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Bad experience and desparately need advice

lisamarie717

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
2
This is my first post as I have been lurking and reading for months. Based on all of the so very helpful posts I finally decided to buy my new diamond from one of the reputable dealers highly recommended on this site. I was very gun shy to buy a diamond sight unseen because the numbers can only tell you what it should do....seeing it is another story. In talking with a few very nice people there, I was extremely specific about what I wanted. The fact is I am replacing a gorgeous GIA round E VS1 1.23 diamond with something bigger for my second marriage coming up on Oct 8. We are using my current setting with a few minor changes. The setting consists of the engagement ring with center stone and three small rounds on each side. Then I have two bands, one on each side, that each consists of seven rounds...all of them are E/F color. I have been to many local jewelry retailers checking out sizes and color grades and narrowed it down to 1.7 - 2.0. Baesd on all of the helpful advice here, thought I would look at G/H range...but it has to be WHITE. I wanted the best cut possible and something that was just as sparkly and brilliant as my current stone...if not more. After discussing this several times with them, they steered me toward a specific Ideal cut diamond, raved and ranted about it....which led me to buy it. Immediately upon opening it, I saw yellow tint. And boy was it noticeable when you looked at it against my current set. In addition it wasn't nearly as bright as mine and had rather a darkness about it. Just to be on the safe side I took it to a few appraisers and all of them told me that it was more like a J color diamond and was not worth the money I paid. Needless to say I sent it back and now I am even more super nervous about dealing with another online wholesaler. In addition only going by the numbers and someone else's opinion is tough. I was really hoping I could find someone to work with me that I could trust to find me what I wanted. I felt like I was rushed to make the sale and now a few weeks before my wedding, I have no ring...sigh. I also would like to sell mine but I don't want to give it up until I find something I love. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 

denverappraiser

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
9,150
Try being a bit more aggressive at your local jeweler. They CAN be price competitive if they want and it's clear you would prefer to be shopping in-person if they can come close on the price.

This is what the return policy is for at the dealers and don't be shy about using it. If you think the seller misled you, and it sounds like they did, move on to someone else. What lab graded this G => J stone?
 

rubybeth

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
2,568
It sounds like you had a bad experience at a bricks & mortar store, not one of the PS vendors, correct?

Literally thousands of people have purchased from places like Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, Brian Gavin Diamonds, James Allen, etc. and been very satisfied. I would just be very clear with whichever vendor you choose that you are color sensitive and would prefer to stay at an H or above. I'm guessing the diamond you purchased was NOT a GIA or AGS graded stone, so the color you were told it was when buying was not the actual color. You can better trust the AGS and GIA grading standards for color.

Also, if you tell us your rough budget, we can help hunt down some contenders.
 

farmer gal

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
1,063
If you post your budget and what you are looking for there is a lot of helpful people on here that can help you find what you are looking for.
 

lisamarie717

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
2
Unfortunately it was a PS vendor and it was an AGS graded stone.
 

TheDoctor

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
371
AGS is never off the mark, something has gone terribly awry. Talk to the vendor, verify that the cert is indeed matching the stone you have. There may have been a mix-up in their handling/shipping.
 

Karl_K

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
14,634
TheDoctor|1316007498|3017256 said:
AGS is never off the mark, something has gone terribly awry. Talk to the vendor, verify that the cert is indeed matching the stone you have. There may have been a mix-up in their handling/shipping.
While a mix up is very possible over the years there have been 2 cases verified on here where AGS and more than that where GIA was was a lot off on the color grade.
The labs are very good but nothing is fail proof.
I agree the next step is talk to the vendor.
 

Karl_K

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
14,634
double post
 

TheDoctor

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
371
Karl_K|1316008041|3017265 said:
TheDoctor|1316007498|3017256 said:
AGS is never off the mark, something has gone terribly awry. Talk to the vendor, verify that the cert is indeed matching the stone you have. There may have been a mix-up in their handling/shipping.
While a mix up is very possible over the years there have been 2 cases verified on here where AGS and more than that where GIA was was a lot off on the color grade.
The labs are very good but nothing is fail proof.
I agree the next step is talk to the vendor.
GIA is producing certs in India which can be worse than some of the other oft-maligned certs. I haven't run across an AGS cert that was outside of accurate. It has to be an error, or there is a troll somewhere in the mix.
 

centralsquare

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 18, 2009
Messages
2,216
What was the grade of the stone you received? H? If you are used to a E, then perhaps the H looked noticeably tinted?
 

RobertLejman_ISA_GG

Rough_Rock
Trade
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
13
Did the 2 appraisers say that the stone matched the Grading Report? And why can't we know who the vendor is? It would only seem right that we should know, why protect them? Everyone doesn't only want to know the good experiences, we also need to know the not-so-good and how the vendor handled the situation.
 

SB621

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
7,864
While I'm sorry you had a bad experience it doesn't really sound awful. you got a full refund back with no hassle correct? I would personally post your budget and see what the PS community can help you find out there. You shouldn't let one disappointing (not bad) experience ruin it for you.
 

Dreamer_D

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
25,247
Unless the appraisers said the diamond did not match the lab report, I would suspect they were knocking goods bought somewhere else. It is uncommon to see AGS stones so many grades lower than the cert. But it can happen. You might have gotten unlucky.

You also might prefer longer lgf or a 60/60 type of cut, both of which will increase bright white light return and have less "darkness". Some people are surprised by the look of traditional ideal cuts. You migth be one who does not prefer their appearance, which has a lot of contast, particularly at the size you were buying compared to your original.

If you are too nervous to try again with a higher color -- it sounds like you are color sensitive, you tried a lower color and it did not do it for you -- then look for a local store and try to bargain them down a little from their usual markup. Or just try again with an online vendor and stick to colorless stones.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
27,242
Dreamer_D|1316012249|3017326 said:
Unless the appraisers said the diamond did not match the lab report, I would suspect they were knocking goods bought somewhere else. It is uncommon to see AGS stones so many grades lower than the cert. But it can happen. You might have gotten unlucky.

You also might prefer longer lgf or a 60/60 type of cut, both of which will increase bright white light return and have less "darkness". Some people are surprised by the look of traditional ideal cuts. You migth be one who does not prefer their appearance, which has a lot of contast, particularly at the size you were buying compared to your original.

If you are too nervous to try again with a higher color -- it sounds like you are color sensitive, you tried a lower color and it did not do it for you -- then look for a local store and try to bargain them down a little from their usual markup. Or just try again with an online vendor and stick to colorless stones.


That, exactly.

If you can post a picture of your old stone we might find something about the faceting type that would help explain your observations... or wwe might not, and you are simply colour sensitive and accustomed to your high-colour smaller stone, and getting used to some amount of 'darkness' is inevitable as you're going up in size...

Buying from a local store as Neil suggested is a very good idea - you can look at the stone before you buy, and if you don't like what you see there's no refund, shipping hassles. You may find the peace of mind is worth a premium.
 

swingirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
5,667
An H is, of course, going to look yellow compared to an E. That is a large step. I am guessing the "appraisers" you went to were not independent but located in a jewelry store and weren't making an accurate assessment. If you are unhappy with your stone contact the vendor and return it. You probably are going to need to go up in color.
 
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