CE Diamond Advice (NYC)

[ccousens]

Hi guys

My boyfriend and I are getting engaged and have decided to head to the diamond district in New York to buy a ring. The exchange rate would give us a much better deal then here in the UK - and we get to see NYC!

I''ve looked through a couple of posts on here and I understand that quite a few of you would not consider buying a clarity enhanced stone, however, this is something I''m really interested in due to additional ''amount'' of diamond you can get for your budget....our budget will be around $4500.

I don''t think any of my friends or family would know its clarity enhanced unless we tell them, and I would prefer to have a bigger diamond with more sparkle rather than one which is tiny or which looks dull.

I appreciate some of you wouldn''t touch a CE diamond, but if there was any advice you could give with regard places/people/shops to avoid or make sure we visit, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

 

[jet2ks]

The NYC diamond district is really no place for a novice diamond buyer--too great a chance of getting ripped off. What I would suggest is contacting few reputable vendors ahead of time and making appointments. There are several PS vendors with shops in the diamond district, but they don''t handle CE stones for good reason. I am one of those that would counsel to avoid an enhanced diamond for an e-ring.

I would prefer to have a bigger diamond with more sparkle rather than one which is tiny or which looks dull.

More sparkle is a direct result of the quality of cut, and the truth is that most CE stones are not that well cut. For your budget, you could get a very nice sized diamond that is not enhanced, so I don''t know any reason to get a CE stone.

 

[ccousens]

Thank you very much for your reply. Much appreciated.

To be honest I had considered booking a few appointments before arriving. One store I had looked at was GemStoneKing.

If you could recommend any other stores to us that would be a great help. You mentioned in your reply a PS vendor.....what does this mean - its not a term I''ve heard/seen before?

I''ve been reading a couple of articles about the diamond district and it does look a little bit scary for someone who''s not as experienced in diamond buying as what perhaps some of you guys are.

Thanks again for your help!!

 

[ccousens]

Date: 1/2/2010 1:51:24 PM
Author: ccousens
You mentioned in your reply a PS vendor.....what does this mean - its not a term I''ve heard/seen before?

Its ok.....got it now!!!

 

[tonyc2387]

Date: 1/2/2010 1:10:57 PM
Author: jet2ks

I would prefer to have a bigger diamond with more sparkle rather than one which is tiny or which looks dull.

More sparkle is a direct result of the quality of cut, and the truth is that most CE stones are not that well cut.

Not only that, but techniques used for CE can be very susceptible to US or other cleaning methods... meaning you can never clean your diamond, or you risk losing the CE treatment and get that original lower-than-low clarity back. The enhancement is temporary by definition... it''s impossible to permanently improve the clarity of a stone. CE stones are really just bad news... much like everything else, you get what you pay for.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi ccousens

The gentlemen above have given you good advice. Assuming we are discussing fracture filled diamonds, CE diamonds have a place I believe but are best not used for an engagement ring, however that is my opinion and it is up to the individual. These stones can be cleaned but care needs to be taken and avoid ammonia based cleaners as these can cause the enhancement to leak out, also if you ever have the ring worked on you need to inform the jeweller as various techniques used can also damage the filling. Some companies such as www.yehuda.com who specialize in CE diamonds will redo the filling should it ever need doing, for free for life I understand.

Also there are two main types of clarity enhancement, fracture filling where the diamond is injected rather like filling a crack in a windscreen to make an inclusion less visible, and lasering where an inclusion is reduced. GIA will grade lasered stones but not fracture filled.

Also as Jet says, the NYC diamond district is no place for the rookie, there are some trustworthy vendors there as follows but you would need to make an appointment.

www.engagementringsdirect.com

www.exceldiamonds.com

http://www.idjewelryonline.com/

The above are all in NYC

www.jamesallen.com have offices in NY

www.goodoldgold.com are in Long Island if you can get there

 

[ccousens]

Thank you for your help and advice. I''ve made a note of the retailers recommended and I''ll definitely make some appointments before we head over.

 

[kenny]

A CE diamond will be worth near zero if you ever want to sell it to upgrade.

 

[MrsCWantsAnUprgade]

Date: 1/3/2010 6:34:38 AM
Author: Lorelei
Hi ccousens

The gentlemen above have given you good advice. Assuming we are discussing fracture filled diamonds, CE diamonds have a place I believe but are best not used for an engagement ring, however that is my opinion and it is up to the individual. These stones can be cleaned but care needs to be taken and avoid ammonia based cleaners as these can cause the enhancement to leak out, also if you ever have the ring worked on you need to inform the jeweller as various techniques used can also damage the filling. Some companies such as www.yehuda.com who specialize in CE diamonds will redo the filling should it ever need doing, for free for life I understand.

Also there are two main types of clarity enhancement, fracture filling where the diamond is injected rather like filling a crack in a windscreen to make an inclusion less visible, and lasering where an inclusion is reduced. GIA will grade lasered stones but not fracture filled.

Also as Jet says, the NYC diamond district is no place for the rookie, there are some trustworthy vendors there as follows but you would need to make an appointment.

www.engagementringsdirect.com

www.exceldiamonds.com

http://www.idjewelryonline.com/

The above are all in NYC

www.jamesallen.com have offices in NY

www.goodoldgold.com are in Long Island if you can get there

If you do look at a Yehuda CE diamond, be very careful. I went to see one of their licensed distributors and view a CE G-VS2 that I selected off of their website. The jeweler opened up a dusty book and looked up "current" pricing for a 1.5 ct, G-VS2. He then proceeded to compare the pricing of a non-enhanced 1.5 G-VS2 to the price of the CE G-VS2 that I was looking at! Obviously, there was a huge disparity in the pricing and he used this pricing difference to try to convince me that I was getting a deal. He tried to lead me to believe that there was virtually no difference between the two. I thanked him for his time and promptly left his store, never to return again.

 

[Rockdiamond]

ccousens- my preference is natural non enhanced diamonds.
You can go for a stone of lower color that may be just as attractive, and not filled with a foreign substance.
About 47th street and enhanced diamonds.
I walk down 47th Street every day to work, and it''s striking how aggressive some of the sellers are based on the guys they put in the doorways hawking.
I don''t want to stereotype, rather comment on my experience: Many of the sellers of enhanced diamonds seem to take these aggressive tactics on the block. Online, I notice that sellers of enhanced diamonds rarely note that info noticeably.


If you come to 47th street, please be very careful. There are many overly aggressive sellers carrying questionable merchandise- mixed in are surely some good ones. But the good ones will never have hawkers.
The links Lorelei gave are all excellent sellers.
Again- not to group all sellers together- but dealers that concentrate on finer diamonds almost never carry enhanced.
There''s some great restaurants around here though.....

 

[neatfreak]

A CE stone is not a good idea. The filling can come out, the diamond can damage easily, and most importantly the "filler" likely will make the diamond look cloudy and dull. They also have almost no resale value.

The thing that will make a diamond look like it's on fire is a great CUT. Clarity enhancement will only make it look worse IMO.

I really urge you to think about this a long hard time. It's not that we are all snobs about CE-it's that in reality it can be a really bad choice. Would you like to be stuck with a diamond in a year or two with no filler and that can't be repaired and shouldn't be worn? Because that is what can happen easily with a CE stone.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Hi there ccousens.

I hope you have a fantastic trip to NYC!

I''d second what Rockdiamond said about aggressive sales techniqes though. Last time I was in the Diamond District, people were literally trying to pull me physically into some stores to buy. It was easy enough to resist since I had an appointment (to get the studs in my avatar) at Diamonds by Lauren, but if I''d had money burning in my pocket, I could have been seduced a little. Some of the sales guys are funny, charming and persuasive. (More of them are not.) DH eventually told one exceptionally persistant man that the terms of my bail conditions forbid me from entering jewellery stores.

Could I suggest that you do a search here to see examples of stones that fall within your budget? Then make appointments, as others have suggested. Maybe even call ahead about particular stones that interest you?

If size is an important factor, well cut pear shapes and marquise cuts can look big for their weight, as can oval cuts, while asscher cuts can look smaller. I''d do a bit of research on cut quality here, including bow tie effect if you''re considering a fancy shape. Also, a halo setting can boost the size visually, if that''s of any interest. There are some beautiful examples on Show Me the Ring.

Hope you find your perfect ring, and do come back with photos please.

Jen

 

[Diamond Lover Girl]

Hello, Congrats on your engagement!

I live in Florida and have bought from Gemstone King online and they do have excellent pieces...just wanted to share that with you.