Fair Price - Vancouver

[christopher]

Hi All,

I have been shopping around for a princess cut diamond here in Vancouver. I have narrowed it down to the one stone but would like some feed back on the price.

I just want to make sure I am getting a ''fair'' deal. The jeweller wants $8000 CDN (incl taxes).

The stones of similar specs seem to be a little bit cheaper on blue nile but spending this much for something I can''t see first makes me uneasy ...

Here is the GIA summary. Also, the report I saw in the store marked two ''clouds'' on the diamond (I can''t tell) and mentions an extra facet)

Thoughts? Let me know if more info is necessary.

Thanks in advance ...


Report Type: GIA Diamond Grading Report
Date of Issue: October 08, 2007
Laser Inscription Registry: 16319297
Square Modified Brilliant
Measurements: 5.65 x 5.61 x 3.91 mm
Carat Weight: 1.02
Color Grade: F
Clarity Grade: VS1

Proportions:
Depth: 69.7 %
Table: 70 %
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None

Finish:
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None

 

[bem3231]

For the same money (a little bit less, actually, being as our dollar''s on par) I would get this from Good Old Gold...

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3982/

It''s a quarter carat larger and I would have *absolutely* no qualms about buying from Jon sight unseen. I would imagine that you''d get a stone with better performance. I live in Canada, too, and bought my stone from Jon. I just couldn''t find the same quality at a comparable price.

 

[bem3231]

Just to add that you could get Jon to shoot a video comparison for you, which in my mind is the next best thing to seeing a stone in person. GOG has many other princess stones listed - I just chose that one as what I would pick for $8k!

 

[christopher]

Thanks for your quick response. I really appreciate it.

Seeing as you live in Canada, would you know how much the duty charge is?

I would assume you would have to also pay sales tax.

Every shopped at Blue Nile? Did you consider them? If

Thanks

 

[dmus]

Here''s a 1ct F VS1 for $2200 less from BlueNile and I like it better because of the depth and polish/symmetry. I bought a 1.5 RB from them in December and was very happy.

 

[dmus]

Sorry forgot the link. http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01259649&filter_id=0

 

[pixley]

I called Canada Customs about this, and essentially, you'd just be responsible for paying GST and PST for the stone when it arrives. I live in BC as well, so that would amount to somewhere in the 12% range. I'm all in favor of going the GOG route. Jonathan's videos and high performance standards for all shapes just put him at the top of the heap when it comes to customer information and service. Another poster visited GOG from Alberta and is having an amazing stone set.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Hi Christopher ...

I live in Vancouver as well and was quite frustrated as I found all the diamonds here to be quite a bit more than other places. Luckily, my bf lives in Seattle and we found a great jeweler there, with which to deal.

If you are interested in going to Seattle to check out this purchase, I can recommend Gemological Trading Corp. You have to make an appointment, however, their prices are competitive and they sell top notch diamonds and have fantastic customer service. If you let them know what you are looking for, they will source it out for you if they do not have it in house. This way you would be able to actually view the diamond before purchase, if this was a concern of yours.

If you are only considering purchasing in Vancouver or online, as mentioned above, Good Old Gold is a reputable PS vendor and I''m sure you''d be able to find something lovely with them as well. Have no hesitation in this regard.

Good luck on your search!

 

[bem3231]

Date: 2/6/2008 5:24:46 PM
Author: pixley
I called Canada Customs about this, and essentially, you''d just be responsible for paying GST and PST for the stone when it arrives. I live in BC as well, so that would amount to somewhere in the 12% range. I''m all in favor of going the GOG route. Jonathan''s videos and high performance standards for all shapes just put him at the top of the heap when it comes to customer information and service. Another poster visited GOG from Alberta and is having an amazing stone set.

This is correct. Canada dropped the 10% excise tax on imported gems and jewelry last year, so basically you just pay GST and the PST of whatever province it''s being shipped to.

I live in Calgary and visited GOG (twice!) to choose my stone, and am currently having it set by Leon. I''m not sure if I''m the one you''re thinking of pixley, or is there someone else out there who''s in the same boat as me... waiting!!

Having been through my experience with GOG I would absolutely not hesitate purchasing from Jon sight unseen in the future. I am, infact, in the process of purchasing a set of studs from him!

I did consider BlueNile, however you get so little information from them. You may be getting an awesome stone from them, but you sort of have to confirm that for yourself. Jon provides so much info, in addition to his expert opinion. Also, Jon (and pretty much any diamond dealer) has access to most of the stones listed on BlueNile, so he can call the same stone in and you still get the benefit of his expertise!

 

[pixley]

Date: 2/6/2008 6:28:37 PM
Author: bem3231

Date: 2/6/2008 5:24:46 PM
Author: pixley
I called Canada Customs about this, and essentially, you'd just be responsible for paying GST and PST for the stone when it arrives. I live in BC as well, so that would amount to somewhere in the 12% range. I'm all in favor of going the GOG route. Jonathan's videos and high performance standards for all shapes just put him at the top of the heap when it comes to customer information and service. Another poster visited GOG from Alberta and is having an amazing stone set.

This is correct. Canada dropped the 10% excise tax on imported gems and jewelry last year, so basically you just pay GST and the PST of whatever province it's being shipped to.

I live in Calgary and visited GOG (twice!) to choose my stone, and am currently having it set by Leon. I'm not sure if I'm the one you're thinking of pixley, or is there someone else out there who's in the same boat as me... waiting!!

Having been through my experience with GOG I would absolutely not hesitate purchasing from Jon sight unseen in the future. I am, infact, in the process of purchasing a set of studs from him!

I did consider BlueNile, however you get so little information from them. You may be getting an awesome stone from them, but you sort of have to confirm that for yourself. Jon provides so much info, in addition to his expert opinion. Also, Jon (and pretty much any diamond dealer) has access to most of the stones listed on BlueNile, so he can call the same stone in and you still get the benefit of his expertise!

Yes! I was absolutely referring to you - I had a "duh" moment after I posted and realized that you were already in the thread, but nonetheless I LOVE your beautiful stone and your setting is going to be incredible! I too am a big believer in Jon and his videos and photos, etc and would love to have visited his store but I let my permanent residency card run out (I'm from California) and am virtually stuck in Canada until I get my renewal, thus I'm working with diamondexchange.ca. GOG has lots of fancies (just no antique cushions) and they really seem committed to having only the best stones on hand. Regarding the Blue Nile part of the equation, Jonathan called in a stone for me that I found on Blue Nile and it turned out to be gorgeous (just not what I wanted) and I'd be more inclined to have Jon give the green light on a Blue Nile stone instead of playing hit and miss with Blue Nile. GOG has access to some fantastic vendors who are honest with Jon about the stones and will send him the best of what they have for him to pick through.