I disagree that it''s not cost effective. Vendors on here have certs on stones as small as .30, and they''re not asking near what a B&M does.Date: 1/31/2007 7:57:21 PM
Author: shiatsu
Canadian diamonds will cost more, especially with the blood diamond movie recently that shed light on the conflict diamond issue. That said, I personally wouldn''t buy a diamond without the peace of mind of having a GIA or AGS cert with it. Gemscan wouldn''t cut it for me but it''s not unusual for a jeweler to not send it to GIA if it''s under .75 carat, it''s just not cost effective for smaller stones. I''d take the ideal cut grade with a grain of salt and would be worried about the SI2 actually being an I1 (which wouldn''t be good). You can find youself an independent appraiser in your area and have him take look at it, he won''t be able to do a full workup on a mounted stone but he should be able to tell you if you''re getting ripped off. Make sure they have a good return policy.
That's because they have to, nobody will buy a diamond online without a GIA report. A brick and mortar jeweler has the ability to put the diamond right in front of your eyes and ask you if you like it or not. Online vendors have to certify it's nice by giving you a reliable report or nobody will buy it. GIA does offer "dossier reports" for diamonds under 1 carat, which is a bit cheaper than a full report, but I was told by a brick and mortar jeweler that it would cost about $200 to get it certified by GIA. If the diamond's only worth $1500, where's the cost effectiveness? If you go to a brick and mortar store and look at diamonds under .75 carat, most likely the diamonds you look at won't have had reports done on them in my experience anyway.Date: 1/31/2007 8:13:32 PM
Author: Ellen
I disagree that it's not cost effective. Vendors on here have certs on stones as small as .30, and they're not asking near what a B&M does.
With so little info, I'd want a full appraisal, which can't be done.
Maybe online vendors have to, but that''s not the point. Online vendors are making LESS than B&M''s do, on any stone, and yet, they''re all certified, and they''re STILL making money. B&M''s COULD do it, but many are greedy and don''t want to, and as you said, don''t necessarily have to.Date: 1/31/2007 8:18:51 PM
Author: shiatsu
That''s because they have to, nobody will buy a diamond online without a GIA report. A brick and mortar jeweler has the ability to put the diamond right in front of your eyes and ask you if you like it or not. Online vendors have to certify it''s nice by giving you a reliable report or nobody will buy it. GIA does offer ''dossier reports'' for diamonds under 1 carat, which is a bit cheaper than a full report, but I was told by a brick and mortar jeweler that it would cost about $200 to get it certified by GIA. If the diamond''s only worth $1500, where''s the cost effectiveness?
That's true, brick and mortar jewelers tend to grab a higher profit margin. But you also have to realise they have a storefront to pay for, and that means overhead costs for their sales staff and their commission, rent and utility bills and insurance for the showfloor, marketing costs for radio and TV advertisements, and some of the higher quality stores may even have a full time jeweler or appraiser on staff. Some of the vendors here like Knox has a storefront too (I've been to it), but there's no debating that selling diamonds online is cheaper to do. And the competition is greater since their competitor is only a click away.Date: 1/31/2007 8:23:41 PM
Author: Ellen
Maybe online vendors have to, but that's not the point. Online vendors are making LESS than B&M's do, on any stone, and yet, they're all certified, and they're STILL making money. B&M's COULD do it, but many are greedy and don't want to, and as you said, don't necessarily have to.
Yeah, salespeople usually give me a nasty taste in my mouth too. There was a store I found the wedding band I liked at (a tungsten one in a style I hadn't seen anywhere else), and told my fiance to get my band there but NOT from that salesperson.Date: 1/31/2007 8:56:14 PM
Author: Ellen
I tried to go the B&M route, and ALL that left me with is a very nasty taste in my mouth.