.90 G SI1 round - is this a good buy?

[purplelife]

Hi all,

This is my first post on here. Over the past year I''ve done quite a bit of casual reading on diamonds but I just started looking seriously for a center stone for an engagement ring. I feel like I have a good basic understanding of the 4 C''s but not other things like depth/table, symmetry, etc. Yesterday was my second day at the jewelry store that I will likely buy at (very reputable local store from everything I''ve heard). I had no intentions of buying a diamond (just went to look seriously at settings) so I hadn''t brushed up on diamond education.

Long story short, I ended up being shown a GIA certified G color SI1 .90 round stone with excellent cut. This store is well known and has equipment such as a microscope and this other device that creates a shadow of the stone to confirm its cut. The price was $3599 plus sales tax. The sales person was very nice and not pushy like some other stores I''ve gone to (this stone was actually a bit below my budget) and allowed me to place a refundable deposit. The stone looked gorgeous, especially compared to a couple others he showed me (e.g., an I1 clarity). Does excellent cut mean that the table, depth, etc. is acceptable?

What do you all think? I''d greatly appreciate any thoughts on the price of this stone. I placed the deposit because it was so beautiful and the price seemed comparable to other G SI1 .9 diamonds on websites like bluenile, etc. Thank you very much!

 

[Jeanne61]

Hi - I''m a semi newbie myself.

I know the experts here will be able to give you some great advice (like they did for me

) but will want to see the numbers on the GIA cert first. Can you pls post the depth, table, crown angle, pavilion angle, etc. , or scan in a pic of the diamond image with all the numbers?

 

[purplelife]

Thanks Jeanne. I was shown this info on the certificate (which I will get when pay the balance). Unfortunately I don''t have it now. I am kicking myself for not writing it down. I''m going to try calling the store to see if they will give it to me over the phone.

 

[LegacyGirl]

I just went and searched that size color and clarity options and it seems like prices here are about $200 less which isn''t bad. Can you call the store and get the measurements on the diamond? that would be more helpful in making a decision.

 

[Jeanne61]

Date: 2/24/2008 10:57:20 AM
Author: purplelife
Thanks Jeanne. I was shown this info on the certificate (which I will get when pay the balance). Unfortunately I don''t have it now. I am kicking myself for not writing it down. I''m going to try calling the store to see if they will give it to me over the phone.

Yes - try that!

. I think all this info is avail on the cert, and would give the experts a really good set of info to work with for you:

Total Depth
Pavilion Depth
Table
Dimensions (to check if it''s off-round)
Crown Angle
Pavilion Angle
Star
Lower Girdle %
Fluorescence
Polish
SGirdle
Culet
Symmetry

Or, can they email you a scan of the cert? if so, you can just attach the image of the diamond with all the numbers around it.

BTW - congratulations on your engagement and welcome to the fun!

 

[Jeanne61]

Oops - that should be ''girdle'' not ''Sgirdle'' - sorry...

 

[purplelife]

Thanks again. I called and then realized I completely forgot they are closed Sun. and Mon. They are holding my deposit until Tuesday. I''m going to call Tuesday morning to get the info before I decide whether to go ahead and pay the balance.

As I said in my previous posts, this store is very reputable based on my research. Also, I was pleasantly surprised that they did not push me to go over my total ring budget ($5000). In fact, this diamond plus some of the settings I am considering came in well under that. He also explained the 4 C''s very well and accurately based on everything I had read, and emphasized the importance of cut. He explained how some places take advantage of the fact that people want a full carat (or 1.5 etc) and offer poorly cut diamonds.

 

[bee*]

If you can get the depth,table, crown angle and pavilion angle, you will be able to tell a lot more about the cut and then you could compare it to the ones online here.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome PurpleLife!

Just chiming in, as Jeanne says, we need please:

table %
depth %
crown angle%
pavillion angle%
girdle thickness
Polish and symmetry ( should be excellent for both in this case anyway)

Also find out if the diamond has fluorescence, and how much - negligible, faint, med blue, strong blue etc and that the fluorescence is blue ( rare but not unheard of for other colours.)


An Idealscope image if you can get one is often useful to post here too. Also an Excellent cut grade may mean this is a very well cut diamond, but the criteria to be given this cut grade can be broad, so we need the info above to be able to tell if this diamond will be a superb performer. But as you have seen this diamond and are very interested in it, that is a huge advantage, see if you can also check it out away from the store lights if possible, to see how the diamond looks in ordinary light.