comparison

[Finz]

Hello, I am stuck between choosing one of two stones. One is at a local jewelry shop the other Bluenile. They are comparable stones. Yet obviously I can get a better price online. I am not convinced that buying locally is a big enough benefit to pay an extra grand. This is my first major jewelry purchase and I have done what I believe to be to much research. I know no two stones are alike, but these as comparable as I have seen. One difference, the one at the local shop is not cert. And it was graded at a G-H, the gemologist is GIA cert and explained that the certs are over rated. Here are some of the specs G-H, SI1 (feather in one of the corners) .95ct, Very Good cut and polish, LxW not avail. As she could not locate the paper work when I was at the store (store has a A+ reputation). The stone is as good as I have seen in this color range. The Bluenile stone is G, SI1 (needle and crystals)very good cut and polish, LxW 1.44 and looks to be a very nice stone. It comes down to price I guess, Local:3695, Blienile:3600. Bluenile will set it for at grand total of 3815.00, yet the local shop indicated that the setting and mounting would run about 495-550. So what is your advice?

 

[valeria101]

VER BUY A DIAMOND WITHOUT CERTIFICATE!
N E V E R

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Lab reports do not over-rate diamonds - sellers do. What shape is your stone? I am curious about that 1.44 Lxw ratio... to what might it fit ???

 

[Finz]

Oh Im so sorry, all that and I did't include the shape, I am looking at Emeralds

 

[Finz]

As far as CERTIFICATES go, I have found that very few local shops have stones with cert. WHy is this, they all tell me it makes no difference. I even told one associate I wasnt born yesterday, one with is better than one without. We then went back and forth for a bit

 

[valeria101]

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On 2/18/2004 8:43:32 AM Finz wrote:



As far as CERTIFICATES go, I have found that very few local shops have stones with cert. Why is this, they all tell me it makes no difference.

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This just means that the stores near you are not all that great! There is no good excuse a seller can make for not certifying large diamonds.
The one acceptable excuse is only valid for inexpensive stones (small and/or of low quality): if the cost of certification would be a significant percentage of the stone’s price, many would just skip it, but there is no decent 1 ct white diamond priced THAT low. Otherwise, the only reason not to certify a stone is the prediction that the grades on the cert will not be in line with the price charged for the stone. Otherwise, why not wait a week and pay $100 to get the required lab report on a diamond ? Also, why not offer to have a stone certified if the customer (you) asks for it, instead of giving an argument? No, I would not give this matter a second thought!


If it wouldn't be true that lab reports are the best way to identify the most important price factors (color & clarity) of a diamond, I would not care for them either. Since I cannot grade diamonds over the jeweler's counter (no one can, it is just not done this way), how could I buy them like this? There is no way to tell 3-4 color grades in such conditions, for example and it would be completely crazy to call the resulting variation in price an "acceptable risk". This is not even all of it.. there are countless arguments why it is worth spending &100 to "label" properly a piece of jewelry worth 1000 times more, and most diamond buyers (online and off) agree. I could not put this in stronger enough terms... I am afraid.

It may be possible that some other seller can offer a better setting deal than BN. The 1.5 LxW proportions sounds quite nice for an EC, and there should be plenty of stones available in your color, clarity, cut and budget range... I do not believe that you only have these two options: BN or a shady deal. I strongly believe that the non certified stones are not going to be a "bargain" - if they were, the seller woudl have every reason in the world to demonstrate it with a LAB CERT!