Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Found a 2.12 carat yellow rough diamond

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
F

fancyroughdiamond

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 28, 2006
Messages
8
My son and I visited the Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas in March. We happened to find a gem quality 2.12 carat, fancy yellow, rough diamond. It was quite exciting. I have had it appraised here in Kansas the best that they can without it being cut. Its measurements are 9.58 long, 5.8mm wide at widest point and 4.25mm deep at the deepest point. It has only one small inclusion close to one side which they thought would be removed in cutting.

So with all of this information, does anyone have any ideas what I should do with this? I thought about selling it in its rough form and I also thought about getting it cut prior to selling it but I am worried about it getting damaged. How often does that sort of thing happen? I don''t know too much about diamonds, just what the person appraising it had to say. I''m not sure I even understand all of that, especially the V something quality. Guess I need to do some research.

Thought someone might want to help me out. I am a recently divorced, single mom now, trying to decide what the smartest thing to do is. I would appreciate anyones help.

I have attached a picture of it. And if anyone is interested in how we found it, it is listed on the Crater of Diamonds web site under recent finds. It really was a great experience. I would recommend going to anyone (even if you don''t find a diamond like we did).


Thanks

roughdiamond#1.jpg
 
My gosh...how exciting! I can''t answer any of your questions...but I can say Congrats!.

For some reason the picture you posted isn''t coming up (for me, anyway) Could you try to post it again?

I''m dying to see it!

widget
 
I''m sorry the picture didn''t come up. I''ll see what I can do. Otherwise you can go to

http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com Just click on LATEST DIAMOND FINDS under the pictures of people digging.

You will see the picture of my son''s hand with the diamond next to a dime. When you look at it you will see a kind of grey/silver color at the bottom of the diamond. That is just the refelction of the dime in the diamond. It really is beautiful. I was so surprised at how smooth they are when they come out of the ground. They are kind oily, this made it easier to find because the dirt doesn''t stick to it.


It really was amazing.
 
Hey, a new place for a PS girls trip!!!
36.gif


Congrats! There are appraisers and diamond cutters around here, so I am sure you will get some reliable advice! Please let us know what happens!
 
I''m going to try and post the picture again.

Sorry if it doesn''t work.

fancyroughdiamond.jpg
 
WOW thats big. Well, I guess it worked.
emteeth.gif
 
Congratulations on your find.......

From the photo with the elongated shape, probably a marquise shape ( or maybe an elongated hexangonal shape), would possibly yield the most weight from the rough, but it would depend on the depth of the stone ( thickness at the center).

Maybe your first consideration for it might be to name it, as it is certainly a spectacular find.

There are some good gemologists here that upon examining it, can render some opinion, and there are some cutters that occaisonally frequent the site too.

Rockdoc
 
Hey - congratulations! That''s a mighty fine find...the kind those of us who have had a shot at digging there dream about!

I suggest you contact Bill Bray (www.brayscore.com) who sometimes frequents this board (forgot his handle, however). He''s a diamond cutter extraordinaire of colorless RB''s, but don''t know about color or fancy shapes. He, at least, will be able to give you good guidance.

Best of luck!
 
Hi Fancy Rough. Congratulations on your find.

I would recommend having it cut before attempting to sell it, if that's what you want to do. The cutting wouldn't cost you all that much, and the final price realized would be much greater to you. If you're tight on money, the cutter might cut it for you in return for a percentage of the sale price. He might even be able to help facilitate the sale.

My thoughts are that the stone would make a nice oval, and probably realize the largest weight return in that shape. The oval shape would tend to concentrate the fancy color better than a pointed stone, and probably end up weighing in the 1.25 carat neighborhood.

A cutter could give you the best advice though, after personally examining it. Gary's suggestion of contacting Bill Bray is a good one.

Being of Murfreesboro origin is going to give the stone a bit of a premium along with greater liquidity as well. I agree with RockDoc's suggestion to name it. Nothing wrong with "romancing the stone" a bit.

Since the stone is a fancy yellow, and has a "provenance", you might consider letting one of the New York auction houses (Sotheby's or Christies) sell it for you. They would attract the type of dealer clientele who would appreciate the history behind the stone.

Another option would be to have a prominent Arkansas jeweler market it for you.

Good luck to ya.
 
wow what a great story!!! it makes me want to head for arkansas..maybe i can find my fancy yellow!
5.gif


rich and rockdoc have some great advice...congratulations on your find and please keep us posted!
 
Congratulations to Jennifer and her extrordinary find! Also thank you p/s for your kind recomendations. I answered jennifer''s email and said I would be willing to help.

The rough crystal appears in the photo to be a dodecahedron as opposed to a very common octehedron. The stone lays obviously to be cut into a fancy shape. Which shape is hard to determine without seeing the stone, saturation of color etc. The yellow color could be a skin, yielding a lighter different color underneath, butu not likely.

The yield would probably go under a carat in my humble estimation, again without seeing the stone.

If the stone were to draw significant yellow color, I may suggest going to a "radiant" straight edge and try to achieve the maximum color grade of perhaps fancy.

Rough''s a gamble....especially if you only have one try at it, as opposed to a parcel of rough where you may lose on one piece and gain on others.


I once had a diamond cutter friend go down there prospecting and while he found some small stones, there was nothing to match Jennifer''s find.

Who can get Jennifer and I on the Today Show? Katie Kuric would love this story.
emteeth.gif



Bill Bray
Diamond Cutter
 

Jennifer,


Congratulations! What a fun project. I’m curious what your appraiser had to say, since they are the ones who have actually seen the stone and presumably spoke with you about your options. When they assigned a value, what market were they describing? What you are asking is known in appraisal circles as the ‘highest and best use’. If your appraiser doesn't understand about cutting, consider showing it to someone who does. Bill would be a fine choice.


I agree with the above that provenance is going to be important to the final consumer. Your story and the location of the discovery is going to be an important element when you get to the market. The TV would be a great way to enhance this if you can arrange it. The park officials may be able to help since they are one of the beneficiaries of this sort of publicity. Get it cut by a famous US cutter (for example Bill). Bill, consider donating your fee to some charity if it will result in the right publicity. The payoff for you is in the publicity anyway and a good charitable connection will increase the chances of media involvement considerably. If it comes out good, consider one of the major auction houses as a way to sell it. If not, try ebay and make a deal with one of the reputable diamond houses there to act as a broker. Keep meticulous records of the whole process so that the story remains intact.

Get yourself written up in the local paper. If there's a good jeweler in your area, they may be able help in marketing as well. If the name is right (ex. Star of Derby), the local chamber of commerce may be helpful in building a media circus around it.


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
If she tries to get publicity, she might want to say that she has sent the diamond off to be cut. I''d feel uneasy advertising that she has it at her house.
 
I noticed on the link and history about the place that the most perfect 1c D FL was cut by Lazare Kaplan, maybe she could have someone famous try to cut it for her in order to increase the hype? Does Eightstar do any fancies? Just a thought....!!
 
That is definitely one reason to go to Arkansas!! What a gorgeous stone you have there! I can''t wait to see how this progresses!
 
Thank you to everyone who has posted information for me. I really appreciate it.

I spoke with Bill Bray this morning. He had some good ideas. I don''t think I will be able to afford to get it cut very soon though. However, I''m a very patient person.
emsmile.gif


Thought I would answer a few of your questions.

I don''t know what market the appraiser was quoting. Are you meaning wholesale or retail?
The price I was quoted was a range since the stone is not cut. Obviously this could vary from now to the final cut diamond. Her idea for a .80 carat (which is what she thought I might end up with) was 4900.00 to 6500.00. Obviously this went up if I was able to, hopefully, get atleast a 1 carat out of it. With this information she checked on a couple of ideas to sell the stone in its rough form to a collector, however, this didn''t work out.

As far a publicity goes, I had quite a bit of publicity by the time I got back here. It was on two Wichita TV stations local news. In a couple different papers here and in Murfreesboro. I just received a call last week from a film studio that is going to be doing a documentary on the Crater. This studio does things for the History channel, Travel channel, Discovery channel, etc. We have been playing phone tag, so I haven''t been able to aquire much information on that. With the local publicity nothing has helped as far as selling the stone.

I was contacted by the Crater. They are having their 100 yr anniversary in June and would like me to bring the diamond to put on display. This would be great but I wont be able to afford to do that.

You all have been so helpful. I appreciate all of you very much.

Jennifer
 
Jennifer,

An appraisal will describe an item, describe a market and estimate how those will relate. Your item might be a example of a rough diamond being sold in the minerals sample market, it might be a rough diamond to be sold to a cutter, it might be the beginnings of a finished diamond involving some other risks and fees, etc. It might be a museum piece or it might be road gravel. Rough diamonds is a complicated business and rough fancy colored diamonds even more so. Most jewelry appraisals are basing the valuation on what it would cost to replace the piece with another like it at retail. In your case this is clearly not the appropriate approach. The cost at retail in Wichita of a theoretically comparable 0.80ct stone may indeed be interesting but it doesn’t seem to apply to your present situation. Ask your appraiser what she mean by her valuation.

Publicity pays in several ways. Sometimes you flat out get paid. The TV documentary folks will surely offer some sort of compensation although it’s not likely to be much.

The second way is provenance. People LOVE a good story. Watch Antiques Roadshow and you’ll see what I mean. A pistol is worth one thing, the same pistol that was at the battle of the little bighorn is worth 10 times as much. It’s not just a diamond. It’s a US mined diamond. It’s not just any old US diamond. It’s big. It's cool. It’s been featured on the History channel. It’s the ‘Derby dewdrop’ etc. That’s why I say it’s important to keep good records. This stuff is what will make the difference between getting a few hundred and thousands of dollars. Keep a copy of every newspaper article, every TV appearance and every exhibit at the park or elsewhere. The story is very likely to be worth more than the rock.


Lastly it pays in advertising. The cutter (if you decide to get it cut, I’m not convinced this is necessary), the TV producers, the jewelry store that sells it, the designer that sets it, the park and probably others get free advertising out of it. This may not be what you want, but it’s what THEY want. In a good deal, everybody wins.


I would like to second the comment made earlier about attending to your personal security. Don’t keep it in your home. The park isn’t likely to pay you rent for the exhibit but I’ll be willing to bet that they have a secure and insured environment and that they would cover the shipping costs to get it to them and return it so that it would cost you nothing to participate in their anniversary. It adds one more thing to the story. Ask ‘em.


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Neil, thanks for your suggestions. I just e-mailed my contact person at the Crater and asked about naming the diamond. I also e-mailed the gentleman that is arranging the 100 year celebration to see what it would take to ship it there. I also requested they photograph the display for me to see. I have kept all newspaper articles and the write-up on the Craters web page. I haven''t received the newspaper article from Murfreesboro yet but I put in another request.

Thanks for getting me thinking this way.

Jennifer
 
Jennifer,

The only safe way for an individual to send a diamond is through the US Postal Service Registered Mail. This is extremely secure and includes insurance, although you''d have to have an appraisal to prove the value of the item since you don''t have a sales receipt. I sent a diamond the other day this way, and it cost just under $20 to send a $10,000 diamond. So it''s not a big deal, as long a you trust the people to whom you''re sending it to protect it for you while it''s there.
 
Congradulations:

I suggest that you normally keep the diamond in a safety deposit box; unless a local jeweler is willing to "host" store it in exchange for the publicity.

Thanks for posting the link to the state park.

I''ve known about it and want to spend some time there someday.

Perhaps we could have a PriceScope convention.... and all get dirty digging for diamonds - and then get to see some real sparkly the next day slighly removed...

Perry
 

I wonder what the naming rights to a diamond are worth? There aren’t all that many named diamonds after all and they do last forever. It costs big buck to get a sports stadium or building named after you and there’s lots of them. This could be a bargain shot at immortality for someone with more money than sense. Sell the naming rights for $25,000 and then donate the stone to the park or a museum for permanent exhibit. How’s that for having your cake and eating it too?


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Neil, you''re a genius! I can see it now:

The Verizon Arkansas Diamond...or The Microsoft Arkansas Diamond...............................................
 
Date: 5/28/2006 11:15:13 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Hey, a new place for a PS girls trip!!!
36.gif


Congrats! There are appraisers and diamond cutters around here, so I am sure you will get some reliable advice! Please let us know what happens!
Click to expand...
Seriously! A couple weeks back after that 4+ ct. was found I mentioned it in the LIW thread. We should plan a PS trip there!

Congratulations on the find! You have to keep us updated with the whole process and what you do with it! We at PS love a good project
31.gif
 
Date: 5/29/2006 9:06:58 PM
Author: fancyroughdiamond
I haven''t received the newspaper article from Murfreesboro yet but I put in another request.
Click to expand...
There''s a good chance you could locate and print out a copy of that article from their newspaper website.
 
In looking at the photo again, I think this stone has some green in it.

I don''t know if it is my monitor, the camera result, or what. But to your eye, does it appear greenish?

If so this is obviously an untreated color and if it does have some green component color, it could be far more valuable than just a yellow one.

If it does, determining if it is greenish yellow or yellowish green would have some significant impact on this stone''s value.

Another thought is to put it in the dark for several days. Then when you expose it to light see if it is more yellow which gradually changes to more green. You MAY potentially have a chameleon diamond if you can see this type of phenomenon, if this is apparent

Rockdoc.
 
You might also want to see if it fluoresces under both long wave and short wave Ultraviolet light, and what color it fluoreseces, as that may have some significance too.

Rockdoc
 
I''d also send an email to the Clinton''s... Being they are from Arkansas, and they have millions, they might want to have their name attached to it.



Rockdoc
 
Date: 5/29/2006 11:15:14 PM
Author: RockDoc


I''d also send an email to the Clinton''s... Being they are from Arkansas, and they have millions, they might want to have their name attached to it.



Rockdoc
Click to expand...
The Yellow Rose of Arkansas (for the Rose law firm)

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Oh Neil, that''s just MEAN
11.gif



This is SO COOL!!!!! Keep us posted, ok?
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top