Good Grief - so confused!

[asscherman06]

Greetings All:

I''ve been reading through these forums for a couple of weeks to ramp up my knowledge about Asscher/Square Emerald diamonds. I''m trying to make a purchase and get something done by Mid-December. Budget is ~ $10k. Unfortunately, I''m more confused than ever. I need a plan of action, and was hoping for counsel here.

I''m also looking at a Square Emerald cut from Tiffany - specs are: 1.02 carat, E color, VS1 clarity - their price is more than my budget ($14,300), so if I went this direction, I''d have to find more funds (not impossible). If it looks good, I may go with them just for peace of mind, if nothing else.

But I''m also interested in many of the diamonds I''m seeing on BlueNile and Pricescope, b/c it seems as if you can get a better deal for your money. The problem is that I don''t even know what I''m looking for beyond the specs. I understand about table and depth, but I don''t know how to manage all these particulars plus try to see the diamond w/o breaking the bank on fees. I''d appreciate any help on this anyone would like to give. Thanks.

 

[Kaleigh]

Welcome to PS

I would take a look at www.goodoldgold.com I bought my asscher from Jonathon, and it''s gorgeous. Good luck!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 11/13/2006 8:40:04 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Welcome to PS

I would take a look at www.goodoldgold.com I bought my asscher from Jonathon, and it's gorgeous. Good luck!!!

I'd have to agree with Kaleigh. I bought my round there, but he picks beautiful asschers...it just takes a lot of the stress out of the equation.

An example (a little less than your budget):

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/1048/

 

[:)]

There really is a premium on the Tiffany''s brand name. You can find the same or better quality for less. Kaleigh is correct that Good Old Gold has an excellent reputation. Give them a chance as they will save you some $!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Welcome, you have come to the right place! If you are interested in a specific diamond post the specs here and people will try and help guide you in the right direction. 10-14k is a good budget and I''d bet that you could get a nice asscher that is significantly bigger than the tiffany 1.02 for that. We were helping someone on here a couple of weeks ago who was looking for an asscher and the stone discussed was 1.76 carat and going between 14-15k. Now, that was just for the stone, but I''m willing to bet that you''ll be able to find something in your range without having to go with Tiffiany.

 

[gemologic]

Buying Asscher on the Internet is tough, you really have to look at it because specs are going to tell you zip.

Do the best you can and make sure it is returnable after you have shown it to someone who understands how to look at them.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 11/13/2006 9:02:26 PM
Author: gemologic
Buying Asscher on the Internet is tough, you really have to look at it because specs are going to tell you zip.

Do the best you can and make sure it is returnable after you have shown it to someone who understands how to look at them.

I beg to differ. If you deal with a vendor who supplies you with lots of pics, it''s not that hard. GOG sold me the asscher, and recently bought an oval from them. Ovals are tough too, but they made me a video of 4 stones they brought in which made my decision an easy one. Fancies you have to see, can''t rely on specs and numbers alone for sure. But with good pics from a reputable vendor it''s pretty easy. Many PS''ers have done so successfully!!!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 11/13/2006 9:02:26 PM
Author: gemologic
Buying Asscher on the Internet is tough, you really have to look at it because specs are going to tell you zip.

Do the best you can and make sure it is returnable after you have shown it to someone who understands how to look at them.

Buying asschers on the net is hard.
But its is very do-able
Iv helped well over 200 people buy asschers online
There are vendors out there who know asschers very well and can help someone find a kicken one.

A consumer with some homework can tell a good one from a woofer at a glance in person its not that hard.
Doing it from photos over the net is much harder but its been done and with the right vendor its as easy as calling up and saying find me an asscher storm would like for [$] that is [size].

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 11/13/2006 9:37:44 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 11/13/2006 9:02:26 PM
Author: gemologic
Buying Asscher on the Internet is tough, you really have to look at it because specs are going to tell you zip.

Do the best you can and make sure it is returnable after you have shown it to someone who understands how to look at them.

Buying asschers on the net is hard.
But its is very do-able
Iv helped well over 200 people buy asschers online
There are vendors out there who know asschers very well and can help someone find a kicken one.

A consumer with some homework can tell a good one from a woofer at a glance in person its not that hard.
Doing it from photos over the net is much harder but its been done and with the right vendor its as easy as calling up and saying find me an asscher storm would like for [$] that is [size].

True that!! Storm helped me find mine!!!

 

[asscherman06]

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

Strm, you say that you help people find Asschers? How does this occur?


Thanks.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You tell your preferences for size, color, and clarity and Storm will see if there are any excellent cut Asschers around (online) that meet his approval. But sometimes you have to tell a vendor like Jonathan at Good Old Gold what you want, and he can locate some possibilities from his suppliers. Just because a stone is not listed on the site does not mean they can''t get you one.

 

[asscherman06]

Great.

Storm, I''m looking for the highest-quality Asscher cut diamond with the following specs:

1.0 ct or higher
Color - F or higher
Clarity - VS2 or higher


Budget - don''t want to go over $10k all-in - ideally around $8-9k for the diamond


Thanks for your help!

 

[asscherman06]

I talked to Tim at GOG this afternoon, and he found two Asschers that may be worth taking a look at.

Diamond 1 : 1.21 ct, F, VS2 - roughly $8k
Diamond 2 : 1.24 ct, F, VVS2 - roughly $9.5k


He sent the GIA certificates to me. Everything looks good so far. What''s the next step?

 

[sam3232]

Hey asscherman.
Try this: thediamond.com asscher collection. I have done business with them in the past and their prices are very good.
Ask them for a picture of the diamond you want and they email it to you. its very cool
http://www.thediamond.com/cgi-bin/webdata_pro.pl?_cgifunction=Search&_layout=advancedsearch7&loose.shape=asscher&loose.color=d&loose.color=e&loose.color=f&loose.color=g&loose.color=h&loose.color=i&loose.color=j&loose.color=k&loose.color=l&loose.color=m&hideSlider=1

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 11/15/2006 4:05:17 PM
Author: asscherman06
I talked to Tim at GOG this afternoon, and he found two Asschers that may be worth taking a look at.

Diamond 1 : 1.21 ct, F, VS2 - roughly $8k
Diamond 2 : 1.24 ct, F, VVS2 - roughly $9.5k


He sent the GIA certificates to me. Everything looks good so far. What's the next step?

Post the info off the cert. in this thread...
Next step is having them called in for pictures and evaluation if they aren't in house if the numbers look good (Tim usualy does a good job with the numbers and supplier choice)
I usualy recommend vs2 and vs1 asschers for the price break but some people like the thought of the higher clarity and there is nothing wrong with that other than higher cost.
vs2 is usualy eyeclean.

Once you have pictures post them in a new thread with asscher in the title.

 

[asscherman06]

Gotcha. I''ll work on getting pics soon.

Meanwhile, here are the specs from the GIA -

D1 :
Sq. Emerald Cut - 1.21 carat
6.04mm x 6.00mm x 4.02mm
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Polish: EX
Symmetry: EX
Fluorescence: None
Table: 60%
Depth: 67%
Culet: Thick

D2 :
Sq. Emerald Cut - 1.24 carat
6.07mm x 5.93mm x 4.07mm
Color: F
Clarity: VVS2
Polish: EX
Symmetry: EX
Fluorescence: None
Table: 61%
Depth: 68.6%
Culet: Thick to Very Thick

 

[strmrdr]

first one sounds better by the numbers pictures will tell the whole story...
Both sound worth a look...
The first is the better deal if the pictures look good.

 

[swingirl]

I like the first, too!

I followed the same steps, asscherman06. I got good recommendations from my internet vendor (PS approved), called in 3 stones, had pictures and Sarin reports sent to me. I posted them on PS and got opinions (Strmrdr was there with his virtual eagle eyes). Then I decided which of the 3 I liked the best and bought it with a wire transfer. Stone was in my hot little hands in days.

I found it much easier to buy my asscher over the Internet because most stores don’t carry a good selection and none of them, even the high-end places, offered any photos, Sarin Reports or honest opinions. They all just gave me a lope and told me how beautiful the stones were.

My asscher is a 1.29 H VVS1. Asschers size up small compared to rounds. If I were going to shop for another I’d get a larger one, lower in clarity and even lower in color. But since the selection is more limited than other shapes when you find one that you love, with a beautiful cut you just have to get it!

I love mine and I enjoyed the whole internet experience. I can’t wait to see pictures from GOG.

 

[asscherman06]

Hello everyone:

Diamond #1 was available. This is the link to the pictures:

Good Old Gold Diamond #1


I figured that''d be easier than trying to upload seven different photos. Thanks for your help!


Asscherman06