Ebay Seller - What do you think?

[sarge816]

Hi, I''m brand new here and have read the tutorial and alot of these posts. This is by far the best web forum I''ve found for information on diamonds! I am wanting to pop the question soon, and have been looking for the right ring. I''ve been furiously doing my research into the rating specification of diamonds, but I''m really a beginne. Being the complete diamond n00b that I am, I went mall shopping at the usual suspect stores and had found pretty much what she wanted: a 1.25ct Princess solitaire in white gold.

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2087144&cp=2109180.2137033.&cp=2109180.2137033&fbn=Carat+Range%7COver+1&f=PAD%2FRing+Style%2FSolitaire&f=PAD%2FCarat+Range%2FOver+1&fbc=1&parentPage=search&searchId=10640002478

That was the ring she tried on and really liked. I liked the 12 month no interest offered by the seller as well, as I could spring for the $5k but the payment option would be better since we''re about to buy a new house.

My question is about this seller on Ebay:

http://stores.ebay.com/DIAMONDS-USA

Notice the 1.25ct ring just like the one above except for $1850!
http://cgi.ebay.com/CERTIFIED-1-25-G-COLOR-PRINCESS-DIAMOND-SOLITAIRE-RING_W0QQitemZ8933447023QQihZ004QQcategoryZ67726QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Similar specs, but the Zales ring is rated GIA and the Ebay listed one is IGA. Who is IGA, are they a real entity or something made up? Is this and most other Ebay retailers I see selling there to good to be true? And with my limited budget can you see better options for me besides my local Walmart? Thanks in advance!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, my. That Zales ring says I1 or 2 clarity. Do you really want to get a stone that probably has visible inclusions? If you read on here enough, you''ll find that mall stores rarely have good quality stones.

If you want to get a good princess stone take a look at some like this:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1983/

Stay away from ebay period for diamonds. Most of what we hear are nightmares from there.

 

[pinkflamingo]

I would stay away from Zales, Ebay and walmart. I have never heard of IGA. You should stick to GIA or AGS.

If you read up on the boards here, you will realize that CUT is the most important part of a diamond. None of the diamonds have any info on cut and you will receive a stone that does not sparkle very much, most likely.

I dont know a ton about princesses, but take a look at http://www.goodoldgold.com
http://www.jamesallen.com

Those are two reputable sites that have nice stones. I think you can get a carat princess with a fabulous cut for $5K.

ETA: How can a "GIA certificate" from Zales list clarity as I1-I2? G-h? it's one or the other. You do not want an I1 or I2 clarity ring.

 

[Kaleigh]

Cut is key. You have a great budget and can find a wonderful princess stone from many of the PS vendors and those stones will be amazing compared to the crap you get at Zales or on Ebay. I would never buy a diamond off of ebay. I''d look at GOG, JA and WF.

 

[partgypsy]

I did a search for the parameters of the first diamond on pricescope and for a 1.25 g, i clarity princess the price was 3650, so to me the 5999 price at Zales is no bargain.
As far as the second option do a search here on "ebay" and read about it. There are some reputable dealers on Ebay but many that are not. You know what they say, if it is too good to be true ($1850 for a 1 carat plus diamond) it probably is.
To me buying a diamond for your girl is a once in a lifetime thing; better to know all the specs on the diamond (including cut quality) before purchasing, rather than finding out afterwards when you cannot return it.

 

[sean_morrison44]

i''m pretty new here, but I''ll give you my opinion

I got a desing your own ring from zales online
http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2136635&cp=2071134.2115498&cp=2071134&clickid=hmp_dyodrop_1&categoryId=2115498&parentPage=search&searchId=10640244043

well when it arrived..the writing inscriptions on it were small so that you had to hold it close to see it (verses the picture you see where it seems you would have no trouble spotting it from far)
1 of the stones came loose the first day my fiance'' wore it too..so we tried bringing it to a store..but they couldnt do anythign without charging because i got it online.
I called the online store and they gave me a label to fedex it to return it..and were making a new one for me and takin that one back-thou i didnt say anything about the writing, just the stone (i got it using a discount code..and there were waitin for a new discount code to come along that they could use to make it the same price..so that i got a refund for what i got, and recharged for a new one).
So all in all, the online store was helpful by honoring the return,
BUT a stone fell out the first time she wore it..and that was just a gem stone..I wouldn''t want to trust a diamond with that. Also, there diamonds are overpriced.
Give James Allen your same budget, and I''m sure he''ll get you a MUCH better diamond!

Hope this helps,
Sean Morrison

 

[denverappraiser]

Congratulations on zeroing in on one of the key questions right away. A grading opinion is only as good as the lab giving it. I’ve never heard of IGA and they may be wonderfully skilled people, but you should completely ignore their opinion unless you have some reason to believe that what they think is important. Anyone with a computer and a printer can call themselves a lab and can say anything they want about diamonds. The hard part is convincing people to care.

I notice that the dealers website features quite a few ‘certified’ diamonds and even a kind of entertaining tutorial about this topic. Curiously, they don’t have a single stone graded by these people. They apparently don’t have a lot of confidence in them. Why should you?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[RockDoc]

RE: I-1 - I-2

GIA does not grade diamonds using split gradings for clarity. It is usually one or the other on their reports.
Generally speaking GIA also does not split grade color as well, but I have seen grading reports from GIA where in the lower colors ( below R) that they have split graded a diamond. However this is rare, I''ve only seen 2 reports over the past 25 years where this was done by GIA.


What Zale has done here is state that "someone" graded it using GIA standards of grading, when the patent fact is that GIA has never graded or seen this diamond.

This practice is widespread among many sellers, and is totally misleading consumers into assuming that GIA has actually graded this stone.

Rockdoc

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 7/11/2006 3:39:06 PM
Author: RockDoc
RE: I-1 - I-2

GIA does not grade diamonds using split gradings for clarity. It is usually one or the other on their reports.
Generally speaking GIA also does not split grade color as well, but I have seen grading reports from GIA where in the lower colors ( below R) that they have split graded a diamond. However this is rare, I''ve only seen 2 reports over the past 25 years where this was done by GIA.


What Zale has done here is state that ''someone'' graded it using GIA standards of grading, when the patent fact is that GIA has never graded or seen this diamond.

This practice is widespread among many sellers, and is totally misleading consumers into assuming that GIA has actually graded this stone.

Rockdoc

Rockdoc,

Many will also try to hang their hat on the observation that skilled graders can quite reasonably vary by a a full grade from one another, even under controlled conditions. This means that I-1/I-2 includes both SI2 and I-3 stones. Somehow it never seems to turn out to be the SI-2.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[sarge816]

Wow, great responses so far. Thanks!

Yeah, I've been a long time buyer and seller on Ebay (since 9, and have had mostly wonderful experiences. I did a search on Ebay here and man! I cannot believe all the horror stories concerning jewelery (I've dabbled mostly in electronic equipment/computers). I think it was prc or something that had a really bad experience, but at least she got her money back. That Big Apple Diamonds website and auctions look expert and legit, but at that price it definitely seems to good to be true.

And no, I wasn't very impressed with the inclusion rating on that Zales diamond either, and I didn't think the price was all that great. It was the 12 month no interest financing that got my attention. We have an acquaintance (locally) who has a private business wholesale buying and trading gems, and he showed me some diamonds I was far more impressed with, including a 1 ct Princess D, si2 for $3600. Since many people on this board seem to think D is overkill, I was thinking I could go slightly larger at 1.25 ct with G or H but was still unsure about the inclusions. Is si1 or 2 going to be good to go? I know it's widely advertised as not being visible with naked eye, and sure enough the diamond he showed me was visible using only an eye piece/scope (it had 2 tiny black dots). What kind of flaws are more visible usually? What should I be staying away from? Those links listed for online vendors was very enlightening as well, I really appreciate all the assistance!

P.S. I'm still not sure about cut - any pointers on what to look for? Seems Princess doesn't have the wealth of info that round has on here.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Make sure the acquaintance is selling GIA or AGS certified diamonds. Otherwise you have no accurate data that you can come on here and check on. There are some people on here who have been successful finding good SI2 diamonds, but you have to know what you''re doing as they are often not eye clean. Even with SI1 you need to be careful. There''s certainly nothing wrong with G-H color as long as it''s GIA or AGS. It is a little harder on here to get advice on cuts other than rounds, but I''d surely try and run the numbers on here before buying.

 

[codex57]

I''m a long time buyer and seller on eBay as well. Accordingly, I assume you know the basic unspoken rules regarding eBay? Sniping, while some people find it distasteful, is necessary for many popular items. Be wary when buying from sellers with 0 feedback. Ignore and report buyers who wish to send you more more money, go through "their" escrow company, come from Nigeria or Indonesia, etc. Along with those general rules of thumb, another is DO NOT BUY NORMALLY PRICY JEWELRY ON EBAY!!!!! Computer products, pez dispensers, etc - yes. Diamonds - NO!!! (unless you''re looking for industrial grade stuff to let a child play with or do experiments on).

As for visible flaws, you basically want to avoid any that are visible. Doesn''t matter what kind. Ok, clouds are a little harder to see, but it all boils down to the report. You want nothing that can be seen with the naked eye. That''s why GIA or AGS reports are so important. They''re well respected. In the SI level, going from SI1 to SI2 can make a huge difference. That''s not a place to fudge. VVS1 to VVS2 is no big deal. Even VS1 to VS2 is no big deal. However, you''re looking at the range where it''s absolutely critical to be able to trust the report cuz it can mean the difference btw eye clean or not.

That''s another reason why everyone is telling you to go with the more respected online vendors talked about on here. You can trust them to come up with an eyeclean stone that''s a gorgeous cut as well as warning you when a particular stone isn''t up to snuff. You''re not going to get that at Zales. You go to one of those stores to practice looking at stones that you DON''T want to buy.

 

[CaptAubrey]

More reasons to be concerned with that Zales diamond:

Diamond carat weights (CT.) represent the approximate total weight (T.W.) of all diamonds in each setting and may vary no more than .07 below the stated weight.

IOW, it''s probably not 1.25 ct and could be as low as 1.18.

If you click on the fine print, their "disclosure" page is a hoot. I especially enjoyed this bit:

Ceylon sapphires are mined primarily in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon).

So, shopping there, I could be getting a "Ceylon" sapphire that is actually from Australia. Wonderful.

 

[pinkflamingo]

wait- sri lanka is an island off of India, right? it used to be called Ceylon, it is an independent nation. Very confused about your last remark. Where do they say Australia?

 

[londonblue]

Date: 7/11/2006 7:48:33 PM
Author: pinkflamingo
Where do they say Australia?

i would guess because the disclosure says "primarily" rather than "exclusively"
wow, scary!
i agree w/ the other poster that most mall jewelry stores are often there for us to see what not to buy i wish there were some where we could see what to buy too though! like i said before, a pricescope vendor fair!

 

[gemmy1]

Since many people on this board seem to think D is overkill, I was thinking I could go slightly larger at 1.25 ct with G or H but was still unsure about the inclusions. Is si1 or 2 going to be good to go? I know it''s widely advertised as not being visible with naked eye, and sure enough the diamond he showed me was visible using only an eye piece/scope (it had 2 tiny black dots). What kind of flaws are more visible usually? What should I be staying away from?

In addition to the good advice you have already received in this thread, I would add that black pique tends to be easier to spot than other types of inclusions, especially in a colorless stone. On the plus side, they tend not to diminish light play through the stone like feathers or other types of inclusions in strategic locations within the stone.

Bottom line, with Si2 you have to view the stone and satisfy yourself that it is eye-clean and the stone is lively and pleasing to the eye. You also want to know if the stone has strong flourescence as that characteristic, especially in colorless stones, can sometimes be detrimental to performance.

You are correct in assuming that you can get better overall value by relaxing a bit on color. Consider G-H and Si1 as a baseline. If you see an Si2 that looks great, don''t be afraid to go for it.

You have an ample budget to get a very nice diamond if you follow the guidance in this forum. If you push for 1.25 you may have to compromise on one of the other attributes to keep the money in check.