Hearts on Fire....Is it worth the extra$$?

[mtbiker78]

Hey Guys!
I''m new to the diamond market, looking to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend. The local jeweler i went to started off showing me a Hearts on Fire diamond and talked about how great it is, told me all about it, showed me the hearts and arrows in the little scope, yaddy yaddy yaddy.

I asked him how much more i would be paying simply for the name and the type of cut, he said about 20-25% more then a conventional diamond.

What i want to know is, if it''s worth the extra money for this diamond or if i should just go with a conventional diamond and get more (larger size) for my money. I would like to buy a 2ct diamond, the hearts on fire was $25k (Vs2 and F/G). I figure for $15k i should be able to find a nice 2ct (Vs2 and F/G) diamond. Just not sure if the hearts on fire is worth it.

THanks in advance!!

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome

It depends on your priorities, you might realize that cut is king for a fabulous and sparkling diamond, and it pays dividends to learn about it. Some like the pedigree of a HoF diamond, also available are the ACA or A Cut Above hearts and arrows diamonds which are Whiteflash's branded cut. They also have Expert Selection which have often missed the ACA category by a whisker and can be a fantastic choice. You have a nice budget and we can find some good examples for you, I see my friend Ellen is patrolling the boards and she is a diamond finder extraordinaire!

So we can help there to find you some great suggestions to consider.

Also you could consider dropping your clarity to include SI1 or even SI2 if eyeclean, still a possibility in the larger rock and even include an H colour as this will still face up white. If you want a true H&A it will pay to read up on it to make sure your diamond fits the bill if that is what you want, but you can still find some great cuts with an arrow pattern, look at GIA Excellents and AGS0 to make your choice easier. Also vendors such as Good Old Gold, WF and James Allen etc supply a good amount of cut info to help make choosing easier. I forgot to add I doubt you will get 2 cts for that budget, but we will see what is available under 2.

ELLEN - you are wanted please!

This is over 15k and is an SI clarity which looks as if it might be clean and a J colour, but it has a great cut and size.
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-179714.htm

This one too has a H&a cut.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-161901.htm

This is a possible.
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-155621.htm#

 

[Arcam]

"I would like to buy a 2ct diamond, the hearts on fire was $25k (Vs2 and F/G)"

that actually sounds like a good price, both GOG and WF are charging around 29-31K for a 2ct F/G VS stone. I really doubt you''ll find a F/G VS 2 ct stone for 15K, more like a 1.5 ct stone at that price.

 

[mtbiker78]

Yeah, 25k probably is a good price. That''s the Caribbean price, duty free and tax free. I was told our prices here are about 20% less then the states. I guess that is true!! Good deal

 

[mtbiker78]

Thanks so much for the information!!!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 2/20/2007 9:02:53 AM
Author: Lorelei
Welcome

It depends on your priorities, you might realize that cut is king for a fabulous and sparkling diamond, and it pays dividends to learn about it. Some like the pedigree of a HoF diamond, also available are the ACA or A Cut Above hearts and arrows diamonds which are Whiteflash''s branded cut. They also have Expert Selection which have often missed the ACA category by a whisker and can be a fantastic choice. You have a nice budget and we can find some good examples for you, I see my friend Ellen is patrolling the boards and she is a diamond finder extraordinaire!

So we can help there to find you some great suggestions to consider.

Also you could consider dropping your clarity to include SI1 or even SI2 if eyeclean, still a possibility in the larger rock and even include an H colour as this will still face up white. If you want a true H&A it will pay to read up on it to make sure your diamond fits the bill if that is what you want, but you can still find some great cuts with an arrow pattern, look at GIA Excellents and AGS0 to make your choice easier. Also vendors such as Good Old Gold, WF and James Allen etc supply a good amount of cut info to help make choosing easier. I forgot to add I doubt you will get 2 cts for that budget, but we will see what is available under 2.

ELLEN - you are wanted please!

This is over 15k and is an SI clarity which looks as if it might be clean and a J colour, but it has a great cut and size.
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-179714.htm

This one too has a H&a cut.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-161901.htm

Morning!

You give me too much credit.

The first one might work, if it''s eyeclean. The second one is a great stone, no eyeclean worries, and, it will give the look of a 2 cts. without paying the price. Always a plus.

I will look around and see if I can find anything else. To the OP, are you comfortable going lower in color? as a stone gets bigger, it will hold more tint. That''s something you need to figure out.

I''ll see what I can find. There are slim pickins in this size, just a heads up!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 2/20/2007 9:15:09 AM
Author: mtbiker78
Yeah, 25k probably is a good price. That''s the Caribbean price, duty free and tax free. I was told our prices here are about 20% less then the states. I guess that is true!! Good deal

If you can really get it for that price, it is a good deal.

 

[mtbiker78]

Thanks again for the help. I guess what i''m mainly trying to figure out right now is if i should go with a "brand" diamond such as Hearts on Fire, or just choice a standard diamond.

Also you mention that 2ct is a hard sized diamond to find. Should i be looking for 1.75ct? are they more readily available? I would like to stay with Vs2 or SI1 and F/G color. My issue is i''m doing research trying to make sure i get a good deal here on the Island. They are really trying to sell me the hearts on fire diamond. Which after looking at was a very beautiful stone, just not sure if it''s worth the "branding" mark-up?

 

[diagem]

Date: 2/20/2007 9:50:18 AM
Author: mtbiker78
Thanks again for the help. I guess what i''m mainly trying to figure out right now is if i should go with a ''brand'' diamond such as Hearts on Fire, or just choice a standard diamond.

Also you mention that 2ct is a hard sized diamond to find. Should i be looking for 1.75ct? are they more readily available? I would like to stay with Vs2 or SI1 and F/G color. My issue is i''m doing research trying to make sure i get a good deal here on the Island. They are really trying to sell me the hearts on fire diamond. Which after looking at was a very beautiful stone, just not sure if it''s worth the ''branding'' mark-up?

Did you have a chance to compare a HoF to a VG/VG of the same size???
It could be a good idea to check if you even see a difference....

 

[Ellen]

Date: 2/20/2007 9:50:18 AM
Author: mtbiker78
Thanks again for the help. I guess what i''m mainly trying to figure out right now is if i should go with a ''brand'' diamond such as Hearts on Fire, or just choice a standard diamond.

Also you mention that 2ct is a hard sized diamond to find. Should i be looking for 1.75ct? are they more readily available? I would like to stay with Vs2 or SI1 and F/G color. My issue is i''m doing research trying to make sure i get a good deal here on the Island. They are really trying to sell me the hearts on fire diamond. Which after looking at was a very beautiful stone, just not sure if it''s worth the ''branding'' mark-up?

If you just want an excellent cut diamond, no, you don''t need to buy a branded one. There are many great non-branded stones out there. Of course they want to sell the HOF, it''s more money.

You may have more choices in the 1.7 ish category, and they will look substantial. No need to get to that 2 ct. mark, which really jumps the price up.

 

[coda72]

If you can really get an F or G VS2 hearts on fire for $25K, I would definitely go that route if I were you. I just did ps search and there is nothing out there that is hearts and arrows in that price range with those specs. I think you would have to drop down to H or I color and SI clarity to pay only $15K for a 2 carat diamond.