Couple of questions before buying

[Unemployable]

Hello everyone, i''m looking to buy a diamond soon, but have couple of questions.

1. If the diamond is H&A does that mean it will stand out from those which are not?

2. When i went to NYC diamond district they kept on showing me fine cut diamonds which they called XXX? does that mean its H&A? or that''s just another quality of a Diamond? Whats the difference between H&A and XXX?

3. When i do a search on pricescope only H&A diamonds are carried by James Allen and Good Old Gold? are there any other vendors that have these H&A cut diamonds? and if so how do i search for them?

4. Is James Allen and Good Old Gold credible vendors? anyone had experience with them? How are their prices?

5. It seems that James Allen is out of NYC? do they actually have a store for me to come in and see the diamonds that i see on their websites?


thank you for all your help.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/9/2009 6:57:17 PM
Author:Unemployable
Hello everyone, i'm looking to buy a diamond soon, but have couple of questions.

1. If the diamond is H&A does that mean it will stand out from those which are not?

2. When i went to NYC diamond district they kept on showing me fine cut diamonds which they called XXX? does that mean its H&A? or that's just another quality of a Diamond? Whats the difference between H&A and XXX?

3. When i do a search on pricescope only H&A diamonds are carried by James Allen and Good Old Gold? are there any other vendors that have these H&A cut diamonds? and if so how do i search for them?

4. Is James Allen and Good Old Gold credible vendors? anyone had experience with them? How are their prices?

5. It seems that James Allen is out of NYC? do they actually have a store for me to come in and see the diamonds that i see on their websites?

Answers:

1. Diamonds which "truly" exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of Hearts & Arrows tend to exhibit spectacular optical symmetry and the optical symmetry in combination with the proportions of the diamond have a direct effect on visual performance (brilliance, dispersion, scintillation). However the proportions are more important than whether a diamond exhibits a crisp and complete pattern of Hearts & Arrows, so I would focus on proportions first and consider the pattern, if present, to be an internal characteristic.

2. The term "XXX" or "Triple X" generally refers to a diamond which has been graded by the GIA Gemological Laboratory as having an Excellent (X) Overall Cut Rating; Polish; and Symmetry. A diamond which has been graded as 3X will not necessarily exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of Hearts & Arrows and a diamond which exhibits a pattern of Hearts & Arrows will not necessarily receive a 3X rating from the GIA or an AGS Ideal 0 rating from the AGS for that matter.

3. Other vendors besides GOG and JA do carry H&A quality diamonds... Off the top of my head, a few would be HPD (us); Nice Ice (also my site); Brian The Cutter; White Flash Be sure to request images of the Hearts & Arrows pattern for the ACTUAL diamond you are considering... it is the only way to judge the consistency of the pattern and some online dealers use the same photographs over and over again - hint, if all the H&A images look the same, the dealer is recycling the photos.

4. Good Old Gold and James Allen are both reputable dealers and both are located in New York.

5. James Allen does have an office in NYC, but I don't know whether it is open to the public. Somebody else on the forum might know.

 

[risingsun]

Stay the heck out of the diamond district unless you have a trusted vendor with whom you can make an appointment. Please look through the PS tutorial and learn more about diamonds first. Todd gave you some very good information. Do you fully understand it?

 

[jet2ks]

James Allen does see customers in their NY office by appointment, so give them a call first.

 

[jakedee]

Date: 6/9/2009 7:20:05 PM
Author: risingsun
Stay the heck out of the diamond district

I did a lot of research about diamonds

and i ended up buying from ID Jewelry which located in NYC Diamond District

they are very reputable and very trustworthy,
they have a nice store where you can view all the diamonds

 

[Lula]

I have worked with both James Allen (sales rep Darin) and Wink from High Performance Diamonds (HPD). Both are good companies with excellent service -- completely reputable with good return policies.

I did a lot of reading on the PS forums and read through the tutorials offered by Nice Ice, Good Old Gold and Whiteflash. The more you know about diamond cut, better able you will be to evaluate diamonds and choose the best stone for your budget and your visual preferences.

Sara

 

[Lorelei]

If you don''t mind travelling to LI, you could make an appointment with Jon at GOG

www.goodoldgold.com

 

[Unemployable]

Everyone, thank you very much for all that input, I understand a bit more and will certainly research more before make any commitments.

 

[risingsun]

Date: 6/9/2009 10:12:22 PM
Author: jakedee

Date: 6/9/2009 7:20:05 PM
Author: risingsun
Stay the heck out of the diamond district

I did a lot of research about diamonds

and i ended up buying from ID Jewelry which located in NYC Diamond District

they are very reputable and very trustworthy,
they have a nice store where you can view all the diamonds

I said unless you have a trusted vendor, with whom you can make an appointment. If not, you are fair game. On the way to my appointment, I was beset by the "hooks," who attempted to lure me into their shops with promises of great deals. It''s better to be prepared for 47th St.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/11/2009 1:46:07 PM
Author: risingsun
I said unless you have a trusted vendor, with whom you can make an appointment. If not, you are fair game. On the way to my appointment, I was beset by the ''hooks,'' who attempted to lure me into their shops with promises of great deals. It''s better to be prepared for 47th St.

We call them "Barkers" in the industry... They''re even a hassle for those of us in the trade. They remind me of the time share shills that harangue tourists while they''re trying to enjoy an evening stroll along the beach side sidewalk of any tourist destination in Mexico.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/11/2009 2:15:00 PM
Author: Todd Gray

Date: 6/11/2009 1:46:07 PM
Author: risingsun
I said unless you have a trusted vendor, with whom you can make an appointment. If not, you are fair game. On the way to my appointment, I was beset by the ''hooks,'' who attempted to lure me into their shops with promises of great deals. It''s better to be prepared for 47th St.

We call them ''Barkers'' in the industry... They''re even a hassle for those of us in the trade. They remind me of the time share shills that harangue tourists while they''re trying to enjoy an evening stroll along the beach side sidewalk of any tourist destination in Mexico.

they are used car salesmens.

 

[Unemployable]

I would like to know the following, H&A priced diamonds at www.pricescope.com are they a good bargain for those diamonds? Can you bargain further with places like GoodOldGold or JamesAllen?

 

[JABacchetta]

I''ve been doing a lot of research and price checking lately. I actually just purchased a diamond from James Allen last night. I''ll let you know how it goes once the diamond arrives. My reasons for choosing James Allen:

1. A wide selection of diamonds. I found quite a few diamonds that I liked on their site, which says a lot considering that I''m now VERY picky after learning about everything.

2. Lowest prices that I''ve found.

3. 30 day return policy - at 100%

4. Two year buy back policy - at 70%

5. Trade in at 100%

Once I get the diamond (I believe it''s suppose to arrive today), I''ll let you know how reputable they are.

 

[Lula]

Date: 6/12/2009 12:37:20 AM
Author: Unemployable
I would like to know the following, H&A priced diamonds at www.pricescope.com are they a good bargain for those diamonds? Can you bargain further with places like GoodOldGold or JamesAllen?

The prices are very competitive, and from my experience a good deal less for comparable diamonds at B&M''s. The selection is excellent, too, and most online vendors will work with you to find what you want if they don''t have it in stock. I''m not sure how much bargaining you''ll be able to do, since the online vendors'' work with a much lower profit margin to begin with.

 

[Unemployable]

JAB yes please post your experience here, i would greatly appreciate it.

SarahP thank you for the input I''ll see what i can work out with GOG and James Allen