anyone heard of charleston alexander in virginia? and oh yeah, some advice too, please...

[enibas]

boyfriend and i are going tomorrow. i did a first look today...when they asked price range i answered, "however much an 'ideal' G or H VS1 or VS2 .75-.83 woudl cost"...she plunked down a VERY NICE "triple zero" AGS H VS1 .80 for $3600...it's at the TOP of our price range. initially we were going for a G, but i got a litte greedy on size all of a sudden, so i may go for an H...what do you guys think? good decision, or shoudl i stick with an ideal G? and oh yeah, my initial question on charleston alexander -- good prices? it seems so when i look at prices compared to internet...but their setting prices?! WHOO WEE!!! inflated!! i guess that's where they make their money. i called them back this afternoon and they said "we can talk about it"..so we'll see.

my boyfirend's inpatient, so i can definitely see him plunking down the dough tomorrow...i just wanted some advice in case i *can't* convince him to wait...

tahnks, everyone!

 

[Rook]

There is nothing wrong with an H color. Of course it is each person's oppinion. Some like a warm color, some like no color at all. It will be very hard for you to see the difference between a G and a H sitting side by side, and even harder for you to know if a diamond is g or h looking at it in a ring on a finger with no other diamonds around to compare. This is especially true if you compare a good high end H to a not-so good low end G. These would be difficult for trained GG's to determine the color grade. Also it makes a difference if it is set in a gold or white setting. The gold setting is going to drowned the color a little and you will not be able to see the difference in color.

As far as price goes, it is tough to say. "Ideal" can mean a lot of things. You need to get more information to really know. Search this site and the tutorial and it will give you some idea of the information that is needed to evaluate the cut of the diamond and the price. Once you have more info you can search the internet more and post here to see if it is a good price.

Clarity: VS1-2 are good quality for not to high of prices, but you may even be able to find some SI1's that are just as good for you and less expensive. Just make sure, and verify for yourself, that it is a good SI1 and eyeclean. Try to have no inclusions in the table area. Of course this may be harder to find.

Do some research. There are very nice and very acceptable diamonds out there that are not the cream of the crop. Once you pass a certain point in quality you will not be able to recognize the additional quality you are buying. Try to tame your boyfriend. Buying a diamond that has so much meaning should not be done in haste. This is the diamond you are going to have forever, take some time and enjoy the process. It is just as enjoyable finding the diamond as having it.

 

[mrmarius]

My fiancee and I stopped over at Charleston Alexander to look at stones early on in the process. My impression was that their prices were higher than I was willing to pay, especially after doing some research on pricescope, and that their selection was just OK. Their prices did seem a bit better than other B&M stores, though.

I have to say, though, I told the woman who helped us that I wanted a well-cut stone. She brought out a couple stones, and of one in particular she was saying things like, "now THIS stone is the KING of cut! All the other diamonds go running when he shows up!!!" And silly things like that. She was basing that purely on depth and table, nothing else. I had my idealscope with me and took a look, and the stone was OK, but nothing great.

You should give Jim Schultz at dirtcheapdiamonds.com a call. He is up in Frederick. That's where I got my stone and setting and wedding band.