New member- what do you think?

[ssharma1121]

My boyfriend and I are getting engaged and we have been looking for an engagement ring. We''ve been to some places on Jeweler''s Row to get an idea of what we are looking for. Since I have darker skin and all of my jewelry is gold, I felt I could get away with a more yellowish stone with an 18 kt. gold band. Anyway, we used pricescope to look at some diamonds and we fell in love with this stone:

1.75 ct. round brilliant cut, clarity SI1, color J
7.0-7.76 x 4.70 mm
Total depth: 60%
table width: 58%
crown height: 13%
pavilion depth: 44%
girdle thickness: medium faceted
polish: good to very good
symmetry: very good
cutlet: none
graining: slight
fluorescence: very slight blue

The inclusions didn''t seem to be so bad and the stone is around $6000. We thought this was a great deal. We were looking in the SI1-SI2 range because we aren''t going to look at the stone with 10x everyday! We were aiming for a large well cut stone and were willing to sacrifice on color and just wanted a clean looking stone. Is it a good deal? We are planning on buying the stone today from Union diamonds. By the way, it''s an EGL stone (which is not as reputable as GIA, etc.) but we looked at a variety of stones in Jeweler''s row and some of the ones we liked were EGL.

Also, I looked at Union diamond''s website directly and through pricescope. Pricescope has the listing cheaper than by going directly.

Thanks!

 

[JulieN]

Date: 8/22/2008 10:08:40 AM
Author:ssharma1121
My boyfriend and I are getting engaged and we have been looking for an engagement ring. We've been to some places on Jeweler's Row to get an idea of what we are looking for. Since I have darker skin and all of my jewelry is gold, I felt I could get away with a more yellowish stone with an 18 kt. gold band. Anyway, we used pricescope to look at some diamonds and we fell in love with this stone:

1.75 ct. round brilliant cut, clarity SI1, color J
7.0-7.76 x 4.70 mm
Total depth: 60%
table width: 58%
crown height: 13%
pavilion depth: 44%
girdle thickness: medium faceted
polish: good to very good
symmetry: very good
cutlet: none
graining: slight
fluorescence: very slight blue

The inclusions didn't seem to be so bad and the stone is around $6000. We thought this was a great deal. We were looking in the SI1-SI2 range because we aren't going to look at the stone with 10x everyday! We were aiming for a large well cut stone and were willing to sacrifice on color and just wanted a clean looking stone. Is it a good deal? We are planning on buying the stone today from Union diamonds. By the way, it's an EGL stone (which is not as reputable as GIA, etc.) but we looked at a variety of stones in Jeweler's row and some of the ones we liked were EGL.

Also, I looked at Union diamond's website directly and through pricescope. Pricescope has the listing cheaper than by going directly.

Thanks!

Too cheap, I think... which EGL lab?

 

[ssharma1121]

EGL international on the grading report.

 

[JulieN]

6000 gets me mostly GIA K SIs 1.5-1.7

I'd definitely take it to a respected appraiser. IMO, it's probably not a J SI1...but as long as the price is fair for what you're getting, it's ok.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome Sharma,

You could probably find a diamond which is better cut, but if you have seen this one and love it that is the main thing - it is certainly no slouch by the look of it! An independant appraiser would be the way to go, I don't know how long a return policy UD have, but if you could get an appraisal in that time, then you would know how well it checks out. Here is a tool you can use to find an independant appraiser in your area.

https://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.aspx

 

[ssharma1121]

I''ve heard that EGL has a tendency to "overgrade" stones. I don''t know that much about appraising. Could we buy the stone already on a ring or do we have to buy the loose stone first, get it appraised, then get the stone mounted? I saw other EGL stones in the same price range. We are just worried about buying a ring and discovering it looks different than expected. We want a large well cut stone and don''t want to see the inclusions with our eyes. I was worried the price was too good to be true.

 

[ssharma1121]

I saw a similar stone at UD that is supposed to be ideal cut but the certificate is not available. It''s another J, SI1 from EGL. Though on the UD website, it said that this was a beautifully cut stone.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/22/2008 10:27:57 AM
Author: ssharma1121
I've heard that EGL has a tendency to 'overgrade' stones. I don't know that much about appraising. Could we buy the stone already on a ring or do we have to buy the loose stone first, get it appraised, then get the stone mounted? I saw other EGL stones in the same price range. We are just worried about buying a ring and discovering it looks different than expected. We want a large well cut stone and don't want to see the inclusions with our eyes. I was worried the price was too good to be true.

A competent appraiser can certainly grade a mounted stone, it is better for a diamond to be loose for the process, but this isn't always possible, it might be best to contact an appraiser in your area first from the listing to discuss it with them, but if you liked the diamond loose, chances are you will still do so once it is mounted!

Also terms such as' beautifully cut stone' don't always mean much, each diamond needs to be evaluated on it's own proportions to be able to judge the cut.

Get the info if you are interested in this one also, and which EGL lab graded the diamond, USA, Israel, Antwerp, Europe etc etc.

 

[ssharma1121]

Thank you JulieN and Lorelei for your help! I called union diamonds about the stone and they said they would call me back this afternoon. I asked if they saw any inclusions with the naked eye in the stone. The guy on the phone, Jeff, said the chances were pretty good that inclusions could be seen with the naked eye (even though it is an SI1) but he would look at the stone. They will get back to me this afternoon.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/22/2008 11:01:13 AM
Author: ssharma1121
Thank you JulieN and Lorelei for your help! I called union diamonds about the stone and they said they would call me back this afternoon. I asked if they saw any inclusions with the naked eye in the stone. The guy on the phone, Jeff, said the chances were pretty good that inclusions could be seen with the naked eye (even though it is an SI1) but he would look at the stone. They will get back to me this afternoon.

You are welcome, I will be interested to see how you get on! Make sure you let the guys at UD know what your comfort level is concerning inclusions, if you don''t want to see anything at all at close scrutiny at any angle, let them know that, so you are both on the same page.