aDiamonDozen
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2007
- Messages
- 2
Hello Pricescopers,
I''m new to this site, so be gentle with your critiques!
j/k
Be brutal. That way I know you''re being hoenst.
So here''s my situation:
Let''s start off with what we''re dealing with:
1.54 carat round
G color, SI1
very good cut (table, 60; Depth 61.9; crown 33.5; pavilion 41.4)
thin to thick girdle
polish: very good
symmetry: excellent
no culet
no fluorescence
GIA cert
notes: some additional clouds not seen
Price tag: $11,500
With eventually setting, $13,800 flat.
Now the backstory:
So I went to the diamond district in LA on Saturday and met with this jeweler who was referred by a reliable friend, who also bought their ring from the guy as well. The jeweler I must say is really nice, and even kept his store open after hours as I waded through traffic on the 5fwy to get to LA.
On Saturday, the stone looked great to me. It was close to what I wanted and within the price range. I was especially pleased that there were no significant inclusions on the main facet; most were on the periphery. I take that back, there was one under the main facet off to the edge, but it took me awhile to find it with the loop and the GIA cert (which made me happier). Most importantly, it looked clean to the eye, and so tentatively on Saturday, I was nearly sold.
On Sunday, though, the bug hit me, "what if I can do better?" Consequently, I scoured the internet and looked at other stones of comparable stats. But then I was like, "well, I can''t really see these so I can''t really compare."
Anyway, not feeling quite satisfied, especially with so much money at stake, I went back to the store on Monday and looked again. This time, I asked to look at it in comparison to an F, VS1, ex/ex/ex. Also, I put it next to an H, VS2, ex/ex/ex. Looking at all three under a natural light box, the F definitely seemed to sparkle a little more, and after letting me eyes settle, I could see the difference in color. Then, I proceeded to pour over the stone I was interested with the loop, and the inclusions on the side seem to stand out more than I remembered. Although, like I said before, it is an area that can be covered. Finally, after looking at the cert, I copied down the specs and went home and plugged them into the HCA cut advisor, and they came out good in each category, but very good in terms of spread, which to me was ok but not what I was looking for.
Ultimately, I know the only way to really verify what I''m getting is to get it appraised. Fortunately, the jeweler is nice and isn''t pushing to get things going until I''m ready.
I just want to hear what other people''s thoughts are based on the specs. I feel like I''ve fallen into the quandry of wanting to keep looking around the corner to see what else is out there. I think if I didn''t plug the numbers into the HCA cut advisor, I would''ve been ok. But after doing so, I was expecting everything to come book at least very good and it just quite wasn''t there.
Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss and knowing too much information can be cost saving but time wasting (i.e. spending hours scrolling through internet databases, reading about all the angles and their effects, etc...)
Now it''s kind of hard to go with my gut feeling because I feel like it''s been tainted.
Please advise.
Thanks,
aDiamondozen.
I''m new to this site, so be gentle with your critiques!
j/k
Be brutal. That way I know you''re being hoenst.
So here''s my situation:
Let''s start off with what we''re dealing with:
1.54 carat round
G color, SI1
very good cut (table, 60; Depth 61.9; crown 33.5; pavilion 41.4)
thin to thick girdle
polish: very good
symmetry: excellent
no culet
no fluorescence
GIA cert
notes: some additional clouds not seen
Price tag: $11,500
With eventually setting, $13,800 flat.
Now the backstory:
So I went to the diamond district in LA on Saturday and met with this jeweler who was referred by a reliable friend, who also bought their ring from the guy as well. The jeweler I must say is really nice, and even kept his store open after hours as I waded through traffic on the 5fwy to get to LA.
On Saturday, the stone looked great to me. It was close to what I wanted and within the price range. I was especially pleased that there were no significant inclusions on the main facet; most were on the periphery. I take that back, there was one under the main facet off to the edge, but it took me awhile to find it with the loop and the GIA cert (which made me happier). Most importantly, it looked clean to the eye, and so tentatively on Saturday, I was nearly sold.
On Sunday, though, the bug hit me, "what if I can do better?" Consequently, I scoured the internet and looked at other stones of comparable stats. But then I was like, "well, I can''t really see these so I can''t really compare."
Anyway, not feeling quite satisfied, especially with so much money at stake, I went back to the store on Monday and looked again. This time, I asked to look at it in comparison to an F, VS1, ex/ex/ex. Also, I put it next to an H, VS2, ex/ex/ex. Looking at all three under a natural light box, the F definitely seemed to sparkle a little more, and after letting me eyes settle, I could see the difference in color. Then, I proceeded to pour over the stone I was interested with the loop, and the inclusions on the side seem to stand out more than I remembered. Although, like I said before, it is an area that can be covered. Finally, after looking at the cert, I copied down the specs and went home and plugged them into the HCA cut advisor, and they came out good in each category, but very good in terms of spread, which to me was ok but not what I was looking for.
Ultimately, I know the only way to really verify what I''m getting is to get it appraised. Fortunately, the jeweler is nice and isn''t pushing to get things going until I''m ready.
I just want to hear what other people''s thoughts are based on the specs. I feel like I''ve fallen into the quandry of wanting to keep looking around the corner to see what else is out there. I think if I didn''t plug the numbers into the HCA cut advisor, I would''ve been ok. But after doing so, I was expecting everything to come book at least very good and it just quite wasn''t there.
Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss and knowing too much information can be cost saving but time wasting (i.e. spending hours scrolling through internet databases, reading about all the angles and their effects, etc...)
Now it''s kind of hard to go with my gut feeling because I feel like it''s been tainted.
Please advise.
Thanks,
aDiamondozen.
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