Did I find a deal?

[stupefy99]

Does the price on this diamond seem a little too good to be true? I suppose it could be the nature of the inclusions, which I am the most worried about, but how bad can an SI1 really be? I called bluenile to have them put it on hold and they verified it was eye clean. What do you think?

Price $7,075
Carat 1.39
Spread 7.16 mm
Certificate GIA
Cut Excellent
Color G
Clarity SI1
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Excellent
Flour Med Blue
Depth 61.8
Table 55
Crown 34
Pavilion 40.8
HCA 1.0
http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewdetails&elem=img&pid=LD01148450&filter_id=0
http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_de...ewdetails&elem=img&pid=LD01148450&filter_id=0

 

[shel]

That''s a pretty clean SI1. Numbers look pretty good to me. And it''s supposedly a hearts & arrows. Great price too.

 

[Ellen]

I like everything about it, except the inclusions. Ideally it''s better to have many smaller scattered, than a few big ones. I''d want to know it''s eyeclean, and whether you''ll get an honest account of that from BN, I don''t know.

 

[stupefy99]

I''m a bit leery about Blue Nile''s opinion as well, since someone tells them what they think, and they in turn tell me, I''m sure there may be things lost in translation. That, and the associate I spoke with told me that their definition of eye-clean is that "you can''t see the inclusions at a glance". Hmmm...

Anyway, this looks like a killer deal for these specs, so I''m going to order it and take a look myself. If it looks good to me, I''m off to the appraiser. I''m really hoping this one works out.

Can someone point me to a thread on how to take good diamond pics with a digital camera? I tried searching, but didn''t really come up with anything. Thanks!

 

[Ellen]

I think taking a look is warranted. Let us know how it goes.

And there is no one definitive thread on taking pics, but this one has several good ones. It also reminded me I''ve never added to it yet....

 

[stupefy99]

Apparently Blue Nile has an "anti-comparison policy", which means that since I ordered one from them last week, I can''t order this one to compare it to. I would have to return the first one before they send the second.

I guess it makes sense, but you think that they would allow you to do this since they don''t offer any pictures on their website, and their "experts" can''t look at the diamonds for you either.

I''m stressed out...

 

[Jenn5504]

Hi stupefy99! I just wanted to chime in with my personal experience with BlueNile... I own a .59 (yeah, I know, small......) pendant, "Signature Ideal" (I feel for that load of bull......and it was a line, it doesn''t even score well on the HCA...) from BlueNile, I SI1. Was told it was absolutely eyeclean. Well, I can assure you. It is NOT. Obvious black pin point inclusion that is even noticable on such a small diamond.........Ok, that is story #1. I love my pendant, it has huge sentimental value, just wish I had been a smarter diamond shopper at the time. Ok, story #2. A few months ago I was shopping to replace my original ering which had broken. Purchased a very well cut (this time I knew my stuff when it came to #''s) H SI2, 1.54ct round. Well, again was assured it was eye clean. Obviously not many SI2''s are REALLY eye clean IMO. But they told me it was........well, needless to say, got it and it wasn''t.........just very disappointed with their "opinion" of eye clean both times. I ended up purchasing a 1.59ct round stone, J SI2 from Whiteflash (was tired of not getting what felt like good info from Blue Nile and decided I REALLY wanted an upgrade policy). Whiteflash was very very picky on eye-cleanliness, and passed it around to more than one person at their company, including they guy they consider their "eagle-eye" on viewing stones for clarity. They told me it wasn''t 110% eye clean but that it was pretty close, and a very good stone. Got it and was thrilled. I consider this stone eye clean. I can barely find the inclusion and I know what I''m looking for. Long winded (as always) but wanted to share my experience........I will say Blue Nile was very nice and easy to deal with regarding returns. I spent over $10k with them and returned it all no problem, no questions asked. It''s certainly not going to be a big deal if you get the stone and decide you''re not happy. The numbers look great and by all means and SI1 should be FINE, IMO. But there are those few SI1''s out there that may not be.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/29/2007 2:01:10 PM
Author: stupefy99

Apparently Blue Nile has an ''anti-comparison policy'', which means that since I ordered one from them last week, I can''t order this one to compare it to. I would have to return the first one before they send the second.

I guess it makes sense, but you think that they would allow you to do this since they don''t offer any pictures on their website, and their ''experts'' can''t look at the diamonds for you either.

I''m stressed out...

I''m sorry.

How about this. Make it a bit easier on yourself and go with a company that actually has the stone in hand, and can look at it and tell you all about it.

Here''s a nice one, not much smaller, and not much more with bankwire. They are great to work with, and very honest.

Of course, need to ask if eyeclean.

http://204.17.89.15/diamond/3457/

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 8/29/2007 2:01:10 PM
Author: stupefy99

Apparently Blue Nile has an 'anti-comparison policy', which means that since I ordered one from them last week, I can't order this one to compare it to. I would have to return the first one before they send the second.

I guess it makes sense, but you think that they would allow you to do this since they don't offer any pictures on their website, and their 'experts' can't look at the diamonds for you either.

WHAT?! That makes no sense to me.

That's also a beautiful stone Ellen suggested.

 

[stupefy99]

Date: 8/29/2007 7:28:41 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 8/29/2007 2:01:10 PM
Author: stupefy99

Apparently Blue Nile has an ''anti-comparison policy'', which means that since I ordered one from them last week, I can''t order this one to compare it to. I would have to return the first one before they send the second.

I guess it makes sense, but you think that they would allow you to do this since they don''t offer any pictures on their website, and their ''experts'' can''t look at the diamonds for you either.

WHAT?! That makes no sense to me.

That''s also a beautiful stone Ellen suggested.

Me: "So there is no way under any circumstances to get both of these diamonds at the same place at the same time?"

BN: "No."

Me:

Thanks for the suggestion, Ellen....I have been having a hard time finding a similar stone in this price range, but it looks like you did it! I''ll have to put more thought into this..........and I''ll be sure to post pictures once I make my FINAL final decision.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/30/2007 10:33:05 AM
Author: stupefy99

Me: ''So there is no way under any circumstances to get both of these diamonds at the same place at the same time?''

BN: ''No.''

Me:

Thanks for the suggestion, Ellen....I have been having a hard time finding a similar stone in this price range, but it looks like you did it! I''ll have to put more thought into this..........and I''ll be sure to post pictures once I make my FINAL final decision.

You''re quite welcome. And if you are at all seriously considering it, pleaase call and have them put it on hold. That way it won''t get snatched while you''re thinking about it. That does happen.

And yes, whatever you pick, we want to see!!

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

If you buy it then you can view them both at the same time. I mean, the fact is that right now the diamond that you bought is yours. If you want to return it within the retrun period thats up to you, but for now it is your personal property.

So if you buy a second diamond from them, thats your decision. Then if you decide to send back one of the diamonds that you purchased that is still under the return period, thats part of the process as well. It all seems pretty straight forward to me...you would just have to purchase it of course.

One thing to consider asking them is the color of the crystal. If that crystal is white or clear, you might have a very clean diamond on your hands.

But most importantly, I called blue nile about 200 times during my diamond search. I had excellent customer service. If they have somebody new there that is telling you they define eye clean as a passing glance tell them that is BS and ask to speak witha manager or someone else. I spoke with them AT LENGTH about how they defined eye cleanliness and they were able to work with me on distance and various angles at which I defined eye cleanliness and communicate that to the person who actually had the diamond. They wont be as good as WF or GOG but they sure treated me and my .6 ct purchase a whole hell of a lot better they they seem to be treating you, so I say make sure a manager knows about it, and ask for a different sales rep.

I wish I could give you some names to request, but that was about 4 months ago now? and barring one person I spoke with every single member of the blue nile sales staff, and I found them all to be very nice and accomodating. There was one who has a Japanese wife, I wish I could remember his name, but he was fantastic and worth requesting, if I could only remember his name...but just forget abuot that person and move on to talk with someone else, and start looking more at other options through PS as well of course.

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 8/30/2007 10:33:05 AM
Author: stupefy99

Me: 'So there is no way under any circumstances to get both of these diamonds at the same place at the same time?'

BN: "No."

That’s nuts. Last I checked they have a 30 day return policy for any reason and they do not limit their sales to a single diamond per customer in a 30 day window. If they don’t want your business, by all means shop with one of their numerous competitors who I'm sure would be happy to participate in a bit of comparison shopping but this ‘no comparison’ claim doesn’t hold water. If you decide to continue working with them, ask for another sales clerk.

ps. I can think of a place where they could put those diamond where they would be together.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver

 

[elmo]

I think 99 must be confused. You'd never be able to put together a set of earrings for instance. Maybe it's as simple as not saying you're going to return one. I've ordered more than one stone from them at the same time.

 

[stupefy99]

Date: 8/30/2007 1:52:21 PM
Author: elmo
I think 99 must be confused. You''d never be able to put together a set of earrings for instance. Maybe it''s as simple as not saying you''re going to return one. I''ve ordered more than one stone from them at the same time.

I received a call from the billing department at BN about 5 minutes after I purchased it online and they asked me why I was buying a similar diamond to the one I had already purchased. Not knowing of any "anit-comparison policy", I honestly stated that I wanted to compare them. That is when she told me that I would be unable to purchase this one. I suppose I could have turned it into some sort of fib, but I''m not that quick of a thinker.

I may give this one more shot...

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 8/30/2007 2:02:30 PM
Author: stupefy99

Date: 8/30/2007 1:52:21 PM
Author: elmo
I think 99 must be confused. You''d never be able to put together a set of earrings for instance. Maybe it''s as simple as not saying you''re going to return one. I''ve ordered more than one stone from them at the same time.

I received a call from the billing department at BN about 5 minutes after I purchased it online and they asked me why I was buying a similar diamond to the one I had already purchased. Not knowing of any ''anit-comparison policy'', I honestly stated that I wanted to compare them. That is when she told me that I would be unable to purchase this one. I suppose I could have turned it into some sort of fib, but I''m not that quick of a thinker.

I may give this one more shot...

Yeah. She wants engagement earrings now. Not a ring. Need another one similar to the one in my hand.

What a dumb policy.

 

[elmo]

Especially if you know you're going to return at least one, consider wiring funds instead of putting it on a credit card so they're not automatically losing the 2% fee. You might be surprised at how small the difference is between that 2% and the margin on some stones.

 

[stupefy99]

Date: 8/30/2007 2:51:07 PM
Author: elmo
Especially if you know you''re going to return at least one, consider wiring funds instead of putting it on a credit card so they''re not automatically losing the 2% fee. You might be surprised at how small the difference is between that 2% and the margin on some stones.

Definitely. I''m trying to find the best diamond in my budget, but I don''t intend to screw anybody in the process!

 

[Shay37]

Date: 8/30/2007 11:24:14 AM
Author: denverappraiser

Date: 8/30/2007 10:33:05 AM
Author: stupefy99

Me: ''So there is no way under any circumstances to get both of these diamonds at the same place at the same time?''

BN: ''No.''

That’s nuts. Last I checked they have a 30 day return policy for any reason and they do not limit their sales to a single diamond per customer in a 30 day window. If they don’t want your business, by all means shop with one of their numerous competitors who I''m sure would be happy to participate in a bit of comparison shopping but this ‘no comparison’ claim doesn’t hold water. If you decide to continue working with them, ask for another sales clerk.

ps. I can think of a place where they could put those diamond where they would be together.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver

Hmmm, might make a light return comparison difficult. Doncha think?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/30/2007 6:30:41 PM
Author: Shay37
Hmmm, might make a light return comparison difficult. Doncha think?

 

[stupefy99]

Alright, here is an update on my situation. I re-ordered the first diamond in this post over the weekend, and sure enough, I received another call from BN within about 15 min. This time I told them that I was trying to find a matching set for some custom earrings and everything went a-ok. The funny part is that when I was talking to a "expert" the first time around, she was trying to convince me that there was NO WAY that I would be able to tell the size difference between the two, so it didn't really matter to go with the larger one. When I talked to a different person the second time, telling him that I wanted a matching set, he told me the size difference would be too noticeable to match!

Well I received the new diamond on Wednesday and have spend a considerable amount of time comparing it to the first one. Here is a recap of the specs:

---------------Diamond 1--------Diamond 2
Full Price......$7,070...........$7,075
Carat...........1.25.............1.39
Spread..........6.98 mm..........7.16 mm
Certificate.....GIA..............GIA
Cut.............Excellent........Excellent
Color...........G................G
Clarity.........SI1..............SI1
Polish..........Excellent........Excellent
Symmetry........Excellent........Excellent
Flourescense....Med Blue.........Med Blue
Depth...........60.9.............61.8
Table...........57...............55
Crown...........35...............34
Pavilion........40.8.............40.8
HCA.............1.5..............1.0

And this is what I have noticed so far...

Carat: Diamond #2 is EASILY bigger that #1! I can tell the difference even when they aren't side-by-side.

Color: Diamond #2 definitely looks whiter to me in all lighting conditions (looking from the side), and I don't typically notice small color differences. I have already had an appraisal on Diamond #1, and he thought it was somewhere between a G and H, so maybe #2 is between F and G. Regardless, I was surprised that I could tell the color difference.

Clarity: The jury is still out on Diamond #2 - I haven't found any definitely inclusions with my eyes, but my sight isn't the best (I've found that I can focus at a closer distance and see more detail with my contacts out...I'm severely near-sighted). I can see a small crystal in Diamond #1, but I also know where it is since I saw it under 30x magnification. I'll have to get some type of cheap magnifying glass or something to put my on the same playing field as my gf.

Cut: I've carried these two rocks around for the last couple of days and tried to observe them in as many lighting conditions as possible. They are pretty similar, but I THINK that the smaller one is a bit more brilliant and fiery.

Conclusion: None yet I'm going to keep these by my side through the weekend and see if I can make up my mind. Obviously, if I couldn't see any difference in "sparkle", Diamond #2 would be a clear winner, but I'm trying to determine if the difference is significant. I really wish I was able to take some decent pictures and/or videos, but my digital camera refuses to focus at close distances (even using macro mode!)

 

[stupefy99]

Well I decided on Diamond #2 and took it to get appraised. It turns out that it is nearly identical to Diamond #1, except it is BIGGER! One thing I was surprised about at the appraisal was that he said the exact same thing about the color #2 as he did with #1 ("not as white as my G, but whiter than an H")....I was SURE that #2 what whiter! Oh well.

Now that I have the rock, it''s onto the ring! I already purchased one from Shane Co., but I don''t know if I''m satisfied with it...is it frowned upon to bring a setting into a different store to compare it to theirs?

 

[msterling21]

Good work, it looks like a good deal.