Did I get a decent deal on a 1ct?

[NewToThis1983]

Hey everyone,

Great forum you guys have here, very informational! I finally ordered a ring for my fiance and I'm not sure if I got a good deal on the diamond. It has a GIA cert and was rated as SI1, D color, Fair cut, 1ct, medium blue fluorescence. the jeweler is selling it to me for $6k otd, is that a good price?

Your input would be appreciated, thanks!!!

 

[rubybeth]

Hey everyone,

Great forum you guys have here, very informational! I finally ordered a ring for my fiance and I'm not sure if I got a good deal on the diamond. It has a GIA cert and was rated as SI1, D color, Fair cut, 1ct, medium blue fluorescence. the jeweler is selling it to me for $6k otd, is that a good price?

Your input would be appreciated, thanks!!!

Welcome! How much of the forum did you read before purchasing? I ask because generally, emphasis is on getting the best possible cut, with a balance on color and clarity and size. You bought a 'fair' cut. I'd return it and look for something with an excellent or ideal cut, because cut has more effect on a diamond's sparkle and 'life' than anything else. We can help you find something awesome in your price range.

 

[NewToThis1983]

Thanks for the tip. I have been looking around the forums quite a bit and the cut really was why I was questioning it. When I first saw it, it looked great, but I wanted it to be graded by GIA before I bought it. The cert finally came back yesterday and showed only to be fair cut. I was looking for 6k max on a loose diamond, perferably 1ct and at least SI1. When searching online at places like bluenile, similar graded diamonds were 6,500-7,500. So now I'm torn. Both my fiance and I love the diamond, but the fair cut is really bothering me right now

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You know, most diamonds are pretty to some degree. But I just wouldn't settle for fair cut just to get over the 1 ct. mark. I really wouldn't. I'd go with one in the .80-.99 range and get excellent cut, if it was me. Plus, if you go with vendors who specialize in well cut stones and allow trade-ins 9such as Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash), you could always upgrade later to a larger stone.

What is the diameter measurement of that stone, by the way?

 

[Daniel B]

BEST deal in the market, I think, is a IDEAL or EXCELLENT (never compromise on cut!) "SI2 (eye clean, or preferably in a place that can be covered, or partially covered with a prong, "I" colored stones (honestly, forget "D" color.) It's the lowest you can go without compromising the quality IN MY EYES. In fact when I searched in the past for engagement rings, I started with sorting it down to I's and J's and SI1's and SI2's right off the bat--didn't even bother with better quality color or clarity because there is little reward on the money you'd pay for it. All subjectively speaking, of course.
That's the bare-bottom in quality that still meets the eyes as a stunner--not to say a lower cut quality, or "J" stones are bad--I know many of you on here LOVE "J's." But "J" is where I can start seeing a tinge of yellow. "I's" to me are the BEST in terms of bang for yer buck!

 

[yssie]

Hey everyone,

Great forum you guys have here, very informational! I finally ordered a ring for my fiance and I'm not sure if I got a good deal on the diamond. It has a GIA cert and was rated as SI1, D color, Fair cut, 1ct, medium blue fluorescence. the jeweler is selling it to me for $6k otd, is that a good price?

Your input would be appreciated, thanks!!!

Is the stone a modern round brilliant?
If it's an older style stone the GIA cut grade is meaningless, and useless, and in that case it might be a very fair price for a lovely stone. If it's actually an RB - yikes.

 

[rubybeth]

I think going with a better cut will really make the diamond look more impressive than just going by size alone. Going just a bit under the 1 carat mark saves a lot of $$$ and these vendors have good upgrade policies if you want to trade in later when diamond prices are a bit less crazy. Be sure to confirm that the diamond you buy qualifies for later upgrade and how it works with each individual vendor. I'm posting the diameter in mms so you can see that a .8 range stone is really not all that much 'smaller' than a 1 carat. Another option is to put the diamond in a halo setting.

Here's a 1.03, 6.5mm, I SI2 from Good Old Gold for $5,587 bank wire price: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8827/ (they are a bricks & mortar jewelry store and have tons of setting options that just aren't on their site yet!)

A .81, 6mm diameter, G SI1 from Whiteflash, $4,699: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2709025.htm

A .84, 6mm diameter, H SI1 from Brian Gavin Diamonds, $4,584: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104054189042

Didn't find much at James Allen, but somebody may have better luck searching than I did: www.jamesallen.com

 

[NewToThis1983]

You know, most diamonds are pretty to some degree. But I just wouldn't settle for fair cut just to get over the 1 ct. mark. I really wouldn't. I'd go with one in the .80-.99 range and get excellent cut, if it was me. Plus, if you go with vendors who specialize in well cut stones and allow trade-ins 9such as Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash), you could always upgrade later to a larger stone.

What is the diameter measurement of that stone, by the way?

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses and helpful feedback! I think I'm going to keep looking. And here is more info on the one I was looking at:

Shape & Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.06mm - 6.09mm x 4.08mm
Ct wt: 1
Color: D
Clarity: SI1
Cut: Fair
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Flouresence: medium blue
Depth: 67.4%
Table: 59%
Girdle: Medium - Extremely Thick

 

[junebug17]

Yes, definitely keep looking. That stone is very deep, and is the size of a .75 diamond. A 1 carat should be around 6.5 mm.

 

[Frenchcut]

Even I can tell from the figures you posted that this is a very deep cut diamond...and that's not good news. As far as I'm concerned it's not a good deal at all and I don't think anyone on this forum would like such a deep rock...

Keep looking, there must be much better deals than that!

 

[crbl999]

You know, most diamonds are pretty to some degree. But I just wouldn't settle for fair cut just to get over the 1 ct. mark. I really wouldn't. I'd go with one in the .80-.99 range and get excellent cut, if it was me. Plus, if you go with vendors who specialize in well cut stones and allow trade-ins 9such as Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash), you could always upgrade later to a larger stone.

What is the diameter measurement of that stone, by the way?

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses and helpful feedback! I think I'm going to keep looking. And here is more info on the one I was looking at:

Shape & Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.06mm - 6.09mm x 4.08mm
Ct wt: 1
Color: D
Clarity: SI1
Cut: Fair
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Flouresence: medium blue
Depth: 67.4%
Table: 59%
Girdle: Medium - Extremely Thick

That stone was cut specifically for weight. It is the same size as a well cut .85 ct stone. Look at GIA/AGS stones with Excellent or Ideal cut ratings. Go higher in color G/H and VS2/SI1/SI2 are fine for clarity if eye clean.

 

[rubybeth]

You know, most diamonds are pretty to some degree. But I just wouldn't settle for fair cut just to get over the 1 ct. mark. I really wouldn't. I'd go with one in the .80-.99 range and get excellent cut, if it was me. Plus, if you go with vendors who specialize in well cut stones and allow trade-ins 9such as Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash), you could always upgrade later to a larger stone.

What is the diameter measurement of that stone, by the way?

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses and helpful feedback! I think I'm going to keep looking. And here is more info on the one I was looking at:

Shape & Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.06mm - 6.09mm x 4.08mm
Ct wt: 1

Yikes, it's the same diameter as the .8 stones I posted above, both of which are about $1,500 less:

A .81, 6mm diameter, G SI1 from Whiteflash, $4,699: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2709025.htm

A .84, 6mm diameter, H SI1 from Brian Gavin Diamonds, $4,584: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104054189042

 

[Dancing Fire]

You know, most diamonds are pretty to some degree. But I just wouldn't settle for fair cut just to get over the 1 ct. mark. I really wouldn't. I'd go with one in the .80-.99 range and get excellent cut, if it was me. Plus, if you go with vendors who specialize in well cut stones and allow trade-ins 9such as Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash), you could always upgrade later to a larger stone.

What is the diameter measurement of that stone, by the way?

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses and helpful feedback! I think I'm going to keep looking. And here is more info on the one I was looking at:

Shape & Cut: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.06mm - 6.09mm x 4.08mm
Ct wt: 1
Color: D
Clarity: SI1
Cut: Fair
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Flouresence: medium blue
Depth: 67.4%
Table: 59%
Girdle: Medium - Extremely Thick

 

[CedarRapids]

[...] Both my fiance and I love the diamond [...]

You both love the diamond because you both love each other (which is awesome of course) and as Diamondseeker2006 puts it above, "all diamonds are pretty to some degree."

As everyone has said above, your diamond is too deep. Definitely return. For the same money, you can get something that will face up bigger and sparkle like no one's business.

 

[NewToThis1983]

I appreciate everyone's input. I'm definitely going to keep searching.

Thanks!!!

 

[LJL]

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1425617.asp
This might be a good one.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Whew! As others said, that stone faces up like a .85 ct! So no point in paying 1 ct. price for that! I agree with those who said that you can easily go to G-H-I color with ideal/excellent cut stones. I encourage you to look at some of the stones posted. I have bought diamonds from Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash and couldn't find stones locally that could even begin to compare,

Good luck!