Blue Nile / Internet Purchase

[DiamondSeeker10]

1. what is everyone''s thought about purchasing a diamond on the internet. Obviously you cannot see the ring before hand, but it does come with a GIA report and i have viewed that. The stone is VS2, does nthis mean no worries in terms of visible inclusions. Stone is ideal cut, and E color.

2. Next, i am choosing between 2 stones at relatively the same price. is there a noticeable size difference between 1.35 carats and 1.43 carats. Additionally, the 1.35 carat is a very good cut, whereas the 1.43 is ideal cut, should this make a difference.

3. last, how much of a differnece in size, to the eye seeing the ring for a first impression is there between a 1 carat and 1.43 carat stone. 1.0 vs. 1.25..

thanks, everyone has been so helpful

 

[*Monique]

I can only answer #1. My fiance bought the diamond online and he got it at a great price. An appraiser confirmed at no charge that it was F color, VS2, 0.83 carat.

I think you can get a great stone online, but do LOTS of research before you buy. This site is extremely helpful.

 

[Mara]

IMO they are huge differences in carat weight once you get past one carat, from a visual perspective. 1c stones look very small to me now that I am used to my 1.23c stone (that looks like a 1.35c in diameter). I see differences between 1 and 1.15, 1.15-1.25, 1.25-1.35 etc. The difference between 1.35 and 1.43 will be somewhat noticeable to the naked eye in my opinion. Just like there is a somewhat noticeable difference between 1.40 and 1.5. But not between 1.45 and 1.50. We were comparing 1.24c ideal cut stone to my stone (which looks like 1.35) and we went..wow that stone looks way bigger! Part of the reason why we got it

Will the average viewer know the actual size? No...only that it looks big. I say this because people see my stone and say...wow its so big, its at least 1.5c right? While other people who have large stones (say 2c+) may ask..its around 1c right? They are both way off!

VS2 should have NO eye visible inclusions. Depending on the lab which graded the stone (BN uses mostly GIA with some AGS I think), there should be no visible inclusions. If its EGL...you may want to get a blowup picture of the stone to be safe.

Also I don't think BN gives you any pictures of the ACTUAL stone. Ask if they can. If not, you may want to work with other vendors who *can*. That will help as part of the visual buying process.

Buying online is safe if you do the research on your vendor and make sure there is a valid return policy. Would also get an independent appraisal when stone arrives to be sure all is well. Good luck!!

 

[rbjd]

If you are concerned about the appearance of the difference in size I would suggest comparing the measurements of the diameter of the stones.

Believe it or not, depending on the CUT, A 1.35 CARAT COULD HAVE A LARGER DIAMETER SPREAD THAN A 1.45. For instance, a 1.35 carat could be over 7.3mm in diameter, and a 1.45 could be under 7.3mm. In such a case, the larger carat diamond will actually look smaller. HOWEVER, a TRULY ideal cut will probably always look better than a diamond that is not ideal cut but has a large diameter spread.

If I were you, I'd pay more attention to CUT than to carat size. If you want the diamond to look a certain size, figure out what kind of a spread you want and look for ideal cuts with that spread. Do your homework first.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Blue Nile is a very reputable online vendor. Their Signature Line diamonds are AGS certed. You can take the numbers off the cert and plug them into the HCA cut analyzer on this site to see how each diamond's cut rates.

My own observations of BN pricing is they are HIGH. You will do much better on price with other Price Scope vendors. You could get A Cut Above, Superb Cert, or Old Gold (GREAT cut) Hearts and Arrows diamond for the same price or lower than BN. Plus, you can view actual pics of the diamonds online, not just stock photos. The Brilliant Scope pics and graphs give you a good idea of how the diamond should look under various lighting conditions.

Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Blue Nile is a very reputable online vendor. Their Signature Line diamonds are AGS certed. You can take the numbers off the cert and plug them into the HCA cut analyzer on this site to see how each diamond's cut rates.

My own observations of BN pricing is they are HIGH. You will do much better on price with other Price Scope vendors. You could get A Cut Above, Superb Cert, or Old Gold (GREAT cut) Hearts and Arrows diamond for the same price or lower than BN. Plus, you can view actual pics of the diamonds online, not just stock photos. The Brilliant Scope pics and graphs give you a good idea of how the diamond should look under various lighting conditions.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Have no clue how this happened! But I got a double post! LOL

 

[pqcollectibles]

Forgot to mention Nice Ice last night. They offer the same info online and some really nice cut diamonds too!