Buying a Diamond in Antwerp vs. USA Online Dilema

[jstormy]

Hello! I have a European trip planned for Paris, Amsterdam and Antwerp in the next couple of weeks where I plan to propose to my girlfriend in Paris. I purchased a Diamond on B2CJeweles and it came in a few days ago and I don't love the diamond so I am sending it back. Timing wise, I am in a pinch since we leave for a trip in 10 days and they seem to be delayed shipping new stones. Since Antwerp is the Diamond Capital of the world would it be best to shop for a stone there price wise? I am sure it less expensive for those Brits who use the Pound as their currency, but what about American Dollars? Does anyone know if diamonds are actually cheaper for those of us in the US who have Blue Nile and B2C? I need to make a decision soon as to either wait for our Antwerp trip (which will kill the surprise) or try to find another stone online asap. All-in-all, I am looking for the best deal so I can get her what she wants...a bigger, brighter stone. I would love any advice anyone has. Thank you!

 

[OECtime]

Hi there -

I will admit to being a novice, and I'm sure the experts will chime in, but because my fiance is Dutch and we spend a lot of time in The Netherlands/Belgium, I will say that from personal experience, you're much more likely to get a better deal in the U.S. Also, and again from personal experience only, it depends what size diamond you're looking for. You're much more likely to easily find diamonds that are under 1 carat in Antwerp/Amsterdam, since most people tend to wear smaller diamonds there than in the U.S.

I would think your best bet would be to post budget here and let people point you to a great diamond online that you can order ASAP (and then keep the surprise element of the proposal intact!)

 

[hawk25]

I agree that other PS vendors can get you a stone in time (if stone is in-house), but I'd be more worried about the time it takes to set the stone. Do you already have a setting?

FWIW It took WF 2 days to ship me a stone from Texas to Canada, and that included being delayed in customs for a day. I believe B2C sells mostly virtual stones, which might be why there's a delay shipping.

Are you open to using another vendor?

ETA: I saw your previous posts about wanting an asscher, perhaps other PSers can suggest vendors that have them in house.

 

[VRBeauty]

Price-wise, it's very unlikely that you'd get a better price in Antwerp than you would for a comparable stone bought in the US. This not-so-old thread talks about the price aspect -https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antwerp.185464/. If you need to return the stone for any reason - i.e., you take it to an independent appraiser and the appraiser finds some flaws in how the stone was represented to you - it would be a much more difficult situation to rectify than a stone bought here, with an inspection/return window. Finally, many of the PS vendors have trade-up policies that you're not likely to get in Antwerp.

 

[Acinom]

I live in the Netherlands. To my understanding the US market is more competitive than ours in terms of diamonds and diamond jewelry.
Giving engagement rings is common, but most people only have a wedding ring and no engagement ring.
Also, we mostly wear smaller diamonds (<1 ct). In general Belgians and people in the Netherlands don't want to spend much money on a diamond.

I would follow the advice of the experts here and order your stone in the US. Hopefully you find a good solution.

 

[WinkHPD]

Hello! I have a European trip planned for Paris, Amsterdam and Antwerp in the next couple of weeks where I plan to propose to my girlfriend in Paris. I purchased a Diamond on B2CJeweles and it came in a few days ago and I don't love the diamond so I am sending it back. Timing wise, I am in a pinch since we leave for a trip in 10 days and they seem to be delayed shipping new stones. Since Antwerp is the Diamond Capital of the world would it be best to shop for a stone there price wise? I am sure it less expensive for those Brits who use the Pound as their currency, but what about American Dollars? Does anyone know if diamonds are actually cheaper for those of us in the US who have Blue Nile and B2C? I need to make a decision soon as to either wait for our Antwerp trip (which will kill the surprise) or try to find another stone online asap. All-in-all, I am looking for the best deal so I can get her what she wants...a bigger, brighter stone. I would love any advice anyone has. Thank you!

I want to take a contrary opinion to those you have already received.

Since you are going to be going to Antwerp may I suggest that you make an appointment with Paul Slegers of CraftedbyInfinity Diamonds. He is in the heart of the Antwerp Diamond District. He does not sell to the public but he is an amazing expert who can show you some amazing diamonds and point you in the correct direction, whether you buy in Antwerp or in the United States. He may even recommend that you purchase in the United States, depending on what you are seeking.

Most important.y, in my opinion is that Paul is in the real diamond district, not the Tourist Trap Diamond Frosting District that is across the street form the train station.. Most people actually have no access to the real diamontaires that work in a small area in buildings that have incredibly tight security, in which the public does not enter without an invite. When I was last in Antwerp, my colleague John Pollard took me to visit the "Frosting district". What a zoo, packed with tourists who knew no better and who were paying WAY more than they would have paid in the States, while only a block or two away the real deals were going on between members of the trade.

You might enjoy this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/belgium-antwerp-or-surrounds.156577/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/belgium-antwerp-or-surrounds.156577/[/URL] where John Pollard talks about the "Frosting District".

Paul can be contacted at the CraftedbyInfinity website.

I am sure that if you contact Paul he will grant you a meeting and let you pick the brain of one of the most brilliant men I know in the diamond industry. Since he does not sell to the public you need not worry about him putting any pressure on you to buy, but you may end up with a heck of a fun tale to tell your Pricescope friends about what you saw.

Wink

 

[jstormy]

Hello everyone, thank you so much for you valuable advice. I am absolutely open to other online vendors who might have a nice asscher in house if anyone has any leads I would be very grateful. I am looking for a GIA 1.5-2.0 carat, ratio 1.00-1.02, at least a 6.30x6.30 spread and up...I color or better. Cut-corners would be icing. I appreciate any help/suggestions anyone has. Thanks folks!

 

[jstormy]

I forgot to add my budget. $8800 tops. Thanks folks!

 

[kenny]

Crafted by Infinity does not cut asschers so there is no chance you could buy what Paul manufactures.
For that reason I would not take up his time, but that's just me.
Then again perhaps he has time and doesn't mind or even enjoys such visits.

Bluenile is a company that lists a huge inventory, mostly of stones they have access to but do not have posession of, known as virtual stones.
I would not buy from them since they do not offer Idealscope or ASET pics but their huge database makes it a good place to get a general idea of what you can afford.

Looks like you'll be in the ballpark of an I SI1 1.5 to 1.55 ct asscher for a stone graded by GIA or AGS.
Other labs give higher grades to color and clarity so they seem cheaper, but they are just not graded to GIA/AGS standards.
Avoid them and stick with GIA or AGS so you can be confident of the grades and don't get ripped off.

Cut is the most important C for an asscher to put on a good light show and have that hypnotizing hall-of-mirrors effect.
Unfortunately cut quality is impossible to determine based on the info on a GIA lab report.

Ideally you'd see asschers in person side by side with a well-cut asscher so you know what to look for.
If you can't do that I'd find a seller who is known to find and stock well cut asschers.
IMO that person is Jonathan at Good Old Gold. www.goodoldgold.com
I've bought a few super-cut asschers from him over the years and he's a good guy, and his company has good policies and customer service.

An ASET pic is essential if you can't hand select asschers in person.
http://www.ideal-scope.com/1.using_reference_chart_ASET.asp

I think finding a well-cut asscher with your specs and size will be a challenge, but we all try to get as much diamond as possible for our budget.
Asschers are tough to shop for.
They face up small for their carat weight.
The large facets allow you to see inclusions and body color mores than most other cuts.
This means you want higher clarity, color and also good cut ... IOW you are going to spend a lot of money or settle for a smaller diamond than with other cuts.
But IMO when you find a good one the asscher cut has a unique magic that is SOOOO worth the price and effort.
Good luck.

 

[John P]

Crafted by Infinity does not cut asschers so there is no chance you could buy what Paul manufactures.

I want to clarify that CBI doesn't sell to consumers, in case that wasn't clear.

Paul has provided local insight to PS posters in the past, and facilitated mini-tours of the diamond district. There are also folks who arrange for CBI to custom-cut something - we work directly with the retailers and are happy to do this - and some of them have visited us during the process. That's a good time. I'd also say that, for anyone who is visiting Antwerp, you must get a local's recommendations on pubs and food in the old city.

Then again perhaps he has time and doesn't mind or even enjoys such visits.

He does. Most Antwerpers are extremely proud of their city and its rich history. Of course it depends on timing and workload... But the Belgians tend to do things in a way that revolves around coffee anyway. (gentle pulling of Paul's tail here).

 

[kenny]

Thanks John.

What I meant is if he was in the market for a round he could locate a retailer for a Crafted by Infinity round after seeing what you guys can do.
Not so with an asscher.

 

[John P]

Thanks John.

What I meant is if he was in the market for a round he could locate a retailer for a Crafted by Infinity round after seeing what you guys can do.
Not so with an asscher.

Much appreciated, Kenny... Tip of the hat.

 

[jstormy]

Got it, great advice, thanks everyone. I do like B2C because they have ASET images on many of their stones. Is it okay to see a lot of white and blue in these images? I know red is ideal but seems like with the asscher the you want that variation to exemplify in the pattern. Am I wrong?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

White is leakage if the image is taken on a white background. You want lots of red and blue, then green, and white least.

I used Good Old Gold and they called in a few stones for me and then did the ASET, video, etc. and found me an outstanding asscher. But you are really cutting it close with your trip. You needed to start this process a couple of months ago if you wanted a stone other than a round which is easy to buy quickly.