Above or below Rap

[blueguy]

While I understand that it takes many years of hands-on experience to price using Rap, can anyone give me a rough idea as to how pricing is set using the Rap sheet ?

That is, what characteristics of a stone that I would like to purchase would allow me to try to negotiate a price below Rap.

Also, what characteristics of a stone would qualify it to sell for above Rap?

Is there a trend of a premium on stones within the 1.50 to 1.99 ct range as they climb closer to the 1.99 end?

 

[denverappraiser]

Blueguy,

Welcome to Pricescope. Beyond the 3.5 that are indexed by Rap, here’s a partial list of attributes that will affect the price of diamonds:

Location
Warranty
Payment terms
Financing
Selection
Viewing opportunity
Documentation
Return & Trade up privileges
Origin & mine locale
Provenance (history of ownership)
Education
Grading accuracy
Cut
Brand
Access to certain mountings & craftsmen
Speed of delivery

Obviously, not everyone puts the same value on these things and it's up to you to decide what's important and what isn't. It's the reason that Costco and Tiffany's are both able to keep their customers happy dispite offering similar products through vastly different programs. Yes, the prices tend to rise and the selection tends to drop as they get closer to the breaking points on the Rap charts. A 1.99ct, VS1-F H&A is a very difficult item to find and it's likely to be priced closer to a 2.00 than to a 1.51 despite what the chart says.

Here are some general thoughts on the usefulness of the Rapaport report as a consumer shopping tool.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[PhillipSchmidt]

That list is really first rate Neil