BlueNile Signature?

[Brighter_Suns]

First) Just wanted to say what a great website.......and to the people who participate in this form; you are a big part of what make this a website great! The sad part for me is I only discovered the site after making my purchase, but alas the research I had done elsewhere seemed to have served me well......or by dumb blind luck I think I still managed to find a beautiful diamond. So please help me out I live in a remote area in northern British Columbia and i just receivde my diamond and can''t easly have the diamond appraised by anyone other then the same jeweler that tried to sell me his wares and he lost any credibility when he told he he had never heard of a AGL certificate! I am proposing Dec 9th while in Vancouver (where I booked a romantic waterfront hotel to watch the Carol ships stream by in English Bay) so my window of opportunity to return the ring is ticking away.

I would love a second opinion of this diamond and the price I paid for it.
BlueNile Signature Collection 0.87 carat Ideal AGS0 F colour VS2 clarity, the AGS cert is attached as well - Price $4664US Dimensions: 6.11mm-6.14mmx376mm Table 55.6% Pav. 61.3, 34.6 degrees crown and 40.6 degrees pavilion and .4% cutlet HCA=0.8

I choose a 18k white gold $800 setting that I suspect I could have gotten for less but am pleased with the quality and look of the setting. http://www.bluenile.ca/product_details.asp?oid=5414&filter_id=1 perhaps that works.....
Total cost was $5464 US which translated to $8k CDN landed cost with the 10% exise luxury tax and other governent taxes along with currency exchange (just for interested Canadians.....use the wire option to pay as even a Visa Platinum charged 2.5% over posted exchange rate....So I could have saved 3% on the purchase price ........and a further 2.5% on the conversion....ouch!).

Questions I would love see answered:

1) If the stone was a Hearts and Arrows, would that be entered on the AGS certificate? It was also accompanied by a GCAL certificate of which I can see hearts and arrows but not as clearly as the examples illustrated at this site. So how do I know?

2) With this degree of documentation and being a reparble internet seller should I still have this diamond appraised in Vancouver after I propose? I think it looks stunning..........but I confess I couldn''t possibly tell the difference between a F and G or even a VS2 or eye clean SI1.

3) I started with the intention of buying a Canadian diamond........imagine that a patiotic Canadian ......but along they way learned that to be marketed as a Canaddian diamond not only did it have to be mined here but also cut here......and on top of that there seemed to be about a 10-15% premium. What I would love to know is what if any perceived value there is outside of Canada for such a diamond? I am going to cling to the thought my diamond might have been mined in Canada but was cut in NY and hence could not be ever marketed as a Canadian diamond. To give you a persepective I was being shown ideal cut F colour SI1 canadian diamonds in the .75 to .8 range for between $5000 and $5500 Cdn which if you take out the excise tax and currency is about $3800 to $4250US

Ok I am getting very long winded......but I am hooked....I loved learning about this and the thrill of the pusuit.....I am pretty sure my wife to be will be delighted to learn I enjoy the pursuit of a diamond......because I know now this is not my last! Diamond that is

 

[bookworm21]

Hello, from what I understand, Blue Nile's Signature Ideal diamonds all have the Hearts and Arrows pattern, as long as they are round brilliant cuts. My friend got her engagement ring from there, and the salesperson that her (now) husband spoke too specified that there was the H&A pattern. I also think that if the cut is AGS000, then the diamond should be perfectly symmetrical. If you really want to find out for sure whether it is an H&A, order an Idealscope; unfortunately, that may be the only way you will find out for sure, short of an appraisal.

As for the appraisal, I believe you need to get one if you are planning to have the diamond insured. It's not a bad idea to do so, but it is entirely up to you. I think most would highly recommend getting an appraisal regardless of where you purchased the ring. And don't worry, many people can't tell the differences between one color and clarity grade.

Canadian diamonds also cost more here, but I don't know how much. I believe there is a premium because they are known as "non-conflict" diamonds, meaning these diamonds weren't sold by rebels (or others) to fund wars.

I hope this helps; I know I didn't answer all of your questions, but that's because I don't know the answer.

 

[Hamster]

My fiance and I found that Canadian diamonds were more expensive. He (also being a patriotic Canadian) had originally wanted to get me a Canadian diamond, but when he saw the price differential, he backed off of it. A salesperson told us that they are more expensive because the Canadian gov''t taxes everything that comes out of the mines and that some people "seek out" Canadian diamonds because they can be assured they are conflict free, so people are therefore willing to pay more for them.