First diamond purchase

[robert18]

Went to a diamond store today and found a perfect 1.00 ct. diamond vs1, f in color and ideal cut from what the owner told me. There is no gia certificate. I really want the diamond, especially since it is 3000.00. I also want it gia certified before I buy this diamond. What steps do i need to take with the owner to make this purchase more comfortable?

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

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On 3/1/2003 12:29:20 AM robert18 wrote:

Went to a diamond store today and found a perfect 1.00 ct. diamond vs1, f in color and ideal cut from what the owner told me. There is no gia certificate. I really want the diamond, especially since it is 3000.00. I also want it gia certified before I buy this diamond. What steps do i need to take with the owner to make this purchase more comfortable?

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Price sounds too low for as you termed it an "ideal" cut. I would definitely recommend you ask to get the stone certed. If the jeweler stands behind his product he should have no problem getting it certed. It does take time to get a stone certed so if your hot for a stone right away you may want to weigh your different options. If your set budget is around 3k figure what your priorities are one of them should be cut. If you decide you would like a well cut stone you are going to have to drop the size a little if your budget is around 3k. Keep in mind if you get a ideal cut stone it will look bigger than some stones of lesser cut quality which are larger in size. See the tutorial section. Garry elaborates on this. Clarity is also a big issue when it comes to the pricing. If the jeweler intentionally misrepresents a stone stating its a higher grade than it actually is you are getting duped. Not at all saying this exist in your case but something to think about. I would get the stone certed and see the dimensions and then make an informed decision. Keep your guard up and remember just because a jeweler is telling you characteristics of a stone he is in the market to make a profit and in many cases transactions occur where there is no documentation on a stone to back this up. Would you buy a corvette when the engine is seized. Hell no..So be careful friend.

-Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[niceice]

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On 3/1/2003 12:29:20 AM robert18 wrote:

Went to a diamond store today and found a perfect 1.00 ct. diamond vs1, f in color and ideal cut from what the owner told me. There is no gia certificate. I really want the diamond, especially since it is 3000.00. I also want it gia certified before I buy this diamond. What steps do i need to take with the owner to make this purchase more comfortable?

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Wow! A "perfect" 1.00 carat, VS-1 clarity, F color, ideal cut diamond for only $3,000.00 that would be a phenomenal deal! We would expect to see that puppy sell for about $7,500 - 8,000.00 on the internet and those prices are usually significantly lower than what a traditional Brick & Mortar establishment can offer... We must be buying our diamonds from the wrong source (sarcasm)... Or your jeweler is "totally" lying to you (seriously)... It's hard for us to determine without seeing the stone, but we STRONGLY suggest you send that puppy to the AGS Laboratory "before" putting any money down on it 'cuz unless you're buying direct from DeBeers in London and considerably exceeding the annual volume of the fifty DTC Direct Site Holders... We don't even think that you can buy an ideal cut fracture filled diamond for that price! If we had to guess, the only thing "ideal" about this stone is that it would be "ideal" for the jeweler to sell it...

We hope that "perfect" is your description of the diamond and not the jewelers because there is nothing "perfect" that is created by nature, which is why it is a violation of the FTC Guidelines to describe any diamond as "perfect" unless it happens to be a D, Flawless and even then the use of the term is discouraged...

Our "real advice" in this situation is to RUN like the wind and don't stop until you get out of the maul... And if the jeweler isn't in a mall, he should be

 

[Mara]

If the stone is perfect to you and you really like it, try telling the jeweler you want to get the stone independently appraised with the sale contingent upon the results. He will most likely tell you that is not necessary 'don't you trust me', but if he is open to it, then I would do it. The stone *sounds* good and is very cheaply prices, maybe you want to spend the $200 or so to get it checked out. It may check out, or it may not. If it does check out, GREAT...if not, then you know you need to keep looking and you have learned a valuable lesson about trusting someone who is out to sell you something.

Also keep in mind that 'ideal' is just a term, there is no definition of IDEAL that everyone adheres to, so he says ideal and maybe its ideal in his mind (or as T/R say...ideal for him to sell it!) but does that mean it returns the best light return it could, or that the depth is ideal for the table? It's variable. Ideal is a broad range, even AGS who tries to define it ends up leaving it as a huge range of table, depth, crown and pav. Not ideal for the discriminating consumer by any means!

Whatever you decide good luck. Just be smart about this potential purchase and get it checked out. Either way you learn something...

 

[Giangi]

The price sounds suspiciously low... A GIA cert is a good choice, but be advised that the turn around time is somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks

!!!!! If my memory is serving me correctly, the cert fee for 1ct is 177$... You might want to get the stone checked by a qualified appraiser or EGL LA --they have a 72 hours turn around-- or PGS Lab, which is very, very good and they're all much faster... AGS doesn't deal directly with the consumer...

Giangi