Amateur buyer needs help

[Hmmph]

Hello,
I''m new to this diamond engagement topic and I want to get my girl a nice stone. Here''s where I need help:

1. The Pricescope search engine and on-line sellers. Are they reputable and reliable? Anyone want to share stories or advice?
2. Diamond sellers in San Diego. Can anyone recommend a good one who''ll be patient and reasonable?
3. Anyone ever here of Bellataire Diamonds in New York? They take real diamonds and process them with heat and pressure to shrink imperfections and improve the color. Their stones have GIA certs and reg numbers, but their website doesn''t have the certificates online. Thoughts? Experiences? Better choices out there?

Cheers to all!

 

[belle]

use the ''pricescope your diamond'' search at the top of the page and select ''cut quality'' to begin. you will find some great diamonds from reputable vendors. i have personally dealt with www.whiteflash.com and can recommend them highly. best of luck to you!

 

[E B]

Welcome to PS!

Like Belle, I''ve worked with Whiteflash as well. They''re very reputable, as are GoodOldGold and James Allen to name a few. After doing a little research, my fiance had no problem buying my diamond online.

Is there anything in particular we can help you find?

 

[Hest88]

1. Well, there are a number of vendors that get good reviews around here. Among them are Whiteflash, Wink Jones (Winfields), Good Old Gold, James Allen, www.diamondexpert.com off the top of my head. There are a number of others that no doubt I''ll think of later, but your best bet is to go to Show Me the Ring or browse here on Rocky Talky and read some of the experiences posted.

2. Sorry, I''m not familiar with SD jewelers, but if you can educate yourself here you can walk into a local jeweler hopefully armed with enough knowledge to separate a good stone from a bad one.

3. Hm. This is a sticky issue. You have to know your gal very well to know whether or not she''d be happy with a Bellataire. I suspect there are many women who would think of a clarity enhanced diamond as flawed and somewhat fake, but if your girlfriend is very practical she might be fine with it.

 

[devientdrow]

If you do a search on my name you can see my posts about James Allen. I had a great expierience with them and I would reccomend them to anyone!! www.jamesallen.com Jim also runs www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com

 

[Rod]

You mentioned this jeweler treats diamonds........"to shrink imperfections and improve the color." Color enhancement is just fine as far as I'm concerned. In fact if you see my thread "Three More Days," you can see a fine example of a Blue Diamond that was treated. But, I'm not aware that imperfections can be shrunk. This jeweler should better explain that to you. Feathers, pinpoints, carbon, etc., are naturally occuring imperfections in diamonds and they determine the clarity, such as SI (slight inclusion) or VS (very slight inclusion) in a stone. I'm not an expert, so maybe I'm wrong, but other than enhancing a stone's color, I'm not sure it's possible to change the inherant imperfections in a stone.

There are reputable dealers on this forum. From the posts I've seen, you can buy with total confidence from these dealers and if you are not happy with your purchase, they offer a good return policy.

Good Luck

 

[Hmmph]

Thanks to everyone for the advice and help, here''s what I''m looking for:

Diamond Specs:
Type: Round Faceted Solitaire
Carat Weight: 0.79 – 0.89 (or larger if there''s a great offer)
Color: F – H
Clarity: SI1 – VS1
Cut (Ideal):
Polish: Very Good to Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Depth %: 60.1-61.9
Table %: 55-57
Girdle: Medium to slightly thick, faceted
Culet: Pointed
Fluorescence: Negligible

I Pricescoped this and found a very nice stone at one of the websites listed. I''d like to broaden my search, but so far only the web has proven to be fairly good at offering deals. I also looked into BlueNile and their prices were noticeably higher.

Cheers!

 

[Hmmph]

Before I forget, here''s the website for Bellataire:

http://www.bellataire.com

There''s an FAQ on the process that they use as well.

Cheers!

 

[JohnQuixote]

Bellataire = General Electric.

GE developed HPHT.

In 1999 GIA began accepting these diamonds for grading (they were involved in research with GE at the time). The Federal Trade Commission requires that HPHT must be disclosed, so GIA notes "HPHT Annealed" or "Artificially Irradiated" on grading reports when it is detected. The diamonds themselves are laser-inscribed with the words "HPHT Processed," "Irradiated," or a specific registered name so there is full disclosure. GE inscribes "GE POL" on Bellataire diamonds.

From GIA: "...by grading them in the lab, we were able to indicate that they were HPHT annealed on their reports (and on the diamonds themselves). Our “greater good” goal was to protect the trade and the public by protecting the integrity of all diamonds..."
http://www.gia.edu/about/1668/21227/president_details.cfm
Full Article / More on GE-processed diamonds

Whether irradiated diamonds should be considered 'treated' is a bit of a controversy: Bellataire maintains that since the GIA does not issue grading reports on treated diamonds theirs don't fall into this category. They generally hold the minority opinion.

Many view such color treatment as an unnatural enhancement, like clarity enhancements (laser drilling & fracture filling).

Whether you are a fan or not - as long as it is disclosed it's up to the buyer to decide if he/she is ok with it, and to enjoy wearing the diamond.

(GIA photo)

 

[portoar]

Personally, I would be upset if I learned I had been given a treated diamond -- in fact, I would reject it outright. I would feel that my partner didn''t care about me enough to choose a quality diamond for me. But that''s just how I would feel. I''ve read many a post from women on this forum who were plenty upset by the transgressions of their well-intentioned partners, and from that I''ve learned that for many women the diamond is a personal and sensitive issue.

Having said that, I dealt with Whiteflash on the purchase of two .5 carat diamonds and was very pleased with the fast, courteous service and the diamonds are beautiful. They were also much less expensive than similar quality diamonds I was viewing in some higher end B&M stores. Many people here will tell you that you can get a very good deal on one of their "Expert Selection" diamonds, which fall just short of being super-ideal. There have been a few Whiteflash detractors on this site, but having thoroughly read through their issues I think most of the complaints are frankly baseless.

I live in SD county, and the only B&M jeweler I used to go to closed up shop and now does only custom work by appointment. Sorry I can''t help there, if there is a fantastic jeweler in SD county I would love to find them.

Best of luck on your diamond search, you''ve come to the right place, the regulars here are a goldmine of knowledge and are helpful to the nth degree! If you give them your budget they will actually help you find your diamond!

 

[E B]

Hmmmph,

Here''s a diamond you might like:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-6747207
($3129 with PS discount)

 

[devientdrow]

I didn''t know what your budget was so for 3k and under here are some from James Allen....all are Ideal cut round brilliants, under 3k and GIA or AGS certified

http://www.jamesallen.com/search_results.asp?cid=131&sbmt=1&shape=BR&cut_grade=0&carat_from=.79&carat_to=1&color=F&color=G&color=H&clarity=VS1&clarity=VS2&clarity=SI1&price_from=100&price_to=3000&x=75&y=28



This just gives you an idea....if you do thier advanced search option you can come up with lots more that would be even larger if your budget is higher......the signature stone I saw from them was to die for if your a sucker for symmetry!

 

[Regular Guy]

Hmmph,

Ebree and Devientdrow mention 2 obvious modestly priced options showing on the search by cut db; costing a bit more, GOG lists 4 others there, all below $4K. Re your question #1, see the link below my signature, and see if this helps any.

Regards,

 

[Hmmph]

Hi All,
Thanks to everyone (again) for the help. Ebree, Devientdrow, and RegularGuy your advice is really helping me and I liked the stones that I saw from Whiteflash and JamesAllen. Okay, I forgot to mention that my budget is roughly 3,500 to 3,750 (4,000 total with the engagement ring and setting). The stone on Whiteflash looks awesome. I''ll give them a call and see if I can visit in person (RegularGuy''s advice).

Portoar, I agree with you. I didn''t feel good about getting a treated stone from Bellataire eventhough I''d be buying it through a friend that happens to be a GE employee and can get a discount.

Okay, I''ll get back to researching.

Cheers to all!