Buy diamond local in Japan or via the Internet

[bertie17]

Hi Folks,

I am currently based in Japan and am looking to purchase a diamond for an e-ring in the coming weeks.
I have been hanging out on pricescope for a while and have found the forum to be a great source of information for a novice diamond buyer like myself... thanks !

I visited a local diamond retailer here in Tokyo today, just to try and get an upclose view of a "real" diamond, after spending a few days researching.

I was shown a number of different diamonds, as I wanted to try and see if I could tell between the various different colour and clarity levels. (In the dim lighting of the retailers, I couldnt see any differences between a D, F & G).

Eventually I ended up looking at the following diamond.

0.888 CT (6.15 - 6.18 x 3.83)
VS2
F
Depth 62.1%
Table 56%
Pav Depth 43.5%
Crown Angle 35 degrees

I was quoted 580,000 yen (approx 5200 USD at current exchange rates), which was discounted nearly 50% from list price after they heard that I had been researching in advance and was asking many many questions !

makes you think eh !?

I ran the above stats thru the "CUTADVISOR", and it came up as "very good"...

Id like to ask those knowledgeable on this forum thier opinion on the stats and price of the above diamond.
Does anyone have any input ? How does the diamond shape up to what I could get online?

I am very open to the idea of buying online, especially after seeing the many positive reviews from other overseas buyers on this forum. Also it seems that the import duties would be minimal if I have the stone set in a ring here in Japan. Has anyone out there purchased online and had the stone sent to Japan ?

Thanks,

Bertie

 

[belle]

hey bertie17! welcome to ps!

if you run your stats through the ''pricescope your diamond'' tool at the top of the page, you can get an idea of what comparible prices are for the size diamond you are looking at. a quick glance shows that the price you were quoted is a bit high though. as for buying online, i know jennalyns purchased her custom ring from whiteflash and had it sent to her in japan. you can read about her experience here. hope that helps! best of luck in your search.

 

[fluffyneko]

Hi Bertie! Hopefully this info can be helpful. (I am newbie on this forum as well
I am Japanese but living in the states - so basically what I do is just the opposite from you. I''ve purchased a few pieces of jewelry from Japan via net because I was able to get quality pieces with the better price than in the States.

I think what you are getting is a fair deal. I wouldn''t say an outstanding deal, though. As you know, jewlery mark up is very high so don''t be fooled by 50% off or 70% off from the regular retail. I used to sell fine jewelry in the upscale department store in the States, so I know that 50% off discount all whatnot..truthfully,we never sold any items with "regular price", but many unsuspecting consumers think otherwise. It used to make me feel pretty bad.

But if you can read Japanese, you may want to try "Rakuten" auction site, it is like Japanese version of ebay. I bought a gorgeous 3 carat sapphire (true royal blue, crystal clear) ring with 1.65ctw 10 diamomds all are vs class from this auction site. The ring is set in heavy platinum and 18karat yellow gold (I rarely see even 14karat gold in Japan). I paid 3K, but it worthed every penny spent!! At first I was very worried about spending that much via net w/o seeing the actual item. But when I got the ring, I was speechless. It was much more than I had expected. I am very happy with the customer service and the lab report I received. The store name is "regets" on Rakuten auction site. The store does have countless excellent reviews!
Things are a lot cheaper than it used to be in Japan - so I am taking advantage of it. Also there are tons of jewelers that would customize your stone too. Customizing is as popular as in the States!
In Tokyo, people prboably tell you to try "Okakamachi" - it''s like Diamond district in NY. There are tons of wholesalers I heard. I hope you can get a beautiful stone of your dream.
Good luck!!!!

 

[carebearz]

Riding on this thread, I''ve heard about Lazare diamonds in Japan. Is this really popular over there?