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Engagement ring help-issues with 2 vendors, clueless

I

imanhaghighi69

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Messages
9
Hey everyone

New here so just want to thank anyone who offers their insight.

My specs
1-1.5 Carat
VS2 G
Cushion cut
GIA cert
5,000-7,000

I approached a vendor who my family had dealt with before. He works in the diamond district in NYC and family has bought 3 pieces from him including 2 engagement rings. They believed he was fair and provided very good customer service. I live out of state so dont have the same luxury but managed to speak with him briefly. His assistant quoted a bottom, middle and high tiered ring. The high tier was a1.07 carat VS2 G for 5,750.

I spoke with another vendor who I met online that primarily does custom jewelry and wholesale diamonds. He has been more involved and receptive to speaking although he has done a few things I believe seem questionable. He said he called in a favor and found a 1.07 VS1 G for 5,000. I was blown away with my limited research on diamonds only to realize it was EGL US cert. I mentioned perhaps we should get it graded by GIA and his response was I'd be easier to find a GIA stone than sending it in but would probably be graded a color grade less. Then, he came back with a 1.27 VS2 I for 6,500 including the setting. After reading the report I noticed the depth seemed large and girlde was thick-very thick but consistent. I've included the report below.

I told him I was a bit troubled by his offerings, vendor 1 isn't very involved...and now I'm stuck. What do I do where do I go? I like being a conscience consumer and I'm just stuck. I've included the GIA cert below and noticed it was dated 3 years ago if that carries any merit.

So, if anyone wants to talk about this or help walk me through this id really appreciate it.

http://imgur.com/reg219V
 
I couldnt get the cert to come up.

Why are you stuck? Buy on-line where we can help you. There is a lot to choose from and you know you'll get a good (actually
excellent/ideal :)) ) stone.

Edit - BTW, those prices seem to good to be true. Worries me. I'm afraid they may not be well cut.
 
'Oh, oh, oh...I totally missed you were looking at cushions! Doh!

Forget what I said about the prices.

You cant buy fancy cut stones by the numbers. We need close up images and asets to be able to tell anything about a fancy cut stone.

Do you know what kind of cut you are looking for? Modern, antique, 8 main, h&A, crushed ice?

Read this thread and it will tell you about the different types of cushions then we can help you find what you like. Pay attention
to the different faceting patterns of the stones.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]
 
The type of cushion wasn't even in the discussion although I was somewhat aware of the different plots/facets? I will read that thread now. I can request photos but don't have any at the moment.

Thanks for your response!
 
Just a short cut for you. There is NO way to buy a cushion by a lab report. You absolutely HAVE to buy from vendors who offer pictures. I am going to say that I would not buy the majority of cushions out there, so it takes very patient looking to find a good one. There are three vendors that offer a variety of cushion diamonds and they have photos and either post or offer light return images. I like Good Old Gold as they specialize in well cut cushions, James Allen has nice videos but you have to sift through a lot of stones to find good ones, and Brilliantly Engaged has a small selection of a couplr of different styles. In addition, Victor Canera carries newly cut antique cushions.

You are correct to only be looking at GIA graded stones, but some specialty cuts are graded by AGS, which is also a respected smaller lab.
 
Appreciate the advice, thank you very much. I don't understand why cushion is such an irregular cut. It appeals to my girlfriend because it seems like a Princess cut with rounded edges. Am I mistaken in that if a square stone with rounded edges is what you want, you should go after a cushion cut? Thank you!
 
Wow that video is huge. If you can explain something to me...does the community really "pick well" via online photos and certs and the like? I ask because I don't really have any other option besides buying online it seems. Anyway the vid was long but absolutely crucial in helping me understand the cushion cut. Big help, thank you!
 
Gboldt|1427482355|3853357 said:
Wow that video is huge. If you can explain something to me...does the community really "pick well" via online photos and certs and the like? I ask because I don't really have any other option besides buying online it seems. Anyway the vid was long but absolutely crucial in helping me understand the cushion cut. Big help, thank you!
Click to expand...


People that have been on Pricescope for a while and have looked at enough pictures, videos and aset images can pick out
good stones(stones with good light return and nice faceting patterns). We can show you the difference between what pictures
of a good stone look like and pictures of what not such a good stone looks like.

If you need more assurance you can work with someone like Good Old Gold who can bring in 3 stones and do a comparison
video for you. I believe you have to pay a fee/deposit for this but it's worth it if you are not comfortable.

Once you learn a little more I think you will start to feel a little more confident about which stones people suggest to you
because you will start to be able to see the difference yourself.

Certs dont help too much with cushions (or any fancy cut stone) because there are too many variations in the cut.

If you want to quickly/easily pick a nice stone that has excellent light return you could go with a branded stone but
they are more expensive.

Edit ...I'm going to throw 2 stones out there as examples...
This is a different faceting pattern than most you see but see how clear, crisp and well defined the facets are when you
turn it back and forth. Looks like lots of little mirrors.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.19-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-261186

Now take a look at this one...we call this mush under the table. Nothing well defined, wont return light well, will suck
the light up and spit it out the bottom of the stone instead of reflecting it back to you.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.25-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-289447
 
I' went from understanding a grading report to knowing more about cushion cuts...certainly learning and it's a steep curve. Do all cuts have this problem of finding a "diamond in the rough" or just cushions? I don't get it. I know round dominates the market but why is it so difficult to find a square stone with rounded edges...
 
Round brilliants have a limited number of measurements so they are much more predictable as far as how well they will reflect light.

Fancy cut stones (cushions, pears, marquise, radiants, ovals, princess...) have too many variations to easily predict how well they
will reflect light. On PS we use Aset images to see how well they reflect light.

Some Cushion info...
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/cushion-cut-diamond
 
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