Earrings Upgrade - questions

[centralsquare]

I purchased ~1ctw I/J SI ACA studs from whiteflash a few years ago. I'm thinking about upgrading to 1.5ctw. Wow, how prices have increased! Ideally I would get I SI (eye clean) for the upgraded pair, but there doesn't seem to be any in their inventory. I've been thinking about the two posted below....only reservation is that I feel like I'm paying for clarity I won't appreciate. They are slightly less than 1.5ctw, but I doubt there is a noticeable difference between 1.45ctw and 1.5ctw.

Here are the two I'm considering:

#1: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2794529.htm

#2: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2794530.htm

I feel like I should move now before prices go up again, but I feel like I'm paying more than I want to spend on a feature I won't appreciate (clarity).

I'm also debating #2 above paired with:

p://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2794539.htm

Thoughts / advice?

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2794539.htm

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

I fixed your third link above.

If it was me I would call WF and ask them to find you a nice pair of J SI1 or even SI2 stones in the size you want, from their ES or even Premium select lines, that qualify for upgrades. Save yourself a few thousand! Or, buy the J VS2 and wait for a match, but really, I think J Si2 is the best for earrings.

 

[centralsquare]

I fixed your third link above.

If it was me I would call WF and ask them to find you a nice pair of J SI1 or even SI2 stones in the size you want, from their ES or even Premium select lines, that qualify for upgrades. Save yourself a few thousand! Or, buy the J VS2 and wait for a match, but really, I think J Si2 is the best for earrings.

Thanks, Dreamer! I called today and there aren't attractive options in ES or PS either. I've been thinking about waiting for I/J SIs to pop up, but I've been looking for a few months now and haven't seen anything. I'm worried prices will go up if I keep waiting! Maybe I should be more patient

 

[centralsquare]

I ended up just going with the I and the J ACAs. My lack of patience in waiting for the exact specs got the best of me. I received photos of my upgraded earrings.. Now I just need them to arrive. I didn't realize how long it takes for them to process the upgrade...they said 2 weeks.

Has anyone upgraded at WF before? Did it really take 2 weeks?

I'm trying to upload my pics...are .tiffs not allowed? It's not working.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think it varies how long it takes. When there is a trade-in, the old diamonds have to be checked or regraded, then the new ones have to be set. So it may not take that long but in case it does, they are giving you the latest delivery date.

 

[centralsquare]

I finally figured out how to upload the photos of my new earrings. I emailed WF and am awaiting more details on when they will ship. Can't wait!!

 

[Enerchi]

They sure look lovely! Hope you are thrilled when you see them! ... and don't forget to post photos

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I ended up just going with the I and the J ACAs. My lack of patience in waiting for the exact specs got the best of me. I received photos of my upgraded earrings.. Now I just need them to arrive. I didn't realize how long it takes for them to process the upgrade...they said 2 weeks.

Has anyone upgraded at WF before? Did it really take 2 weeks?

Yes, it can take a couple of weeks for a trade in because WF will need to look at the stones you've sent back.

Enjoy your new earrings!

 

[centralsquare]

They sure look lovely! Hope you are thrilled when you see them! ... and don't forget to post photos

I can't wait! I almost wish they didn't send the photos because I want to wear them now!!!

 

[centralsquare]

Oh no - WF called to say that my earrings were chipped . Now I'll need to have them fixed and then regraded, which will reduce the value of my trade in.

Anyone have that happen? Any advice?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh no - WF called to say that my earrings were chipped . Now I'll need to have them fixed and then regraded, which will reduce the value of my trade in.

Anyone have that happen? Any advice?

Oh my goodness! Did you ever check them with a loupe? It is hard to chip earrings!

I guess my only advice is to ask if you considered selling the earrings yourself. Because they are worth so much more than you originally paid that I think you might do better selling them yourself and then buying the new earrings outright. But you do now need to have them fixed and regraded regardless.

 

[centralsquare]

Oh no - WF called to say that my earrings were chipped . Now I'll need to have them fixed and then regraded, which will reduce the value of my trade in.

Anyone have that happen? Any advice?

Oh my goodness! Did you ever check them with a loupe? It is hard to chip earrings!

I guess my only advice is to ask if you considered selling the earrings yourself. Because they are worth so much more than you originally paid that I think you might do better selling them yourself and then buying the new earrings outright. But you do now need to have them fixed and regraded regardless.

Honestly, I don't know how those chips happened...and there are chips on both of them, which is really surprising. I would imagine that, if I had done something to them by accident, I would have checked them with a loupe after. I'm really surprised.

I'm not sure how to go about getting them fixed and regraded myself...any advice? How long would that take?

They are insured under my homeowners...not sure I should go that route?

I'm so sick over this!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

How did you store them? Earrings can damage one another if they rub girdles.

I would get them back, and look into repolishing them yourself, or selling them with the damage if you need to.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

They will sell better if they are polished and regraded, I think. I'd ask WF how much it would cost for them to do it and just pay for it. Then I'd sell them myself and pay for the new stones. That way, at least you are likely to be able to recoup the money you spend on regrading and polishing out the girdles. Dreamer said the only thing I could think of. If the studs were only kept in their original box so that the diamonds couldn't touch, I see no way they could be chipped. But if they were put loose into a jewelry bag for travel, for example, they easily could have chipped by hitting each other.

 

[centralsquare]

Thanks for the advice, Dreamer and DS. I'm hopefully going to talk to WF today about costs and next steps. I'm still scratching my head on how they got chipped. They were stored in the box when not in my ears.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks for the advice, Dreamer and DS. I'm hopefully going to talk to WF today about costs and next steps. I'm still scratching my head on how they got chipped. They were stored in the box when not in my ears.

That is too bad both are chipped. Did you ever take them to the mall to have them cleaned? I always worry that the sales people will toss my stuff in the cleaner and they'll bang against each other.

Is there any way that the diamonds can be bezel set to protect the girdles and be sold like that with clear explaination as to what happened?

 

[centralsquare]

Thanks for the thoughts. I decided to have them fixed...it will take about a month. I am wondering how much I could sell them for? Is there a way to get a sense of what second-hand diamonds sell for? Isn't it like 50-60% of the current retail price?

 

[centralsquare]

Bump

 

[PintoBean]

You could find out from ID Jewelry what they would give you for a trade-in for an upgrade in earrings. THey've told me in the past that I could trade-in diamonds from other vendors.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Once they are fixed and recerted, then I would look into other options. Selling them and replacting with stones from IDJ could be your best bet. On DB studs sell well. You can start offering at 30% off retail.

 

[yssie]

Oh no - WF called to say that my earrings were chipped . Now I'll need to have them fixed and then regraded, which will reduce the value of my trade in.

Anyone have that happen? Any advice?

Oh no!
Did they say how badly they were chipped? Will they still qualify for the ACA/ES lines after fixing (or, I guess, is it likely that they will)?

 

[centralsquare]

Oh no - WF called to say that my earrings were chipped . Now I'll need to have them fixed and then regraded, which will reduce the value of my trade in.

Anyone have that happen? Any advice?

Oh no!
Did they say how badly they were chipped? Will they still qualify for the ACA/ES lines after fixing (or, I guess, is it likely that they will)?

That is a good question...I don't know. There is up to an estimated $700-1000 fee in terms of restoring them and paying for whatever degradation of the diamonds. I'm crossing my fingers it's on the low end!

 

[centralsquare]

Interesting idea about IDJ, Dreamer and Pinto. I bought a 5 stone ring from them earlier this year and found it to be a lovely process and price. I already paid for my upgrades with WF though

 

[yssie]

Oh no - WF called to say that my earrings were chipped . Now I'll need to have them fixed and then regraded, which will reduce the value of my trade in.

Anyone have that happen? Any advice?

Oh no!
Did they say how badly they were chipped? Will they still qualify for the ACA/ES lines after fixing (or, I guess, is it likely that they will)?

That is a good question...I don't know. There is up to an estimated $700-1000 fee in terms of restoring them and paying for whatever degradation of the diamonds. I'm crossing my fingers it's on the low end!

I have my fingers crossed for you too! I'm wondering how they would be valued for trade-in if they do still qualify post-recut - it may turn out that continuing the trade w/ WF isn't a bad idea...

GIA reports are ~60 per stone for that size, not including shipping, and I assume AGSL is similar, so subtracting that from the worst-case estimate leaves only maybe $800? $750? in actual restoration/weight loss, that just doesn't equate to significant damage in my mind. Well - fingers crossed that my mind is right!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

WF has a return policy if you change your mind about the upgrade through them. Obviously this is an unusual situation. I would want more information about everything before going forward personally, re: the recut and weight loss and the contractual obligation you are in (if there is one) now.

 

[centralsquare]

Thanks, Dreamer and Yssie. I'm awaiting more details about the recut and regrading from WF. I'll also gather info from IDJ...can't hurt to inquire!

 

[centralsquare]

Hi there! I'm still waiting to hear from WF on the total cost of the repairs/regrading on my chipped stones, but I gathered some additional information from ID Jewelry. They have uncertified stones with similar specs as the upgraded WF stones at a significantly lower price point (as would be expected for uncertified stones). In fact, the total cost of these larger stones from IDJ is way less than what I paid just to upgrade from 1ctw to 1.5ctw at WF.

Attached are photos.

I have a few questions:

1. IDJ said the cut is "almost H&A." Should I be worried about the cut since they aren't certified? I feel like IDJ is trustworthy in regards to this. Would you agree?
2. According to IDJ, the inclusions are not visible at 6in away. Since they are so visible in the photo, is that likely?
3. In your opinion, would these be comparable to the WF upgraded pair?

I didn't ask about whether they'd accept my 1ctw ACAs for trade in; I figure if I do go down this route, that I could sell the newly repaired pair from WF. I would imagine there would be people interested in paying a fair price for those!

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Hmm. Well they will not be the same quality of course: the price reflects that. Color and or clarity will be lower. Presumably they are being sold without certs becayse the lab report would scare people; I am guessing the clarity grade and/or color would make them less valuable. That is why they are offered without reports There may be some other reason but you would need to ask about it. But, that said, the price is likely fair, and IDJ are known to be reliable. Whether the cut is *good enough* for you is an empirical matter. Can you see them in person first? I am personally inclined not to worry about the details so much for studs, but others want the best of the best no matter where the stone is being worn.

 

[yssie]

Inclusions affect light return too. Significant inclusions** will, I'd wager, have greater effect on light return than slight out-of-proportionality... and those look to have some pretty significant inclusions. That doesn't mean I think the stones aren't going to be sparkly or eyeclean to your requirements, whatever they are. But to answer your question, no, I don't think they'll be at all comparable to the WF upgraded pair, but as Dreamer says excellence comes with a hefty pricetag and we all compromise somewhere.

**Some boutique lines have made an art out of choosing more included stones and precision-cutting for both light return and specifically to mitigate the effects of the inclusions on light return.