Halloway Cut Adviser

[antonia]

Let me fix my first email to make it more accurate & informative!

ALL FIGURES QUOTED IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS AU$ (EXCHANGE RATE IS ABOUT .75)

The Agreement:
My jeweller has quoted me AU$10,200 for a 1.10ct, E, SI1, Excellent Cut, and promised a GIA report. Additionally he will also get a DSLA Report (Australian Lab) which confirms colour, weight, clarity and sarin - so in this way I can double check the sarin he originally gave me. He wanted room to move so he quoted AU$90 for each point over or under 1.10ct. Remember I'm quoting Australian dollars.

First Proposals:
He has come up with the below stone which has not "yet" been certified by GIA although he will do so - but he says they should rate excellent on policy & symmetry. He likes to confuse me though, I know this stuff but I'm still learning so I forget when he raves on and says "GIA will rate it an excellent cut" - I don't think he knows what he is talking about, or he thinks I'm an idiot, one of the two! Anyway....

All the details I have on this stone:
1.186 ct
E colour
SI1 clarity
Diameter 6.82mm average (6.80 - 6.85)
Diam Dev 0.7%
Total depth 61.5% (4.20mm)
Crown angle 35.5 (Height 15.5%, 1.06mm)
Pavil angle 40.6 (Depth 43.0%)
Table Ave Size 57% (56.8%)
Culet 0.8% very small
Girdle 1.3% medium (min/max 0.7% thin - 2.4% sl. thick)
Star/Upper 52.0%:48.0%
Rates 1.3 on Halloway Cut Adviser (excellent)
PRICE: Australian dollars
AU$10,200 plus AU$90 above 1.10carat (AU$90 X 8 = AU$720)
Grand Total AU$10,920
I am pushing to get 4 points for free, but I doubt that will happen, he may absorb 2 or 3 points so that will lessen the price a little bit. Should have an answer by the end of the day.

Should I buy the E 1.186 or isn't it good enough for a Princess? hee hee

The most I could pay is AU$10,920 and the least I could pay is AU$10,560 - we will see what he comes back with.

Wonder if I should wait for a better stone?

One thing is for sure, my jeweller may have the best intensions but he doesn't know what he is talkig about! ha ha! Thanks for all your help, now I know I'm not crazy

Antonia
Sydney, Australia

 

[valeria101]

I am not sure what is "GIA Excellent cut" - Ex grades on polish and symmetry? Those are not very important for ligt return at all...

Also, the pricing system you refer to is a bit unusual. There is a premium for stones above 1ct (you may hera about a 'price jump'), but the interpetation you mention is not common. What is the actual price for each stone?

Between the two stones, I very much agree with your choice

 

[Mara]

Stick with the E stone. The D has a somewhat steep pavilion angle...also I would be surprised if that stone truly exhibits excellent Hearts and Arrows with that pav angle. Over 41 degrees some say that your H&A pattern is more distorted.




GIA also does not grade cut, so next time you see him, call his bluff.

There is no GIA excellent cut (yet anyway!).




A fair price for the 1.18 E SI with an excellent cut could be around $6500 offline...depending on markup. There is a well-cut 1.15c F SI for $6200 on Pscope in terms of price comparison.

Good luck!!

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 3/23/2004 12:52:01 AM antonia wrote:

My jeweller has proposed two diamonds to me as follows:

p.s. he also quoted each point above 1.00 carat at $90, does that sound fair?

Antonia


----------------

Am I the only one who thinks this is exorbintant? An extra 1700 for the 1.18? 90 each point? Should be much less. You have already gone over the 1 c mark price jump. The next premium price jump will be 1.25.

How much are these stones? Makes me wonder if you are being overcharged.

 

[hoorray]

----------------
On 3/23/2004 10:53:24 AM fire&ice wrote:

----------------
On 3/23/2004 12:52:01 AM antonia wrote:

My jeweller has proposed two diamonds to me as follows:

p.s. he also quoted each point above 1.00 carat at $90, does that sound fair?

Antonia


----------------

Am I the only one who thinks this is exorbintant? An extra 1700 for the 1.18? 90 each point? Should be much less. You have already gone over the 1 c mark price jump. The next premium price jump will be 1.25.

How much are these stones? Makes me wonder if you are being overcharged.
----------------

Yes -- If you use the PS average price/carat chart, this is about double what would be charged on average for this stone (the lowest is approx $4600/carat, so each point would be $46, average is $5500/carat, so $55/point).

What is the total price they are asking?

 

[Rhino]

As infitesimal and hair splitting as it may sound when your pavilion angles drop => 41 degrees a considerable amount of leakage is present under the table which generally causes a severe hit in light return (and even with crown angles as shallow as 34.2). The 40.6/35.5 combo is the bet I would go with if these are the only 2 choices you're presenting.

In this instance the Holloway Cut Advisor is justified in it's rating and is steering you properly.

 

[antonia]

the time difference is trying.... r u all asleep?

 

[Mara]

How does this translate to US dollars? Most of us are Americans and lazy at that.

 

[antonia]

At worst it would be AU$10,920 so about

US$8,190 (using exchange rate .75)

 

[Mara]

Well since I noted that a fair/good price for this E stone would be around $6500...the $6115 seems very good.




I would get an independent appraisal--not sure where you are but Garry Holloway is in AU and he may do it for you! This way you can confirm that the stone matches the report etc..and by doing it independently, the jeweler has NO SAY in the outcome.




Definitely get a GIA cert for the stone. Good luck!

 

[antonia]

numbers have changed... sorry not good with maths.... so looks like I"m paying too much?

 

[Mara]

Oh DEFINITELY overpaying!




If you can get a 1.15 F SI well-cut stone online for $6200..then why on earth would you pay $2k more for .03c more and one color grade better? At most pay $500 more than the $6200 but not $2k!!!

 

[mike04456]

----------------
On 3/23/2004 7:59:20 PM antonia wrote:





At worst it would be AU$10,920 so about

US$8,190 (using exchange rate .75)
----------------

Wow, the dollar is down.

I can remember when it was AU$1 = US$0.50...

 

[antonia]

Hmmmm but I have been dealing with three jewellers:

Jogia
Melbourne Diamond Exchange
and my jeweller Marcus Creations

and they have all quoted me roughly the same...

I'm confused now. I wonder if it makes a difference because I am in Australia... may be more expensive here due to the shipping, GST etc???

and here I am thinking its a great deal!!

My sister paid $10,000 package for diamond E, SI1, 1.03 HRD certified Very Good Cut - price included yellow gold setting, plus wedding band.... I'm paying a couple of grand more than her but mine stone is .18 bigger and she bought hers three years ago.....?????

 

[antonia]

I remember that too, and it cost me a fortune when I visited the US!

 

[mike04456]

MDX is a pricescope participant. Maybe they will chime in with some explanation...

 

[antonia]

Thanks... will track them down

 

[mm]

Antonia,

How have you found Jogia? I have been looking around for a diamond for a while, and they seem to be a bit cheaper than the other online retailers based in Aus.

The higher Aus dollar makes overseas diamonds attractive, although we have to pay for freight (about $100 US), and GST (but no duty on loose diamonds), and its always harder to return a stone within 10 days if you don't like it when it travels halfway across the world!

And as for the oz dollar being 0.48 c US- that killed any plans I had to go windsuring in Maui for the last few years- i remember when it was $88 or so in 1990- that was much better!

mm

 

[antonia]

Hi mm,

Now you've got me thinking of M&Ms, great, I'm a chocolate freak!

I dealt with Yogesh Jogia, the owner and I found him to be very helpful and his prices are excellent. The only reason I didn't wrap up the deal at that time is because I got a reasonable quote from Marcus Creations and he is based in Sydney, where I live, whereas Jogia is based in Perth, so I preferred the face to face service. Although I don't have a bad word to say about Jogia and I would not hesitate to recommend him or go back to him if I can't find what I want with Marcus Creations.

Hope that helps.

Hey, what do you think about the E 1.18 diamond I've described?

Take care.

 

[mm]

Can't give you much feedback on your stone- I have been searching for pricess cuts, so the %table, crown height etc etc for RB's is completely foreign to me!

Thanks for the feedback on Jogia- I'm in melbourne, so perth is not exactly handy (for the USA people, picture New york to LA), but he seems to have nice stones for good prices.

MDX looks ok too, but they are a bit more expensive and I've found the exact same stones from them for cheaper on other pricesope dealers.

good luck with your search!

cheers
mm

 

[antonia]

Yes, I found MDX very helpful too, and their prices I found were good. But I am looking for brilliant cut.

And they will drop the delivery charge and the charge for using Visa if you pressure them!

Good luck.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I answered your other post. The E, SI1 is a Cut Class 1B (www.gemappraisers.com DIY Cut Grading) and comparable diamonds are trading on Price Scope in the $5800 to $6500 (US) range.

 

[antonia]

Thank you!

 

[Rhino]

Woops... now I know where I answered that 40.6/35.5 thread.

 

[mdx]

Hi Antonia

This AU$90 per point sounds pretty weird, certainly not an Aussie thing.
The Internet price in AU is not much different than USA what does add to the price though is Shipping, Insurance, Customs clearing costs and GST.

As the diamonds you asking for advise on are offered by a competitor I should perhaps not comment. The offer by your jeweler to submit the stones to DCLA for verification is a good one as they are very dependable and thorough lab.

When considering an Internet vendor in Australia always verify their credibility at the JAA (Jewelers Association of Australia) Toll free number 1800 657 762 Could save you a lot heartache
Regards
Johan