Advice received from Jewelry Store

[n5000]

So I visited my local jeweler yesterday and received some advice that didn''t seem in line with what I''ve learned here.

The sales lady (after checking the inventory on hand) told me that under no circumstances should I go below a G color and SI1 clarity. But she didn''t even mention cut grade, which even I know is the most important factor.

I''ve had my heart set on getting as much carat weight as possible with an excellent cut. I''m willing to drop down to I/SI2 to achieve this. From what I understand, with an excellent cut I could go with an I color.

She basically said I would be making a mistake by going this low in color but she never even mentioned cut. Then she showed me an N color and said the I would be close to this. But N is nowhere near I.

So should I go lower in carat and go up in color or is it possible to have a brilliant diamond with excellent cut and I/SI2?

 

[stone-cold11]

First off, what lab graded the stones in her store? EGL are the most common stones carried in B&M and they are looser in color grade.

Also, as you noted, she never mentioned cut.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:00:30 PM
Author:n5000
So I visited my local jeweler yesterday and received some advice that didn't seem in line with what I've learned here.

The sales lady (after checking the inventory on hand) told me that under no circumstances should I go below a G color and SI1 clarity. But she didn't even mention cut grade, which even I know is the most important factor.

I've had my heart set on getting as much carat weight as possible with an excellent cut. I'm willing to drop down to I/SI2 to achieve this. From what I understand, with an excellent cut I could go with an I color.

She basically said I would be making a mistake by going this low in color but she never even mentioned cut. Then she showed me an N color and said the I would be close to this. But N is nowhere near I.

So should I go lower in carat and go up in color or is it possible to have a brilliant diamond with excellent cut and I/SI2?

You can certainly drop to I and SI2 ( GIA or AGS graded for example) - if the cut is good and the diamond eyeclean to your standards then you will have a lovely diamond. Also an I colour will not look like an N ( as I know from personal experience an N will be tinted) so that is also inaccurate information she gave you.

What I would suggest you do is to check out some AGS0 cut grade diamonds of similar colour and size in person, or some Hearts on Fire brand if there is a dealer near you, or GIA I colour of similar size then you can get a better idea, also you might even consider J colour if you can see some to maximise the budget. Also any colour grade will look stunning if the cut of the diamond is excellent, so that really boils down to personal preference as to which colour you ultimately select - it is cut which gives a diamond its beauty.

 

[:)]

The farther down the color alphabet you go, the wider the range of color encompassed by each letter. An N will in no way be anywhere near an I. The cut will determine sparkle.
FWIW, Tiffany even sells I stones, Cartier carries H. Many people prefer stones farther down the alphabet than an I.
How big of a stone were you looking for? If you are looking for a very large stone there will be a bit more color showing in each color grade for size, but some people prefer this - color choice is very personal (as is size, etc)
What shape are you considering? Some shapes tend to show a little bit more color than others.
Go look at GIA/AGS graded stones in the size and color (and shape) you are considering.
Go with your heart.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:21:22 PM
Author:
The farther down the color alphabet you go, the wider the range of color encompassed by each letter. An N will in no way be anywhere near an I. The cut will determine sparkle.
FWIW, Tiffany even sells I stones, Cartier carries H. Many people prefer stones farther down the alphabet than an I.
How big of a stone were you looking for? If you are looking for a very large stone there will be a bit more color showing in each color grade for size, but some people prefer this - color choice is very personal (as is size, etc)
What shape are you considering? Some shapes tend to show a little bit more color than others.
Go look at GIA/AGS graded stones in the size and color (and shape) you are considering.
Go with your heart.

Hi there!!!

 

[justjulia]

Ridiculous.

Go somewhere else.

 

[:)]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:22:51 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 11/16/2008 3:21:22 PM
Author:
The farther down the color alphabet you go, the wider the range of color encompassed by each letter. An N will in no way be anywhere near an I. The cut will determine sparkle.
FWIW, Tiffany even sells I stones, Cartier carries H. Many people prefer stones farther down the alphabet than an I.
How big of a stone were you looking for? If you are looking for a very large stone there will be a bit more color showing in each color grade for size, but some people prefer this - color choice is very personal (as is size, etc)
What shape are you considering? Some shapes tend to show a little bit more color than others.
Go look at GIA/AGS graded stones in the size and color (and shape) you are considering.
Go with your heart.

Hi there!!!

Hi!

I got distracted after starting to post and realized two others had posted while I had stepped away!

 

[denverappraiser]

Allow me to preface this by saying that I even like well cut N’s, and I'm a VERY particular fellow.

Pretty much everyone agrees that gigantic, ideal cut D/IF’s are the hot potato and the problem that prevents everyone from getting one is the price. This starts a personal tradeoff over what you’re willing to give up in order to bring down the price. Your choices are basically a balancing act between clarity, color, cut, size and price. Most people here will advise you to stand firm on the cut and the price is usually set by other things, like your income and your savings, so this puts most of the concentration onto color and clarity. Presumably you've already done this with clarity and this is why you ended up at SI2 and you're trying to get as much weight as possible so this moves us on to color.

The steps on the color scale are very small. Under normal lighting conditions, most people can’t tell the difference between two otherwise identical diamonds that are 4 grades apart. That means an E and an I are going to look remarkably similar in the ‘real world’. Take them out of the setting, clean them and put them on a white piece of paper and 4 grades is pretty easy but even in those conditions a single grade is a problem without both good vision and a fair amount of practice.

Below G is fine. Really. The reason to buy an I is the same as the reason to buy an SI2, it brings down the price while keeping the size where you want it and there is no correct answer to this question. Go shopping, look at a bunch of diamonds and see what attributes are most important to YOU. They aren’t the same for everybody.

Find a different store. She’s pushing an agenda that’s different from yours. You’re trying to end up with a stone that fits YOUR requirements, not hers.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[oldmancoyote]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:00:30 PM
Author:n5000
[snip]The sales lady (after checking the inventory on hand) told me that under no circumstances should I go below a G color and SI1 clarity.[snip]

Under no circumstances should you go and listen to that lady again. Unless she's your (prospective) mother-in-law, in which case you may not want to, but you will.

Absolute advice of that type is absolutely bad. People's colour perception varies, so does visual acuity, not to mention taste/preference. As many others have said, check some H/I/J well-cut diamonds, preferably loose and side by side. Same for clarity - not all SI2 are equal, even though eye-clean SI2s are rarer than SI1s they do exist.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:40:44 PM
Author:
Hi!

I got distracted after starting to post and realized two others had posted while I had stepped away!

Good to see you my dear!

 

[:)]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:48:42 PM
Author: Lorelei

Good to see you my dear!

Danke! And as always lovely to see you too!

 

[FrekeChild]

Just because I was amazed at it, I suggest you look here at Swingirl''s daughter''s Ideal cut, "M" color pendant: Link

 

[WinkHPD]

I was going to reply to this to say what absolute horseradish this lady was dishing you, but it looks like it has been well answered already!

Good job to all of you giving this supplicant the good advice!

Wink

 

[honey22]

Ditto! Arjunajane has a killer K colour stone from GOG and it''s amazing!! She get''s complimented on it all the time and no-one can believe it''s a K. Check out her threads for pics.

If you want to maximise size, it''s find to drop colour, as long as you understand the stone will look warmer (not yellow) rather than the icy white of the top colourless colours. Some actually prefer this look so don''t discount lower colour stones just yet

 

[neatfreak]

Your instincts on this are very right. RUN!

 

[marcy]

Reminds me of my conversation with a sales lady trying to find out the "cut" and she kept telling me the "Shape". I wouldn''t buy a diamond from her.

You can definitely go down in color and clarity sticking with an ideal cut diamond and it will be GORGEOUS.

 

[Kelli]

Here is a picture of my I color diamond. This wasn''t the greatest cut, so I had it recut, but color was NEVER an issue. It actually was graded an H after the recut for some reason, so it must be somewhere on the border of H and I. Here it is as an I, before the recut.

 

[Kelli]

And btw please don''t buy a diamond from this lady. She shouldn''t be selling them at all! You can definitely find some eye clean SI2 diamonds and super white diamonds lower than G. When I get my pendant I''ll be looking for a J or K.

 

[swingirl]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:59:00 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Just because I was amazed at it, I suggest you look here at Swingirl''s daughter''s Ideal cut, ''M'' color pendant: Link

Well, thank you, FrekeChild! And I have worn it to 2 PS GTGs and everyone is amazed because although it is of course warmer than F''s and G''s it is by no means yellow. It''s also an I1. I''ve seem Mara''s J and it''s gorgeous and sparkly. So an I or J shouldn''t be discounted if it gets you the carat size you are hoping for. But it''s all in the cut.

 

[mike35]

I wonder why the lady in the store gave you an extreme example by showing you a N color stone instead of showing you a real I color stone

It would be much helpful for you, right?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/16/2008 3:54:41 PM
Author:

Date: 11/16/2008 3:48:42 PM
Author: Lorelei

Good to see you my dear!

Danke! And as always lovely to see you too!

LOL!!!!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 11/16/2008 8:04:19 PM
Author: honey22
Ditto! Arjunajane has a killer K colour stone from GOG and it's amazing!! She get's complimented on it all the time and no-one can believe it's a K. Check out her threads for pics.

If you want to maximise size, it's find to drop colour, as long as you understand the stone will look warmer (not yellow) rather than the icy white of the top colourless colours. Some actually prefer this look so don't discount lower colour stones just yet

Thankyou sweets!

Everyone has covered it - this lady is a ning-nong, and probably next week she will be selling another person the wrong sized bra

I to N?! *slaps forehead"
Pls find somewhere else to shop, or just make it easy on yourself and choose a recommended vendor from here.

As to your question, yes it is absolutely possible. If you're in a rush, you may want to go Si1, as eye clean SI2's can take a lil longer.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

If that were the case there would be a glut of I (and below) colored stones on the market. Get what you want! Do you want some help looking?

cheers--Sharon

 

[AprilBaby]

Your sales lady sounds very uninformed about her product. Listen to all the good people here and follow your heart.