Confused- why similar diamonds are priced differently??

[caligirl08]

Hi Pser's, in looking at diamonds online, I've noticed that even when searching for similar diamonds (i.e. same cut grade, clarity and color) there can be as much as a $2K difference (on 1.5-1.6ct) from ring to ring- on the same website. Does anyone know why this is? I realize symmetry, angles play a part, but these diamonds have crown angle between 34-35 and pavilion angle around 41 and either very good or excellent symmetry/polish.

just a little confused...

thanks!
stacey

 

[mercoledi]

Do you have any examples you could share with us?

 

[JoeNewbie11]

That''s pretty easy to answer. Say you have two 1.5 carat Ideal Cut I-SI diamonds at a vendor. One diamond could be an eye-clean SI and the other could be not be eye-clean. The eye-clean will definitely ask for more. Or with the two same diamonds, one diamond is an I that is more white than the other, remember I is that color boundary where many people can start to see a tinge of yellow in the diamond. Just my opinion.

 

[John P]

Date: 6/20/2008 11:28:03 AM
Author:caligirl08
Hi Pser's, in looking at diamonds online, I've noticed that even when searching for similar diamonds (i.e. same cut grade, clarity and color) there can be as much as a $2K difference (on 1.5-1.6ct) from ring to ring- on the same website. Does anyone know why this is? I realize symmetry, angles play a part, but these diamonds have crown angle between 34-35 and pavilion angle around 41 and either very good or excellent symmetry/polish.

just a little confused...

thanks!
stacey

Even if the diamonds are twins - don't forget added value in the form of expertise, support & benefits.

Someone just uploading diamond data onto a website & having anonymous suppliers drop-ship sold items to you - with no long-term guarantees - doesn't have much overhead (believe it or not there are sellers who will never even see diamonds they 'describe' to you). A company that insists on bringing any diamond they offer in-house to provide you with photos, scans and thorough expert analysis is incurring some overhead in the name of consumer protection. Long-term benefits like lifetime trade-up on the diamond, jewelry warranties, etc., should also be taken into consideration.

Being aware of who the companies are and what they stand for is an important part of finding the right "fit" for your personal wants/budget.

 

[Indira-London]

There are many different factors that can have an explain the price variations that you have described for example:
- Size-difference between 1.60 and 1.50 is 6.6%, and since diamonds are priced per carat, and not per piece, in the trade, this represents a price-difference of 6.6%, IF all other factors equal.
- Average angles do not give the complete story: part of the price-difference might come from the stone being cut with the precision of Hearts & Arrows.
- Different grading-labs may have an influence: because of their strictness, stones with an AGS-report generally fetch a slightly higher price than GIA-graded stones. The subject of how price varies with different grading labs (e.g. GIA vs EGL etc) has been much discussed on previous PS threads