Hello! Newbie here :-) Please advise between these three diamonds...

[cypp]

Hello everyone!

We are new to the Diamond forums. We are buying an engagement ring and was hoping for some advice about three diamonds that we narrowed our search down to. All are round brillants:

Dealer #1:

2.21 ct
Excellent Cut grade
Depth 60.4%
Table 56%
H color
VS1
Excellent Polish
Excellent Symmetry
No culet
No florescent
Girdle is Thin to Medium
price is $26,000 (we are asking $25,500)
it''s a branded diamond, "Love Fire"



Dealer #2:


2.30 ct
Very Good Cut grade (the certificate is 8/05, but I put the depth and table numbers into the GIA thing and it gave me a Very Good grade)
Depth 59.6%
Table 57%
I color
VVS1
Excellent Polish
Excellent Symmetry
No culet
No florescent
Girdle is thin to medium faceted
price is $25,00 even



Dealer #3


2.18 ct
Excellent Cut grade
I don''t remember the depth and table... I THINK it is the depth is 60.2% and table 59%
H color
VVS2
Excellent Polish
Excellent Symmetry
No culet
No florescent
Girdle is medium to thick
price is $26,000 even
it''s also a hearts and arrow and laser inscribed



We''ve been looking for over two months now and really can''t decide between the three.... can anyone offer us some advice please? I think we''ve gotten some good prices on the three stones, but don''t know which one is the better deal....?

Thanks in advance!

Chris

 

[Gypsy]

Congrats! And welcome!

First thing... we need more information. Can you give us Pavillion and Crown Angles? It would help a lot!

 

[JulieN]

crown and pavilion angles.

number 3 is probably no, but we''ll see.

 

[cypp]

Hi Gypsy and JulieN!

We didn''t think to write down the crown and pavillion angles We''re really new at this... is it the most important in determining whether its a good diamond? I thought that it is the depth and table % and whether it''s an ideal cut that makes it most important? We can call up Dealer #1 & #3 in the morning and ask... but I don''t think Dealer #2 has the info because it''s an old GIA report and he is a new jeweler. He actually said that the price he gave us, $25,000 is $100 below his cost from his rep but that he''d willing to loose the $100 to make us into a customer. We thought that was really nice of him! Dealer #3 is a little difficult to deal with, but we are suppose to hear back from Dealer #1 in the morning so I can ask him then.

So it''s hard to tell without the crown and pavillion angles?

Chris

 

[Gypsy]

Yes. Depth and table only tell you so much. To calculate the cut quality we need all the cut information.

If you are new and really want to make an educated purchase I suggest you look above (just below the advertisements above) and drop down the knowledge menu and start with the information on there. And also, go here: http://www.goodoldgold.com/content.php?c=15

This will help you both with getting the best deal... and with dealing with the jewelers. I know you said #2 is new... but he may still be able to get the information for you. A Sarin will get you the numbers just as well as a cert.

As for prices... have you looked at goodoldgold.com and whiteflash.com (or just above in the menu for prices) to find out if the prices these dealers are offering are good deals?


ETA: They only way to tell if it is an ideal cut is with these numbers. You cannot trust that a diamond is idea just because someone tells you so. Also... are these GIA, EGL, or AGS certified diamonds (who is the certificate from?)

 

[Kaleigh]

The crown and pavillion angles help to tell us more about the diamonds in question. Don''t fall for a guy who says, Hey I''ll take a $100 off the price to make you my customer. Those lines are used all the time.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 7/5/2006 11:50:12 PM
Author: Kaleigh
The crown and pavillion angles help to tell us more about the diamonds in question. Don''t fall for a guy who says, Hey I''ll take a $100 off the price to make you my customer. Those lines are used all the time.

ditto. jewelers surely cannot be in the habit of selling stones for less than they pay or they won''t be jewelers very long

.

I''d also suggest using the search here to get an idea for general pricing. you will want to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Cut is #1 which is why the crown and pavillion angles are so important. I''d also stick to AGS and GIA stones.

 

[Peerless]

Are these stones bought locally or online? From a price comparison standpoint, any of these trusted vendors here on pricescope blow my local b&m jeweler prices out of the water. Plus no tax on a $25k stone? That''s nice pocket change if you ask me.

 

[cypp]

Gypsy, thank you so much for the information. I''m going to look some more.

Kaleigh, LOL! We really did fall for it... and completely believed him (and felt honored) until I read your response. Guess we should have known...

Sorry, I forgot to mention! All of the jewelers are here in my area... they are not going to charge tax (out of state, shipping via Fed Ex) and all of the stones are GIA certified.

I''m going to try to get the crown and pavillion numbers in the morning...

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/5/2006 11:36:31 PM
Author: cypp
Hi Gypsy and JulieN!

We didn''t think to write down the crown and pavillion angles We''re really new at this... is it the most important in determining whether its a good diamond? I thought that it is the depth and table % and whether it''s an ideal cut that makes it most important? We can call up Dealer #1 & #3 in the morning and ask... but I don''t think Dealer #2 has the info because it''s an old GIA report and he is a new jeweler. He actually said that the price he gave us, $25,000 is $100 below his cost from his rep but that he''d willing to loose the $100 to make us into a customer. We thought that was really nice of him! Dealer #3 is a little difficult to deal with, but we are suppose to hear back from Dealer #1 in the morning so I can ask him then.

So it''s hard to tell without the crown and pavillion angles?

Chris

LMAO....i heard my uncle "the used car salesman" use the same line on his customers.

 

[cypp]

Dancing Fire, we completely fell for it.

Thank goodness there''s Pricescope!

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 7/6/2006 12:26:11 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/5/2006 11:36:31 PM
Author: cypp
Hi Gypsy and JulieN!

We didn't think to write down the crown and pavillion angles We're really new at this... is it the most important in determining whether its a good diamond? I thought that it is the depth and table % and whether it's an ideal cut that makes it most important? We can call up Dealer #1 & #3 in the morning and ask... but I don't think Dealer #2 has the info because it's an old GIA report and he is a new jeweler. He actually said that the price he gave us, $25,000 is $100 below his cost from his rep but that he'd willing to loose the $100 to make us into a customer. We thought that was really nice of him! Dealer #3 is a little difficult to deal with, but we are suppose to hear back from Dealer #1 in the morning so I can ask him then.

So it's hard to tell without the crown and pavillion angles?

Chris

LMAO....i heard my uncle 'the used car salesman' use the same line on his customers.

I could write a book about these lines. Makes me so mad.

Last one I heard was from my friend's husband. He went to a jeweler to find her a great diamond. He called me up and said hey, this guy is going to give me a great deal.

I said give me the numbers etc... He said, the stone was supposed to be for his daughter and the engagement fell through, so he can sell it at cost. I said yeah right. Anyway I begged and pleaded him to take it to David Atlas. Which he did. What he did with that info I have no clue. I'm sure he was told exactly what it was, that's why he was reluctant to share the appraisal with me.

The stone has a big inclusion on the table, and my friend can see it plain as day. So moral of the story?? If it sounds too good to be true it usually is. And jewlers are not in business to be doing you any favors. Unless you are a celeb, or Donald Trump.

People love to hear they are getting a great deal. I wish people would focus more on getting a great cut at a competitive price and call it a day. Ok rant over, LOL

 

[cypp]

Hello,

We were able to get the info for Dealer #2:

Crown Angle: 32.5°
Crown Height: 13.5 %
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Pavilion Depth: 43 %
Star length: 55 %
Lower Half: 75 %

I''ll get the info for Dealer #1 & #3 tomorrow... does the information above sounds good? We are not sure how to read it (We''re still getting the hang of it...). The dealer lowered it the price another $150. Looking at the prices here on Pricescope on the link above, the prices we''ve gotten seem to be pretty much comparable.... We''re just not sure which one is the best for the price. They all look great, plently of sparkle. But, can''t buy all three...

 

[Gypsy]

I''ll let the round experts chime in on this one. HCA score is a .8

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 7/6/2006 11:34:07 PM
Author: cypp

Hello,

We were able to get the info for Dealer #2:

Crown Angle: 32.5°
Crown Height: 13.5 %
Pavilion Angle: 40.8°
Pavilion Depth: 43 %
Star length: 55 %
Lower Half: 75 %

I''ll get the info for Dealer #1 & #3 tomorrow... does the information above sounds good? We are not sure how to read it (We''re still getting the hang of it...). The dealer lowered it the price another $150. Looking at the prices here on Pricescope on the link above, the prices we''ve gotten seem to be pretty much comparable.... We''re just not sure which one is the best for the price. They all look great, plently of sparkle. But, can''t buy all three...

Aprox AGS2 if it was sent to AGS not an optimal combo.

 

[cypp]

Hello again,

I learned something new this morning... the HCA score!

I got the specs for Dealer #1:

Depth: 60.4 %
Table: 56 %
Crown Angle: 33.5°
Crown Height: 14.5 %
Pavilion Angle: 41.2°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5 %
Star length: 50 %
Lower Half: 80 %

I put it into the HCA thing on the front page of pricescope, and it came back with a score of 2.3

Is this one good?

 

[lizzyd]

A score of less than 2.0 is generally what you''d like to get indicating the best cut/light performance.

Best,
LizzyD