Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

BlueNile , Zales, Jamesallen - Help needed

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
A

amirvenkat

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
Messages
9
Hi,

I am planning to buy diamond pendants for my wife. And i dont have any idea of which store to go or online.
Can anyone help me to narrow down to one choice...

1. Which one is best.. online or jewelry store... if online.. can i rely on Bluenile, James allen... are they trustworthy?

2. And what is the difference between IGI and GIA certificates? Most ZALES diamonds are IGI certified. Is it good to buy IGI diamonds?

3. Also, for 4C''s... shoud i always go with DEF Color, (IF,VVS1 Clarity) or can i compromise on them and look for high cut?

Kindly help me to get the best choice. Any other additional suggestions, welcome.

Thanks
--venkat
 
Online is safe if you go with the established companies like JA, BN.

IGI is considered second tier lab, their grading is somewhat looser in color and clarity and is therefore discounted by vendors.

Color and clarity is dependent on your personal taste, a sweet spot will be at G/H VS level. Most stones at that level should be indistinguishable to D/E/F IF/VSS stone especially in ideal cut stone. Cut is king in diamond, get the best cut you can.

What is your budget and shape of the stone you want for your pendant?
 
Hi,

The goal would be to aim for an ideal-cut stone and preferably graded by GIA or AGS certificate as they''re more strict in their grading. Color is not as important as cut and as Stone-cold said, a G/H would make an ideal color for a pendant. Mine is an E VS2 and I think it''s a bit of an over-kill and I easily could have gone down to an H or even an I and with the same great cut, had a perfect pendant.

What size stone are you looking for?
 
Date: 6/28/2009 2:40:44 AM
Author:amirvenkat
Hi,

I am planning to buy diamond pendants for my wife. And i dont have any idea of which store to go or online.
Can anyone help me to narrow down to one choice...

1. Which one is best.. online or jewelry store... if online.. can i rely on Bluenile, James allen... are they trustworthy? Yes absolutely, however BN are what are called a drop shipper, they don''t have most of the diamonds in house and therefore can''t supply the images that the informed consumer wants these days such as ASET and Idealscope.

2. And what is the difference between IGI and GIA certificates? Most ZALES diamonds are IGI certified. Is it good to buy IGI diamonds? IGI are commonly seen in mall jewellery stores, they are considered to not grade as strictly as GIA or AGS the top tier labs, this page explains more - http://diamonds.pricescope.com/grading.asp

3. Also, for 4C''s... shoud i always go with DEF Color, (IF,VVS1 Clarity) or can i compromise on them and look for high cut?
For a pendant as long as the cut is excellent you can go lower definitely, from G H VS to even I and J colour and SI clarity if verified eyeclean by a trusted vendor.
Kindly help me to get the best choice. Any other additional suggestions, welcome.

If you let us know your budget we could suggest some diamonds for you?

Thanks
--venkat
Click to expand...
 
Hi.... I am planning to buy the pendant around $800. To begin with, i would like to go with lesser budget.
So, can i go with Bluenile or JamesAllen?

--venkat
 
JA, safer, as they provided idealscope image of the stone to check cut performance of the stone, and usually cheaper.
 
Date: 6/28/2009 7:54:37 AM
Author: amirvenkat
Hi.... I am planning to buy the pendant around $800. To begin with, i would like to go with lesser budget.
So, can i go with Bluenile or JamesAllen?

--venkat
Click to expand...
What carat weight are you hoping for also amir?
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top