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***Asscher Conniption! Help***

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starryeyed

Ideal_Rock
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So just before Christmas, I bought the 2.47-carat F IF Asscher from Whiteflash. Here's the thread where I considered the purchase: Asscher Question. Although it didn't get super "kicken" reviews, I thought it might be nice in person, which it is. The Whiteflash folks are great to deal with too and I love the upgrade policy.

However, today I was in a local B&M in Palm Beach, FL and saw a 3.01-carat F VS1 for $33K. The stats are:

Depth: 69.8%
Table: 65%
Crown: 16%
No floro
No culet
7.91 x 8.24 x 5.52 mm (L/W 1.04)
EGL cert

The picture is below. The stone is definitely colorless (comparing pavilions of other GIA colorless stones) and the inclusion is a small needle well off the table, visible only with my loupe. This stone is much spreadier and possibly a little brighter under the table. The windmills are a little thinner, but they are straight with good contrast.

So I'm freaking out. This stone is only several thousand more than what I paid for the WF asscher and it's larger by 0.54 carats. I realize it is a VS1 vs IF, but I can't see a thing in either stone. The L/W ratio in the B&M stone is a little more (1.04 vs. 1.01), but not super noticeable.

What should I do???? Any thoughts on this stone? Is this stone too cheap? Am I missing something? Did I pay too much? eeek!!

ProvAsscher1.jpg
 
starry, I''m not an expert, but I do know with fancies, numbers aren''t everything. You have the luxury of comparing. Which one speaks most to you?

I say, follow your heart, and the one that makes it flutter.
 
Oh gosh, it does get difficult.
If I was comparing them I'd wonder what GIA would give this stone, in order to make an apples to apples comparison.

Would GIA grade it F VS1?
Which EGL graded the stone?

If you are going to be paying the higher price for IF or VS1 I would not be using the logic that you can't see anything in either with the naked eye.
If your threshold is eye-clean then save a bunch of money and stay near VS2.
 
One thing I''d for sure do is see if I could get the price down on the $33,000 stone. But Kenny is right, who knows if that is the correct color and clarity? It should be very hard to see any inclusions with a 10x loupe in a VS1. So it wouldn''t be worth it to me to pay for IF if both stones were equally well cut. That said, I like WF''s trade-in policy and would feel good about that aspect.
 
get it checked by an appraiser if your eyes say the cut is better to see ho the grading is.
otherwise pass on both and look for a better cut asscher somewhere between them.
 
screw better cut...get the bigger one
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Hahaha...I partly kid, but I'm all about a well cut, pretty stone, at a good price...Although I'm very picky, I'm not price-scope picky anymore...
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I'd definitely get it appraised to confirm the stats...and then in my opinion, you can simply get the prettier one or you can look for another...
 
moremoremore, you are sooo funny! I agree that the size is a big deal. That''s part of the reason why I''m freaking out. The IF thing is great, but unnecessary. The B&M stone is a lot bigger, similar cut, same color, just the clarity diff.

Ellen, the size for the price made my heart flutter for sure - hell, I was kinda trembling. Probably worried that I paid too much, but also because I was looking at a 3.01-carat stone for under $35K. The cert was dated 2004 - they said one of the family members of a jewelry store employee bought it and changed her mind. That is why they could give me a great deal. Does this sound suspicious?

Kenny, in my humble opinion, the stone is an F, possibly a VS2, but no less. We compared the pavilions against white paper to other GIA stones and it seemed like a match to the F''s. I guess what gets me is if you do a search for 3-carat asschers F VS2, say, they don''t come close to the price for $33K. The cert is from LA.

Diamondseeker, I''m not sure what you are saying - that I should try to get the 3.01-carat for the same price as the 2.47-carat?

Storm, I understand what you are saying, but I''m not sure I can pass. The 10-day period expired with WF. Brian Gavin did say he would extend the viewing period if I needed it, but like a dummy, I thought it wasn''t necessary. I''m sure they would be gracious, but that''s not guaranteed.

I never thought I would see a stone that had a better value than the WF stone - it''s definitely a pretty one! So is the 3-carat. I have a lot of anxiety for sure!
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forget the numbers and letters and cost etc. Just toss it out the window. When you have two stones to compare in person, use your EYES and move to different light sources and compare them side by side... idealscopes and sarin reports and weights etc. mean NOTHING in the real world. what matters is which one LOOKS best to YOU! And forget loyalty.... just choose the better stone, period.
 
Date: 12/27/2006 8:15:52 PM
Author: starryeyed
moremoremore, you are sooo funny! I agree that the size is a big deal. That''s part of the reason why I''m freaking out. The IF thing is great, but unnecessary. The B&M stone is a lot bigger, similar cut, same color, just the clarity diff.

Ellen, the size for the price made my heart flutter for sure - hell, I was kinda trembling. Probably worried that I paid too much, but also because I was looking at a 3.01-carat stone for under $35K. The cert was dated 2004 - they said one of the family members of a jewelry store employee bought it and changed her mind. That is why they could give me a great deal. Does this sound suspicious?

Kenny, in my humble opinion, the stone is an F, possibly a VS2, but no less. We compared the pavilions against white paper to other GIA stones and it seemed like a match to the F''s. I guess what gets me is if you do a search for 3-carat asschers F VS2, say, they don''t come close to the price for $33K. The cert is from LA.

Diamondseeker, I''m not sure what you are saying - that I should try to get the 3.01-carat for the same price as the 2.47-carat?

Storm, I understand what you are saying, but I''m not sure I can pass. The 10-day period expired with WF. Brian Gavin did say he would extend the viewing period if I needed it, but like a dummy, I thought it wasn''t necessary. I''m sure they would be gracious, but that''s not guaranteed.

I never thought I would see a stone that had a better value than the WF stone - it''s definitely a pretty one! So is the 3-carat. I have a lot of anxiety for sure!
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hehehe - you should find out if you even have an option anymore first before you make yourself crazy!! And what are you doing looking at more stones if you''re sure? silly ;)
 
I would go on the assumption that WF and others will stand by their policy, especially if you posted this and made it public record that they bent the rules for you.
If they did this for you others could hold their feet to the fire and expect the same rule bending.

I think everyone is better off if you discuss such things in private with the vendor.
But you can't unring a bell.

If WF does extend your 10-day period please don't mention it here.
 
CB, I guess I never stop "looking" - how is a girl to develop a collection, after all! Ha-ha! This shop has an enormous selection of diamonds - I could hardly get over the inventory! They have something like 8 GG's on staff full-time. I know that a side-by-side comparison would probably answer my questions.

I guess I needed to go through a thought process about this. Bigger vs. smaller, IF vs VS1, different certs, etc. I know everyone goes through these types of choices, so I was hoping to find a constructive way of thinking about this, so I wasn't suffering "buyer's remorse".

I know WF will always upgrade me and I did do another expanded search and see there are GIA VS "G"'s available in 3-carats for around the same price quoted by the B&M for an EGL "F" VS. That makes me feel calmer - I had a little anxiety. I can honestly say I love the stone I have.

Kenny, I didn't realize I committed a faux pas - thank you for pointing that out. The WF folks have been great and I certainly wouldn't want to do anything to upset the apple cart. I assumed that I was no different than any other customer and that WF is committed to customer satisfaction, more so than being committed to "rules", especially over the holidays. However, I can see your point and feel sufficiently scolded and embarrassed. I'll say no more.
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Gosh, didn't mean to scold.

People have told me I have a very direct, even harsh, way of writing.
I have to be careful.
I don't mean to come across that way; I'm a very gentle person actually.
Sorry.
 
its kewl imho saying that,,, we knew this was a special case going into it.
if you want to move on and return it they should let you cuz they talked you into trying the stone out.
going into this it was said (by me) that there are better cut stones out there and you may have ran into one.
 
Date: 12/28/2006 12:06:33 AM
Author: strmrdr
its kewl imho saying that,,, we knew this was a special case going into it.
if you want to move on and return it they should let you cuz they talked you into trying the stone out.
going into this it was said (by me) that there are better cut stones out there and you may have ran into one.
Hi Storm! Thanks for "sticking up" for me. I just felt so badly last night that I didn't think I'd be able to discuss this further. However, I feel better today and hope you will continue to advise me!

Kenny, no problem. Your words were certainly very direct, but I appreciate the apology. Despite my embarrassment, I appreciated the heads-up and the etiquette opinion.

Brief logistical update - I haven't heard back from WF, although I would imagine my rep could be on vacation.
I did not get back to the shop today - maybe tomorrow. We'll see....However, now, I feel funny about it....
 
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