Greetings everyone. I''ve been lurking for a while and trying to educate myself on diamonds. I''m amazed at the wealth of information and experience here and would like to solicit your opinions. I am buying an engagement ring and plan to have the mount custom-made locally, but I have been trying to find the right diamond for this ring.
My options, as I see them, are:
1) Buy online, without ever seeing the item, from a reputable dealer - get a diamond with GIA or AGS certification.
2) Buy locally from a reputable jeweller - get a diamond (possibly without independent certification), but one which I can sit down and examine under a microscope at 30x.
I am seeing simliar sized diamonds 10-30% cheaper online, often for stones of a slightly better rating. So, I''m asking myself why I wouldn''t get more stone for my money and buy online. I realize that most places have a return policy, so if I was unhappy with what I received, I could return it. It seems that many people here have been quite happy with their online purchases.
To give you an idea of what I''m looking at, my criteria was this:
Round Brilliant
Cut: Ideal/Excellent/Fine
Colour: E-H
Clarity: SI1-VS1
Carats: ~0.5
Today, my jeweller showed me a very good looking .47c SI1 H Excellent with a modest carbon inclusion at the bottom, which I could not detect with the unaided eye. I had a good look at it at 30x. It did not carry any independent certification. For this, he quoted me US$1630.
If you quickly look up the same thing on PriceScope or Blue Nile, that price gets about a .53 SI1 or VS2 F/G Ideal cut. Or, if you search for the specs, things graded identically to the diamond I saw today are priced around $1100.
I realize that not all SI1''s are equal and that grading reports are no substitute for seeing something in person... but that seems like a big gap to me.
Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Your help is greatly appreciated!
My options, as I see them, are:
1) Buy online, without ever seeing the item, from a reputable dealer - get a diamond with GIA or AGS certification.
2) Buy locally from a reputable jeweller - get a diamond (possibly without independent certification), but one which I can sit down and examine under a microscope at 30x.
I am seeing simliar sized diamonds 10-30% cheaper online, often for stones of a slightly better rating. So, I''m asking myself why I wouldn''t get more stone for my money and buy online. I realize that most places have a return policy, so if I was unhappy with what I received, I could return it. It seems that many people here have been quite happy with their online purchases.
To give you an idea of what I''m looking at, my criteria was this:
Round Brilliant
Cut: Ideal/Excellent/Fine
Colour: E-H
Clarity: SI1-VS1
Carats: ~0.5
Today, my jeweller showed me a very good looking .47c SI1 H Excellent with a modest carbon inclusion at the bottom, which I could not detect with the unaided eye. I had a good look at it at 30x. It did not carry any independent certification. For this, he quoted me US$1630.
If you quickly look up the same thing on PriceScope or Blue Nile, that price gets about a .53 SI1 or VS2 F/G Ideal cut. Or, if you search for the specs, things graded identically to the diamond I saw today are priced around $1100.
I realize that not all SI1''s are equal and that grading reports are no substitute for seeing something in person... but that seems like a big gap to me.
Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? Your help is greatly appreciated!