Frustrated Shopper...........please help.

[Detox]

Canadian in Toronto could use some help!

The diamond buying process is really starting to get to me. I know I want to propose, I am ready to propose but the purchasing process seems to be dragging. I have been on this site for awhile now, read tons of posts and I am definetely armed with research.

I know what I want;

GIA or AGS certified diamond,
0.75-0.79 Carat
Ideal Cut
SI(eye clean) or VS2 calrity
G,H Color is also fine

Can you get really nice diamonds that aren''t "ideal" cut? Is the next level down "very good"?

The difficulty is the shopping part. I am in Toronto, Canada. I have used the PriceScope stone finder, looked oh GoG and the prices are reasonable for what I am looking for. The downfall is that because I am in Canada all of these places requires an online purchase. Which isn''t out of the question, just a little scary.

I am definetely going to contact Martin from USCerted diamonds because it seems as though he is "the" person to see if you live in the Greater Toronto Area.

I was referred by a friend to a diamond contact who apparently could get "better than wholesale", I was very open and honest about where I had done my research, even linking websites and stones (ie. places like goodoldgold, whiteflash etc) To my surprise the contact gave me a listing of available stones that cost more than these stones offered at places like GoG, Whiteflash. The only other comparable stones are GemScan certified which know one seems to have decent information on.

I feel like my feet are moving, but I am going no where. Are the prices listed on Pricescope pretty much the best price per carat you are going to find? It seems that everyone I know has a "contact" and I don''t feel like going through every single one now.

Also, if I do order a diamond online, I would want to take it to an appraiser right away, how do I find a reputable appraiser. It seems you can''t purchase the diamond until you have an appriaser lined up. And of course why would you want to take it to an apprasier recommended by the diamond dealer.

Some help, clarification, anything........................

 

[Ukieza]

Yes.

-Ukieza

 

[phoenixgirl]

I''m sure others will give you advice regarding finding an appraiser, but I just couldn''t help plugging in your search parameters into the search by cut feature.

I came up with:

0.76 G SI1 H&A for $3500

0.786 H SI2 H&A ACA for $2800 (ask about the Price Scope discount)

0.754 G SI1 "signature ideal" for $2700 This stone might be what you were talking about when you mentioned "very good" instead of "ideal" cut. Although it gets the "signature ideal" label and does appear to have arrows, its crown and pavilion angles are not the ideal duo, so it scores a 3.5 on the HCA (still very good) instead of a 2 or less, which is excellent.

 

[Ukieza]

Hehe... just kidding with the first post. I don''t know much about the Toronto area as I''m not there. I do know that I bought online and I did it kinda reluctantly but I seemed to get a good stone. I''m still in the process of getting the ring. Ugh. It''s been REALLY long for me. I did a custom design and had a problem with the first local jeweler. Basically took me from March until now and I STILL don''t have the ring in my hand to give. If you go with a standard ring that is out there it will be much quicker but getting the diamond can be a job in itself. As you are finding out.

I''d like to tell you the exact spot that has the cheapest diamonds but you know, I have no clue. I could give you my contact though. hehe.. again just kidding. I think what you really need to do is get in your head exactly what you want (which sounds like you are close to doing) and then just start searching online. Start making contacts with people. Call local places and tell them what you are looking for. I''d like to give you the silver bullet that will help you do it all in one shot but I don''t believe one exists. Even if I gave you the name of a place that I say has the lowest prices, someone might come along and give you a place with lower price. You just have to do the foot work (or finger work) yourself.

If you want to try being frustrated try telling a place you want your ring before a certain date and they push it past that date, several times. Then have your plans for proposing ruined by the jeweler because you didn''t get it in time. Which in turn makes you start from scratch. Not fun. I feel your pain for being frustrated but it''s time to just do the work. Hang in there it''ll get done.

Contact WhiteFlash, see what they can get for you on the price. Contact BlueNile. Contact GoodOldGold. Contact anyone you think can get you what you want. You gotta do the work, we can''t do it for you. Sorry.

As for an appraiser, same thing, look in the yellow pages around you. Look online. I know there are members on PS that are appraisers that you could send it to them before you get it. A lot of diamond dealers will let you do that before you buy. Find someone that does IdealScope pics, ASET and whatever else you need to feel confident enough to buy the diamond. My local jeweler doesn''t believe in all those pictures, but to me, they are priceless when it comes to putting my mind to rest. I can SEE it without having it in my hands. Then, when you do get the one you feel is THE stone, you still have a return policy so if you don''t like it, then fine, return it!

I''m a research nut (as many of the members here on PS) and I wouldn''t stop until I had all the data I could gather. If you are the same... start doing the work my friend. It''s you that has to find it. Call places and write your emails. See what each can do for you. It''s a pain, I know.. but it pays off in the end. If you aren''t the research nut that some of us are then just go to your local place, find a stone they set out for you, does it look good to you and has the cert you want? BUY IT! It may not be the price you want but without doing the work yourself to find it then you''ll never get the price you want.

I don''t want to sound like a pain, but DO THE WORK! We all did. Some places like WhiteFlash and GOG can help you out there, they do a lot of the searching for you but in the end you have to be happy with both the diamond and price.

I know I didn''t say much here to help but I really believe you just gotta get out and start your search. We can''t do it all for you. We can help but not do everything.

Good luck!
Ukieza

 

[Ukieza]

Oh, here is a thread that may help you. Just click the link.

Ukieza

 

[Slykat12]

Also, if I do order a diamond online, I would want to take it to an appraiser right away, how do I find a reputable appraiser. It seems you can't purchase the diamond until you have an appriaser lined up. And of course why would you want to take it to an apprasier recommended by the diamond dealer.

This is not true. You can purchase a rock then take it to an appraisor whenever you want . It is simply recommended to do it right away to ensure you got what you paid for and made a good decision on the rock. Just figure out what you want and go looking using the pricescope search. I also went to other online shops in my search as I wanted a hard to locate stone.

First you need to know exactly what you want and you don't seem to be all there yet. Educate yourself on what makes a good rock, open your phone book and look under appraisor or use the many great ones discussed here. I sent my rock from dealer to apprassor w/o seeing it. I am sure it had fun flying from Arizona to Florida then to LA!

Anyhoo, USA cert Martin was nice to me. He seemed on the up and up. I did not buy from him as the diamond did not ring my bell but he was very attentive and fast in responding to my questions. If I lived where you lived and gog had what I wanted I would give them a chance too as I like all the fancy toys they use to evaluate the rocks! That's just me.

Are you scared because of the different country thing. hahaa that's one reason I was wary of Martin!! If anything went wrong "god forbid" you would be able to file in a small claims court in America even as a non citizen.

Lastly, I really believe internet buying is pretty safe as you have things in writting! You have a paper trail dude. I trust that more than some seller in a store telling me verbally their diamonds are the "best".

 

[Detox]

Thank you for all of the great replies. Perhaps that was more a "vent" than anything else. I have read a few different posts recommending the Appraiser for Toronto so that pretty much takes care of that.

The settings I had in mind are fairly common and shouldn''t pose to much of a problem. For now I will concentrate on the stone. The problem in Toronto is finding GIA or AGS graded stones at pricescope prices, there seems to be little input on the message boards for Canada''s biggest certifier GemScan.

It is obvisouly time to meet with Martin at USCerted and actually view some stones. To really get an idea of different certain cuts, clarity look in real life.

I will keep everyone posted on my results.

 

[Ukieza]

Excellent.. thanks. I''d like to see what you get!

Ukieza