.72 for $2500?

[AlfaRomeo]

Is this a good deal? Feel free to say NO since I haven''t bought it yet.

A friend of mine is a watch dealer and from time to time he acquires diamonds. He''s not exactly trying to make money selling them...this one is set in a 6-point white gold ring.

Round brilliant
.72 carat
Measurement: 5.72-5.75 x 2.58
Clarity: SI1
Color: F
Flourescence: None
Finish
Polish & Symmetry: Very Good
Proportions: Very Good
Table diamater: 60%
Crown height: 15%
Pavilion depth: 44.5%
Girdle thickness: Thin to medium
Culet size: Medium
Laserscribe on girdle

Used, certified on Jan 19 2005

IGI certificate

Original price: SGD $8890 (USD $5676). Selling to me for: SGD $4000 (USD $2554)

How is the cut? Overall, is this a good price? It''s for me to propose to my girlfriend and I know she''s most concerened with size of the diamond.... Thanks.

 

[Giangi]

It does seem to be a steep/deep stone. I suspect there would be serious leakage under the table. The data you posted suggests an IGI Antwerp report, so I would expect it to be pretty much dead on.
For comparison''s sake, here are a couple of stones matching more or less the specs of the one you posted.
0.74 F/SI2 ...Higher crown angle but coupled with a shallower pavilion
http://www.whiteflash.com/round/Round-cut-diamond-1292134.htm

0.70 F/SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=130&item=896924

 

[AlfaRomeo]

So does what you say suggest that the cut might not be great?

By the way, what is ''culet''?

 

[ladykemma]

well let''s put it this way. i bought a 1.25 carat pear for $2000. not a deal.

 

[AlfaRomeo]

OK. So it's not a great deal...but I just did a search for a 1.25 pear and couldn't find one that cheap....can you point me to a diamond like the one you bought for that price? Sounds good...

 

[ladykemma]

Date: 9/5/2006 5:33:26 AM
Author: AlfaRomeo
OK. So it''s not a great deal...can you point me to a diamond like the one you bought for that price? Sounds good...

i found mine in a pawn shop. i studied and read about diamonds for months. and learned what was good and what was not so good. i saw the stone, left, went back, went back again and the man dropped the price to $2000. it''s the ring in the avatar.

may I recommend the books by antoinette matlin and renee newman. they have pictures of how to know what a high crown is, what a deep pavillion is, all the flaws, and then also what a good stone looks like.

I highly recommend buying "used" and then getting the diamond reset into a fresh setting. do your homework first! jared''s has nice settings.

 

[Giangi]

Yes, I am suggesting it''s not a fabulous cut. Pricing is ok - as you saw you can get something comparable on the internet for roughly the same $$. It''s not an awesome deal considering it''s an "estate" stone.
Pawn shopping can be rewarding at times -- but you have to be knowledgeable and be able to tell the good from the bad and the ugly... You also gotta like that kind of atmosphere if you know what I mean.

 

[AlfaRomeo]

To both of you, thanks for the useful feedback.

As you can tell, I really don''t know anything about diamonds...but I see them like cars. Real fanatics would tell you what brands to get and which to avoid, what type and size of engine, how much horsepower and torque it should have, the best suspension geometry, etc, etc...

But most normal drivers could care less. They would just want one of reasonable quality and price that could perhaps fulfil one or two special needs (enough space for the dog fore example, or something that can drive in the snow).

Aren''t diamonds kind of like that? Maybe you''re suggesting I find a really good Mercedes at a used car lot (pawn shop) but I don''t know enough about cars to determine if it''s a ''good'' one, so being a bit lazy I''ll go with the Toyota for around the same price.

Is this fair or not really? Because in the end, I''m not a diamond freak, I''m a car freak!

 

[Giangi]

Your analogy is partly correct. The fact is that it is quite easy now to get a beautiful diamond at a fair price. These boards are here to help and there is a great tutorial made especially to help people understand what''s important when it comes to diamonds.
I suggest you have a look at the inventories of the PriceScope vendors and see what you can get within your budget. Once you have picked a few candidates, you can have us give a look at them and leave some feedback. Trust me, this is fun!

 

[AlfaRomeo]

OK thanks.

Is something like this better? 1 carat: http://www.jewelryzone.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=1398&diamond=1700596

 

[Giangi]

A 1ct G/SI2 at $2185 is going to have SERIOUS problems. Normally, stones like that are sold for more than double that amout. You can find very nice G/SI ideals at roughly $5000/ct.
From what you have posted, I assume your budget is in the $2-2.5K. Very honestly, a 1ct stone at this price is quite undoable. It would very likely be severely included (more I2 than I1) and probably either not very well cut or tinted..or both.

Here are a few options so that you can get an idea of what''s available in this price point.
0.62 H/VS2 http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/2200/
0.72 H/SI2 http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-2459656.htm
(assuming it''s eyeclean.)

 

[AlfaRomeo]

OK good. This advice now seems to add up a bit better...so ladykemma was either super lucky, patient, informed or just got a good deal and her price for that size of diamond isn''t a realistic benchmark...?

Since I know my gf would prefer a bigger diamond at the sacrifice of some other qualities, is my pick (first post) really so far off? You mention some problems with ''leakage''. Could you please elaborate on this? Do you mean it''s too pointy towards the bottom and this will detract from the sparkle or whatever it''s called? Would a normal (non-diamond expert) even be able to tell the difference? Thanks for your patience....