Brand-Spanking New at this Diamond Business: Need Advice

[Diamond Head]

Hi all,

I''ve just read the entire Tutorial and some more info on this site and boy

there''s just so much info to digest.

Our anniversary is in late June and I''m just trying to get ahead by doing some research

before diving in head first, i.e. buying a diamond for my beloved wife.

I''m planning on a solitary princess pendant about .50ct, G-H-I color, VS1-VS2 clarity, possibly in a bezel setting. Just don''t know how much I should pay for it. Help.

I''ve also jotted down some other specifications and prices from BOND Jewelers:
- Round cut, .39ct, F color, VS2 clarity, for $2400
- Princess cut, .70ct, I color, VVS2 clarity, for $2999

Are those good deals? I feel overwhelmed!

Thanks for your help.

 

[oldminer]

Run a scan on the Pricescope search for the stone you'd like. You'll know all about how much the damage will be without the mounting. Once you know about the cost of the diamond, you can shop for the proper mounting.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hey DH!

I just went thru the same process. Diamond pendant purchase. My trusted local B&M had a .75 ct round brilliant set in white gold for $2K before Valentine's Day. Someone else grabbed it first. Then the jeweler got in some ungraded diamonds around .75 ct and above for me to look at. I settled on a .81 ct with a lot of black carbon spots at $2400, but decided I needed more info before buying. That's how I found PS.

I learned that the diamond I picked was not quite the diameter of an ideal cut .75 ct (that one was 5.85 mm and ideal is about 6.0 mm) and very deep cut at 67%. Although it looked nice face up, I learned on PS that I would paying for weight you couldn't see, and way too much for the diamond in general. You will get a much better deal for a diamond of any cut shape on PS.

Start on the first page of the website and enter your color and clarity preferences in the left hand vendor search. The table and depth %'s are preset to be good round brilliant cuts. G and H are good colors for a pendant and you can go down to SI1 in clarity and still be eye clean. Pick a diamond that you're interested in, contact the vendor, and ask for a Sarin report. Once you get the crown and pavilion angles, use the Cut Adviser to see how the diamond rates. PS has a table (or a link to a table) to grade the cut, 1A,1B, etc. You can also check price stats once you know the cut to see if the asking price falls into the right range.

If you want a truly well cut round brilliant diamond, use the search on the upper right of the PS homepage to search for diamonds with known cut angles. In the price range you've mentioned you can get a Hearts and Arrows (truly Ideal cuts) that will produce a most gorgeous pendant.

I was on overload trying to keep all the information straight, so I posted info about a diamond I found that I was interested in. The folks here gave me pointers on more info I needed to ask. The vendor didn't respond to my questions. On to the next diamond and another post. More comments that lead to more searching. If you aren't sure about a diamond that you pick, feel free to post the information here. The PS forum folks include experts in the diamond industry and are great help in the decision making process.

Good Luck in your search for a gorgeous pendant!

 

[fire&ice]

Are you planning on setting in white gold/plat or yellow gold?

A pendant does not need to be F VVS especially if it is bezel set yellow gold. An I color SI is O.K for a pendant. I would even consider a well cut properly graded J/K nice I1 for a pendant, especially in this size.

JMHO. Good luck.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Oh, Definitely, Fire and Ice is quite right about color of set. If you are looking yellow gold, don't be afraid to consider a well cut I or J. I suggested G and H previously because I was going white gold. I was also looking at possibly resetting in a ring down the road someday.

I looked at a great, on the high end of J color, H&A that someone else might have chosen. It just didn't work for me when I placed it beside a WG and diamond earring jacket. Had I been going yellow gold, that J woulda been a keeper. Plus too, when you go lower in color, you can get a larger diamond and/or lower price. A bonus either way!

 

[Mara]

You are overpaying for both of those stones you suggested. A well cut .40 F VS2 round stone will go for around $1100 online, while for $2000-2600 you can get a well cut princess stone .80-.85c around G color, SI1 clarity (fine for a pendant!). So you add both ctw and probably get a better cut stone.

Be careful with offline B&M purchases on pendants that are already set. Many times those stones would not make it into a ring if someone was being discriminating (depending on where you are shopping!), so you may be getting a not-quite well cut stone that has flaws hidden by the prongs or the setting.

Anyway you make your own judgement calls, but I would educate yourself on Pscope, and continue to look, and read posts. Build your own pendant online or if you shop offline, be sure you use what you learn on here to know that your purchase is priced correctly and you are getting a well-cut stone.

Good luck!

 

[pqcollectibles]

As always, Mara is right on the numbers!

You could also get into the .75 ct range (.70 up to .85 depending on color and clarity) on a round brilliant H&A for the price you mentioned with a Price Scope vendor. I know White Flash and Superb Cert both have diamonds listed in that size range for under $3K. I'm sure others do as well.

Just a Maul store tidbit I picked up a couple weeks ago. A Maul chain was having a loose diamond sale event. So I went to check out the offerings. The original asking price on a decent cut (just a tad on the deep side and a little off on the table) .72 ct, H-SI1, RB was around $4K, reduced to $3500 (their "original" asking price), and on sale for a little over $3K. When I told the sales lady I was looking to make a pendant and I might just cruise the ready made items, she told me not to waste my time. The ready made solitaire diamond pendants were at best I's, but most were really J's and K's. She also told me those diamonds would not be as well cut as the one she was showing me.