Dirt Cheap Diamonds ''Signature Series''

[Mara]

I ran across this today and found it interesting....if you have some time, float through and look at some of the pictures and see the different light leakages through the Firescope. I ran one of the stones, the 2.04 I VS through HCA and it came up 2+ and the Firescope image was not super impressive either compared to some of their other stones with much better Firescope images.




The interesting thing is that they note that all these stones have ''strong'' Hearts and Arrows but they don''t say anything about how ''precise'' the images are. For example, I''d like to see someone like Rhino who is very picky about his H&A''s go through this and let us know if he feels their H&A''s are TRUE or just stones that exhibit a pattern of H&A which is much more common.




http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/signature-series-diamonds.cfm

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

You can see for yourself with the info that Jimhas included how symmetrical a stone is, and how much light return it gets from the FS shots (which are rather fuzzy).

I say congratulations Jim on doing all that extra work for consumers

 

[Rhino]

I too applaud Jim for providing some info there. My comments are not to be construed wrongly but finally consumers can now see the difference between what we hand pick vs the more common stuff that's being advertised as H&A that we commonly turn down.
So in answer to your question Mara, just about all of them would not be regarded as a true H&A diamond. You are getting what you're paying for there. As Gary has mentioned the FireScope pics are fuzzy and show no depth of detail. All reds are of the same saturation making the stone friendlier to leakage (much the same as pics I had taken with the 8* FireScope) and is one reason I am partial to our reflector technology. The light return/leakage factor greatly contributes to how the diamond will appear in direct light conditions while the issues of depth/amount of contrast & optical symmetry affect how the diamond appears in ambient/suffuse light conditions. It's a step in the right direction though.




What I am wondering is how in the world did Jim get a FireScope?




Regards,


Rhino

 

[Mara]

I definitely agree that it's great that another site is finally giving that type of information and pictures to consumers...which is why I was so intrigued when I found it. DCD has great pricing, so for those consumers looking for not quite 'ideal' at an affordable price, they now have an easier way to find the stones.




Your comments solidified what I was thinking, Rhino....while many of the FS images looked pretty good, some of the H&A did not seem as crisp etc...and since it is often discussed on here what the differences are between a stone simply exhibiting a H&A pattern and it being a TRUE H&A...I figured I'd point this out for those taking educational notes in their journey to finding their stone.

 

[Iiro]

Jim has FireScope? The pictures do not look like they are taken with FireScope.
Is it all right to call these pics FireScope pics when they actually are not? Or does he has FireScope??

Iiro

 

[NewYorker]

Rhino, you're looking kind of different now-a-days. Been watching too much Men In Black???

 

[luvmysparklies]

Rhino, is that a pet of yours? I think the other pic is little cuter!

 

[magna2]

Mara,

Dirt Cheap Diamonds is not really calling these H&A diamonds, it just states that most of the diamonds exhibit strong "Arrows" and "Hearts" images. By my untrained eyes, these diamonds look far from being a true H&A diamond.

However, by just looking at the prices, these diamonds seems competively priced. May be you'll get what you paid for but it does exhibit strong images. So if symmetry in cut is what a person is looking for without having to pay for the higher prices that some of the branded diamonds are going for then perhaps it is good alternative.

 

[Mara]

Magma..that is exactly my point.




They may not call them H&A but anyone who clicks on the picture link and see's H&A images and the Fscope image, may jump to the conclusion that it's an H&A stone (how many times do we see the questions 'Do arrows mean H&A') without really knowing all the facts. The price makes it sweeter to swallow and yes these are perfect types of compromise diamonds

 

[Jim-Schultz]

Hey guys!

This is my very first post on Pricescope so please excuse me if I mess up these images. I appreciate all of the positive comments that have been made about the new line of diamonds we now offer. Taking on a personal inventory of diamonds is a HUGE expense and amount of effort, but we're confident that customers will really appreciate some of the extra information we can now provide.

One of the things I wanted to mention is the whole "is it or isn't it" a hearts and arrow diamond. We purposefully DIDN'T call these H&A diamonds, although in reality MOST exhibit a great hearts and arrow pattern. The photo's we put up online right now show how inexperienced we are with diamond photography. If you think learning about diamonds is difficult, try photographing them! We are getting better though, and I wanted to show off some recent pics.

Here are some shots of just one diamond we have on the site. If you looked at the photo's currently online you definitely wouldn't think the images were clear indicators of a great pattern. In my opinion, however, this diamond is AWESOME! Here are some NEW photo's that show how both the hearts and arrows patterns are clear and crisp, the Firescope (yes, we have a Firescope) shows only minimal leakage and the magnified photo is "okay" - we're still working on those.

Over the next week or so we are going to rephotograph every diamond. In the meantime we appreciate the input and look forward to working with a new "brand" of customer

 

[Giangi]

Hi Jim! Welcome aboard... Fasten your belts and stay with us for a lot of time!

Nice pictures. Your skills have improved! One suggestion... Why don't you point out (maybe using an arrow) the grade-setter inclusions of stones? It would be nice and very informative. But that's just my point.

Very well done, Jim!

Show us more!

 

[Mara]

Hi Jim...welcome! Nice arrow shots and yes diamonds can be hard to photograph!

You can only get better.

 

[canadiangrrl]

Jim, it's really cool to see that you have this type of information available to the consumer. My better half is an American who resides in Maryland, and his comfort level in terms of dealing with an online vendor/purchasing an engagement ring is greatly enhanced by the fact that you're also from/in his home state...(I told him that it doesn't come with free crab cakes, but that didn't seem to sway him.)

Most of those diamonds (particularly the 1.09 G SI2, which I've salivated over repeatedly) appear to be exceptionally well cut, and at a decent price point, too. I recognize that some consumers are looking for the ultimate hearts and arrows pattern...if such a thing exists...while others are simply looking for a very fiery, brilliant, well cut diamond that scores well on the HCA - and if it exhibits H&A, all the better (it's my understanding that most very well cut rounds do exhibit some type of H&A pattern.) Personally, if it comes to paying a premium for the former, I would be inclined to go for the latter. JMHO.

 

[Iiro]

Welcome to Pricescope Jim

How did you get your FireScope? I know many jewelers would want to have one.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

WE HAVE ONE OF THESE SETUPS IN EACH OF OUR SERVICE DESKS (oops)

Anyone want some?
If there is a market we will supply it

The light box with seated holes for 2 stones will be about $25.

 

[Rank Amateur]

Welcome Jim.

I think it's GREAT that you have your own inventory and post the stone's pics. In my mind, those kinds of services separate the men from the boys on the internet.

R/A



Hey Sib!

I saw a firescope for sale on DT a few months ago (can't remember which vendor). Maybe Jim's is second hand.

 

[Rank Amateur]

A pic of the actual cert would be nice, too. I like looking at inclusion plots.

 

[winyan]

I want two lightboxes, please Gary and one of the pinky thing, how do I get them?

win

 

[Iiro]

I saw it too R/A. It was Arthur Gordon. I was thinking the same, but maybe Jim tells us.

Garry,
Interesting set up!

I dont't know how many I want, but I will order few

 

[fire&ice]

HI Jim & Welcome!

Stupid question - why is everyone so amazed that DCD has a firescope? Are they hard to come by?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

8* are selling them for $1200

Read this thread 8* sell instrument
from a month ago

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/8-sell-instrument.8653/