2 carat for under $10,000- it CAN be done!

[pmpkn42]

I just wanted to share my diamond shopping experience. I learned a TON from you guys and compared online for hours and it was wonderful! Saw a lot of "blah" diamonds, but finally found one I LOVE, and a countless number of people told me it couldn''t be done!

What I found was a 2.01 cushion, very good cut grading, certification, H, VS2, but the BEST part are the dimensions! I''m in LOVE with dimensions! Why? Because I''m getting the size of almost a 3 carat for a 2 carat price! The diamond has wonderful surface area, and I love the subtle warmth of the color. All for under $9,500 and I got to see it in person and it''s the real deal! Just wanted to encourage others that it CAN be done!

 

[Skippy123]

Post pics if you can

 

[Kaleigh]

Looking forward to seeing your pics!!

 

[pmpkn42]

Thanks, the BF has to buy it first and the setting is custom (micropave) so that will take a few weeks. I''m excited, I couldn''t find anything like it anywhere online for the price, so I''m thinking that''s a pretty good sign!

 

[krisvrn]

cant wait for your pics

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/22/2008 10:53:46 PM
Author:pmpkn42
I just wanted to share my diamond shopping experience. I learned a TON from you guys and compared online for hours and it was wonderful! Saw a lot of ''blah'' diamonds, but finally found one I LOVE, and a countless number of people told me it couldn''t be done!

What I found was a 2.01 cushion, very good cut grading, certification, H, VS2, but the BEST part are the dimensions! I''m in LOVE with dimensions! Why? Because I''m getting the size of almost a 3 carat for a 2 carat price! The diamond has wonderful surface area, and I love the subtle warmth of the color. All for under $9,500 and I got to see it in person and it''s the real deal! Just wanted to encourage others that it CAN be done!

from which lab?

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 6/23/2008 1:04:35 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/22/2008 10:53:46 PM
Author:pmpkn42
I just wanted to share my diamond shopping experience. I learned a TON from you guys and compared online for hours and it was wonderful! Saw a lot of ''blah'' diamonds, but finally found one I LOVE, and a countless number of people told me it couldn''t be done!

What I found was a 2.01 cushion, very good cut grading, certification, H, VS2, but the BEST part are the dimensions! I''m in LOVE with dimensions! Why? Because I''m getting the size of almost a 3 carat for a 2 carat price! The diamond has wonderful surface area, and I love the subtle warmth of the color. All for under $9,500 and I got to see it in person and it''s the real deal! Just wanted to encourage others that it CAN be done!

from which lab?

Ditto, while I''m excited for your purchase I just want to make sure you are getting what you think you are. Depending on the lab, some grade softer and the stone may actually be more like a J/SI2...but if it''s GIA or AGS this isn''t an issue. We just are looking out for you since you got such a great deal!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/22/2008 10:53:46 PM
Author:pmpkn42
I just wanted to share my diamond shopping experience. I learned a TON from you guys and compared online for hours and it was wonderful! Saw a lot of ''blah'' diamonds, but finally found one I LOVE, and a countless number of people told me it couldn''t be done!

What I found was a 2.01 cushion, very good cut grading, certification, H, VS2, but the BEST part are the dimensions! I''m in LOVE with dimensions! Why? Because I''m getting the size of almost a 3 carat for a 2 carat price! The diamond has wonderful surface area, and I love the subtle warmth of the color. All for under $9,500 and I got to see it in person and it''s the real deal! Just wanted to encourage others that it CAN be done!

hate to burst your bubble buttt.....that is an impossible combination.

 

[purrfectpear]

Not entirely impossible. My pear is skinnier than the usual. Cut is not graded on skinny or fat in fancies. Per Dave Atlas my cut was still pretty darn good. The stone sparkles like mad. As a 2.06 it faces up larger than most 2.5 at 12.12mm long by 6.67mm wide.

A narrow cushion could face up larger than the average 2 carat stone, maybe not quite like 3 carats though

 

[girlie-girl]

I did a quick search with the specs listed and WF does have a few stones below the $10k mark, as does Abazias. They are all EGL certs however.

Do you have any of the rest of the numbers or info for the stone, like depth/table, dimensions, fluorescence etc? It may help ease people's concerns a tad even though cushions have to be seen to be really appreciated, which is the same for the other fancies as well.

As a side note, the 1ct cushions I saw were dwarfed by the 1ct radiants I was comparing them to, so I don't think they face up larger than other cuts. I can't imagine a 2ct stone would be much different comparatively speaking.

 

[Ziggles]

Pmpkn - share the wealth! I am hoping to aim for, or around, 2cts for my girlfriend but am having a hard time. Share your experience with us if you can.

Thanks.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Congrats on finding a stone you love within your budget!! That''s fantastic! Please post some pics if you can, we would love to see it!

 

[jewelerman]

What I found was a 2.01 cushion, very good cut grading, certification, H, VS2, but the BEST part are the dimensions! I''m in LOVE with dimensions! Why? Because I''m getting the size of almost a 3 carat for a 2 carat price! The diamond has wonderful surface area, and I love the subtle warmth of the color. All for under $9,500 and I got to see it in person and it''s the real deal! Just wanted to encourage others that it CAN be done!

I see a red flag when you say that you can "see the suble warmth of color"in a certified H color.Is the cert from a lab or an in house cert?The grade and size for under $9500 makes me wonder what it is about the stone that makes it such a hot buy...Please post picture and certificate and type of store ect.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

If you love it that is ALL that is important! Can''t wait to see pics!!!!

 

[pmpkn42]

It has EGL USA and sorry, I meant it was closer to the size of a 2.5+ carat. The dimensions are:
8.60*7.08*4.29, no flouresence. Some of the 2.6 carats I've found don't even have those dimensions, and forget about any 2 carats having them, plus it was out of the budget. I don't have the table/depth info on hand. Bottom line is, I liked the stone and it was the nicest I'd seen for the price after looking for 2 days in Los Angeles.

It hasn't been purchased yet, so if there are any red flags then we will keep looking. But I got to compare it against a D SI1 and honestly, loved the H- had WAY more fire and more surface area and they were both the same carat size.

And yes, I KNOW GIA is the best, but you pay for the GIA price, and wanting a 2+ carat stone with a GIA cert would probably be way out of the budget, so I really don't care if the stone is really an I, but it is eye clean and not in the SI range- boyfriend looked at it himself under magnification and said he couldn't see any flaws, where as the other SI's he looked at he said he could see them.

Hey, if anyone can find me a better diamond online, then I'm open to it! Like I said, nothing has been purchased!

 

[pmpkn42]

Here is the setting I''m thinking about:

 

[Ellen]

EGL USA is not bad. They are known for fairly accurate grading, so you may well have found a great stone. If you love it, have an independant appraiser take a look for confirmation it is what it should be (make sale contingent on this, and make sure if you return it, it is for a full refund, NOT store credit). If so, you''re good to go! And I love the setting you''ve picked.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Trust your heart NOT the numbers! After all it is your diamond you will be seeing everyday not the piece of paper

If you love it, buy it and enjoy!!!

 

[Ellen]

Tacori, I''m all for buying what you love, as long as you know what you''re getting, and you''re paying a fair price for that. That way, there are no regrets/surprises down the road.

 

[pmpkn42]

Good to know, yes they have a 15 day full money back policy. How much does an independent appraisal generally cost?

 

[surfgirl]

I'm not really understanding all the encouragement over a 2ct. stone with the spread of a 2.5ct stone, and at the bargain basement price of $9500 to boot.

To me, that's a huge red flag for something being very off with the cut of this stone. Isn't this Pricescope, the place where everyone says "cut is king!"??? I'll be the first one to say your eyes are the best decider but there is too much about this that smells off to me.

pmpkn, if you have not yet bought this stone, please dont buy it until you have an independent appraisal (done by an appraiser that does not buy/sell/trade stones or jewelry) lined up and go there immediately upon taking possession of the stone, so you can know exactly what you are buying, what the grading really is, and what the actual value of the stone is. And it goes without saying that if you take this stone to be appraised you need to be certain, in writing, that the stone is returnable for a full refund, not and exchange only. I'm sorry but the first big red flag to me is that you found any 2ct. genuine diamond that is $9500. The second huge red flag is that a 2ct. has the spread of a 2.5ct. I'd be very cautious with this purchase until it was appraised independently.

You say you looked for two whole days and really, that's not any time at all. I'm thinking you might be jumping the gun when you should be shopping a lot more...Is there some reason you cant take a bit more time with the shopping process?

ETA: You say that you loved the stone in part because it had more "surface area" - it was larger - than other 2cts...that's because the cut is off. Whether or not being off means it is beautiful is another story but typically, this isn't something you'd want to look for. Can you post a photo of this stone?

 

[pmpkn42]

Date: 6/23/2008 9:39:59 PM
Author: surfgirl
I''m not really understanding all the encouragement over a 2ct. stone with the spread of a 2.5ct stone, and at the bargain basement price of $9500 to boot.

To me, that''s a huge red flag for something being very off with the cut of this stone. Isn''t this Pricescope, the place where everyone says ''cut is king!''??? I''ll be the first one to say your eyes are the best decider but there is too much about this that smells off to me.


pmpkn, if you have not yet bought this stone, please dont buy it until you have an independent appraisal (done by an appraiser that does not buy/sell/trade stones or jewelry) lined up and go there immediately upon taking possession of the stone, so you can know exactly what you are buying, what the grading really is, and what the actual value of the stone is. And it goes without saying that if you take this stone to be appraised you need to be certain, in writing, that the stone is returnable for a full refund, not and exchange only. I''m sorry but the first big red flag to me is that you found any 2ct. genuine diamond that is $9500. The second huge red flag is that a 2ct. has the spread of a 2.5ct. I''d be very cautious with this purchase until it was appraised independently.


You say you looked for two whole days and really, that''s not any time at all. I''m thinking you might be jumping the gun when you should be shopping a lot more...Is there some reason you cant take a bit more time with the shopping process?


ETA: You say that you loved the stone in part because it had more ''surface area'' - it was larger - than other 2cts...that''s because the cut is off. Whether or not being off means it is beautiful is another story but typically, this isn''t something you''d want to look for. Can you post a photo of this stone?

I don''t have a photo of it. I meant I looked at stones IN PERSON for two days in LA. I have searched online for probably over 20 hours, and have looked in my city as well at stones in person, this has gone on for over 4 weeks. Sorry, not jumping the gun on anything here! Like I said, NOTHING has been purchased.

The stone looked wonderful, like I said, the nicest I had/have seen so far that was IN the price range.

The cut grade was very good, so the dimensions don''t worry me. I''ve seen many 2 carats that were much smaller in dimensions are looked NASTY. This stone looked nice.

If it''s too good to be true maybe it''s because I''m buying from a place that''s not even open to the public, they only deal in wholesale diamonds, and I was referred by a customer that has known the owner for over 20 years. And this guy buys like $50,000 diamonds- nothing cheap, for his own personal collection for his wife, daughters, sisters, etc, so I doubt he would send me to his personal jeweler if he didn''t trust him with his own 50K!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/23/2008 9:58:11 PM
Author: pmpkn42

If it''s too good to be true maybe it''s because I''m buying from a place that''s not even open to the public, they only deal in wholesale diamonds, and I was referred by a customer that has known the owner for over 20 years. And this guy buys like $50,000 diamonds- nothing cheap, for his own personal collection for his wife, daughters, sisters, etc, so I doubt he would send me to his personal jeweler if he didn''t trust him with his own 50K!

look out baby....another one of those friend of a friend who''s in the wholesale diamond business.

 

[Allison D.]

Date: 6/23/2008 6:28:36 PM
Author: pmpkn42

Bottom line is, I liked the stone and it was the nicest I'd seen for the price after looking for 2 days in Los Angeles.

For me, this was the most important part of your post. YOU liked it, and that's what matters.

While you are in the midst of cut-freaks, it's important to understand what's important to each individual buyer. You've found a stone you love, and that's fantastic.

HOWEVER.....one cautionary statement: Anyone who sells direct to the public is emphatically not a wholesaler. If you are able to buy direct from him and your friend is able to buy stones for his wife from him, he is *not* a wholesaler. I clarify this only because I don't want you to be misled.

 

[iheartscience]

I''m just wondering how you know the cut grade is very good. Did you check the numbers against the AGA Cut Guide for Fancy Shapes? Here''s the link:

http://www.gemappraisers.com/oldcutgraderules.asp

I would be very wary of a 2 carat stone for $9500. If it seems too good to be true, it pretty much always is when it comes to diamonds. You could find a 3 carat diamond for $9500 if you tried. Will it be the most attractive diamond? Nope!

I''m not saying the diamond you like isn''t attractive, but you should realize that there are likely better performing stones out there for the money. Will they be 2 carats? Probably not...but they''ll perform better, and a great cut makes any diamond outshine the others.

If you have your heart set on a cushion, I would suggest contacting Mark T. at EngagementRingsDirect.com. He''s known as the cushion guy around PS, and has a real talent for picking out great cushions. I would see what he can get you for $9500 before you buy this diamond.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/23/2008 7:02:34 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Trust your heart NOT the numbers! After all it is your diamond you will be seeing everyday not the piece of paper

If you love it, buy it and enjoy!!!

Amen, Tacori!

Even if the cut isn''t "perfect" by PS standards, I''m sure it''s still a beautiful stone, and all that matters is that YOU love it. Congratulations, and I hope it brings you much joy!

 

[purrfectpear]

2 carat under $10K not a good stone?

Try a 2.06 under $5K from Whiteflash, eyeballed by Bob Hoskins, with a GIA cert for under $5K

link here

and

here

Not having seen pmpkn42's diamond I can't say whether it's a good buy or not, but I can say it certainly CAN be done. Whiteflash didn't sell a GIA dud.

 

[jewelerman]

I would consider an ESL-USA cert acceptable for clarity and color.So I am thinking that the cut is the thing to consider here.It also just might be one of those rare good deals that come along every once in a great while.Because the stone is returnable and you love it i would consider buying it so it doesnt get purchased and then make sure you post the appraisal for the forum and then get it to a certified appraiser.I would call around your area for a certified appraiser.Some appraisers will give a non-written explaination of the exsisting cert and answer questions about quality of cut ect for a fee,and some will expect you to leave the diamond for a full written appraisal.In my area (western states)a written appraisal is about $100-$150,and a meeting to review current cert and check stone for quality of cut and answer questions could run $35-$50.00...

 

[John P]

Date: 6/23/2008 6:28:36 PM
Author: pmpkn42
It has EGL USA and sorry, I meant it was closer to the size of a 2.5+ carat. The dimensions are:
8.60*7.08*4.29, no flouresence. Some of the 2.6 carats I've found don't even have those dimensions, and forget about any 2 carats having them, plus it was out of the budget. I don't have the table/depth info on hand. Bottom line is, I liked the stone and it was the nicest I'd seen for the price after looking for 2 days in Los Angeles.

No one is going to argue with your eyes but in technical terms let's start with those. The depth in particular.

 

[swingirl]

I don't know how far you've looked but James Allen has about 10 cushions over 2 ct and under $10,000, GIA grading with depth and table measurements, inclusions mapped out and some photos.

Take a look at their website and compare. You may find something better or it may confirm that what you found, you still love.

cushions under $10,000