About to Pull the Trigger ... Any Advice for a Novice?

[bond54321]

I've been lurking here for quite some time and doing quite a bit of research so I understand a minimal amount of what I'm looking for in an Emerald Cut Diamond for my soon to be Fiance.... however.... The following is the diamond I have finally chosen and I'm not 100% on it. I am buying from an online retailer (sight unseen) and I know the risks involved. They have a 30 day money back guarantee which I have a feeling I may use once or twice before finding the 'perfect' diamond as Emerald Cuts are very risky cuts sight unseen. That being said, this is the diamond I am purchasing. I know without pictures there is only minimal advice you can give, but I'd like any advice possible as to the possibilities of a good quality diamond here. Attached is the GIA cert.

Again, I know without pictures there is only so much advice one can give, but things regarding like the depth at 68.5% (I know is on the large side). I think I'm willing to take the risk of ordering it at this price and returning it if an independent jeweler doesn't confirm it's a good diamond and my eye test doesn't confirm the same thing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

bond54321

 

[Todd Gray]

I've been lurking here for quite some time and doing quite a bit of research so I understand a minimal amount of what I'm looking for in an Emerald Cut Diamond for my soon to be Fiance.... however.... The following is the diamond I have finally chosen and I'm not 100% on it. I am buying from an online retailer (sight unseen) and I know the risks involved. They have a 30 day money back guarantee which I have a feeling I may use once or twice before finding the 'perfect' diamond as Emerald Cuts are very risky cuts sight unseen. That being said, this is the diamond I am purchasing. I know without pictures there is only minimal advice you can give, but I'd like any advice possible as to the possibilities of a good quality diamond here. Attached is the GIA cert.

Again, I know without pictures there is only so much advice one can give, but things regarding like the depth at 68.5% (I know is on the large side). I think I'm willing to take the risk of ordering it at this price and returning it if an independent jeweler doesn't confirm it's a good diamond and my eye test doesn't confirm the same thing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

bond54321

Hello Bond,

I'm hoping that your reference to having an "independent jeweler" confirm the quality of the diamond is actually intended to refer to an "independent gemologist" because in my experience, most retail jewelers lack the self-control to provide an honest evaluation of a diamond purchased elsewhere when all they are likely to see are lost profits... An independent gemologist is a diamond expert, trained in the field of gemology, who does not work for a diamond dealer, retail store, or profit from the sale of jewelry in any direct manner. As an independent gemologist employed by you to evaluate diamonds on your behalf, they have no other interest other than providing you with an impartial assessment of the diamonds which you bring to them for evaluation.

Bringing a diamond purchased online or even from another brick and mortar establishment into most retail jewelery stores is like buying a brand new Chevy truck and driving it across the street to the Ford dealer and asking "how did I do?"

As far as buying a bunch of diamonds and sending them back and forth until you find the right one, I'd like to point out that many online retailers will send diamonds to an approved list of independent gemologists without your needing to purchase the diamond before having it evaluated... some will, some won't, you'll need to check with the vendors of interest to determine their policy. Naturally the fees involved with having each diamond evaluated are usually paid by the customer and shipping costs may be involved.

 

[bond54321]

Todd Gray,

Thank you for the quick response. Yes, I meant independent gemologist. There are 2 located near me that I found on here that I plan on bringing it to. Any thoughts on the diamond itself? I think I'm going to pull the trigger and worst case scenario it puts me back a couple of weeks if the diamond proves to not be what I'm looking for.

Thank you

bond

 

[starryeyed]

Hi Bond.

You said this is final and you are purchasing it, so I'm not sure where there's much room for advice.

The color and clarity are great. I might be concerned about the "Good" rating for the symmetry.

If you are purchasing it with no pictures or other images, can you ask the Seller to have a gemologist look at the stone for you? Ask about the symmetry and the light return. I'm not an expert, but I'd want to know if the step cuts are bright with good contrast and that there are no dark areas in the stone. I would want to know how the "Good" symmetry rating affects the stone's appearance.

Have you seen this tutorial: https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/emerald-cut-diamond ?

 

[bond54321]

Just pulled the trigger. As soon as I receive the diamond I will bring it to an independent appraiser/gemologist. The jeweler that I will be working with for the setting is located in a different state. After the independent gemologist takes a look at it up here I will also have my Jeweler in another state take a look at it. If all 3 of us agree that it is a good looking diamond, I'm DONE!

Otherwise, I will return it and probably buy my next one from either a local retailer or an online retailer that provides pictures, ASET, Idealscopes, etc. This was just too good of a price, which I'm afraid could result in not a good enough cut and/or stone. No need to be pessimistic, the stone is on the way! Wish me luck!

Thanks

bond

 

[bond54321]

Just received the stone. Having it appraised tomorrow. Was doing a bit more research and found the same EXACT stone, same GIA report, same diamond on another vendors site (reputable and listed on pricescope) that I hadn't seen before. It's almost $700 cheaper at this 2nd vendor! I called the original and they said they'd call me back after looking into it. They called me back and said that the other must have been a mistake, that there is no way they can do anything on the price. I called the second company and they said that the first company had called them and "made a pretty big stink" so they'd rather stay out of it.

I can return to the first vendor but they said the 2nd wouldn't have availability because they own the stone themselves now. For the record, the first (higher priced) vendor was Adiamor.

Lesson Learned! It's not like me to not do overkill on research to find the best price, but I guess I got taken this time around. Hopefully the stone checks out and I'll suck it up, but I almost want to return it out of spite. I will sleep on it and decide what I want to do.

Just thought I'd share.... everyone on here does a ton of research, as had I or so I thought.... Lesson learned...

 

[starryeyed]

Hi again Bond.

You have the stone and have talked a lot about the price, but what do you think of it?? How does it compare to other emerald-cuts you've seen?

 

[tyty333]

I would return it and use the second vendor to help me find a nice new stone. It would be hard to get that pit out of
my stomach knowing that I could have had it for $700 less. So...how does it look?

 

[bond54321]

To my novice eye, I like it! I don't have a magnifying glass though so I haven't really had a chance to look it over. It's 'eye clean' though! After the appraiser takes pictures tomorrow, I'll know more. I'm really tempted to return it knowing I could have gotten it cheaper, but if it checks out, I really haven't seen much of anything else out there with these specs at a reasonable price. I'll think about it more over the next couple of days. I'll let everyone know.

Still really upset.... with myself

 

[starryeyed]

To my novice eye, I like it! I don't have a magnifying glass though so I haven't really had a chance to look it over. It's 'eye clean' though! After the appraiser takes pictures tomorrow, I'll know more. I'm really tempted to return it knowing I could have gotten it cheaper, but if it checks out, I really haven't seen much of anything else out there with these specs at a reasonable price. I'll think about it more over the next couple of days. I'll let everyone know.

Still really upset.... with myself

Ugh. Did you happen to print out the second vendor's page with the lower price?

I guess you have a few options.

1. If you wind up not too attached to the stone, you could always call their bluff. Call and ask for the RMA number and tell them you would love to keep it if they could do something about the price.

2. Briefly looking their site, they seem to tout their manufacturing. Would you use them for the setting? Maybe they can make up the price in the setting.

3. Return it and go with the second vendor.

I'll be anxious to hear what the appraiser says tomorrow.

 

[bond54321]

Yes, I do have screenshots from the other vendors stone and price and gia report. I am going to have it appraised now but I think regardless I will be calling Adiamor back and getting an RMA #. The feeling of getting taken for $670.00 just doesn't sit right and I'd hate to look at my fiance's beautiful ring and think about that each time. I'm just shocked at the tactics Adiamor used after the fact. The only reason I post this is to give an honest feedback of a company that I'm sure some people have looked at in the past. I will let you know how the appraisal goes and subsequent return....

Thanks for the help,

bond

 

[starryeyed]

Yes, I do have screenshots from the other vendors stone and price and gia report. I am going to have it appraised now but I think regardless I will be calling Adiamor back and getting an RMA #. The feeling of getting taken for $670.00 just doesn't sit right and I'd hate to look at my fiance's beautiful ring and think about that each time. I'm just shocked at the tactics Adiamor used after the fact. The only reason I post this is to give an honest feedback of a company that I'm sure some people have looked at in the past. I will let you know how the appraisal goes and subsequent return....

Thanks for the help,

bond

That's true - it would stink to look at your fiance's finger and think about the $670. So, why bother having it appraised?? Aren't you just throwing money away? If you can't cancel the appointment, I hope you can make it really educational for yourself.

Adiamor looks like they are out of LA. Maybe they have higher overhead than the other outfit.

Let us know what you learn.

 

[bond54321]

Diamond checked out.... Adiamor didn't budge and gave me an RMA #.... Appraisal was VERY informative and educational. Just walked in the door and I'm exhausted, I'll post more later after I've slept on it and thought about it some more. The diamond IS nice

 

[starryeyed]

Diamond checked out.... Adiamor didn't budge and gave me an RMA #.... Appraisal was VERY informative and educational. Just walked in the door and I'm exhausted, I'll post more later after I've slept on it and thought about it some more. The diamond IS nice

Hi bond.

Glad to hear the appraisal was informative! Maybe that experience trumps the experience with Adiamor and you'll keep the stone?
That stinks that they didn't budge. Would they do something if you bought a setting from them?
Look forward to hearing more about what you decide.