Big-looking diamond, issues to consider?

[336336]

I''ve always been astounded at the knowledge in this forum, but so far I''ve only done lurking. But now I am searching for some opinions regarding stone size.

I already have some nice-sized white studs, so I have the "quality" white diamond thing down. Now I''m looking at acquiring a diamond just for the fun of having a big-looking bling. I want something big but I''m not prepared to spend tens/hundreds of thousands, not that I have that to spend anyway. This isn''t an engagement ring either, so the quality and retaining of value can be sacrificed a little.

I am considering getting a big-looking white (perhaps slightly yellow-tinted is also fine) diamond. I don''t require high color and clarity. What can I go for? Are I3s really that bad? Are certs still necessary? For example, on USA Certed there are some diamonds that are I3 with no cert but "cheap." Under 4k for a 3.31 carat E I3 for under 5.4k. For those of you who have exposure to these kinds of stones, are they really that bad?

As a consumer, I''m usually exposed to more "conservative" inventory by jewellers, as they too have to be discreet in their purchases. But today I saw a 5.51 round diamond with EGL.. forgot the rest of the specs. The color was white but the clarity was a bit spotty. However, the price was 45K. I found the stone acceptable and very good-looking. I''m looking for these kinds of bargains, though I''m not thinking of spending 45K. Rather, I''m thinking of spending a couple of thousand for a big-looking pear that''s sparkly and white enough whose color can be somewhat whitened by how it''s set.

If they do come with certs, what info should I look, especially in between the lines, you know, the stuff they aren''t saying? I.e. I''ve read on this forum that EGL Israel is a couple of grades off EGL USA, and EGL USA is in turn a grade or two off of GIA.

I would love to hear some of your opinions. Have any of you bought something purely for size bling without minding too much about certs, quality, color, etc? How did it turn out for you?

TIA

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome!

Basically it comes down to cut quality to give you beauty and then if you are looking at lower clarity grades in particular, having a trusted vendor be your eyes to let you know if a diamond is eyeclean or eyecleanish enough to suit you. In larger sizes the chances increase that you will see something in a lower clarity, so bear this in mind too.

I don't think regrettably you will find a great looking pear for your budget of 2 or 3 carats if you only want to spend a couple of thousand on it for that size and with a reliable grading report - or even no grading report come to that....I doubt you could even find a clarity enhanced pear for that either unfortunately.

Clarity - yes I3 are going to be pretty much visibly included and or have durability issues so I would look at SI2 or I1 which are either GIA or AGS graded should budget permit. EGL are considered to be soft on grading compared to GIA or AGS, so if budgetary constraints mean you find an EGL graded diamond which is to your liking, make the sale final on it checking out to your satisfaction with an independant appraiser. I would suggest getting a diamond which has been graded by GIA or AGS preferably rather than going with one which has no report.

Appraiser toolhere.

A would be extremely doubtful that a 3.3ct diamond mentioned above for under 4k is going to be an attractive stone, you do get what you pay for. It isn't worth having an dull lacklustre diamond just because it is big.

Some old cut diamonds are large with lower colour and clarity which are beautiful as a suggestion, you could try -

www.jewelsbyericagrace.com

Sometimes www.goodoldgold.com have diamonds in of lower colour etc which might be suitable, might be worth a try also.

What is your budget exactly - is it a couple of thousand dollars just to clarify?

 

[336336]

Thanks, Lorelei!

Budget-wise 5-6K for the biggest eyecleanish pear diamond possible. It will probably be not huge but it will be big enough to be fun and blingy. That is, if I find something I like at that budget. If not, I can always wait to increase the budget and find something better later on.

Truthfully, I don''t think I''ve seen I1s or I3s... ever, since the jewellers here (Hong Kong) are rather conservative buyers but also have a good sense of market forces and value. Lots of experience and exposure to good stuff, and they really screen the

stuff out.

Even if it''s a 1 point something pear that looks big, I''d be happy. I chose pear because it usually looks bigger and it looks best on me. I''ll go take a look at what GIA has to offer with that criteria!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/26/2009 10:57:48 AM
Author: 336336
Thanks, Lorelei!

Budget-wise 5-6K for the biggest eyecleanish pear diamond possible. It will probably be not huge but it will be big enough to be fun and blingy. That is, if I find something I like at that budget. If not, I can always wait to increase the budget and find something better later on.

Truthfully, I don't think I've seen I1s or I3s... ever, since the jewellers here (Hong Kong) are rather conservative buyers but also have a good sense of market forces and value. Lots of experience and exposure to good stuff, and they really screen the

stuff out.

Even if it's a 1 point something pear that looks big, I'd be happy. I chose pear because it usually looks bigger and it looks best on me. I'll go take a look at what GIA has to offer with that criteria!

Glad to help! As you are in Hong Kong can you buy online from the US?

I found this one from USACerted for a bit under 6k, now it is EGL Israel graded which means J colour and SI clarity as stated might not be accurate and could in fact be lower, as an example K or L colour and SI2 or I1 clarity in reality. Also we have no idea of the cut quality from just the grading report. However as you are looking for a big pear on a budget, it does no harm to ask Martin at USACerted about this diamond, he could call it in to see if it is eyeclean and maybe take some photos of it so we can see what it looks like. I believe there might be a shipping fee involved, you would need to check with him whether this applies and how much etc.

http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=10445611&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

If you mean a 1 carat pear above then that would broaden the options considerably.

Also one of our members bought a lovely L colour pear from www.whiteflash.com a while back so you could contact them and see what they can come up with.

 

[kenny]

It sounds like you are already informed about diamond quality and the labs.
You just want BIG - and know you are going to get a low color low clarity diamond probably without a report, and if it has a report it will be from a soft lab.

Honestly it is too bad that our reliable PS vendors to not stock such diamonds.
Seriously, there is a real legit market for BIG BIG BIG for the bucks.

Low color, low clarity honkers DO exist.
Now the challenge would be determining a fair price and finding a reputable vendor for such goods.

Even if you DO find a 3 carat honker for $6,000 perhaps it really should have gone for only $4,000.
I think you also need a good appraiser, and a vendor with a solid return policy.

Perhaps email one of our PS vendors and let them do the shopping for you.

Good luck.

 

[336336]

Lorelei, yes, Fedex does the work. Quite amazing that we don''t have to leave the house to buy jewels these days!

Kenny, I definitely think there is a market for big, bad stones! I mean, if they can stock Herkimers, why not big bad ones?? I asked my jeweller why don''t they have them, they said they just didn''t want to take the risk and that clients here usually don''t go for lower grades and clarities.

In fact, my local jeweller offered to help me buy stones from any source I have seen, so they can get a dealer''s price on it.

On a side note: Today I went to the Hong Kong Jewellery Exhibition. I saw some fancy color diamonds... I almost had a seizure. They almost look unremarkable for the prices they command. I felt like they were asking me to pay a house for something that looks like a treated quartz stone. I''ve seen some impressive fancy color diamond pieces but these are for the super-rich. It was such a contrast to see how the white diamonds looked much more remarkable than the fancy color stones who are usually tiny and not as intricately cut as the white ones in the same relative price range.