9 listings for same exact diamond I want on pricescope search?

[Greg G]

I did a search on pricescope to check the price for a diamond I’m very interested in. Imagine my surprise when I found the EXACT diamond I wanted to buy listed nine times! It matched every measurement and I even found a GIA report posted with the same cert number! What makes me crazy is the huge swing in prices ($5701-7363). The highest priced listing still had the link working (I guess when a vender buys the stone the others are supposed to stop listing it - but they didn't) so I went over and the price has been lowered to $7095. This, along with more stone details can be seen at:

http://www.mondera.com/diamonds/product.asp?partno=467349&sourceID=BPVd0yuZ5sA&sourceid=00328749382287295310

Here are the numbers on the stone:


Shape and Cutting Style: Princess

Measurements: 5.87x5.85x4.37 mm
Weight: 1.27 carat

Proportions:

Depth: 74.7 % 4.37mm
Table: 67 %
Girdle: Medium to Slightly thick
Culet: NONE
Crown Angle: 39.0
Crown Height: 11.6%
Pavil Angle: 60.1

Finish:
Polish: EXCELLENT
Symmetry: Good

Clarity Grade: SI1

Color Grade: D
Fluorescence: Faint

BrillianceScope:

White Light Return: High
Colored Light Return: Very High
Scintillation: Very High


How can I judge what a fair price for this diamond is? I really like the stone and the vender I am working with but I want to feel like I got a good price as well. I attached the results of my search below and will put a light scope image in the next post:

 

[Greg G]

Pretty, pretty!

(picture doesn't display with a .jpeg extension - oops!)

 

[Greg G]

Hopefully I have it right this time

 

[Rhino]

Too bad we couldn't see this data from just a GIA Report! It'd save me a heap of money in shipping bills which unfortunately I have to take into account when pricing stones. Princess cuts with LightScope images like that are virtual needles in haystacks. If I didn't have to call in a bunch of stones to find that *one*, matching any price you see on any search engine is not a problem.

I'm glad to have met you face to face Greg. You are a pleasure to do biz with and I especially enjoyed all the laughs we shared.

Rhino

 

[Mara]

When you see multiple listings of a stone...and it's not uncommon at all...it is most likely because that stone is not owned by any of the vendors selling it, rather a wholesaler owns it and the vendors listed all can get the stone for sale if someone is interested. The difference in pricing is what the different vendors would like to sell it for, most consumers do not happen upon Pricescope and run a search to find out that Mondera is selling the same stone as another vendor but for $2500 more. It is only a tool such as Pricescope that will filter the data for you and show you the price jumps.

In this case if you are interested in a stone and 8 other vendors have it, work with the most reputable and cheapest vendor on the list. Or if you have a vendor you WANT to work with and they are on the list for that stone but more expensive than the others...call them and tell them you found this stone but that you want it for X price. If you show them the comparison, they may say yes...the worst they can say is no...then you take your business elsewhere! But chances are if another co is selling the same stone for less...the co you will want to work with will be the one who is willing to price match on an exact same stone and has the info you need to make the final decision (such as the LightScope image you posted...I bet not all the vendors don't have that on their sites!)

BTW if that is the stone you are interested in and Mondera has it for $2k more...definitely do not buy from them..USA CertEd and WhiteFlash have good reps around here ...search on past posts to read more ...and pocket the $2k in savings!!

 

[Greg G]

The stone was purchased by the vender I worked with and is now part of his inventory. I wasn't going to mention the vender to avoid putting them on the spot but since Jonathan (Rhino) posted I'm very happy to say it was him and GoodOldGold.com. I wasn’t sure if I should bring this question to the forum but since you guys have been such a great resource I felt I could ask and get some good advice.

I have no doubts that the effort of testing and selecting the stones should be rewarded. The original search I did on pricescope showed me a ton more diamonds and I’m sure 9 out of 10 of them where not nearly as nice as this one. I also very much enjoyed my visit to GoodOldGold. I live a couple hours away so was fortunate enough to be able to drive out there and test drive a bunch of diamonds he had found.

One of the cool things about shopping with Jonathan is his enthusiasm. He really loves finding these amazing stones! While showing me his prizes he just had to look at them all again for his own pleasure. The joy and pride he has in selecting his beauties was really great to see. He never pressured me or fed me a pile of bull like the B & M folks I’ve worked with (though he technically is B & M as well since he certainly has a very fine store). I can’t tell you how tired I am of jewelers telling me that I can’t possibly make my own decision about cut and that the best I can do is find someone I can trust to tell me what’s good and buy from them. Of course the condescending bastages also believed that they where the only ones I should trust… I have to say I much preferred Jonathan’s approach of saying read my web site, listen to my advice on how to judge for yourself, and make the most informed decision you can. It helps that his shop has all kinds of fun toys to measure the light output and beauty of the diamonds!

While I was there, Jonathan showed me how the diamonds he had selected compared to one with equally promising numbers but was dead looking side by side with the goodies. He let me play with his toys and see for myself which really made me feel empowered. The information he provides on his web site very accurately shows you what you are getting. After spending two hours with him I ended up selecting the same stone I had chosen as my favorite online. While I’m very happy that I spent the 5hrs in the car (darn traffic on the belt parkway…) to get over there and see in person, I could have done just as well from my home. Pretty amazing!

I’m not having doubts about the stone or the person I want to buy it from but I did feel it was important to check the price compared to what pricescope would show. I never expected to find the exact stone there. I was just looking to see if the price was in the ballpark. I guess what I am looking for from the forum members is some understanding why there should be such a range with the highest being 30% more than the lowest. I also want a level of confidence that I’m getting a good value and I have to admit seeing the exact same stone listed for $1000 less by Whiteflash.com kinda freaked me out a bit.

Anyway, if folks can still give me unbiased advice I’d certainly love to hear what you guys think (or PM me if you don’t feel comfortable posting).

Thanks!

-Greg

 

[Rhino]

Hey Greg,

Appreciate the kind words.

What's kinda neat is my price does come in lower than the most expensive on that list, yet of course it is not the cheapest. If we could make the crucial analysis off of table and total depth alone do not think for one moment that you wouldn't get it from me for the cheapest price listed. I appreciate it when a person such as yourself (and many others) appreciates our time and investements in finding and selecting the very finest stones for our clients, and compared to other "stores" offer them at outstanding values.

Interestingly and for the education of all reading there are a ton of diamonds with the same or similar table/total depth measurements that get optical results like this. These are the optical results (or worse) of over 90% of the diamonds listed on any search engine or for that matter anywhere.

 

[Rhino]

This stone (the one Greg currently has secured) represents the needles in the haystack. Many stones have to be tested an analyzed before we find one with optical results like this.

Of note, the table and total depth are very similar to the stone above.

Hope that helps.

Peace,
Rhino

 

[Rhino]

You've just seen a tad of the upcoming teaching which will be on our new princess cut page. Now that the Christmas/Valentines rush is over I hope to have more time to complete that page as well as our page on the minor facets.

All the best,
Rhino

 

[Greg G]

Cool stuff! Shouldn't you have been out buying bread and milk in preperation for the big storm?! I know I stocked up on diet coke (the true esseintial in my book).

-Greg