalent stone in the UK, by a long way. I''ve bought online from the US several times now and even with the taxes, it''s been worth my while.

Good luck with your engagement.

Jen

 

[niceice]

Date: 3/18/2008 8:22:38 AM
Author:sorjee
Dear forum

I''m based in the UK, and i think i need to pay 2.5% duty and 17.5% tax

Can anyone confirm this?

This is true, however we''ve been told by UK clients that the prices for US based internet diamonds is still better than UK diamond prices even with the tax and that they were unable to find diamonds of comparable quality in the UK since the market there does not seem to have caught up to the concept of cut grading as of yet.

The numbers look GREAT on the stone you found at WF

 

[sorjee]

Date: 3/18/2008 8:28:45 AM
Author: Ellen
Hi sorjee,

The stone is beautiful! Nothing wrong with it. However, you could easily go down in clarity some, this is a wee bit higher than needed. If you really want it, that''s fine, but if you just want something where you can''t see inclusions, there are many options there.

Thanks for your comments. How low do you think i could go in clarity grade and still not see inclusions?
What do you think of this one i found, which is a bit cheaper?

1.01 ct D VS2 Round Ideal Cut
. Carat: 1.01
. Depth %: 61.8
. Table %: 56
. Crown Angle: 35
. Crown %: 15.5
. Star : 55
. Pavilion Angle: 41
. Pavilion %: 43
. Lower Girdle %: 75
. Girdle: Thin to Medium Faceted

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-155612.htm#

The Ideal Scope image still shows nice symmetry, but i think it has more leakage (white bits in the image).

HCA rating is still excellent, but the score is 1.9 which is lower than the other stone.

Date: 3/18/2008 10:53:18 AM
Author: gwendolyn

compare this stone to ones of similar size/cut/clarity in the UK and you will probably find you''re saving a considerable amount of money, even after you pay your taxes and import duty.

You''re absolutely right i''ve been shopping around, both in highstreet stores, and in small independent ones in London''s Hatton Garden diamond district...and i''ve not found anything close

Date: 3/18/2008 12:35:43 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Yes, I''m afraid that''s right - VAT plus import tax. It is still cheaper than buying an equivalent stone in the UK, by a long way. I''ve bought online from the US several times now and even with the taxes, it''s been worth my while.

Good luck with your engagement.

Jen

Thank you, that''s very sweet

How was your experience buying from th US? Did you buy online? I guess one advantage of buying in a UK shop, is the after sales service....you can always take the stone back to get it polished, resized etc.

Date: 3/18/2008 12:51:39 PM
Author: niceice

The numbers look GREAT on the stone you found at WF

Thanks for the confirmation, that''s a relief to know i didn''t pick a rubbish one

Buying in the UK, something the same size, clarity, colour would be more expensive....but my main concern/fear is that, the shops don''t provide Ideal Scope/Aset images, and they don''t provide HCA scores. It''s strange but i would be much better informed buying online than buying from a shop in the UK

 

[JulieN]

The F is a little nicer under the scopes, but the D is 2000 cheaper.

 

[niceice]

Date: 3/18/2008 2:07:55 PM
Author: sorjee

It''s strange but i would be much better informed buying online than buying from a shop in the UK

Actually the buying experience is pretty much the same here in the U.S., most people find that more information is provided by online dealers than is provided by their local jewelers with rare exception.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 3/18/2008 2:11:38 PM
Author: JulieN
The F is a little nicer under the scopes, but the D is 2000 cheaper.

ditto, although both will be beautiful. Personally, I think you can go down in color as well to the G range to still get that icey white color, but save some money. Many SI stones are also eye clean, but VS2 is safe.

 

[sorjee]

Date: 3/18/2008 2:11:38 PM
Author: JulieN
The F is a little nicer under the scopes, but the D is 2000 cheaper.

Hehe, it''s a tough decision

Do you think it''s worth the extra $2k?

As well as the saving, it''s a better colour grade (altho there''s probably not much difference between D and F).

With the naked eye, do you think the differences between the "arrows" will be noticeable?

Will the leakage on the D make a big impact?

Also do you think inclusions of a VS2 are visible?

 

[sorjee]

Date: 3/18/2008 3:33:43 PM
Author: kcoursolle

ditto, although both will be beautiful. Personally, I think you can go down in color as well to the G range to still get that icey white color, but save some money. Many SI stones are also eye clean, but VS2 is safe.

It''s reassuring to know that it''s ONLY the UK e-tailers that are behind

What do you think of the 1.01ct, D, VS2 stone i posted above?

 

[sorjee]

Date: 3/18/2008 3:33:43 PM
Author: kcoursolle

ditto, although both will be beautiful. Personally, I think you can go down in color as well to the G range to still get that icey white color, but save some money. Many SI stones are also eye clean, but VS2 is safe.

hi kcoursolle

Thanks for the tip. It''s interesting to know that i coud go lower in colour and still get an icey white look, but i probably wouldn''t prefer anything less than an F.

Do you have any advice about the questions i posted above, about the VS2 stone? Do you think the inclusions, leakage, and differences in arrows...will be noticeable with the naked eye?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/18/2008 2:07:55 PM
Author: sorjee

Date: 3/18/2008 8:28:45 AM
Author: Ellen
Hi sorjee,

The stone is beautiful! Nothing wrong with it. However, you could easily go down in clarity some, this is a wee bit higher than needed. If you really want it, that's fine, but if you just want something where you can't see inclusions, there are many options there.

Thanks for your comments. How low do you think i could go in clarity grade and still not see inclusions?
What do you think of this one i found, which is a bit cheaper?

1.01 ct D VS2 Round Ideal Cut
. Carat: 1.01
. Depth %: 61.8
. Table %: 56
. Crown Angle: 35
. Crown %: 15.5
. Star : 55
. Pavilion Angle: 41
. Pavilion %: 43
. Lower Girdle %: 75
. Girdle: Thin to Medium Faceted

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-155612.htm#

The Ideal Scope image still shows nice symmetry, but i think it has more leakage (white bits in the image).

HCA rating is still excellent, but the score is 1.9 which is lower than the other stone.

It is possible to go all the way to SI2, on occassion, and be totally eyeclean. However, it's much easier to find stones in the VS2-SI1 range. Sometimes it's a tradeoff, can't always find exactly what you want.

This one is also very nice.

If you haven't yet, I would go look at some Hearts On Fire, to get an idea of color with a great cut, and what you may not mind. You might be surprised. Just make sure to look at each color alone, and in natural light. If you find you can go down to at least G, it will save you some money.