Feeling nervous about Costco ring purch

[WilliamPC]

Made a 4 hour drive today to a Costco in Oregon to by a 1.0 karat, VS2, I princess cut ring...

1st post so forgive me if I violate the FAQ

I made the mistake of doing research after the fact. The general specs look good but I want to run the IGI stuff buy you guys/gals to make sure the price was inline.

$3599
One 14 Karat Yellow Gold Mounting (Ring) Weighing In Total Approx. 2.8 DWT., Stamped "14K", Containing One Natural Diamond, Set in 14 Karat White gold.
Square Modified Brilliant Cut
5.39 X 5.21 X 4.02 mm
1.01 Carats
Depth: 77.2%
Table: 77%
Girdle: Medium to Very Thick
Cutlet: none
Color: Near Colorless (I)
Clarity: VS(2)
Flourescence: none
Polish/Symmetry: Good/Good

Total Est Rep Val = $8,045.00

Opinions?

Thanks!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

You probably had better spent 4 hours educating yourself on Pricescope, in stead of driving this 4 hours.

Better for the environment, at least.

Live long,

Paul

 

[limey]

Costco? Amazing.

- Dishwasher soap
- Softener
- Mayo, bulk size
- Cream puffs
- Pork Tenderloin (2 pack)
- Engagement ring
- Pretzels
- Coffee

Is there something wrong with this picture??

 

[WinkHPD]

IGI has a terrible reputation in both the trade and with the educated public. Their grades tend to be off by one to two color and clarity grades and their retail pricing as supplied on their certs is at prices that are never seen in the real world, except possibly at some of the major name brand stores such as Tiffany or Cartier.

If you go to visit the web site of David Atlas from this forum he posts the parameters of what his lab feels to be the best for cutting of princess cut stones.

AGS and GIA are both working on performance based stone grades which will be released in the somewhat near future. You can probably do much better than your Costco stone, but it will take a little research to know for sure.

Wink

 

[limey]

Return info

 

[69gm]

hi will,

don't feel too bad. anyone can make the mistake of buying diamonds without enough knowledge. in fact, i would think most guys do just that. luckily you found PS, probably the best diamond forum, IMHO.

check out specs as best you can here and compare them to what you got. i have heard that there are actually some good stones at costco, if you can find them.

i wouldn't trust the IGI cert. i personally only trust GIA and AGS. you should give the stone to a respected appraiser. many are here on PS. they can give you the straight poop on your rock.

i'm not familiar on what a good price is. one of the experts here on PS could probably help you on that. even if the stone isn't the best, the price might be decent.

if you still feel uneasy, i think costco has a pretty good return policy. not sure about jewelry though but i know for other stuff they pretty much take anything back.

good luck and take advantage of the great people here at PS. they only live to serve.

 

[limey]

Hi William

Sorry for my earlier posts, they were not constructive. I've been there and none that (well almost).

If you are interested in learning more hang around, posts questions, we'll help you find a great diamond at a very decent price. First, you have to decide if you want to return the ring and start over.

As for Costco. Well my wife's favourite lighting to show off her ring happens to be the lighting found in the big warehouse, home improvement and Meijer/Walmart type stores so I'm sure the Costco diamond looked very nice there. Hey, you certainly could have done a lot worse and got the same ring from a local jeweler for more money.

Take care
Limey

 

[verticalhorizon]

It wasn't too bad a start, esp. for costco. The diamond is smaller than the typical Princess b/c it was deep and had a thick girdle. The cert needs scrutiny, but I've heard worse stories.

The good news is you can choose to return it, learn up a bit, and try again if you so desire.

 

[hoorray]

Hi WIlliamPC,

IF you do a search on the main Pricescope page, it will give you an idea of diamonds available in the general spec range that you purchased. Your price seems to be more or less in line with them, but there is a wide choice, some of which will most likely be better cut, which impact the sparkle of the stone. The question is are you happy with the stone you purchased? If you think it is beautiful and just want to know if you got a good deal, do a search here to get a feel for how your stone compares price-wise. (The setting sounds like a simple setting that sells for $100 - $300, so it won't impact it too much.) At the end of the day, it is about how it looks to you.

If, now that you've started reading, you want a better cut stone, take back the Costco one, and people here can help you wind through the pricess of finding a beautiful stone. Read the tutorials, check out the DIY cut evaluator at www.gemappraisers.com (a great site to get a better feel for fancy cut specs), and ask questions here.

GOod luck!

 

[moremoremore]

for example...and see how much bigger it it? And almost certainly better cut....I got a simple but substantial white gold setting for my enormous hands for $200 from goodoldgold. A setting is 200 bucks at most...

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=2487564

 

[moremoremore]

And it's got medium flourescence too!!! That's awesome in an H!!!!!!!!

 

[just-ice]

"I made the mistake of doing research after the fact. "

Hi WilliamPC...we've all been there done that..too much of a rookie to give feedback. If you find you are not please....four hours in travel is minimal to correct you purchase. Esp. if it's a lifetime purchase.

 

[Jolie]

If you want to buy diamonds from Costco, don't buy the ones that are in the showroom. You can "order" a stone to meet your specifications.

It's been a while, but this is what I recall: check with the store manager for contact info - you can give the specifications that you're looking for to a representative and they will notify you of the diamonds that meet your specs. They'll ship the diamond to your nearest Costco, where you can inspect the diamond before buying (the catch that I didn't like is that the you have to buy the diamond mounted). But they give you 30 days to take the diamond to an appraiser and have it checked out. If you don't want to keep it, return the diamond to your local Costco within 30 days for a full refund.

I thought about going this route, but I didn't really want to buy a mounted diamond. Since I didn't actually buy from them, I can't say how their process works in real life. But in theory, it seemed like a viable option.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention the price. I think a 1-carat D, VVS2, vg-vg, cut to ideal proportions, was around $7,800 including a white gold setting, for which they (over)charge $300 or so. [I ended up getting loose diamond from somewhere else, but like I said earlier, Costco was an option that I seriously considered].

 

[Superidealist]

I've seen some nice rings at Costco. I wouldn't be afraid to buy from them if I saw something I liked. If the diamond is beautiful, why care what the cert says or which lab's name is at the top?

Enjoy your diamond.

 

[WilliamPC]

I went to a local (respected) jewelry store today to look at getting the stone set in a different setting. They looked at the ring and were right on about the clarity and color and guessed that I paid about $5k for it. Their only issue was that the girdle was a little fat and because of that the diamond doesnt present itself a 1 carat, it looks more like a 3/4 carat. Also the fat girdle makes the diamond less sparkly.

Whatever. Fiancee will be happy with it. Ordered new setting. Moving on.

 

[scotch]

----------------
Whatever. Fiancee will be happy with it. Ordered new setting. Moving on.----------------

Good for you, couldn't agree more. Yes, you can spend a lot of time doing research, and maybe nothing but an ideal cut would do for you afterwards. Some people do that (such as I), others don't. A friend of mine simply went to the family jeweler, got a nice ring, and you know what - it did the job just as well. She's happy, he's happy. The thing itself is less important than what it symbolizes. Good luck to you both.

Scotch

 

[moremoremore]

That's all that's important...that you like what you purchased and got a good deal!!! Congrats! We're all cut quality freaks...but that's not to say a less than perfect stone by the numbers can't still be a pretty diamond!!! And btw, my very first princess was a 77 depth and 74 table!

I'm sure she'll love it! I mean, it's a diamond for the love of god!