Diff vendors-Huge price difference??

[Rockdiamond]

Right? Hard to justify another $21,000 on exact same product. Really it’s the same as new cars. We all shop different dealerships for the same model year color etc

Of course!
In the event of a $21k price difference between two sellers offering the same specific diamond with a lab report, it’s a no brainer. In that case, then the comparison to buying a New car might be valid.
Some of the largest sites have removed lab report numbers from their listings- to prevent this sort of shopping.
For sure there can bé large differences in price between two legitimate dealers
In general - a diifference this large, sounds like an error somewhere..…hence my skepticism. I hope this is a case where you get the same stone for that much less.

 

[princessk]

Of course!
In the event of a $21k price difference between two sellers offering the same specific diamond with a lab report, it’s a no brainer. In that case, then the comparison to buying a New car might be valid.
Some of the largest sites have removed lab report numbers from their listings- to prevent this sort of shopping.
For sure there can bé large differences in price between two legitimate dealers
In general - a diifference this large, sounds like an error somewhere..…hence my skepticism. I hope this is a case where you get the same stone for that much less.

No error. I invite you to do the search by certificate number.

 

[blingmeupscotty]

Price shopping is a must for all jewelry related items. This is just good common sense and kudos to the OP for mentioning the findings. Can't wait to see the new precious!

 

[Rockdiamond]

No error. I invite you to do the search by certificate number.

There’s a thread over on Rocky Talky. Someone paid $60k. To a large seller.
Subsequently came to find out the diamond they’d already paid for wasn’t available.
To repeat- I hope I’m wrong in this specific case. But the fact is - a lot of funny stuff goes on when different websites are offering the same diamond.
Therefore the fact a consumer has a given lab report number isn’t necessarily a guarantee of anything.

 

[blingmeupscotty]

There’s a thread over on Rocky Talky. Someone paid $60k. To a large seller.
Subsequently came to find out the diamond they’d already paid for wasn’t available.
To repeat- I hope I’m wrong in this specific case. But the fact is - a lot of funny stuff goes on when different websites are offering the same diamond.
Therefore the fact a consumer has a given lab report number isn’t necessarily a guarantee of anything.

Just for reference-this has happened to me before. Exact same cert, same stone, same photos, same video. Purchased-only to be told "sorry we just sold it".

 

[Rockdiamond]

It’s gotten worse with the growth of LGDs.
When I’m working on getting a stone for a call, traditionally with naturals, I know the dealer holding the stone. If he/ she tells me they have the stone in hand, I can take it to the bank.
Just yesterday, I was speaking to a newer LGD grower who swore that two specific LGDs I was looking at would be delivered to our office the next day. He provided cert #s and pics/ videos.
Lo and behold the next day?
The promised stones turned out not to be available.
Lucky for us, our business model allows for us to actually procure the stone before accepting payment. But that’s clearly not the case for many sellers.

 

[Dawn Cepero]

How did you find them at the different vendors? The price differences are crazy!

You can use the certificate number.

 

[Dawn Cepero]

We just saw one with an $80k price difference between brands.

 

[princessk]

We just saw one with an $80k price difference between brands.

Wow

 

[Alybetter]

Those are MASSIVE price differences. I don't think all the customer service in the world is worth more than 50% of purchase price. All I really expect is a refund/return policy and for them to send what I pay for.

Haha, agree!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Was this ever resolved?

 

[princessk]

Was this ever resolved?

The ring is finished and being sent to me today. I will load video when I get home

 

[Rockdiamond]

Excellent!!!
It will be soooo interesting once all the details are out there so we can see !!
Without a doubt- there's a lot of "funny stuff" going on out there ( based on PS thread over the past week!)

 

[princessk]

Excellent!!!
It will be soooo interesting once all the details are out there so we can see !!
Without a doubt- there's a lot of "funny stuff" going on out there ( based on PS thread over the past week!)

Excellent!!!
It will be soooo interesting once all the details are out there so we can see !!
Without a doubt- there's a lot of "funny stuff" going on out there ( based on PS thread over the past week!)

The ring is finished and being sent to me today. I will load video when I get home

 

[princessk]

I’m not sure how to load the video but I have done a couple of screenshots. The vendor is Gemsny. They have been beyond amazing so far. It is my choice to go with the thin band and hidden halo. If it’s not ideal I can always change up the setting. The specs are 5.53 ct Lab grown I color VS2. Price for stone was $13,900. I have no problem divulging this info. I dare anyone to find similar at that price. In fact other vendor had it advertised for $9000 more. Lab is so new and pricing is crazy different and all over the map. Hard for consumers. Especially on line consumers. They are mailing the ring today and I will most likely have by tomorrow. I recommend them

 

[Rockdiamond]

Wow- that is a crazy price! congrats!!
I think it's important to see the comparison to the higher priced site.....if you wanted to "divulge" that

 

[princessk]

Wow- that is a crazy price! congrats!!
I think it's important to see the comparison to the higher priced site.....if you wanted to "divulge" that

Honestly I would but my memory is not letting me. Its between two of the bigger vendors that are on PS and I do not want to get it wrong. But really all anyone has to do is pick a stone and do the work to shop all the sites with the cert number and they will see the price discrepancies,
This is the third LGD that I have purchased in the past year. I have seen huge price fluctuations in just that year. This is a major purchase for most. Right up there with cars and even homes for some. So educating ourselves and knowing as much about the industry is the responsibilty of the consumer Maybe some in the industry don't appreciate consumers who are price shopping and doing comparisons but it is our right to be informed. And this industry cam be daunting if not intimidating to the consumer.

 

[Rockdiamond]

So educating ourselves and knowing as much about the industry is the responsibilty of the consumer Maybe some in the industry don't appreciate consumers who are price shopping and doing comparisons but it is our right to be informed.

Absolutely!
Advice to "not shop around" is clearly bad advice. But- it's also important to "separate the wheat from the chaff"..that is to say: there are places advertising stones which are "too cheap" for a reason- and in many cases, the reason is that the seller can't get the stone.
Clearly, that wasn't the case with you, thank goodness!
But there can also be cases of sites putting incorrect prices that are out of range...
Both of these issues are intimately related for people just trying to ascertain the price of a diamond.

 

[princessk]

A better pic!

 

[Rockdiamond]

and by the way....it's really the same at the wholesale end.
There are wholsale only sites showing 10's of thousands of LGD's.
The range of prices for a given article ( ie...5ct IVS ) are ALL over the place. I'm talking differences of double the price.
Regular PS readers will immediately realize part of that is due to real differences in cut, transparency, etc....
But not all cases....

There's a run on both lab and earth diamonds right now.
A stone that was $5k wholesale last week is $6 this week.
With Earth diamonds, which are priced based on Rappport, there's at least a reason to raise prices.....
From my perspective- LG dealers raising the prices based on rises in earth diamonds prices are......being greedy.
Thankfully there are a lot of dealers/cutters who are better to work with.....

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

"Honestly I would but my memory is not letting me. Its between two of the bigger vendors that are on PS and I do not want to get it wrong. But really all anyone has to do is pick a stone and do the work to shop all the sites with the cert number and they will see the price discrepancies,"
Probably not James Allen.
You'd think someone's head would be on a pike for this, but if the market is that immature and volatile, who knows.

 

[Thparkle]

So I have been in market for a 5+ carat lab diamond. I found one last week but I was stunned at price difference on same stone on line with various vendors.
Of course I purchased with best price vendor. I decided to do a price check experiment today on 2 different stones with exact same IGI certificates.
Both stones came in with very high and very low quotes.( I did not name vendors as I am not sure if allowed)


I color 5.02ct - $16,446 with vendor A
$25,528 with vendor B
a price diff of $9,082


I color 5.13ct - $22,946 vendor A
$26,240 vendor B
$30,020 vendor C
$36,523 vendor D
a price diff up to $13,577!!!!
I find this fascinating. HUGE diffs when you are spending that kind of money. Now tack on taxes and possibly foreign dollar exchanges and Yikes

Do your homework people its worth it!!

Can you please tell me what vendors you are looking at? I am also in the market for a 5-7ct. So far I have found the best prices for these sizes on Brilliant Earth and Ritani, but I don't care about certification and am willing to go off-grid. If I can see a video and there is a return policy, I am willing to take the leap.

 

[princessk]

Can you please tell me what vendors you are looking at? I am also in the market for a 5-7ct. So far I have found the best prices for these sizes on Brilliant Earth and Ritani, but I don't care about certification and am willing to go off-grid. If I can see a video and there is a return policy, I am willing to take the leap.

I purchased from GemsNy. After all my research they had the best price FOR THE EXACT SAME CERTIFIED DIAMOND
I looked at the following vendors: Diamonds By Lauren BE, Ritani, Adiamor, Vrai(uncertified), Debebians, ID Jewellry, Clean Origin, Miadonna, James Allen, 1215 Diamonds,B2c and Rare Carat(pricey but admit it as they rate their own price according to the market as Good , Great or Steep)
TaKe your time and do a lot of research. You will notice prices fluctuate.
The service I received from Saschel at GemsNY was excellent. I phoned for some info and they answered all my questions. I did move fast when I saw the excellent pricing as I knew it may get scooped up by another vendor. People on this thread said I was lucky so maybe that’s true. For a 5.53 I color VS2 I paid $13,900. I am in Canada. So with the exchange and duties it was still an outstanding price.
Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

 

[Thparkle]

Thanks a bunch! I have been through a long roller coaster with a range of vendors, some of whom tyou mention above. Crazy markups. nobody willing to sent a pic with a white background and comparison stones to check for tint so far. I found a cutter who will do my french cuts for me...hopefully... so I will post my finished products at some point. I am going for a cushion and a pear and and emerald for separate projects. I have been collecting for 20 years and was on pricescope long ago. Very glad to see they are welcoming LGDs. I will use Greenlake Jewelers, I rather put my money into craftmanship than material after years of finding issues with earth mined products.

 

[princessk]

Thanks a bunch! I have been through a long roller coaster with a range of vendors, some of whom tyou mention above. Crazy markups. nobody willing to sent a pic with a white background and comparison stones to check for tint so far. I found a cutter who will do my french cuts for me...hopefully... so I will post my finished products at some point. I am going for a cushion and a pear and and emerald for separate projects. I have been collecting for 20 years and was on pricescope long ago. Very glad to see they are welcoming LGDs. I will use Greenlake Jewelers, I rather put my money into craftmanship than material after years of finding issues with earth mined products.

Buying on line with only one pic or 10 second video is definitely nerve racking. Hopefully most vendors will be a bit more helpful at filling a request. If they don’t show you the stone on white paper they must understand you will most likely find a vendor that will. I think that is an excellent idea for on line purchasing and checking tint. They should be advertised on white paper! Looking forward to following your journey and seeing your projects!

 

[Kim N]

Thanks a bunch! I have been through a long roller coaster with a range of vendors, some of whom tyou mention above. Crazy markups. nobody willing to sent a pic with a white background and comparison stones to check for tint so far. I found a cutter who will do my french cuts for me...hopefully... so I will post my finished products at some point. I am going for a cushion and a pear and and emerald for separate projects. I have been collecting for 20 years and was on pricescope long ago. Very glad to see they are welcoming LGDs. I will use Greenlake Jewelers, I rather put my money into craftmanship than material after years of finding issues with earth mined products.

Could you share who your cutter is for French cuts? Can't wait to see your finished pieces!

 

[diamondgeeknerd]

Thanks a bunch! I have been through a long roller coaster with a range of vendors, some of whom tyou mention above. Crazy markups. nobody willing to sent a pic with a white background and comparison stones to check for tint so far. I found a cutter who will do my french cuts for me...hopefully... so I will post my finished products at some point. I am going for a cushion and a pear and and emerald for separate projects. I have been collecting for 20 years and was on pricescope long ago. Very glad to see they are welcoming LGDs. I will use Greenlake Jewelers, I rather put my money into craftmanship than material after years of finding issues with earth mined products.

Your ring is STUNNING! Can you provide some specs like the angles, table, depth etc. of your diamond? Sorry if I missed it in the post!

 

[princessk]

Your ring is STUNNING! Can you provide some specs like the angles, table, depth etc. of your diamond? Sorry if I missed it in the post!

Thank you! It is 5.53 round VS2 I color. 11.38x11.42x6.97

 

[Thparkle]

Could you share who your cutter is for French cuts? Can't wait to see your finished pieces!

As soon as I receive them and all goes well I will happily share the name of the cutter. Had no issues placing the order so far.