diamond purchasing virgin

[teddy006]

hey guys,
as you may be able to tell, i''ve never purchased before and am looking for some pointers on things to look for and even places to buy (preferably here in canada). if anyone can give me a hand, it''d be greatly appreciated! a friend of mine told me that he used this site when he purchased his first diamond and said that it was very helpful.
thanks in advance!

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Hey teddy! Welcome to PS

, you will find ALOT of information here. In additiona, many (if not all) of the PS vendors have tutorials on their website as well. Some things we''ll need to help you.

1. What kind of stone are you looking for? (i.e. princess, round, cushion, etc.)
2. Are there any specs in particular that you MUST have? (i.e. color, clarity)
3. What are you using the diamond for? (i.e. engagement ring, earrings, pendant?)
4. If you are using it as a ring, do you have a particular setting already picked out?
5. What''s your budget?

Unfortunately, I can not give you any recommendations on vendors in Canada. Many of us have used the PS vendors (purchased via online/telephone) and have had great success, but if this is outside of your comfort zone then hopefully someone else can chime in with Canadian vendors. One option is to do a search for "canadian jewelers" or "canada jewelers" etc. etc.

Go to the top of the page and click on the link that says ''Knowledge'', start there and then review ''Resources''. This will give you a good starting point. Answer the questions above and we can get you on the right path.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

BTW not sure where in Canada you are located but take a look at this thread as well.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/custom-setting-in-toronto.101700/

 

[teddy006]

thanks for the response! it''s probably easiest if i answer your questions first:

1. What kind of stone are you looking for? (i.e. princess, round, cushion, etc.)
- i''m looking for a square diamond of sort (either princess, asscher, or radiant)

2. Are there any specs in particular that you MUST have? (i.e. color, clarity)
- in the limited research that i''ve done, i''ve noticed that they all have a level of importance when it comes to the diamond''s ''fire''. i''m looking for what my girlfriend will notice and want most ... sparkly! hahaha.

3. What are you using the diamond for? (i.e. engagement ring, earrings, pendant?)
- engagement ring

4. If you are using it as a ring, do you have a particular setting already picked out?
- i don''t have one selected yet, and haven''t done much research in that aspect yet. any advice is appreciated.

5. What''s your budget?
budget for the whole ring, i''m hoping to sepnd no more than $5,000 CDN.

the only site that i''ve looked at so far is bluenile.ca. i''ll have a look at the others aswell. thanks for your help so far!

 

[JulieN]

Date: 1/20/2009 9:29:09 PM
Author: teddy006
2. Are there any specs in particular that you MUST have? (i.e. color, clarity)

- in the limited research that i've done, i've noticed that they all have a level of importance when it comes to the diamond's 'fire'. i'm looking for what my girlfriend will notice and want most ... sparkly! hahaha.

you are on Pricescope. sparkly is a must, here!

did you have any OTHER criteria you were hoping to meet? (carat weight is a good start.)

how much do you anticipate the setting will cost?

 

[teddy006]

carat weight should be no less than .65. signature ideal cut is preferred, colour should be ''G'' or better, VS1 or better is preferred for clarity.
as i continue looking at websites, what are the ideal depth and table percentages for a princess cut ring?

 

[JulieN]

There are no real rules about depths and tables.

If you want to buy from BN Canada: http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report

Nice if you would consider buying from the US:
http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1204601.htm#

 

[teddy006]

i''m noticing that the princess cuts are typically less expensive and far more common than the asscher or radiant cuts on the bluenile site. is this typical most places?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/20/2009 10:21:42 PM
Author: teddy006
i''m noticing that the princess cuts are typically less expensive and far more common than the asscher or radiant cuts on the bluenile site. is this typical most places?

If you did decide to buy in the US, you can purchase Crafted by Infinity from www.highperformancediamonds.com which are beautifully cut diamonds.

 

[teddy006]

it will likely be online that i purchase the diamond as i''ve read that they are less expensive as there are less "middle men". i was jsut thinking that saving on duties and all that coming from the states i would be able to spend more on the diamond itself. does this make sense?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/21/2009 8:05:26 AM
Author: teddy006
it will likely be online that i purchase the diamond as i've read that they are less expensive as there are less 'middle men'. i was jsut thinking that saving on duties and all that coming from the states i would be able to spend more on the diamond itself. does this make sense?

I am not in the US to know what the import duties would be for you if you bought from the States, but it might be worth investigating and comparing prices.

You could also try www.usacerteddiamonds.com who are in Ontario, they might be able to help you.

 

[teddy006]

fantastic! i''ll have to have a look at those sites when i get home tonight as they seem to be blocked from my work computer.
thanks again guys! your help is much appreciated!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/21/2009 9:06:47 AM
Author: teddy006
fantastic! i''ll have to have a look at those sites when i get home tonight as they seem to be blocked from my work computer.
thanks again guys! your help is much appreciated!

You are most welcome Ted, we aim to please!

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Teddy you''ve gotten some GREAT suggestions already. I noticed you said your budget is for the entire ring, you will have to decide if you want to get a smaller center stone with a more extravagant setting (which alone can run upwards of a few thousand) OR go for the larger stone with simple, classic setting.

Here is what I mean (btw I am using Whiteflash as an example b/c they are the vendor that I have personally dealt with BUT ALL of the REGULAR PS vendors have received glowing reviews).

More extravagant setting:
http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Diamond-Settings/Isabella-Diamond-Engagement-Ring_1346.htm

Classic, simpler setting:
http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/4-Prong-tiffany-style-solitaire-for-fancy-cut_756.htm

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Date: 1/20/2009 10:21:42 PM
Author: teddy006
i''m noticing that the princess cuts are typically less expensive and far more common than the asscher or radiant cuts on the bluenile site. is this typical most places?

Simplistically I would say the answer is ''yes''. I *believe* that there are more diamonds cut into a pricess cut than as either an asscher or radiant. This is most likely driven by the demand of the general population. I know that I personally have NO friends/co-workers/family members etc. that own either an asscher or radiant cut diamond. But you will find here on a site like PScope we are lovers of all shapes

and I personally have a soft spot for asschers

 

[teddy006]

i''m noticing on bluenile.ca that as i create my specifications with shape (princess, asscher, or radiant) and narrow down the other specs such as price (up to about 4000), Carat (.65+), Cut (signature ideal), Colour (G-D), and clarity (VS1+), Princess cuts are typically the only ones showing. are princess cuts less expensive in most places than asscher or radiant? or are they just more common?

 

[teddy006]

here is one that i''ve found. what do you think?

Shape: Princess
Carat: 0.77
Cut: Signature Ideal
Colour: E
Clarity: VS1
Depth%: 71%
Table%: 72%
Symetry: Very Good
Polish: Very Good
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick
L-W Ratio: 1.05
Price: $3,764 CDN

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/21/2009 1:01:16 PM
Author: teddy006
here is one that i''ve found. what do you think?

Shape: Princess
Carat: 0.77
Cut: Signature Ideal
Colour: E
Clarity: VS1
Depth%: 71%
Table%: 72%
Symetry: Very Good
Polish: Very Good
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick
L-W Ratio: 1.05
Price: $3,764 CDN

It could be a nice diamond Ted, but we need images and BN don''t supply them - they do however have a good return policy.

 

[JulieN]

The one I picked for you before is THE one I would buy from BN. It's an AGS 0 (ideal light performance, ideal symmetry/polish, ideal proportions), with very normal table and depth (64 T/71 D); it's a G VS2 (VS2 is more than adequate, you don't need VS1) which is fine quality; it's 800-1000 less than any Signature Ideal that meets your criteria.

 

[teddy006]

Thanks Julie,
just curious, what is it about this diamond that makes it that much less expensive than some others that i''ve seen on that site. (http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report). it seems to have better specs than most that i''ve seen ... just wondering.
also, i notice that it only has the AGSL certificate and not the GIA or GCAL certificates that most others come with that i''ve seen. i''m not sure the difference as i haven''t really viewed any in depth yet, but if anyone can fill me in on these differences, that''d be great!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I am Canadian so I can tell you some things.

First, if you import jewelery from the US you pay NO duties. Just PST and GST. So the only difference between ordering in Canada and ordering in the US is the exchange rate. Pity you didn''t buy a year ago when the dollars were par

but even now I can tell you that the prices in the US are much better than you will find in Candada. I ordered from WF and found everything very easy and the whole process was great. So I urge you to consider the online US vendors that typically get recommended here on PS.

Second, there is a big difference between ordering a round brilliant online and ordering fancy shapes lie asschers and princess cuts. Fancies need to be seen to be judged, you cannot really tell much from the numbers (like you can with an RB). What that means in my book is that you need to work with an online vendor whom you trust so that that person can be your eyes and look at the stone personally! A trusted vendor can tell you things, film videos of the diamond in question, and basically make the process much better. BN is a good resource in many ways, but they *typically* do not have the stones on their website in their hot little hands. This is a problem with fancies because you need photos of the diamond in question, as well as ASET images to help you make a decision, and BN doesn''t typically offer this information. As I said, the numbers are not enough. So I would encourage you to work with an online vendor that gets great reviews on PS.

Finally, I think you need to narrow your search a little. There is a huge difference in the appearance of a radiant, a princess, and an asscher, and actually different online sources are "known" as great sources for each of those different shapes! For example, for asschers the most oftenr trusted vendor is Good Old Gold. For Princess cuts people around here typically recommend that you stick with AGS0 graded princess cuts (AGS is the only grading lab that has a cut grading system for princess cuts, and so buying AGS0 princess cuts gives you a margin of surety that you are getting a good stone). Many vendors carry AGS0, so you have a little more freedom there. Finally, radiants are less common/popular, so I can''t really tell you that there is a preferred source for them. All of that aside, though, the optical performance of the three is very different and people''s have strong preferences for one shape over the other. So I think you should watch the videos here to help you get an idea of which shape YOU like best. Better yet, show them to your gf and ask her which SHE likes best.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/21/2009 3:31:35 PM
Author: teddy006

Thanks Julie,
just curious, what is it about this diamond that makes it that much less expensive than some others that i''ve seen on that site. (http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report). it seems to have better specs than most that i''ve seen ... just wondering.
also, i notice that it only has the AGSL certificate and not the GIA or GCAL certificates that most others come with that i''ve seen. i''m not sure the difference as i haven''t really viewed any in depth yet, but if anyone can fill me in on these differences, that''d be great!

Around PS, most people will only buy GIA and AGS certed stones. Those labs are stricter in their standards for grading colour and clarity (and cut, though that is not relevant for fancies except for princesses as I mentioned in my earlier post). So a diamond graded as a G colour by AGSL or another lab may only receive a grade of I or even J by AGS!! So you cannot say "Hmm why is this G colour by AGSL only half the price of the G colour by AGS?" because you are not comparing comparable diamonds. The better comparison would be to see if the AGSL stone costs the same as one with a comparable colour grade by AGS, and typically, this is the case. You really get what you pay for with diamonds 9 times out of 10!

 

[JulieN]

Date: 1/21/2009 3:31:35 PM
Author: teddy006
Thanks Julie,

just curious, what is it about this diamond that makes it that much less expensive than some others that i''ve seen on that site. (http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report). it seems to have better specs than most that i''ve seen ... just wondering.

also, i notice that it only has the AGSL certificate and not the GIA or GCAL certificates that most others come with that i''ve seen. i''m not sure the difference as i haven''t really viewed any in depth yet, but if anyone can fill me in on these differences, that''d be great!

BN used to carry more AGS princesses. I guess their suppliers either switched to GIA or BN stopped using that manufacturer. So any AGS princesses (there''s not that many) on BN have been sitting there for a while, in this case, since 2007. So it''s possible that the price back then was cheaper.

Also, of course, the Signature Ideal is going to cost more. Brand marketing...you have to markup your premier line.

I have confidence in the AGS 0 princesses. Having that stamp of approval is one of the easiest ways to buy a princess.

GIA doesn''t grade cut quality. The GCAL report is sort of...pointless? Other than that grainy, small picture on the GCAL report, the only other somewhat useful thing on it is the crown height. (Crown height and other Sarin measurements are included on AGS reports.)

 

[JulieN]

Date: 1/21/2009 3:41:30 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 1/21/2009 3:31:35 PM

Author: teddy006


Thanks Julie,

just curious, what is it about this diamond that makes it that much less expensive than some others that i've seen on that site. (http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report). it seems to have better specs than most that i've seen ... just wondering.

also, i notice that it only has the AGSL certificate and not the GIA or GCAL certificates that most others come with that i've seen. i'm not sure the difference as i haven't really viewed any in depth yet, but if anyone can fill me in on these differences, that'd be great!

Around PS, most people will only buy GIA and AGS certed stones. Those labs are stricter in their standards for grading colour and clarity (and cut, though that is not relevant for fancies except for princesses as I mentioned in my earlier post). So a diamond graded as a G colour by AGSL or another lab may only receive a grade of I or even J by AGS!! So you cannot say 'Hmm why is this G colour by AGSL only half the price of the G colour by AGS?' because you are not comparing comparable diamonds. The better comparison would be to see if the AGSL stone costs the same as one with a comparable colour grade by AGS, and typically, this is the case. You really get what you pay for with diamonds 9 times out of 10!

Dreamer, I think you got a little confused? I am

Anyway, on PS, there are probably more owners of AGS stones than GIA, and the inventories of vendors who sell ideal cut rounds and princesses will have lots of AGS stones, precisely because AGS has reliable grading, they're pretty serious and cutting edge, and have developed a metric for grading rounds and princesses that most people consider to be very sound.

Basically, having an AGS report for a stone that is deemed AGS 0 is good for the consumer (confidence in a reliable 3rd party report) and good for the retailer (makes the stone easier to sell because it's an "ideal cut.")

 

[teddy006]

well, in regards to the setting, i''m leaning towards a simpler setting for a couple of reasons:
1) it''ll open up a better budget for the rock
2) my girlfriend is a preschool teacher so the less stones she has to lose, the better, hahahah.

also, i''m getting very confused with these abbreviations of the certificates and stuff. would anyone mind breaking them down a bit? hhaha

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/21/2009 5:18:26 PM
Author: JulieN

Date: 1/21/2009 3:41:30 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 1/21/2009 3:31:35 PM

Author: teddy006



Thanks Julie,

just curious, what is it about this diamond that makes it that much less expensive than some others that i''ve seen on that site. (http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report). it seems to have better specs than most that i''ve seen ... just wondering.

also, i notice that it only has the AGSL certificate and not the GIA or GCAL certificates that most others come with that i''ve seen. i''m not sure the difference as i haven''t really viewed any in depth yet, but if anyone can fill me in on these differences, that''d be great!

Around PS, most people will only buy GIA and AGS certed stones. Those labs are stricter in their standards for grading colour and clarity (and cut, though that is not relevant for fancies except for princesses as I mentioned in my earlier post). So a diamond graded as a G colour by AGSL or another lab may only receive a grade of I or even J by AGS!! So you cannot say ''Hmm why is this G colour by AGSL only half the price of the G colour by AGS?'' because you are not comparing comparable diamonds. The better comparison would be to see if the AGSL stone costs the same as one with a comparable colour grade by AGS, and typically, this is the case. You really get what you pay for with diamonds 9 times out of 10!

Dreamer, I think you got a little confused? I am

Anyway, on PS, there are probably more owners of AGS stones than GIA, and the inventories of vendors who sell ideal cut rounds and princesses will have lots of AGS stones, precisely because AGS has reliable grading, they''re pretty serious and cutting edge, and have developed a metric for grading rounds and princesses that most people consider to be very sound.

Basically, having an AGS report for a stone that is deemed AGS 0 is good for the consumer (confidence in a reliable 3rd party report) and good for the retailer (makes the stone easier to sell because it''s an ''ideal cut.'')

Sorry, was reading "AGSL" as EGL! LOL!! Substitue in EGL everywhere I typed in AGSL and my advice stands. I think it was his use of the term "only" and the letter "L" that threw me off when I read it too fast!

Serves me right for replying at work

For posterity, THIS is what I meant: "Around PS, most people will only buy GIA and AGS certed stones. Those labs are stricter in their standards for grading colour and clarity (and cut, though that is not relevant for fancies except for princesses as I mentioned in my earlier post). So a diamond graded as a G colour by EGL or another lab may only receive a grade of I or even J by AGS!! So you cannot say ''Hmm why is this G colour by EGL only half the price of the G colour by AGS?'' because you are not comparing comparable diamonds. The better comparison would be to see if the EGL stone costs the same as one with a comparable colour grade by AGS, and typically, this is the case. You really get what you pay for with diamonds 9 times out of 10!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/21/2009 6:41:30 PM
Author: teddy006

also, i''m getting very confused with these abbreviations of the certificates and stuff. would anyone mind breaking them down a bit? hhaha

I think that was my fault. Sorry! Try to stick with AGS (or AGSL, same thing) or GIA and you are pretty safe.

 

[teddy006]

okay, that makes more sense for sure! thanks!
i''ll definitely keep that in mind when looking at the stones.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/21/2009 6:41:30 PM
Author: teddy006
well, in regards to the setting, i''m leaning towards a simpler setting for a couple of reasons:
1) it''ll open up a better budget for the rock
2) my girlfriend is a preschool teacher so the less stones she has to lose, the better, hahahah.

also, i''m getting very confused with these abbreviations of the certificates and stuff. would anyone mind breaking them down a bit? hhaha

Here you go Teddy, this should help with the abbreviations used for the various lab reports.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/grading.asp

 

[teddy006]

makes more sense, but definitely not much more straight forward! hahahah.
so what i''m getting from all of this is that AGS (AGSL), or GIA are the most trustworthy and i should always look for those.
unfortunately it still doesn''t answer the question as to why this rock is so much less expensive than others that i''ve seen: http://www.bluenile.ca/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-or-less-very-good-cut-g-colour-vs2-clarity_LD01332359?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0#grading_report
it has an AGSL report, ideal symetry and polish.
is this the one i should buy? is it a good quality diamond for a great price? what do you guys think?