A little much

[Oradev]

I went to Charleston Alexander today. Here''s some prices that I got.

Diamonds (All are round):

1.) H, VS2, Ideal Cut, 1.00 Carat - $5766
2.) G, SI2, Signature Cut, 1.01 - $5626
3.) G, VS2, Signature Cut, 1.06 - $8337 (This one is really nice!)

I''m trying to spend around 6500 to 7000 for the diamond. Are these prices really inflated? Should I get a diamond on the internet instead? Will they price match from the net?

Let me know what you guys think I should do.

AJ

 

[Oradev]

Ok,

I went to Quest Jewelers in Virginia to get some more prices.

1.) Ideal Cut, 1.05 Carat, G Color, VS2 - $6409
2.) Ideal Cut, 1.11 Carat, G, VS2 - $6359

I think these prices are far better than Charles Alexander. Should I go with Quest or stick to the big name?

 

[Gonzodogg]

I do not have any personal experience with them but when I began looking for a local jewler in the DC area Quest was HIGHLY reccomended by several people here on PS.

just thought that might help

 

[princessv]

I love Quest. I was just there this weekend actually. What did you think of them?

Quest''s prices are a heck of alot more reasonable.

Also...any reason why you are going with VS2? You could drop down to a nice eye clean SI. I have an SI1 and in the time I''ve had it about 2 months now I''ve been able to see one tiny inclusion just once and it was for a brief brief second. Quest has a really nice definition of ''eye-clean'' which to them is no visible inclusions through a 10x loupe.

Also if you want you could drop down in color to an H or even I, ideal cuts really mask colors well. I have an H and when comparing it to another ideal cut D could just barely see the color difference.

So if you drop down in those two aspects you could get either a bigger diamond or save some $$.

This is JMO.

 

[Oradev]

I wanted the better than average clarity and color which is why he told me to get VS and G. Huan is going to call me when the two above stones are in. When I go to see them, I will ask him about sacrificing clarity or color for size and see what he has to say. All in all, he was very polite and professional. I will almost definitely be buying my diamond from them.

AJ

 

[princessv]

Since they have to order these stones in for you, you could get them to order in a few more with the variations in color/clarity where you can line them up and see them in a side by side comparision with your own eyes.

I am really curious to see what they mean by Ideal Cut as I didn''t buy my actual diamond from them. Do you know what certificates the stones come with or any measurements (crown, pavilion, depth in particular)?

 

[Oradev]

Both stones are GIA Certified.

The 1.11 Carat Stone from above:

Depth %: 61.8
Table %: 55
Dimensions : 6.65x6.69x4.12
Girdle : Thin to Med
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Excellent

The 1.05 Carat Stone from above:

Depth: 61.7
Table: 55
Dimensions: 6.53x6.57x4.04
Girdle: Thin to Med
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent

I hope this is what you mean.

 

[princessv]

I''m no expert by far and I don''t know a ton about rounds but I think GIA doesn''t provide a few percentages needed to run the numbers through the HCA. I''d recommend reading the tutorial here. Maybe one of the experts could chime in here.

Also Quest has a H&A viewer and also an IdealScope (at least I''m pretty sure they have one) which are great tools as well. Most important though is what your eyes tell you. Good luck!

 

[Gonzodogg]

The major details that you are missing are the crown and pavilion angles - call Quest and see if they have Sarin reports on their diamonds so you can get those numbers.

If they do not - if I remember correctly, Quest divides their diamonds up by cut category and as long as you go with an "ideal" or "Sig. ideal" cut you will be very happy.