CRUNCHTIME, PLEASE ADVISE

[piepiezzz]

Looking at a BLUENILE
Round Brilliant
Stock number: LD00260632
Carat weight: 1.37
Cut: Very Good
Color: F
Clarity: SI1
Depth %: 61.8%
Table %: 60%
Symmetry: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Girdle: Slightly thick to thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Strong blue

Measurements: 7.07x7.13x4.39

I like everything but the Fluorescence. It is $7,626

My problem is I need to finance a portion of the ring($3500) which I can pay off in 4 months. Does anyone know of any other site that offers financing???

And also, has anyone heard of anything bad about BLUENILE?? They seem pretty reputable.

I found better deals at Affintydiamonds.com but no partial financing.

Any Ideas??? Please Help

 

[denverappraiser]

piepiezzz,

Blue Nile is a reputable company. You can feel confident in doing business with them.

Most dealers are willing to take Visa or Mastercard for payment and it shouldn't be too hard to find a bank will offer to issue you a card with very competitive rates. The effect is that you can get direct bank financing from pretty much any dealer who has what you're shopping for.

If one of the dealers on the forum has a better stone for a better price, I imagine we'll be hearing from them shortly.

Neil Beaty, GG, ISA
www.gemlab.us

 

[quaeritur]

Hi there-

The answers to your questions kind of depend on your priorities. You've mentioned financing options, but in terms of the diamond, what is most important to you? Cut quality, color, clarity, carat weight, cost?

We can't really tell how well this stone might perform without a little more info. You can contact Blue Nile and request Sarin information for the stone (they can usually get it for you in a few hours). You can also have them hold the stone for you while you look.

The things I can tell you about this diamond is that it will look slightly smaller than it should for that carat weight, because it has a slightly thick-thick girdle. That means that the girdle is carrying extra weight, instead of it having a bigger diameter. Chances are, it's priced by the carat weight rather than what it looks like.

As for the blue fluorescence, you should confirm that it doesn't look milky in strong sunlight (this is very rare). Blue Nile will not be able to tell you this, because they generally do not have the diamonds in-house. Fortunately, they have an excellent return policy, so if you see it and don't like it, just send it back.

Most folks here would probably argue that cut is the most important factor in determining the beauty of a diamond, because it affects how sparkly it is (described as white and colored light return, and scintillation). If this is your top priority, I'd do a search here for the best cuts. The only "problem" with Blue Nile is that they do not post all the info you need to evaluate the potential performance of a diamond on their site. You can get the angles from the Sarin if you request it (it's also on the AGS cert for AGSL graded stones on their site), but you can't see pictures of the diamond, the inclusions, or anything like an IdealScope/FireScope/ImageScope picture (these are devices that show how much light "leaks" from a diamond, which can dramatically reduce sparkle).

Hope all that made some sense!

Good luck, and let us know if you have any more questions!

 

[quaeritur]

Here are some other options for you to consider - these are both well-cut stones...

1.37 E SI2 $7765
1.27 G SI1 $7425

 

[piepiezzz]

Thank You for the help.

No other sites that offer direct financing????

 

[chialea]

Many people feel it is preferable not to go into debt for a luxury item such as a diamond, and that instead it makes more sense to spend longer saving, or scale back what you get. Any money you spend on financing is less you can spend on yourself or your sweetie or your children

(as appropriate)

Many jewelery stores seem to have dubious-at-best credit arrangements, so sticking to ones with good prices and rates is best, if you have to finance it. Blue Nile has quite decent pricing, so you'd just have to check out their rates. (This is as opposed to some jewelers who simply pad their prices alarmingly.)