First post...wanted some forum user opinions on this diamond

[Porkibear]

Hi everyone,

I''ve been searching for a diamond both online and at B&M, and I''d have to say that Pricescope gave me some great info in the knowledge sections. Now that I''ve narrowed down my search, I''m in need of some user opinions.

One thing I''ve been using is the HCA tool to narrow down my search on website diamond retailers like BlueNile. It''s been pretty useful to weed out diamonds which are marked at higher prices based on GIA stats, but actually might not be a very good stone.

I recently went to a diamond seller who has sold diamonds to a few of my friends already. They all got pretty good deals on their diamonds, but I believe this guy gets his diamonds from a diamond broker on a request basis. I started by telling him the quality of the stone I was looking for, and we set up an appointment for him to show me a few stones he had "borrowed" from his broker. All of them had GIA certs, and are identified with a laser inscription on the girdle. Out of 4 diamonds of approximately the same stats, I narrowed it down to one. Here are the stats:

1.31 Carat
G Color
VS2
Brilliant Round Cut
Polish-- Excellent
Symmetry-- Excellent
Cut-- Excellent
Flourescence-- None
Depth %-- 60.8?
Table %-- 57%
Crown Angle-- 33.5%
Pavilion Angle-- 40.8%?

The stone is eye-clean, and inclusions can only be seen clearly through a double 10X magnification. On the HCA utility, it measured a 0.9 and fell within the GIA ideal zone, but right outside the AGS ideal zone. Nevertheless, it marked smack-dab in the middle of the orange zone.

The diamond dealer is quoting me $10,200 for this stone, which comes to about $7700/carat. Personally, I think this is a good deal compared to online prices. I was hoping to get somewhere in the $9500 range. What do you think? Thanks for the input!

 

[Ellen]

Hi Porki,

The stone doesn''t sound too bad, but of course we can''t say a whole lot based on this info (no pics). It''s what we''d call a nice make, not top notch. Depends on what you want.

Here''s one for comparison. And this one is definitely cut better, if cut is a priority. Bankwire is 9606.00

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/2688/

 

[Porkibear]

Date: 3/10/2008 7:00:07 PM
Author: Ellen
Hi Porki,


The stone doesn''t sound too bad, but of course we can''t say a whole lot based on this info (no pics). It''s what we''d call a nice make, not top notch. Depends on what you want.


Here''s one for comparison. And this one is definitely cut better, if cut is a priority. Bankwire is 9606.00


http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/2688/

Ellen,

Thanks for the reply. I know it''s probably going to be difficult trying to get opinions on a stone without a picture. It would be much easier if this particular diamond was listed on a website, but unfortunately it''s not.

So, I''m probably going to go back and examine the diamond one more time before making a final decision. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for, or is there a certain lighting requirement I should be using to examine the stone? I''m in a *catch-22* right now-- not completely wanting to trust a diamond broker, and not wanting to buy a diamond online because I can''t see the stone physically.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/10/2008 7:48:07 PM
Author: Porkibear


Ellen,

Thanks for the reply. I know it''s probably going to be difficult trying to get opinions on a stone without a picture. It would be much easier if this particular diamond was listed on a website, but unfortunately it''s not.

So, I''m probably going to go back and examine the diamond one more time before making a final decision. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for, or is there a certain lighting requirement I should be using to examine the stone? I''m in a *catch-22* right now-- not completely wanting to trust a diamond broker, and not wanting to buy a diamond online because I can''t see the stone physically.

Aw, I understand, and sympathize.

If you feel better shopping locally, I would suggest you get it in writing that if the stone does not check out to your satisfaction, you have a certain amount of time to return it for a FULL REFUND, not store credit. Then have an idependant appraiser (one who does not sell anything) look at it, they will give you an unbiased opinion. If it is ok, you''re done.


Having said that, I was once in your position. Buying something so important and expensive, sight unseen went against everything I was ever taught. And I tried to shop locally. Long story short, I bought from a nice retail store in an upscale area, and almost got ripped off. Returning the ring was NOT pleasant, and it wasn''t pretty. But, I got my money back, and that was it for me.

I finally went with the company that diamond up there is linked to. They are extremely reputable, and honest. FAR more so than any of the several I dealt with locally. Sadly, this is more the norm, than the exception. I ended up with an outstanding diamond, at a much better price than I would have, in fact, did get, locally. So as I said, I totally understand where you''re at, and I''m not trying to "push" you online, I just want you to see that there are some vendors who it is totally safe to buy from. And GOG has a 30 day, no questions asked return policy.

I hope this helped, and if you have any other questions, just ask.

 

[Yekutiel]

Hi Porkibear,
The diamond you have chosen happens to be very nice. If you aren’t happy with the price I would recommend keep shopping around. But don’t sacrifice on the cut nor the color and clarity and don’t go below 1.25ct.

 

[Porkibear]

I wish I had an Idealscope I could bring with me.... =/

 

[Dreamer_D]

Porkibear, watch the videos that Good Old Gold has made in their diamond education site. They are amazing and really show you what a diamond "should" look like! Also talks about different lighting environments and how a diamond will perform in each one.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/video/

I love these videos! Watching them really convinced me that "very good" cut is no where near good enough for me!

DD

 

[Porkibear]

Date: 3/10/2008 10:14:15 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Porkibear, watch the videos that Good Old Gold has made in their diamond education site. They are amazing and really show you what a diamond ''should'' look like! Also talks about different lighting environments and how a diamond will perform in each one.


http://www.goodoldgold.com/video/


I love these videos! Watching them really convinced me that ''very good'' cut is no where near good enough for me!


DD

Yep, I actually watched them all last night. Pretty interesting videos. I guess I just need to go back and really examine the diamond carefully again to make sure I''m getting a good stone. He''s going to get a few more for me to look at, so i may find a better one.

 

[Porkibear]

Date: 3/10/2008 8:33:44 PM
Author: Yekutiel
Hi Porkibear,

The diamond you have chosen happens to be very nice. If you aren’t happy with the price I would recommend keep shopping around. But don’t sacrifice on the cut nor the color and clarity and don’t go below 1.25ct.

When you mean "sacrifice" on cut, color, or clarity...do you mean to get a stone which is Ideal cut, D color, and IF? Can you elaborate? I think anything over 1 carat in those terms are WAAAAY out of my budget.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:39:13 PM
Author: Porkibear


When you mean ''sacrifice'' on cut, color, or clarity...do you mean to get a stone which is Ideal cut, D color, and IF? Can you elaborate? I think anything over 1 carat in those terms are WAAAAY out of my budget.

I am not Yekutiel, and I don''t understand their post or the reasoning behind it, hopefully they''ll come back to explain.


I agree with them not to scarifice on cut, that is what makes a diamond sparkley. Color and clarity are either personal preferences, or factors used to get the size one wants. There''s nothing wrong with a very well cut J or K, if one doesn''t mind them, and there''s nothing wrong with an SI1 or SI2, as long as they''re eyeclean and the inclusions aren''t affecting the performance.

Because you are unsure of this diamond, and I take it haven''t looked at a lot, that''s why I suggested what I did in my first post about the independant appraiser. They know what a good diamond is, and can tell you if you got one.

The only other thing I can think of is to go to a place that sells Hearts on Fire, look at some and get an idea of what a well cut stone looks like.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/11/2008 7:40:25 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/10/2008 11:39:13 PM
Author: Porkibear


When you mean ''sacrifice'' on cut, color, or clarity...do you mean to get a stone which is Ideal cut, D color, and IF? Can you elaborate? I think anything over 1 carat in those terms are WAAAAY out of my budget.

I am not Yekutiel, and I don''t understand their post or the reasoning behind it, hopefully they''ll come back to explain.


I agree with them not to scarifice on cut, that is what makes a diamond sparkley. Color and clarity are either personal preferences, or factors used to get the size one wants. There''s nothing wrong with a very well cut J or K, if one doesn''t mind them, and there''s nothing wrong with an SI1 or SI2, as long as they''re eyeclean and the inclusions aren''t affecting the performance.

Because you are unsure of this diamond, and I take it haven''t looked at a lot, that''s why I suggested what I did in my first post about the independant appraiser. They know what a good diamond is, and can tell you if you got one.

The only other thing I can think of is to go to a place that sells Hearts on Fire, look at some and get an idea of what a well cut stone looks like.

Ditto.

 

[Yekutiel]

Ellen please take it easy, all I’m saying is you can not compare a 1.23ct G-VS2 to a 1.31ct. G-VS2

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/11/2008 10:50:17 AM
Author: Yekutiel
Ellen please take it easy, all I’m saying is you can not compare a 1.23ct G-VS2 to a 1.31ct. G-VS2

Pricewise, I assume you mean? If so, true enough, to a certain extent. One may pay a small premium from 1.25-1.49. other than than, I can't think why one couldn't. And if that's what you were saying, I definitely didn't get that out of your post. Apparently I, and the OP, and Lorelei all mistook the meaning of it. However, responding to what I "thought" you were saying, I don't see anything heated...I said I didn't understand it, and hopefully you would come back to explain. The rest of my point is moot as far as your post is concerned, but it's true nonetheless. And certainly wasn't meant as an attack on you, just education for the poster.

But if that's what you meant, thanks for clarifying, it just didn't come out that way.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:39:13 PM
Author: Porkibear

Date: 3/10/2008 8:33:44 PM
Author: Yekutiel
Hi Porkibear,

The diamond you have chosen happens to be very nice. If you aren’t happy with the price I would recommend keep shopping around. But don’t sacrifice on the cut nor the color and clarity and don’t go below 1.25ct.

When you mean ''sacrifice'' on cut, color, or clarity...do you mean to get a stone which is Ideal cut, D color, and IF? Can you elaborate? I think anything over 1 carat in those terms are WAAAAY out of my budget.

Sorry Yekutiel, I don''t understand either. Do you mean that you advise the original poster to aim for a D colour and IF clarity? That is what I took your post to mean.

 

[Yekutiel]

To everyone,
This is what I meant. Porkibear already has an excellent cut color and clarity. As being a diamond consultant and a buyer given the same situation I would not sacrifice the size for the price that porkibear was quoted. I truly believe that if porkibear keeps shopping around I’m sure she can find 1.30 for about $9500 in her specs. Good Hunting and a blessed day to all on PS.

 

[Porkibear]

Date: 3/11/2008 3:13:04 PM
Author: Yekutiel
To everyone,

This is what I meant. Porkibear already has an excellent cut color and clarity. As being a diamond consultant and a buyer given the same situation I would not sacrifice the size for the price that porkibear was quoted. I truly believe that if porkibear keeps shopping around I’m sure she can find 1.30 for about $9500 in her specs. Good Hunting and a blessed day to all on PS.

Yekutiel,

Thanks for the clarification! Part of my original post was addressing "price", and you hit it on the nose: There are stones out there with the same stats as the diamond I''m looking at which are selling for about $9500-9800. I just wanted to see if there was any negotiating power I had with this particular diamond selling at $10,200.

Should I be asking the diamond dealer to try to get me a color copy of the GIA cert to show me where the inclusions are? Honestly, they were hard to see using double 10X magnification, which kind of surprises me considering it''s a VS2.