Center stone advice

[JohnWild]

I''ve been looking on the net for a center stone within 5,500-6500 dollar range. I enjoy quality far more than quantity, and so I was immediately drawn to the Whiteflash/Superbcert "branded" H&A diamonds.

The H&A diamonds that fit into my price range were approx 1ct F-H VS1-SI1. Everyone of these had HCA scores that were excellent.

I assumed that prices for diamonds at local B&M would be more expensive, but I went to a local retailer called Solomon Brothers just for comparison purposes.

I asked to see a diamond in that range, and they showed me one that had an EGL cert 1.02CT, G, VS2 round brilliant, that also came up with an HCA score of 1.7. I do understand that this is not a branded H&A might look much better than a stone, but the diamond at the local B&M was $2k less than similar quality (as far as the 4C''s go ) from the internet.

My basic question is for people that have had a chance to physically see the branded H&A diamonds in person. Are they that much better looking than unbranded diamonds with comparable 4C''s to be worth the price difference? I am aware I am asking for a purely subjective answer, but I still appreciate any comments or advice from people that have much more experience than I.

Thank you so much...

John Wild

 

[DancinGirl]

I would be careful of those EGL certs - from what I have learned on here they are very often way off in their diamond grading. (not to your advantage) So that could be ONE reason for the price variance.

I am not too familar with the H&A being way over priced - but what I DO know is that you can get a very nice, eye clean, high quality, sparkly diamond here online from any of these well known PS vendors and get your money's worth for a very dazzling rock. They are up front and honest about what you are getting for your money.

I honestly wouldn't waste your time with EGL certs - the more trusted ones are GIA and AGS. Whatever you decide on, have someone like Dave Atlas do a Sarin for you before you shell out all the dough. Just be sure if you DO buy the rock first, to get a return policy in writing.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[69gm]

hi jw,

welcome to the forum. you'll find it can get very addicting if you want to do your homework right!

i was in a similar situation in deciding what kind of diamond to get and though i'm no expert by any means, here is my $.04 (inflation, ya' know) if you'll permit me.

first your question on whiteflash ACA and superbcert branded diamonds. from my research, i have found that it is NOT necessary to get a branded diamond to get a truly beautiful diamond. experts on this forum like rhino and niceice have stated this time and time again.

that being said, i also have found that the branded diamonds available at whiteflash and superbcert are very beautiful and reasonably priced. if you compare apples to apples (an analogy everybody seems to use when dealing with diamonds) getting one of the branded diamonds from these two sites is not significantly different than getting a non-branded one as far as price goes. what do i mean by apples to apples. keep in mind that no two diamonds are EXACTLY alike. in that respect, a head-to-head comparison is really difficult. but if you look at as much information as you can get from certificates, sarin reports (crucial when dealing with GIA certs), different scopes (idealscope, firescope, fantasyscope), computer analysis (diamcalc, HCA), etc. you'll begin to see trends and price ranges. with this information, you'll begin to see that branded diamonds found here are not more expensive.

a little comment about the diamond you found at a local B&M. the main advantage of course is that you get to see the diamond for yourself. this really helps and was the deciding factor for me. however i am concerned, personally, about the cert. from what i understand, there are 2 sides to the debate on EGL certs. i know some who don't like them because their standards are too lax. therefore your EGL G VS2 might really be a GIA/AGSL H I1 (just and example). still others say that they haven't really found EGL certs to be off and like them. but even a little controversy was enough for me to steer clear of certs other than GIA or AGSL. you don't hear anyone bad-mouthing these two certs.

you really need to do a lot of research. that $2k "bargain" you are receiving may or may not be legit. only through significant research will you begin to understand what a good price is and why there are certain differences in price. remember to try to do apples to apples comparisons as much as possible. but in the end don't try to understand prices too much. these guys have spent YEARS deciding what quality equals what price. the diamond business is too complicated for the layman to try and decipher it.

might i also suggest that you use the diamond search engine available on pricescope. if anything it will give you a good base of sites and diamonds to look at.

hope all this rambling on helps in your quest! good luck!

 

[pqcollectibles]

A place for you to look that might be accessible is Helzberg's in the Maul. They carry a Master Piece line of H&A's. You will get to see how one performs live and in person. But in your price range, you will only get around .75 carat there.

I bought an A Cut Above from White Flash, so I have seen both. The Helzberg H&A had nice, crisp patterns internally, but externally, the finish was not as good on the lower facets. They were white, spurred, rough looking. My ACA is smooth all around. The WF ACA also performs better visually. I looked at a .72 carat, H, SI1 at Helzberg's and I bought a .766 carat, H, SI1 from White Flash. So it was an apples to apples comparison.

Hope the info helps you!

 

[JohnWild]

Thank you all for your helpful advice..

I really appreciated it.

John Wild