Blue Nile lost my diamond! Your opinions on this one?

[MaximusCruiser]

Forced by Blue Nile to choose an alternative diamond since the original diamond (1.51ct H-color SI2 HCA 1.9) I ordered went missing in transit to Blue Nile!! Months of research to find my perfect diamond had gone down the drain.... and shocked that such things can happen. One for the books... I guess.


Anyways... I am looking at this diamond:

http://www.gia.edu/otmm_wcs_int/proxy-pdf/?ReportNumber=2146777226&url=https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPOC/pocservlet?ReportNumber=2146777226

which is the closest I can find in their database to the cutting proportions that I am looking for with a HCA score of 1.8.

Even though it is an SI1, I still feel that my original diamond of SI2 was more eye clean... sigh. In any case, it is one grade lower in color (I color) and I am also concern with internal graining and the strong white fluorescence.

Blue Fluor. has been well documented online... but I can hardly find any information on White Fluor.... so I did not choose this diamond initially because of the color and the additional risks involved. But BN has came back in the past to state there is no hazy effect and is eye clean, post inspection.

On the bright side, white fluor. is so rare that it makes this diamond truly unique.

I just don't know....

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

 

[kenny]

I'd be worried about strong white fluorescence.

Here's what it looks like in a green diamond, a kind of milky-white opaque look.
I don't think I'd like that in my white diamond, which is supposed to look clear and transparent in sunlight.





Here is where the pics are from:
http://www.fancydiamonds.net/diamond_education/diamond_fluorescence#.UeeW6xbA4qY

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Thanks, Kenny.

Yes... I read that article. Still not too sure how it looks on a I-color diamond but yes... I too have concerns that it will look more opaque instead of the usual bright blue. Some say there is no big difference from blue. Too little information online to make a meaningful comparison. The only thing I had to go with is the inspection results, which states:

It looks like we have received the results of the visual inspection on your diamond. It is eye clean.

"Eye clean" means that an average layperson viewing the diamond face-up from a distance of six to eight inches would not be able to see any inclusions, but it is not a guarantee that no inclusions would ever be visible no matter how closely you scrutinized the diamond. ...

The diamond was also inspected to see if the fluorescence has any effect under normal light conditions. It does not. This diamond will not appear milky or hazy under normal lighting.

They later clarified that "normal lighting condition" means natural direct sunlight.


I feel I am being pushed to a corner here... the ones that Blue Nile offered as replacements do not really cut it for me, clarity wise.

They offered me 3 diamonds H SI2s... two of which have no fluorescence and I have to top up more money. This is silly cause I LOVE fluorescence! Also... none of their SI2s come remotely as eye clean (in the chart at least) as the one I originally ordered.

Not sure if I should take a risk on the white fluorescence. Will not do so under normal circumstances. Sigh.

 

[Christina...]

Have you considered another vendor?

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Have you considered another vendor?

at this time... only blue nile can offer me discounts on the diamonds because of the mistake they made. Will not be wise financialy to switch to another vendor unless I really have no choice.

 

[nowicanseethemoon]

I can't believe your diamond was lost in the stupid mail. How upsetting! I will tell you that you're in the right place to get expert advice on the best diamond available from Blue Nile (unfortunately, that's not me). There's no hope the original will be located?

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Blue Nile told me there is less than 10% chance FedEx will find it. sigh.

anyone has any comments on the 1.54 I color diamond after viewing the GIA cert?

 

[blackprophet]

Man I feel for you. That is terrible.

What are the parameters of the diamond you want and what is your budget? Need to know what you want to know if this is a good choice, or if there can be something better found.

There are many people on here who would be willing to help you search for something. There are some people here who are really good at it as well. And with what happened to you, I know there are lots here who will work extra hard to help you.

Be sure when you post to clearly state BLUE NILE ONLY for anyone who comes in later and doesn't know the background.

I will say this: don't settle. If you look and look and don't find something, might be worth going to a different vendor at that point instead of settling for something you wont love. The happy ending is there, just gotta explore all options. Everything happens for a reason.

 

[Smith1942]

Hi Maximus,

Sorry there isn't an equivalent diamond right now. How much time do you have? BN's inventory is always refreshing, so something closer to your desired specs might come in over the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, here is a link with my engagement ring for you to look at. It's an I colour, Si1. (The title says SI2 but I got that wrong.)

There are only two close-ups, so I'll try to take some more photos for you. Basically, it faces up very white, and then in dim lighting like a restaurant it perhaps doesn't show up as well as an icy-white D but there are warm, coloured flashes of light from it.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hearts-on-fire-0-70-i-color-si2-platinum-engagement-ring.171783/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hearts-on-fire-0-70-i-color-si2-platinum-engagement-ring.171783/[/URL]

 

[AprilBaby]

I'm so sorry about this! I agree, hold out till you are satisfied!

 

[Smith1942]

Here are some better photos of my I-colour ring. Hope this helps you make a decision about I diamonds.

The first photos show the ring sandwiched between my D colour studs. You can see there isn't a huge difference between the five colour grades. I'm very picky and was spoilt early on by a D colour diamond pendant, but actually when I see them lined up like this, most people wouldn't be able to tell much difference.

The ring is an AGS Hearts on Fire 0.70 I Si1, with triple 000 cut, and the studs are 0.56 each, GIA-graded D, 1.3 and 1.8 on the HCA, Si2.

ETA: I apologise for the kitchen roll, but I always seem to get the sharpest shots doing this, and also I couldn't think of any other device to hold the ring and studs face up!

 

[Smith1942]

More. None of the photos were taken with a flash, and all were taken in a shaded sunlit room in the morning.

I hope these help you make a decision as to whether I is an acceptable colour to you. I think that I represents a great value, but you may be able to see some tint. It's odd how they face up really white (or at least mine does) yet in some lights you can definitely see tint. Diamondseeker, a very experienced poster, says that I is where most start seeing some tint, but then if it faces up white, what's the difference.....I think you can see a slight creaminess in these shots, but the majority of people would never notice it. However, you might feel more comfortable sticking with H. Your call, of course!

 

[lovebug1031]

Here are some better photos of my I-colour ring. Hope this helps you make a decision about I diamonds.

The first photos show the ring sandwiched between my D colour studs. You can see there isn't a huge difference between the five colour grades. I'm very picky and was spoilt early on by a D colour diamond pendant, but actually when I see them lined up like this, most people wouldn't be able to tell much difference.

The ring is an AGS Hearts on Fire 0.70 I Si1, with triple 000 cut, and the studs are 0.56 each, GIA-graded D, 1.3 and 1.8 on the HCA, Si2.

ETA: I apologise for the kitchen roll, but I always seem to get the sharpest shots doing this, and also I couldn't think of any other device to hold the ring and studs face up!

I'm not sure it's the I he's worried about, rather the strong white fluor that he's worried about! I may have missed something though.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Have you considered another vendor?

at this time... only blue nile can offer me discounts on the diamonds because of the mistake they made. Will not be wise financialy to switch to another vendor unless I really have no choice.

You always have a choice. What kind of discount is being offered to you? What is to say that another vendor does not have something comparable or even better than your original and can offer a comparable discount?
Were you provided a tracking number for the fed ex package and tracked it yourself to see that it has stopped being scanned? Or is BN just telling you this?

Just trying to understand a bit more.

Edited to Add: Now that I re-read, it looks like BN was having the diamond drop shipped to them and it was lost in transit that way. If this is the case, then they simply were accessing the diamonds from the same database other vendors also have access to. Therefore, BN is not the only one that can give discounts to these stones and this scenario is not one in which they made a "mistake". If it was lost in transit to them, then it was lost in transit to them--how is it their mistake?

I''m sorry, it sounds like another vendor beat them to this stone and they want to make you choose another stone through them (one that is available to other vendors) with the same access to the database. If you are worried about the color and strong I fluorescence then I would not stay trapped with BN, I would see what other vendors have in their own personal inventories.

 

[Smith1942]

Here are some better photos of my I-colour ring. Hope this helps you make a decision about I diamonds.

The first photos show the ring sandwiched between my D colour studs. You can see there isn't a huge difference between the five colour grades. I'm very picky and was spoilt early on by a D colour diamond pendant, but actually when I see them lined up like this, most people wouldn't be able to tell much difference.

The ring is an AGS Hearts on Fire 0.70 I Si1, with triple 000 cut, and the studs are 0.56 each, GIA-graded D, 1.3 and 1.8 on the HCA, Si2.

ETA: I apologise for the kitchen roll, but I always seem to get the sharpest shots doing this, and also I couldn't think of any other device to hold the ring and studs face up!

I'm not sure it's the I he's worried about, rather the strong white fluor that he's worried about! I may have missed something though.

Well, he mentioned above that the diamond was one colour grade lower and that the H diamond with all its particular specs was his dream stone. I think he may not have seen an H or an I in real life so I was just showing him what an I really looks like to help with the process of choosing a new stone. This may help him decide whether to look at I diamonds or not. He did say the H was a dream stone, but I don't think there's much difference between these two colours - not much difference between D and I, really, as you can see above, and that's five grades apart.

 

[Smith1942]

Have you considered another vendor?

at this time... only blue nile can offer me discounts on the diamonds because of the mistake they made. Will not be wise financialy to switch to another vendor unless I really have no choice.

You always have a choice. What kind of discount is being offered to you? What is to say that another vendor does not have something comparable or even better than your original and can offer a comparable discount?
Were you provided a tracking number for the fed ex package and tracked it yourself to see that it has stopped being scanned? Or is BN just telling you this?

Just trying to understand a bit more.

Edited to Add: Now that I re-read, it looks like BN was having the diamond drop shipped to them and it was lost in transit that way. If this is the case, then they simply were accessing the diamonds from the same database other vendors also have access to. Therefore, BN is not the only one that can give discounts to these stones and this scenario is not one in which they made a "mistake". If it was lost in transit to them, then it was lost in transit to them--how is it their mistake?

I''m sorry, it sounds like another vendor beat them to this stone and they want to make you choose another stone through them (one that is available to other vendors) with the same access to the database. If you are worried about the color and strong I fluorescence then I would not stay trapped with BN, I would see what other vendors have in their own personal inventories.

I think this is very good advice and it may well be what happened. It can't hurt to look around, anyway.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Why thank you Smith

Here is another thread for you to read as it speaks to another stone with strong white fluorescence from another vendor. About the same carat weight as yours too. Anyway, the firm had the stone for sale, but a gemologist said that the stone looked cloudy and the firm wound up not recommending it.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/strong-white-fluorescence-how-does-that-affect-the-stone.188485/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/strong-white-fluorescence-how-does-that-affect-the-stone.188485/[/URL]

 

[Smith1942]

Forced by Blue Nile to choose an alternative diamond since the original diamond (1.51ct H-color SI2 HCA 1.9) I ordered went missing in transit to Blue Nile!! Months of research to find my perfect diamond had gone down the drain.... and shocked that such things can happen. One for the books... I guess.


Anyways... I am looking at this diamond:

http://www.gia.edu/otmm_wcs_int/proxy-pdf/?ReportNumber=2146777226&url=https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPOC/pocservlet?ReportNumber=2146777226

which is the closest I can find in their database to the cutting proportions that I am looking for with a HCA score of 1.8.

Even though it is an SI1, I still feel that my original diamond of SI2 was more eye clean... sigh. In any case, it is one grade lower in color (I color) and I am also concern with internal graining and the strong white fluorescence.

Blue Fluor. has been well documented online... but I can hardly find any information on White Fluor.... so I did not choose this diamond initially because of the color and the additional risks involved. But BN has came back in the past to state there is no hazy effect and is eye clean, post inspection.

On the bright side, white fluor. is so rare that it makes this diamond truly unique.

I just don't know....

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

IMO in my blunt opinion:

Strong white fluoro = bad (it pretty much means haze in some lighting)
Buying SI2 from a drop shipper = bad (The cutting house trying to sell you the diamond is telling you whether its eye clean or not not even bluenile)
Prices from bluenile in general = bad (They have exclusivity on the diamonds they list online meaning no other vendor can list them, this protects their price margins, generally they are a little higher than other drop shippers)

So basically if the discount they give you is enough, take the dollar amount you would have spent and choose another diamond, this time don't be so rigid with size color and clarity, (one of them has got to give probably carat wieight, go down to J color or increase budget)

Otherwise get a full refund and start over with a better vendor with in house SI2 stones that can verify the stone is eye clean to your satisfaction.

IMO there is nothing that would give me confidence that a drop shipper like blue nile could ever properly tell you if an SI2 stone is eye clean or not. That is like asking the vendor at the baseball game walking down the stairs with hotdogs whether they are good or not. What do you think the answer will be?

The vendor (the cutting house) is out nothing if his opinion is optimistic, you are out the shipping potentially both ways if you don't agree with their opinion.

I agree with this assessment of white fluoro. However, I can't say that I agree with the other two things, because I've shopped around a lot for diamonds and BN has always had the best price, I've found. There are expensive diamonds in their huge inventory, sure, but when digging around in their inventory I've always found a diamond which is significantly better priced than a stone with exactly the same specs from other vendors. An exception might be James Allen. I got a great price for a diamond from there once, but there have been multiple complaints on this site about their service and settings. To my knowledge, this is the first time anyone on PS has had the experience of BN messing up like this.

I also have experience with BN's Si2 set-up. I wanted to buy a pair of studs and I liked two pairs. One pair was more expensive, being bigger, and they were both Si2. Blue Nile had their supplier check out both pairs, and they came back and said that the expensive pair were not eyeclean and I should buy the cheaper pair. They were really honest. I posted the studs that I ended up getting above and you can see how eyeclean they are. The system worked for me, anyway.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

More. None of the photos were taken with a flash, and all were taken in a shaded sunlit room in the morning.

I hope these help you make a decision as to whether I is an acceptable colour to you. I think that I represents a great value, but you may be able to see some tint. It's odd how they face up really white (or at least mine does) yet in some lights you can definitely see tint. Diamondseeker, a very experienced poster, says that I is where most start seeing some tint, but then if it faces up white, what's the difference.....I think you can see a slight creaminess in these shots, but the majority of people would never notice it. However, you might feel more comfortable sticking with H. Your call, of course!

Many thanks for uploading the pictures. Really appreciate it!

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Forced by Blue Nile to choose an alternative diamond since the original diamond (1.51ct H-color SI2 HCA 1.9) I ordered went missing in transit to Blue Nile!! Months of research to find my perfect diamond had gone down the drain.... and shocked that such things can happen. One for the books... I guess.


Anyways... I am looking at this diamond:

http://www.gia.edu/otmm_wcs_int/proxy-pdf/?ReportNumber=2146777226&url=https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPOC/pocservlet?ReportNumber=2146777226

which is the closest I can find in their database to the cutting proportions that I am looking for with a HCA score of 1.8.

Even though it is an SI1, I still feel that my original diamond of SI2 was more eye clean... sigh. In any case, it is one grade lower in color (I color) and I am also concern with internal graining and the strong white fluorescence.

Blue Fluor. has been well documented online... but I can hardly find any information on White Fluor.... so I did not choose this diamond initially because of the color and the additional risks involved. But BN has came back in the past to state there is no hazy effect and is eye clean, post inspection.

On the bright side, white fluor. is so rare that it makes this diamond truly unique.

I just don't know....

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

IMO in my blunt opinion:

Strong white fluoro = bad (it pretty much means haze in some lighting)
Buying SI2 from a drop shipper = bad (The cutting house trying to sell you the diamond is telling you whether its eye clean or not not even bluenile)
Prices from bluenile in general = bad (They have exclusivity on the diamonds they list online meaning no other vendor can list them, this protects their price margins, generally they are a little higher than other drop shippers)

So basically if the discount they give you is enough, take the dollar amount you would have spent and choose another diamond, this time don't be so rigid with size color and clarity, (one of them has got to give probably carat wieight, go down to J color or increase budget)

Otherwise get a full refund and start over with a better vendor with in house SI2 stones that can verify the stone is eye clean to your satisfaction.

IMO there is nothing that would give me confidence that a drop shipper like blue nile could ever properly tell you if an SI2 stone is eye clean or not. That is like asking the vendor at the baseball game walking down the stairs with hotdogs whether they are good or not. What do you think the answer will be?

The vendor (the cutting house) is out nothing if his opinion is optimistic, you are out the shipping potentially both ways if you don't agree with their opinion.

While I appreciate your comments... I feel that you have offered theories with no hard facts to back it up. In fact, I can't find a single complaint (I could be wrong, of course), of people saying that Blue Nile told them their diamond is eye clean but turn out otherwise.

I doubt they got to be the largest online player by screwing their customers this way... and I doubt their suppliers will continue to be their suppliers if they choose to lie to BN.

Yes... if all else being equal, I will gladly buy from an in-house vendor. But the reality is, all else is NOT equal. I did extensive research before I made my order, and like Smith, I compared many websites and found that, at least within my search criteria, BN was the cheapest. And now that they are offering me discounts due to the incident, it will be near impossible for me to get better prices elsewhere... assuming I can find another diamond I like, that is.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It may be the cheapest, but I wouldn't personally pay thousands of dollars for something I cannot see. All excellent cut stones are not equal, and I would never buy below VS clarity blind, either, and especially not SI2. I think the white fluorscence sounds interesting, though, so if you don't mind having a stone or two sent back and forth, it would be interesting to look at it.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Have you considered another vendor?

at this time... only blue nile can offer me discounts on the diamonds because of the mistake they made. Will not be wise financialy to switch to another vendor unless I really have no choice.

You always have a choice. What kind of discount is being offered to you? What is to say that another vendor does not have something comparable or even better than your original and can offer a comparable discount?
Were you provided a tracking number for the fed ex package and tracked it yourself to see that it has stopped being scanned? Or is BN just telling you this?

Just trying to understand a bit more.

Edited to Add: Now that I re-read, it looks like BN was having the diamond drop shipped to them and it was lost in transit that way. If this is the case, then they simply were accessing the diamonds from the same database other vendors also have access to. Therefore, BN is not the only one that can give discounts to these stones and this scenario is not one in which they made a "mistake". If it was lost in transit to them, then it was lost in transit to them--how is it their mistake?

I''m sorry, it sounds like another vendor beat them to this stone and they want to make you choose another stone through them (one that is available to other vendors) with the same access to the database. If you are worried about the color and strong I fluorescence then I would not stay trapped with BN, I would see what other vendors have in their own personal inventories.

I think this is very good advice and it may well be what happened. It can't hurt to look around, anyway.

Err... thought it was clear that BN has exclusivity with suppliers? I doubt their business model will work if they have to share database with other vendors.

While I am pissed with them for this screw up... I do not want to bash them up here or create conspiracy theories unnecessarily.

As it stands, I cannot find a single record online of such incidents happening to other people. If what you guys say is true, I CANNOT be the only victim over the years.

In case any of you are interested, my original diamond was priced at about 8.5k. Can't find such a deal on other sites... which is why it hurts so much that they lost my diamond!!

Bottomline, I do not believe switching to another vendor now will help my situation... so thanks for the suggestion, but I need to work with BN to solve my problem. I have about 3 weeks let to search again... but then, this is taking up time that I have reserved in case I need to return the diamond... so even more so now... I need to get this right.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Have you considered another vendor?

at this time... only blue nile can offer me discounts on the diamonds because of the mistake they made. Will not be wise financialy to switch to another vendor unless I really have no choice.

You always have a choice. What kind of discount is being offered to you? What is to say that another vendor does not have something comparable or even better than your original and can offer a comparable discount?
Were you provided a tracking number for the fed ex package and tracked it yourself to see that it has stopped being scanned? Or is BN just telling you this?

Just trying to understand a bit more.

Edited to Add: Now that I re-read, it looks like BN was having the diamond drop shipped to them and it was lost in transit that way. If this is the case, then they simply were accessing the diamonds from the same database other vendors also have access to. Therefore, BN is not the only one that can give discounts to these stones and this scenario is not one in which they made a "mistake". If it was lost in transit to them, then it was lost in transit to them--how is it their mistake?

I''m sorry, it sounds like another vendor beat them to this stone and they want to make you choose another stone through them (one that is available to other vendors) with the same access to the database. If you are worried about the color and strong I fluorescence then I would not stay trapped with BN, I would see what other vendors have in their own personal inventories.

Pertaining to your point above... the way I see it... I purchase a diamond and ring from them. Made payment. There was a proper offer and proper acceptance. This is a binding contract in commercial law.

They had the diamond sent to them for setting. On route, the package was stolen. But as far as I am concern, Blue Nile failed to deliver the terms of the contract... where is my ring??

Yes... one can blame FedEx for the mistake. But I don't see it that way (neither does the law). FedEx in this case, is an agent hired by BN to complete one part of the contractual agreement with me. So if FedEx fails, BN fails. Their mistake is to hire FedEx. I will only deal with BN and blame them now for a breach of contract. BN of course can claim whatever losses (cost of diamonds plus customer service recovery) from FedEx. But this is between BN and FedEx... not my concern.

Hope this clarifies the matter.


As far as discounts is concern... BN is simply removing or reducing their profit margin in my case. Unless I have the power to buy wholesale, I will never get wholesale prices like what BN can bargain for. So these will be the closest I can get to wholesale prices... in theory anyway.

 

[nowicanseethemoon]

I totally get where you're coming from. So, here's my suggestion (for whatever THAT'S worth). Post your criteria, and tell us what's most important to you. Also, what discount is BN going to give you (I'm assuming it's a percent) and your budget for the stone? The amazing diamond seekers on PS can then come back with some options for you from BN that while they may not be exactly what your previous diamond was, maybe can get you close (or even better). Does that sound plausible?

I feel horrible that what you've picked is now gone, but maybe it's for a reason and there's something better to be found.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Why thank you Smith

Here is another thread for you to read as it speaks to another stone with strong white fluorescence from another vendor. About the same carat weight as yours too. Anyway, the firm had the stone for sale, but a gemologist said that the stone looked cloudy and the firm wound up not recommending it.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/strong-white-fluorescence-how-does-that-affect-the-stone.188485/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/strong-white-fluorescence-how-does-that-affect-the-stone.188485/[/URL]

I read this thread as well. I think the key difference for this is... the vendor came back and told him the diamond appears cloudy and do not recommend it. Whilst the one I am currently considering... I was told it was eye clean and has no negative effects of fluorescence. Still a risk, of course, but it would appear to me to be lesser risk than the other diamond.

I am asking BN to double check again (if the fluorescence and internal graining is effecting its look and brilliance) and also help look for more alternatives. The process is just so tiring.... especially when I thought it was over a week ago.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Have you considered another vendor?

at this time... only blue nile can offer me discounts on the diamonds because of the mistake they made. Will not be wise financialy to switch to another vendor unless I really have no choice.

You always have a choice. What kind of discount is being offered to you? What is to say that another vendor does not have something comparable or even better than your original and can offer a comparable discount?
Were you provided a tracking number for the fed ex package and tracked it yourself to see that it has stopped being scanned? Or is BN just telling you this?

Just trying to understand a bit more.

Edited to Add: Now that I re-read, it looks like BN was having the diamond drop shipped to them and it was lost in transit that way. If this is the case, then they simply were accessing the diamonds from the same database other vendors also have access to. Therefore, BN is not the only one that can give discounts to these stones and this scenario is not one in which they made a "mistake". If it was lost in transit to them, then it was lost in transit to them--how is it their mistake?

I''m sorry, it sounds like another vendor beat them to this stone and they want to make you choose another stone through them (one that is available to other vendors) with the same access to the database. If you are worried about the color and strong I fluorescence then I would not stay trapped with BN, I would see what other vendors have in their own personal inventories.

I think this is very good advice and it may well be what happened. It can't hurt to look around, anyway.

Err... thought it was clear that BN has exclusivity with suppliers? I doubt their business model will work if they have to share database with other vendors.

While I am pissed with them for this screw up... I do not want to bash them up here or create conspiracy theories unnecessarily.

As it stands, I cannot find a single record online of such incidents happening to other people. If what you guys say is true, I CANNOT be the only victim over the years.

In case any of you are interested, my original diamond was priced at about 8.5k. Can't find such a deal on other sites... which is why it hurts so much that they lost my diamond!!

Bottomline, I do not believe switching to another vendor now will help my situation... so thanks for the suggestion, but I need to work with BN to solve my problem. I have about 3 weeks let to search again... but then, this is taking up time that I have reserved in case I need to return the diamond... so even more so now... I need to get this right.

Well, for clarity-I was not bashing them. When I read your post above, you lead in with,
Forced by Blue Nile to choose an alternative diamond since the original diamond (1.51ct H-color SI2 HCA 1.9) I ordered went missing in transit to Blue Nile!! Months of research to find my perfect diamond had gone down the drain.... and shocked that such things can happen. One for the books... I guess.


I simply interpreted that to mean that you were open to possibly looking at other vendors and wanted comments on this fluorescence issue prior to feeling locked into getting it. I was not aware of exclusivity arrangements that blue nile has and never intended to start or engage in any conspiracy theories. Just possibly provide you with assurance that you may not have to necessarily deal with blue nile. You never know the full extent that someone else has in stock (may be working on putting on their website, etc.) or may be expecting in shortly that could meet your criteria. Clearly, you want to see this through with blue nile, and that's cool!

 

[MaximusCruiser]

I totally get where you're coming from. So, here's my suggestion (for whatever THAT'S worth). Post your criteria, and tell us what's most important to you. Also, what discount is BN going to give you (I'm assuming it's a percent) and your budget for the stone? The amazing diamond seekers on PS can then come back with some options for you from BN that while they may not be exactly what your previous diamond was, maybe can get you close (or even better). Does that sound plausible?

I feel horrible that what you've picked is now gone, but maybe it's for a reason and there's something better to be found.

Thanks for the suggestion. BN is not offering me a percentage discount. I think for each diamond, they have different margins depending on who is the supplier. So for example, they suggested 3 diamonds, all H-color SI2 with excellent cut & HCA scores. All three have different prices online and they just told me the best price they can do for me for each of them. It was better than the initial pathetic offer of $200 off.

As for my criteria... well.... they are pretty numerous...it will go something like this, in order of importance:

Cut: Excellent
HCA score of under 2
Carat: 1.5 or higher
Dimensions: around 7.4mm radius (thin to medium girdle)
Fluorescence: Faint to Very Strong (I want it! Just not the hazy look)
Color: G to I
Clarity: VS2 to SI2 (would not have considered SI2, unless it was really eye clean like my original diamond)
Table size: 52.4-57.5%

My original diamond met all of the above criteria (1.51ct H-color SI2 (eye clean) HCA 1.9, 7.405mm, medium girdle, VSBF with no hazy effect) and was priced at about 8.5k. Don't need any discount... this price was hard to beat cause it has all the qualities that I love (e.g. VSBF), but not necessarily loved by others! Which is why it hurts so much!!

 

[blackprophet]

Does Blue Nile have exclusivity? If they do, its not all of their diamonds because the diamond I bought was listed on their site after I bought it. And I didn't buy it from them.

At any rate, I found these. I think they might be better than the one they are suggesting if they are eye clean.

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03443439 (Very strong blue!)

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03436855|track=rec (Strong Blue, nice dimensions, but prob not eye clean)

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03446994 (with discount this might work)

ETA: we posted at almost the same time. I'll see if I can find anything else. Check these out though.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Err... thought it was clear that BN has exclusivity with suppliers? I doubt their business model will work if they have to share database with other vendors.

While I am pissed with them for this screw up... I do not want to bash them up here or create conspiracy theories unnecessarily.

As it stands, I cannot find a single record online of such incidents happening to other people. If what you guys say is true, I CANNOT be the only victim over the years.

In case any of you are interested, my original diamond was priced at about 8.5k. Can't find such a deal on other sites... which is why it hurts so much that they lost my diamond!!

They do not have exclusivity with suppliers as they haven't purchased the stone yet it still virtual not in house. Their agreement is if they list on their site they do not allow another supplier to list their stones with any other online vendor, but it doesn't mean you can't have access to the same stone from another vendor if you call and ask.

My wife's stone I found on Bluenile sent the GIA report number to ERD and WF, had ERD call it in for me and send to my appraiser to look at. ERD and WF were $800(~8%) cheaper on a 10k stone than bluenile.

I know bluenile is far from the cheapest, the cheapest ones when I was looking were Abazias and B2C. But I'd prefer a little more service like pictures and ASET such as JamesAllen or ERD offers.

See if I had to choose something maybe this option would work, cut is really safe proportions, same color.

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-...aRD#certViewer_cert_pid=LD03475339|cert_num=1

You just have to have it carefully checked out and make sure the twinning wisps (needles) are eye clean and the feathers don't present a durability problem. Great thing about TW and feathers is they are often eye clean and clear and the feathers are on the pavilion so if checked most setting protect that part and will not be a durability risk.

$8500 is stretching it for a 1.5 I SI2 from any vendor I am afraid but maybe than can give you this one for close to your budget.

Yes... it is a stretch and I managed to get a H-color for the same money last week!!.... well... almost.

Anyways... thanks for the suggestion but the link does not seem to be working.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Does Blue Nile have exclusivity? If they do, its not all of their diamonds because the diamond I bought was listed on their site after I bought it. And I didn't buy it from them.

At any rate, I found these. I think they might be better than the one they are suggesting if they are eye clean.

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03443439 (Very strong blue!)

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03436855|track=rec (Strong Blue, nice dimensions, but prob not eye clean)

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03446994 (with discount this might work)

ETA: we posted at almost the same time. I'll see if I can find anything else. Check these out though.

Many thanks for the suggestions!


Btw... BN offered this to me for about the same money:

http://www.bluenile.com/sg/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-h-colour-si2-clarity_LD02467632

Only a faint fluorescence. But I have requested for them to inspect if it is eye clean. FYI.