Help me decide

[zephyr]

Hi All:

I am a newbie. I am looking to buy a pair of diamonds studs. attached are the 2 certificates i got. I would like to know what you think about these and if possible provide opinion on what the fair price should be.

Just for those who can''t see the attachment, here are the stats:

Diamond 1:

Round
Carat: 1.25
IF
Cut: Excellent
Polish, Symetry: Excellent
Table: 57%
depth: 61.0
Crown angle: 34.5
Pavillion: 40.8
Girdle:Slightly thick, faceted
No culet
On the GIA cert it says: Surface graining not shown.

Diamond 2

Carat: 1.24
IF
Cut: Excellent
Polish, Symmetry: Excellent
Depth: 60.9
Table: 57%
Crown angle: 34.5
Pavillion: 40.8
Girdle:Slightly thick, faceted
No culet

GIA cert says: Minor details of polish are not shown.


Please advise what you think of these.

 

[honey22]

Welcome to PS! We would need the colour grade to give you a rough estimate of price.

Have you seen studs of these size in real life? That is some serious ear-lobe bling!! I''m not sure I would go to that size for studs, that''s over 2.5ct total weight! Are you sure you don''t mean 1.25ct total weight for both studs?

 

[zephyr]

Hey:

They are both E color, sorry I forgot! Yes, they are 1.25 carats each. That is so funny you think that is serious bling because I was considering 1.5 each. Then I went and tried them on and they looked weird on.

1.25 is the largest I''d wear.

 

[JulieN]

1.25 E IFs in each ear. lucky, lucky!

 

[zephyr]

Are these good diamonds? What would be a good price for them?

 

[JulieN]

yeah, they look nice on paper.

you can check prices under the Prices tab, Price Comparison. These are for online stores, which have smaller markups. Also, if these diamonds above are branded stones, they will carry an extra premium.

 

[zephyr]

Thank you. I found one on USA Certified for $20,000 each. The person I am talking to is quoting 24k each. I guess that is a rip off. Although he is doing the setting for me in White gold.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/14/2008 1:48:43 AM
Author: zephyr
Thank you. I found one on USA Certified for $20,000 each. The person I am talking to is quoting 24k each. I guess that is a rip off. Although he is doing the setting for me in White gold.

well....for the extra $8000

i hope they come with a pair of extra heavy setting. like....4 oz of gold on each ear !!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/14/2008 1:38:02 AM
Author: zephyr
Are these good diamonds? What would be a good price for them?

They appear to be very well cut, they should be lovely!

 

[honey22]

Date: 6/14/2008 1:26:33 AM
Author: zephyr
Hey:

They are both E color, sorry I forgot! Yes, they are 1.25 carats each. That is so funny you think that is serious bling because I was considering 1.5 each. Then I went and tried them on and they looked weird on.

1.25 is the largest I'd wear.

Hi zephyr! If that's the size you like, then go for it!!!! I just wasn't sure if that was total or not. I wear 0.5ct in each ear and I think they look big, but then again, I like smaller diamonds for myself. You could get a lower price online, but if you want to purchase from a B&M store you will pay extra, and that doesn't seem overly excessive for a B&M. Personally, I would drop the clarity to at least VS2, possibly eyeclean SI1 just to save you mega mega bucks! You could get a stunning pendant with the leftover $$$$

That said however 2 x 1.25ct E IF stones - woweeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA - I just re-read my first post, and I do apologise that I came across so negative. It's not that I don't think big diamonds would look great, I was just suprised that's all, I usually see much smaller ones around here. Sorry if I sounded like a jerk, I really didn't mean too!

 

[zephyr]

No worries. I didn''t think that was negative. It is funny because I went to the store to try the stones and 1.5 was HUGE. Hubby said that I should go lower in size and higher in quality.

You are right, I could save money but I have always wanted really good diamonds so want to get that.
The price seems ok for the above as I just had GOG give me the same pricing for similar stones. Actually, the above are 3k cheaper.

 

[Rhino]

Bear in mind the diamonds we quoted you were precision cut branded H&A''s. More common GIA Ex''s will usually cost less.

 

[Green with Envy]

WHY WHY WHY would you want to pay premium for IF stones for earrings??? I would go with lower clarity. Even if you wanted to convert them someday as side stones for a huge ring that you will stare at all day long... IF will look the same as VS1. I promise!

 

[zephyr]

Hey Rhino:

Your diamonds have fluorescence.

 

[honey22]

Date: 6/14/2008 8:11:42 PM
Author: zephyr
Hey Rhino:

Your diamonds have fluorescence.

Fluoro is a POSITIVE!! Despite what you have heard, it can give a nice look especially in bright sunlight. It is incredibly rare that it will have a negative effect, and that''s only with strong blue can rarely cause a stone to look milky or oily. Don''t discount GOG stones - they have a fabulous range of H&A stones, and they are top of line as far as cut goes.

 

[Rhino]

Date: 6/14/2008 8:11:42 PM
Author: zephyr
Hey Rhino:

Your diamonds have fluorescence.

I will not try to convince you otherwise but has someone mislead you to believe that fluoroescence is a negative thing? 99% of the time its neutral if not positive. I would visually confirm this of course should you decide to pursue this route as well as check for numerous other features we do when inspecting diamonds that aren't necessarily mentioned on a lab report.

All the best,

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/14/2008 8:11:42 PM
Author: zephyr
Hey Rhino:

Your diamonds have fluorescence.

So do WF stones, and James Allen's, and Wink's, and Infinity's, and many more. They wouldn't carry those if it was a "bad" thing.

 

[zephyr]

Please educate me. I have been told that fluro is a bad thing in a diamond.

 

[FrekeChild]

I don''t really know that much about fluorescence honestly. But what I do know is that when you''re in black light they glow blue. Which is totally awesome IMHO.

I think you should go with GOG stones. They have a fantastic upgrade policy.

And I think that if you drop to around a VVS1 or VVS2 you''re not losing any quality, but instead keeping plenty of $$$.

 

[zephyr]

I don''t mind going with GOG. THe issue is that their stones are more $$$ with fluro. I don''t like/want fluro in my stones. I think I can go down to VVS1/2. Sure.

 

[John P]

Date: 6/14/2008 10:53:59 PM
Author: zephyr

Please educate me. I have been told that fluro is a bad thing in a diamond.

Poppycock. It's fine to like or dislike something personally as long as you go into it with accurate information. The "fluorescence is bad" scare is an old notion, disavowed more than a decade ago in this GIA study.

Excerpt: "In the table-up position (as is commonly encountered in jewelry), diamonds described as strongly or very strongly fluorescent were, on average, reported as having a better color appearance than less fluorescent stones. In this study, blue fluorescence was found to have even less effect on transparency. These observations confirm GIA GTL’s experience grading millions of diamonds over the decades... ...The present study also challenges the trade perception that fluorescence usually has a negative effect on better-color diamonds. Our results show that the diamond industry would be better served by considering each individual diamond on its own visual merits."

Diamonds with 'very strong' fluorescence should be inspected for a milky or oily appearance but they are so rare that GIA could not locate enough of them to include in their study. If the fluorescence is not blue it also bears further examination. A good seller will screen these things for you.

Many people actively seek fluorescent stones. Others prefer none. For most it's not a deal-maker or breaker.

 

[zephyr]

Hey

Thanks for the study. It is pretty informative.

 

[zephyr]

Hi Rhino:

I have decided to go with GOG. I have written in to you so would love to see the diamonds you have even with the Flouro. Look forward to hearing from you.