Advice on stone - is this a good buy?

[MJ0911]

Background: I'm looking for a stone for my engagement ring. For ethical reasons i'd really like it to be second-hand. I'm loking for an oval around 1ct. Good spread, ideally towards the longer end of the length/width ratio.

This stone is from a private seller, selling her mother's ring from the 70's. The ring has a veeeery chunky gold setting, but I'm only interested in the diamond. Being a private seller she only has the insurance valuation, rather than any GIA report or other specs/pics. What she can tell me is:
1 carat
G
SI1
8mm x 5mm (I'm guessing this is just her measurement with a normal tape-measure so not as accurate as a proper report)

Selling for $2500

The only other stone I found that actually had a GIA cert and was H or above and SI2 or above initially looked like a contender (1.02ct), but then from looking at the states seemed like it may well be too deep? (7.54 x 5.19 x 3.85) And it was over $1000 more.

Any opinions? I realise the information is very scant. Unfortunately this is in the U.S. and I'm in the UK so options to return are fairly restricted once I've dealt with extra customs charges etc. Should I wait and continue trying to find something in the UK? I'm not sure how common second-hand ovals are, but I admit I've really struggled!

 

[chrono]

Without GIA paperwork, how do you know if it is really a G SI1? If you have it sent to the lab at a later date and it came back as J I1, would you still consider it a good buy? Is the stone eye clean? How does the cut of the oval look? Bow tie?

 

[MJ0911]

I won't know for sure until I get it appraised myself, but at the same time if I'm looking for a preloved stone I also figure I can't expect to always have access to a GIA cert, especially when the stone is from an individual seller rather than jeweler. The variation in specs, if it turned out to be lower, would only really matter to me if the difference was visible to the naked eye. So if it was not eye clean, or there was a noticeable yellow tint. I wouldn't return it just in principle - if I loved the look of the stone then that would be all that mattered to me. At the same time the lack if any official certification makes me very very wary.

My problem is not being able to see before I buy, and the fact I'm in the uk makes returns v difficult. This seller is offering a 14 day return but it's not much use to me if I've already paid a fortune in shipping and custom. But then ovals are hard to come by and if I restrict my search to the uk then I could be waiting a long time. So once again I'm torn.

I've attached a pic of the stone. To me it looks bright, with a slight bowtie that likely wouldn't bother me. There looks like there's a quite visible inclusion, but I'm not sure if that's what the white dot is. the SI rating makes me think the inclusion might not be what ot looks, and i'm very aware of my complete ignorance in assessing these photos. And the stone looks slightly hazy but I'm not sure if that is the photography/need of a clean since this is not a jewellers. Thoughts?

At this point I feel like I'm on a bit of a wild goose chase (having also been looking for a light peachy pink sapphire that also proved to be nigh on impossible) but I guess that's partly just impatience...!

 

[MJ0911]

Also could there be that much variation in colour/clarity between GIA and a valuation done for insurance purposes? Would be good to know if that's the case, though rather alarming!

 

[kaoms352]

How is it ethical to buy second hand?

 

[MJ0911]

For me it's just because whatever the past, I know if I buy second hand I'm not directly contributing to abuses/environmental degradation in the present. But these things are personal, everyone draws their own line and for me second hand is just a more comfortable option in terms of the issues I worry about. Others might find say a new Canadian diamonds that is fair trade with strict labour and environmental conditions a better option, and it's certainly what I'm considering as a backup plan.