Fair Priced Diamond?

[ndjholmes]

I am about to purchase a diamond and rings from a local diamond store in Dallas. I was recommended to them by findmyjeweler.com as a reputable store with good prices. I was hoping that I might be able to get a second opinion from anyone who might be able to help. I have compared his prices to BlueNile, Mondera, etc. and they seem about the same, but I cant find anything identical. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Heres the details.

AGS Triple 0 -
Ideal Cut
Ideal Polish
Ideal Symmetry

a) depth % 62%
b) table % 56%
c) crown angle 35.4
d) pavilion angle 40.8
e) culet % pointed
f) exact carat weight 1.028ct
g) color G
h) clarity VS2

He has quoted me right about 6500 for the stone. Does this seem reasonable?

Thanks.

Jeff Holmes

 

[chialea]

Well, plugging the numbers into that handy cut advisor linked at the top of the page, I get straight across very goods (but no excellents), which is nothing to sneeze at. However, unless this is a really beautiful diamond (which we can't tell from this side of the screen, only guess at), it looks like you're overpaying... I'd guess you'd on overage be paying something closer to $5500/ct (guessing from the price stats). You expect to pay a bit more for B&M, but you have to decide if that's worth it.

 

[chialea]

For example, something quite close (H colour instead of G) with an almost identical HCA score is listed at $5436:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=GIA-12995521

 

[ndjholmes]

What do you mean by B&M?

Thanks for your quick replies. I had already run it through the Adviser, but I didnt know if this was a fair price.

Do you know anything about the findmyjeweler.com recommendations?

Thanks,
Jeff Holmes

 

[ndjholmes]

I just searched on the website you sent and these seem more similar to me:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-499861.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-714356.htm

THese are both AGS Triple 0 like the one I am looking at. Mine is a signature cut as well.

These prices would lead me to believe I am getting a great deal.

Thanks,
Jeff Holmes

 

[chialea]

GIA has excellent, AGS has ideal: same thing. I'm using the cut advisor to compare proportions: more or less same thing.

You didn't mark your diamond as being hearts&arrows, so I didn't take that into account, that tends to bump up the pricing. However, the A Cut Above diamonds are quite likely to be noticeably better cut than the diamond you're looking at -- there are strong and weak spots in AGS0, you can't just blindly compare them, so I'm trying to use the cut advisor to do that in a rough way.

For a signature cut, you'll generally expect to pay a little more. What I'm trying to do is give you the information I have in front of me so you can decide if it's worth it or not. I'm not an expert, you have the exact same tools at your disposal, plus you've seen the diamond. It might be a stunner, for all I know... all I can tell you is that it's likely that some other ones might be even more beautiful. They might not, who knows

 

[ndjholmes]

And I do appreciate your input for sure. This is a VERY large purchase for me and I kinda feel like I know even less about this purchase than I did about my car.

I just am looking for red flags thats all. I plan on having it appraised after the fact and I have 60 days money-back guarantee so I think I am pretty safe.

Thanks again for all your help.


Jeff


ps - What's B&M? I dont know what you mean by that.

 

[chialea]

sorry about the jargon --

B&M = bricks and mortar, a normal jewlery store
B&C = brick and click, a normal jewlery store, but with an online presence as well (like GoodOldGold or NiceIce or Winfield's, for example)

then there's purely online places as well...

 

[ndjholmes]

I guess the store is actually a B&C store then (www.diamondtrade.com)

Have you heard anything about them?

Thanks again,
Jeff

 

[msbennie]

Jeff, like you, my fiance and I went looking for a diamond at a B&M and to be quite honest with you, your best deal is purchasing via the net. Not only will you save money, i.e lower overhead, no sales tax (if purchased from company outside of state) but get a better quality diamond. If I were you, I'd taken that diamond back and get my money! Just my 2 cents!