asscher comparison

[dsy]

first, thanks for all of the great insight i''ve gained over the past week of lurking and obsessively reading posts! hope you don''t mind if i pose some questions of my own...

there seems to be a shortage of asschers around here lately, but today i was finally able to view in person a couple GIA certified asschers that appear (to my inexperienced eye) to have the criteria i read about on this forum incl full windmills and concentric squares, looks a mile deep

. but i''m finding it hard to decide between size vs cost!!

A) 1.29 G VS1 D:68.3% T:63%, THK, no, EX/VG, no, 6.09 x 5.90 x ?oops $7650

B) 1.11 F VS2 D:67.7% T:59% STK-THK, no, EX/VG, no, 5.89 x 5.64 x ? $5600

what do you think of the above specs? does the 2nd one seem disproportionately less expensive? the only thing i can attribute this to is that it''s less of a perfect square. also, the 1st one doesn''t have the laser inscription on it yet. should i be concerned? unfortunately, they couldn''t provide me with pics to show you.

i also found a few online...but don''t know if it''s worth the extra hassle to get a live view of these before buying:

C) 1.23 G VS1, D:68% T:61%, THK, no, EX/EX, no, 5.95 x 5.97 x 4.06

D) 1.25 F VS2 d:68.5% t:63%, M-STK, no, VG/VG, no, 5.97 x 5.94 x 4.07

E) 1.32 G VS1 d:69.7% T:64%, M-THK, no, VG/G, no, 6.04 x 5.98 x 4.17

F) 1.31 H VS1, D:68.6% T:62%, M-STK, very small C, VG/VG, MB F, 5.95 x 5.97 x 4.09

given the choice to purchase from a vendor in your hometown versus one out of state, would you prefer to save maybe $1K in sales tax etc, or buy from one located more conveniently to you for the services like cleaning/inspection?

definitely would appreciate your advice/comments

 

[starryeyed]

Hi dsy and welcome to PS!

As you probably already know, we can tell you very little based on a few specs. It''s important that the stone looks good to you in person.

Do the first 2 stones have certs from the same lab? If not, that could account for the seemingly large difference.

About online vs. the B&M - I think you should get the best diamond you can for your money. I wouldn''t worry about "maintenance" and "service". You can walk into practically any jewelry shop and have them clean your ring or check the prongs. It''s like walking into an eyeglass store to get a screw tightened.

There is a hassle factor when looking for asschers online because pictures aren''t always available. However $1000 is a lot of money. I bought mine from WF and felt they steered me right. Good luck.

 

[strmrdr]

seeing them in person is a huge advantage
If you want to call more in call in C and F
the prices are a couple hundred more than internet without the tax.
good prices for a b&m.

 

[dsy]

Thanks for the feedback!! After a week of pondering I actually decided on getting the diamond listed above as (A)... and was able to get the price down even more. However, today I went back and they showed me a new well-cut asscher (B) with an extra facet/step on it that they just received. I''m now in total confusion about which one I love more. Both are GIA certified, and even the independent appraiser i took them to told me that both were equally well cut..

Here''s the one i wanted first--

(A) 1.29ct G VS1 d68.3% t63%, THK, no, EX/VG, no, 6.09 x 5.90 x 4.03 "square emerald cut" $7200

and then the new one they showed me today..

(B) 1.23ct H VVS2 d68.8% t58%, Medium-VeryThick, no, VG/VG, none 5.98 x 5.89 x 4.05 described as a "cut-cornered square step cut" $6500

The extra facet on (B) looks unique and amazing and I can''t really see the color/size difference face up and the clarity is better. Though the price of (A) isn''t really an issue, the appraiser valued the 1.29 G stone (A) at $2K more than the 1.23 H (B) and I can''t help but to feel like (A) is a better value--i didn''t have much leverage to bargain with them on (B)--and (A) is also bigger...who doesn''t want a bigger diamond right?

Any opinions on this? I already told them this afternoon that I would go with (B) but started having second thoughts this evening.. i can''t seem to make up my mind on which attributes I value more!

I guess the 3rd option is to wait until a slightly bigger G color diamond with 4 steps comes on the market. I''m not in that much of a hurry but based on what i''ve seen, the odds of this happening anytime in 2007 and being able to get my hands on it for a good deal may be slim so i think i should just limit my options to (A) or (B).

 

[strmrdr]

Go with the one that speaks too you more.
Go with your heart.

 

[swingirl]

The size difference between A and B is not significant. Very thick or very thin girdles aren’t as desirable as slightly thin, medium or slightly thick girdles. The difference between 3 step versus 4 step is personal preference. Just like thick or thin windmills.

Asschers can take a while to find but new one’s are always coming into the market. I would keep looking until I found what I like. I have an asscher and shopped for a few months. But by the time I found the one I liked I knew exacly what I wanted and didn’t hesitate buying it. I looked at them in person but really developed a better understanding for what makes a nice one by seeing the photos that internet vendors offer. I had 3 called in, the vendor gave my his opinion and I posted the pictures right here. The comments confirmed my choice.

So be patient if you are not sure. You shouldn’t feel like you have to settle for something because of a lack of inventory. More will come!