Going to look at a diamond.

[dislak]

Been looking at Blue Niles prices for a bit and decided to see a local jewelery to see how he could compare. He knew that he would have trouble competing with their prices and I understood that. I''d rather buy locally of course so I figured I''d give him a try.

Got a call today saying he has a few diamonds for me to look at. The one that he likes the most is a .71 Round, D, Ideal cut, SI1. I''ve done my research and read up on your boards a lot (thanks by the way ) and I know that those are pretty good numbers except for the SI1. I know that SI1 can be pretty good still and help lower the price. What I''m asking for here is advice for when I go in. What kinds of questions should I ask? What exactly should I be looking for? I know some but I want to look really good for the guy and not be pushed around at all. Thanks again!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/13/2009 9:20:05 AM
Author:dislak
Been looking at Blue Niles prices for a bit and decided to see a local jewelery to see how he could compare. He knew that he would have trouble competing with their prices and I understood that. I'd rather buy locally of course so I figured I'd give him a try.

Got a call today saying he has a few diamonds for me to look at. The one that he likes the most is a .71 Round, D, Ideal cut, SI1. I've done my research and read up on your boards a lot (thanks by the way ) and I know that those are pretty good numbers except for the SI1. I know that SI1 can be pretty good still and help lower the price. What I'm asking for here is advice for when I go in. What kinds of questions should I ask? What exactly should I be looking for? I know some but I want to look really good for the guy and not be pushed around at all. Thanks again!

The main thing with SI1 is that it is eyeclean to your standards so look at it very carefully. Also the cut of the diamond is very important so if you could post the following here we can help you judge the cut.

type of lab report and cut grade if applicable
depth %
table %
crown and pavilion angles
polish and symmetry grades
girdle thickness
diameter in MM
star and lower girdle facet percentages
fluorescence if applicable

All of the above will be on the grading report assuming GIA or AGS, note it all down if you can and post it then we can go from there.

 

[dislak]

Date: 8/13/2009 9:21:59 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 8/13/2009 9:20:05 AM

Author:dislak

Been looking at Blue Niles prices for a bit and decided to see a local jewelery to see how he could compare. He knew that he would have trouble competing with their prices and I understood that. I''d rather buy locally of course so I figured I''d give him a try.


Got a call today saying he has a few diamonds for me to look at. The one that he likes the most is a .71 Round, D, Ideal cut, SI1. I''ve done my research and read up on your boards a lot (thanks by the way ) and I know that those are pretty good numbers except for the SI1. I know that SI1 can be pretty good still and help lower the price. What I''m asking for here is advice for when I go in. What kinds of questions should I ask? What exactly should I be looking for? I know some but I want to look really good for the guy and not be pushed around at all. Thanks again!

The main thing with SI1 is that it is eyeclean to your standards so look at it very carefully. Also the cut of the diamond is very important so if you could post the following here we can help you judge the cut.


type of lab report and cut grade if applicable

depth %

table %

crown and pavilion angles

polish and symmetry grades

girdle thickness

diameter in MM

star and lower girdle facet percentages

fluorescence if applicable


All of the above will be on the grading report assuming GIA or AGS, note it all down if you can and post it then we can go from there.

Yea, hoping I can get a GIA from him to bring home and post the specs before I do anything of course and get your opinion

 

[Lorelei]

That sounds good!

 

[treefrog]

Date: 8/13/2009 9:28:15 AM
Author: dislak

Yea, hoping I can get a GIA from him to bring home and post the specs before I do anything of course and get your opinion

I suspect you''re not going to be able to take the cert home. They may make a copy for you but some of it could be a bit unreadable on the copy. I''d suggest carefully noting the AGS or GIA number and carat weight from the report and looking it up online when you get home. (Note: you need both the number and weight to look it up) All the numbers you need will be on there.

http://agslab.com/verify_diamond_grading_report.php

http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm

Treefrog

 

[phoenixgirl]

There are varying parameters for determining what is an "ideal" cut -- in other words, the term can get thrown around when perhaps the stone's proportions are not in sync with each other after all. So checking the cert and making sure that the crown and pavilion angles are in check is important. I'd ask what he means by "ideal" (AGS uses this term on their reports but the GIA does not -- "excellent" is their best).

I'd also see if you can tell the difference between a D and an F, an F and an H, etc. Yes, D is the most colorless stone, but there is such a slight difference between grades that many people cannot tell much of a difference, not enough to pay more for higher color. I'm not saying to run out and buy a P colored stone or anything, but you may find that, say, a G suits your purposes just fine once you see it in person. Then you can save $ or get a bigger stone.

Also remember that cut will be the biggest factor in determining price. Here are some examples of 0.70-0.72 D SI1s:

Blah cut with strong blue flourescence for $1650

ick cut for $1900 from BN

Hearts and Arrow stone with lifetime upgrade for $3381

You'll really need a good understanding of your stone's cut to determine what comparable stones are selling for.

 

[dislak]

*Update*

Went to look at the diamonds. They are beautiful of course (what diamond isn''t?

) Here are the specs and GIA numbers:

0.71 #5101741763

0.72 #17455786

The 0.71 is a D, SI1, Very Good cut. The only imperfection either of us could find under 30x was a small cloud in the center. That was it.

The 0.72 is a D, VS2, Excellent cut. More expensive of course by about $400 but had a few more bubbles near the top and bottom when looking under 30x.

He''s willing to sell me the SI1 for under $2500 after tax, which I know is more then if I did this online with BN. I''d rather do this locally, be able to have a jewelry that I could possibly insure it with, etc. Please let me know what you think of the diamonds and how they look. Thanks!

 

[stone-cold11]

Report check.

http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=5101741763&weight=0.71

http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showReportVerification&reportno=17455786&weight=0.72

Cut wise, prefer the D VS2. The SI1 has a very shallow crown, cut for light return, less fire. The VS2 is a more balance cut.

 

[dislak]

Stonecold-

After reading everything from various people, as much as I''d like to buy around here, I''m pretty sure I''ll have to purchase a diamond online. So much more is available online to choose from and price would obviously be an issue. Are there any dimaonds from JA or BN that you could help me find? I''ve been searching BN for months but JA show''s the Idealscope which seems to be a big deal

Looking for nothing lower than an F, around the 0.70ish size, as low as SI1. Thanks!

 

[tyty333]

Date: 8/13/2009 4:22:53 PM
Author: dislak
Stonecold-

After reading everything from various people, as much as I'd like to buy around here, I'm pretty sure I'll have to purchase a diamond online. So much more is available online to choose from and price would obviously be an issue. Are there any dimaonds from JA or BN that you could help me find? I've been searching BN for months but JA show's the Idealscope which seems to be a big deal

Looking for nothing lower than an F, around the 0.70ish size, as low as SI1. Thanks!

To tell you the truth I dont think his prices are that out of line for a B&M. Can you get images of the second
stone? IS or Aset? He wants $2900 for that one including tax?

You can use the Cut Quality Search to search for a diamond with your criteria. Eliminate stones with HCA over 2.0.
Looks like prices are $2400 to over $4000 for D/E VS1/SI1. I got to go but will come back later and point some
out if no one else has.

EDIT - here are some worth considering

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1193904.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131 $2527
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-926513.htm# $2786
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1236897.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131 $2708

All would have to be checked for eye-clean. Make sure to get input from Lorelei, jet-ski, Ellen, stone-cold or some
of the other very knowable diamond folk on this forum.