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HELP! Buying GIA Today but am I making a mistake?

J

jasoncaldwell84

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
3
I will try to make this is short as possible. I've been looking for some time for the perfect stone at a great deal (definitely looking for more than what I can afford surely). I finally found the stone I fell in love with, but with a caveat. I had promised myself that I would only purchase an eye clean stone, so I was attempting to find something that matched the color, cut, and carat size I had set for myself. I finally came upon a beautiful 1.01 carat diamond in downtown LA with a cut rated Excellent, the color E, the Clarity is an I1. I examined the hell out of the stone and without a loop could not see any of the inclusions listed on the certificate. Now, on the certificate the stone is listed as having a HeartsOnFire serial number. The dealer made the comment that the customer that sold them the diamond didn't have the original paperwork and that they had the stone rated in October by GIA. When checking with Hearts on Fire the serial number doesn't exist in their system and they claim that an I1 stone would never make the cut as they only allow stones with a clarity of SI2 to make the cut. The price the dealer is asking out the door is $4,400 for this stone. The stone is absolutely gorgeous and looking around I do not notice that the price is out of line, but I ask you folks here what your opinion is. I greatly appreciate it.
 
Post the GIA number. Price is about right.
 
What were the inclusions listed on the cert. Can you provide the GIA number?

And is there a return window?
 
jasoncaldwell84|1386188476|3567576 said:
GIA # 6157734191
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Mabye the GIA website is acting up but I can't pull the cert.
 
I'm surprised a HoF would only have VG/VG finish marks. With no paperwork and HoF saying it isn't theirs, I would just assume it isn't.
 
JulieN|1386188883|3567587 said:
I'm surprised a HoF would only have VG/VG finish marks. With no paperwork and HoF saying it isn't theirs, I would just assume it isn't.
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I agree. It's easy enough to laser inscribe a random serial number.
 
Here is the GIA certificate. When I came back to the vendor chiding them for hyping the HoF as a selling point, they are claiming that they aren't pricing it as if it's a HoF just that it was inscribed as such. With all that being said and with taking the certification into consideration...is this a bad buy?
 

Attachments

The HCA score is .7 TIC, and the parameters put the X inside the AGS fence. Off to the side is a good place to have I1 inclusions, provided they don't weaken and areas where a prong has to sit. Those are pretty far from the edge. As one who will settle for less than totally eyeclean, I'd be happy with it. Price the same specs except SI1 clarity, and you are probably looking at $7000-$8000, just making a guess. (I didn't look up prices in the PS database.)

eta: I tried to look up stones, but either the database isn't working or it doesn't have a comparable SI1 E stone.
 
I would not buy an E I1 diamond.
I'd drop 2 or 3 grades in color to get better clarity.
Why pay for E if you settle fir I1?
Even if you can't see the inclusions I'd be concerned about mechanical integrity and resale value.

I'd also be turned off by the murky HOF claim.
Even if it really is a HOF (doubtful) a Whitefish ACA or Crafted by Infinity costs less and is arguably as well cut …
I heard HOFs should be called WOFs, wallets on fire. :lol:
 
I think that stone definitely isn't a HoF stone as they are polished to Ideal grades.
 
kenny|1386200898|3567713 said:
...Why pay for E if you settle fir I1?
...
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Because color or the lack thereof can easily be determined at a glance but inclusions require close-up inspection. Resale value may not be of concern. If they buy it at approx $4000 and wear it a while and can only sell it for $3000 a year later, so what. Really. It's only a $1000 loss, less than $100/month to own it. Truly, clarity is the least important thing to me. In this case, it cuts the price in half. Personally, for $4,000 vs. $8400, I would take the risk on it and would just insure it and put the other $4400 toward something more useful. Like groceries or house payments. :lol: After the initial engagement, nobody will be paying much attention to the ring. There have been some really nice I1 engagement rings on here in the past, but none lately.

So don't feel bad about considering an I1, Jason. The HoF claim, I would just ignore. I'd get an appraiser to verify that the cert matches the stone, though.
 
jasoncaldwell84|1386193220|3567642 said:
Here is the GIA certificate. When I came back to the vendor chiding them for hyping the HoF as a selling point, they are claiming that they aren't pricing it as if it's a HoF just that it was inscribed as such. With all that being said and with taking the certification into consideration...is this a bad buy?
Click to expand...
w/o the HoF logo then it ain't a HoF stone.
 
I will agree previous advice...don't buy I1 for an engagement ring.
 
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/Consig178/
^ consigned .83ct F SI1 at Good Old Gold

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10619/
^ G SI1 premium cut

Both of those options are in the same cost ballpark. But only 5.9 - 6mm diameter, and the difference in size between 1ct 6.5mm and .75ct (5.8mm) or .8 (6mm) is noticeable. Me, I would rather have the high color and the 1ct size but I1. That's speaking from experience because my e-ring was 5.8mm diameter G VVS1, and after my divorce I bought a 1ct I1 that is very eye-clean face up. The clarity was worth trading off to get the size. Here's the thing: The diamond NEVER stays 100% clean when it's worn. It always has spots or specks on it except right after it's been cleaned. So, what does it matter if there's a discrete inclusion or a few, inside? But not all women are that practical, and I am sure there are some who will fly off the handle if they see any "contaminants" in there and it will never be good enough. Clarity is an individual preference, just like color. I would not EVER want a J or K for my e-ring. L or M might be okay. :lol: Also, PS is mainly comprised of people who are affluent and educated and who buy much bigger and more expensive engagement rings than the general public. Pricescopers may be less willing to settle, because they have more disposable income that the norm, and thus they don't have to compromise much at all. The norms for PS are not normal elsewhere.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11416/
^ Very nice E VS1 1.01ct, but it's $10,300 wire transfer price. Other comps in the PS database for E and eyeclean run the $7000 - $8000 that I estimated.

You could always offer less for that I1 and see it they will accept the offer. Pawn shops and used diamond dealers might be asking at least 2x what they paid for it. My I1 dropped in price $700 on my second visit. I still think it was a real good deal, too. And have bought a couple of H&A superideals from Good Old Gold, so I can compare those to my I1. It compares very well, and cost me less than $3000 as a solitaire ring back in 2005. Best price I could get at that time for a 1ct GIA ideal cut eyeclean G SI1 was $6200 for just the stone. It had a big clear crystal in the table area.
 
I suppose its possible that it was a HoF that someone roughed up. There have been a lot of HoF diamonds and they've been around a while, so it's possible that this was cut by a subcontractor or something like that.

Anyhow no one is actually claiming it's a HoF at this point. It's just a diamond with a laser inscription. Oddball combos like E+I1 are actually underpriced according to formula because most people do follow Kenny's logic. If it works for you, buy it.
 
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