Help me understand this industry

[NJGuy]

I''m finding engagement ring shopping to be very difficult.

Everyone stresses the importance of knowing all the cut angles and measurements of the diamond. For some unknown reason, GIA does not list these on their certification report. So how do you find this information out and how can you know what you are buying if you don''t?

Let''s say I want to buy a GIA certified diamond from Blue Nile. Is there anyway to know all the angles and measurements ahead of time? I just talked to an appraiser here in the Philadelphia area on the phone. She told me doesn''t know of a single appraiser in the area who goes into that kind of detail. Plus if I got the ring from Blue Nile or any internet dealer, the stone would already be in it''s setting. Wouldn''t it be too late to get those measurements?

 

[Arlington]

In the Philly area -- call Accredited Gem Appraisers. They DO provide all the angles that you need, I know because I recently had a diamond appraised by them. If you want to order the diamond and setting ahead of time, you could have the diamond and setting sent unmounted to them and get the stone mounted later. Or, you can do what I did which was have the stone sent to AGA for appraisal, then have AGA send it back to the vendor to be mounted.

Whatever you do, do not buy from a vendor who doesn't provide some sort of trial period to get your money back. Even better, see if you can get the diamond sent to the appraiser for an appraisal PRIOR to you paying anything. I know many online vendors will do this (don't know about BLue Nile specifically).

The GIA simply doesn't provide all of the required measurements on their certificate. So you will have to ask about them. Ask for a Sarin report on the stone you are interested in. Some online vendors maintain and inventory and have the stones right in-house. These should be able to get the numbers for you very quickly. In other cases, you will have to wait while they contact the diamond broker.

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 10/7/2003 1:09:56 PM NJGuy wrote:










1. So how do you find this information out and how can you know what you are buying if you don't?

2. Is there anyway to know all the angles and measurements ahead of time.

3. I just talked to an appraiser here in the Philadelphia area on the phone. She told me doesn't know of a single appraiser in the area who goes into that kind of detail. ----------------

Hi, NJ Guy:

1. You can't know what you're buying if you don't know the angles, which is why it's so important to either select a vendor who can provide the information for you or send it to an appraiser who has a Sarin machine.

2. Yes, there are several ways. I don't know what Blue Nile's policies are, but I can tell you that several vendors here (GOG, WF, NiceIce) will ship stones to an appraiser near you prior to purchase so you can visually inspect the stone yourself (and have your appraiser look at it). Another is to ask Blue Nile to get that information. Another option is to negotiate a generous return/refund policy so you can purchase the stone and take it to appraiser yourself. If the stone doesn't meet your satisfaction, you can then return it.

3. I'd tend to doubt this claim from the appraiser....I know of one in the area and I don't even live there! It's Dave Atlas at AGA. She's saying this because she's either 1) incredibly uninformed or unconnected, which doesn't reassure me of her abilities, or 2) trying to dismiss your request as unimportant.

The truth is that a vast majority of the buying public don't know enough to ask for that information, so perhaps it's not requested often, but any appraiser worth their salt knows the importance of this data, and if she doesn't acknowledge that when asked, then I wouldn't put a lot of faith in her appraisal abilities.

There is just no excuse not to get this information when making a purchase. If vendor A doesn't offer it, then find one who does. You wouldn't buy a house without getting a home inspection and information about specifics of the house.....a diamond should be no different. Those who buy uninformed are most likely to regret their purchases later.

 

[jorgep]

NJ Guy,
Blue Nile will give you free detailed Sarin reports on up to 3 diamonds. Just give them a call.

I haven't bought my diamond yet, but the vendors who advertise on this website are about 10-15% cheaper. However, Blue Nile does have a great rep and a huge inventory. I think Whiteflash has the best inventory of the ones that advertise on this website.

I'm a rookie looing to buy also,
JorgeP

 

[spicolicpa]

Man I have been and still am amazed at the suttle nuances and "wink'n and jivin" that can go on with any number of people you could potentially purchase a diamond from.

I started looking into purchasing a diamond 2 months ago, luckily I fell into DT (Diamond Talk) and Pricescope just before I got terribly snookered.

My reccomendation to you is to search the databases of these two forums.

There is a plethora of information. Be carefull and keep your head as some responses to your questions will be biased by personal adgendas.

Read as much as possible and dont get too impulsive.

Above all have a good time doing this, keep reminding yourself that you are spending a sig. amount of money for someone you love.

Just a bit of advice from someone who almost got snookered.