Some advice from the Pros please

[mazarate]

Hello to all and Happy New Year. As many of the people who come across pricescope looking for that special ring, I have a question about a particular diamond. I have been shopping around and I''ve read forums here pertaining to budget shopping and where to get the most bang for your buck. Since I am on a budget and I rather than wait and save more money, I''d like to go ahead and take the step. I''ve been looking at different online stores, local jewelry stores, pawn shops, and last of all ebay. I have come to the conclusion that with the right research, and the right seller, I can get an exceptional deal on ebay. And trust me I have been looking for over a month now, watching different sellers, and getting feedback from their customers. My first question to the pros out there is, is Ebay a safe place to purhcase and any recommended sellers? Also I have been looking at a round solitaire, 1.4 ct, H-I color, I1, dimensions 6.86-6.83x4.60 Currently thre buy it now price is right around 2K. No carbon, and the diamond looks very clean for an I1. I know what many of you will say, if it''s sounds too good to be true it most likely is, but the seller has great feedback and I''ve contacted other buyers with good response. My question is, is this diamond going to provide good sparkle and fire, and is and H-I going to shine. Should I be looking at something more colorless. Thanks for your comments in advance.

PHIL

 

[E B]

Hi Philip! Welcome to Pricescope!

A 1.4 ct diamond priced at $2,000 is a bad idea, especially on ebay. Doing a quick search on PS, I found that a similar diamond with 1 clarity grade better than the ebay diamond (they had no H, I1s) goes for $7,000+, and these are reasonable internet prices we're talking about. To answer your question of "will it sparkle?": I don't know, but I'm guessing it's a dud. It probably IS too good to be true.

$2000 is a great budget for an e-ring. If my fiance were in your position, I'd have him go the safe route. A smaller, ideal cut diamond would be my choice over a large dud any day (and it was...my e-ring is a .85 carat and I ADORE it!). If size is really an issue, you could always get a well-cut diamond simulant and swap it out when you CAN afford a diamond. One PSer that I know of did exactly that (HouMedGal is her name on PS), and her simulant looks identical to a diamond. Only you and your girlfriend would know.

In the end, though, it's your decision! Be careful, and choose wisely.

p.s. HOUMedGal's thread: https://www.pricescope.com/forum/steam-room/my-ring-is-done-t28444.html

 

[Lorelei]

I am not a pro, but I will try to answer your questions.

No in our opinion Ebay is not a safe place to purchase and we cannot recommend any sellers. We have heard too many horror stories. This H i1 diamond is in all probablility a complete waste of money.

You don''t say if it has a reputable cert. You won''t really be able to see any carbon or other inclusions WHICH STILL MAY SHOW IN AN I1 unless you eyeball the diamond yourself. If you want good sparkle and fire, my advice to you is to forget abgout getting something more colourless and run like the dickens away from Ebay. Spend your time here reading up on the tutorial and learn that CUT makes a diamond''s fire and sparkle, not clarity or colour. Cut can be a complex subject to learn, get the basics at least then when you know what to buy from a reputable vendor you can look in earnest. With a great cut an I1 diamond can be a glittering beauty.

 

[Waited2Long]

Sometimes people have legitimate reasons for selling legitimate--even graded--stones, and are just wanting to get more than what their local jewelers are offering them. I''m sure a tiny % of auctions are for decent items. But I recommend that the seller be local to you for you to even consider it, and that you have the item professionally appraised after looking at it yourself.

I recently saw a seller on Ebay who developed several hundred + feedback, and was a power seller too. He/she then went on a scamming rampage, and sold over 100 high-dollar items in a short amount of time, before the feedback had a chance to catch up to them. They then racked up about 4-5 pages of solid negative feedback, each one from someone who lost a good amount of money. This could happen to anyone; for this reason I would never spend that kind of money for something not local to me, regardless of the person''s feedback.

 

[blodthecat]

Easy tiger!

As has already been pointed out, the main emphasis on Ebay is the color and clarity.

The 'feedback' you speak of isn't from educated diamond buyers. Most of these ebayers will think that 'shape' and 'cut' are the same thing. They will be happy with their purchase, as they are none the wiser....and they have nothing to bench-mark their diamond against. A few years ago I bought a diamond solitaire from Shenoa & Co. The spec was:

0.82ct
color I
VS1
platinum setting.

What a bargin I thought. And Shenoa have practically 99.9% feedback. So I bought the ring, had to pay import tax etc into the UK. When the ring arrived I was so disappointed. It was a yellow murky stone....with no sparkle whatsoever. Please learn from my mistake.
It was after this experience that I decided that I needed to educated myself before I spent any more of my hard earnt cash.

Please..please stay away from Ebay vendors.

Blod

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 1/5/2006 2:01:04 AM
Author:mazarate

Also I have been looking at a round solitaire, 1.4 ct, H-I color, I1, dimensions 6.86-6.83x4.60 Currently thre buy it now price is right around 2K. No carbon, and the diamond looks very clean for an I1. I know what many of you will say, if it''s sounds too good to be true it most likely is, but the seller has great feedback and I''ve contacted other buyers with good response.

1. This diamond is so deeply cut that it''s diameter is no greater than that of a well-cut 1.17-1.20 stone.

2. Because it''s so deep, the light return is likely to be terrible.

3. 1.4 ct, H-I, I1 for $2K???? If you sift those facts and apply even a little bit of common sense, I think you''ll come to the right conclusion.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 1/5/2006 3:12:20 AM
Author: Lorelei



No in our opinion Ebay is not a safe place to purchase and we cannot recommend any sellers. We have heard too many horror stories. This H i1 diamond is in all probablility a complete waste of money.

I would disagree with this. Both Signedpieces/Facets and DiamondsbyLaurnen sell on ebay as well and their local shop and I would feel very comfortable recommending either of them..

 

[devientdrow]

I''m sure there are ok sellers like the one mrssalvo pointed out but really do you want to take that big a chance with such an important item?? I don''t know what your salary is but I know that 2k is a LARGE some of money for me and my hubby....TOO large a sum to gamble with. In saying that what drew you to the stone? Was it the size? A color grade of H-I is not bad. The clarity grade is however. I was picky about buying an SI2 without seeing it in person and making sure it was eye clean I would NEVER purchase an I1 or below without seeing it in person first. Are you out there to get the biggest diamond for your budget?? I mean I know everyone is...but believe me when I tell you a GOOD quality stone that sparkles and shines will be more appretiated than a larger sucky quality stone. If your budget is 2k you can still get something nice. Most of my g/f''s have between a .50ct and a 1ct ring anyway. The ladies on here tend to have larger rings then the average person haha. Besides a well cut ring can look larger than it is. My .83 looked like the 1ct''s I saw in Jareds. Is there a link to the ebay stone?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/5/2006 12:47:08 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 1/5/2006 3:12:20 AM
Author: Lorelei



No in our opinion Ebay is not a safe place to purchase and we cannot recommend any sellers. We have heard too many horror stories. This H i1 diamond is in all probablility a complete waste of money.

I would disagree with this. Both Signedpieces/Facets and DiamondsbyLaurnen sell on ebay as well and their local shop and I would feel very comfortable recommending either of them..

Yes I completely agree Mrssalvo, I wasn''t quite thinking clearly, I don''t tend to think of David at DBL and SP''s as the typical Ebay sellers and I too would recommend them and they have an excellent rep. I was thinking of the vendors who sell a 1 carat for $500

and wouldn''t doubt for a moment that David and SP''s sell anything other than top quality diamonds.

 

[Gonzodogg]

Lets forget about the fact that it is on Ebay for a second and focus on the cut of the dimond in question - the question was - will it sparkle? - the answer is NO! Do not buy this diamond.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

HI Everybody!
A heartfelt thanks to Mrssalvo and Lorelei.
In some ways the rats on eBay help us, - and there are quite a few rats
If only because the differences are so obvious when you look closely.
A 98% feedback record which contains 50 withdrwn negatives is a HUGE red flag- as is ANY seller attempting to substitute ANY other report or "certificate" as equivavlent to a GIA report.

Another red flag is sellers who seem to have prices 50% below that of other reasonable sellers.
Now, I don''t know who the seller of the 1.4 ( where''s the last decimal pace???) color diamond is.
I DO know that a 1.40 carat for $2000 is going to be a very poor diamond.