LINEAGE DIAMOND/LAZARE/LINZ/IDEAL from Bailey Banks Biddle *please help*

main interest: Lineage and Linz
contenders: Lazare and the loose 'ideal' cut diamonds

bottom line: will be stretching budget and looking at this purchase as an investment... my heart isn't set on one particular cut or store. seeking adivce on how to make and educated decision on purchasing.

Lineage- i've found the color (E-G/H) to be good but the clarity (generally SI1-SI2) to be so-so... however with the 160+ facets on this diamond it appears better than what it's really worth... do all the facets hide the SI1-2 clarity? Is this worth the $$? 1CT-7,800-7,900/1.5CT=$15,000
line given at store: was designed by scott kay for 168th year anniversary(therefore 168 facets) for BaileyBanksBiddle in the industry...

Linz- i'm attracted to the cut and lower setting of the Linz. although a little more expensive, are there any reveiws out there about this cut? my concern is the shallowness of the cut and essentially, a mediocre cut being passed off as a rooty-tooty kind of diamond.
line given at store: has look of a princess cut but the brilliance of a round.

Lazare: pretty much double the cost per CT of the Linz and Lineage... any thoughts on this one? is it really worth the $$?
line given at store: methodology of cut is mathematically based for the 'perfect' cut to maximize brilliance... what's the difference b/n this cut and the Lineage? Although Lineage has almost twice as many facets, it appears to reflect a lot of light

Ideal cut/loose diamonds- i like the idea of being able to pick the center stone and setting separately... 1.2CT/VS2/F-G was $12,000 - a little more budget friendly. In this case would it be better to just look w/ wholesalers and importers if i'm to go this route? i'd rather not pay a higher profit margin if it will all be the same...

desperately seeking advice,

extremeskigal

My girlfriend really likes the princess cut and she likes the diamond to sit really low. The only thing that we've found that sits low was the Linz cut diamond from BBB. The drawback is price.

Does anyone know of any setting or diamond that sits as low as the Linz diamond? Possibly a little cheaper than the Linz diamond? Please advise, thanks!

Extremeskigal,

“… will be stretching budget and looking at this purchase as an investment”

There are quite a few people on the forum who are smarter than me that I’m sure will jump in to talk about the merits of one cut over another. I think the above statement needs comment on it’s own. Diamonds are a terrible investment. If you aren’t in the business and buying and buying for inventory, then it’s very unlikely you will realize any positive investment return. I’m a big fan of buying quality diamonds because it’s an investment in your relationship, in an heirloom for your family and they are just plain fun to own but you should go into this with the full understanding that this is a discretionary purchase and that you should not expect to see your money again.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

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On 8/18/2004 9:06:33 PM denverappraiser wrote:

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Extremeskigal,

“… will be stretching budget and looking at this purchase as an investment”

There are quite a few people on the forum who are smarter than me that I’m sure will jump in to talk about the merits of one cut over another. I think the above statement needs comment on it’s own. Diamonds are a terrible investment. If you aren’t in the business and buying and buying for inventory, then it’s very unlikely you will realize any positive investment return. I’m a big fan of buying quality diamonds because it’s an investment in your relationship, in an heirloom for your family and they are just plain fun to own but you should go into this with the full understanding that this is a discretionary purchase and that you should not expect to see your money again.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver----------------

Excellently put, Neil. Thank you.
Lynn