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Help...No idea what I am doing - NY Diamond District

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chowdawg

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 20, 2005
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I have been looking all over for the perfect diamond for an engagement ring. I have looked online, at jewelry stores in CT, talked to others, and also shopped in the Diamond District in NYC. Anyone have any good/bad experiences or recommendations about dealers in the diamond district? Haven''t heard much but seems like some good deals....Looks like I can get a good deal but might feel better going to a reputable jewelry store.

Also, this is the diamond I am looking at....any ideas on pricing for the following specs.....Got rates between $8,880 - $10,000...big gap.

1.40 carat
RBC
Color G
Ideal cut
VS2 clarity
GIA certified
57% table
60% depth
no culet
no flourescence
Very thin to thin girdle
VG symetry and polish

Thanks.
 
Chow-
You have come to the right place to learn, read threads, and ask questions when you finike. Where you buy is up to you, people who buy thru this forum are ones who are trying to get the best bang for their buck.. good luck.

ps. On the above stone in your post, others are better than me at telling you whether it is a winner or not. I think you need to have crown and pavillion angles to run it thru HCA.
 
Thanks....

GIA certified stone
Clarity is a VS2

What is HCA?

What are good measurements for crown and pavilion angles?

Thanks,
Mike
 
Mike,

That spread you found in price isn''t all that big, given what it could be. The size of 1.4 is somewhat challenging to come by, given it''s a bit short of 1.5, where they get more pricey. One option I found that''s roughly comparable on this board is a fair bit more.

First stop for you should be to read the tutorial here. If you are satisfied with dealing with the people you found that option, and as Baltneau suggests, you can confirm by proportion analysis (get crown & pavilion measurements) that it does have an HCA score of between 0 - 2, you''re mostly home. What''s helpful about the Holloway Cut Advisor (HCA) is that you don''t need to know a fixed set of crown & pavilion angles....any number of them will work, but the HCA is designed to watch how they work together, to provide ideal light return. Or, if you want a reference for examples of good sets of angles, you''d find them in the tutorial, and specifically here.

Good shopping!
 
Hi,
Depending on the kind of setting you''re looking at, I might be a bit scared of the very thin - thin girdle chipping...
Good luck with the search!
Drk
 
Thanks...So, would people recommend looking at a girdle of Thin to Medium or just medium?

Also, for a 1.4 carat..am I in the right ballpark with looking between $8k and $10K? It''s tough..women wear the rings for the rest of their lives and the guys are the ones that have to sweat over it, do all this research, and make sure they are making the right diamond purchase.

Thanks.
 
Mike,

I think thin, medium, or thin to medium are all OK, but yes, I''ve heard that very & extremely thin one should be wary of.

Re the search process....although I might have preferred to have lost interest a long time ago...I feel much better off to have been the one doing the work. Then again, I did a poll here not long ago...and learned that more than 4 out of 5 on the boards are women...not men at all.

Go figure.
 
PM me if you want recommendations for jewelers in the diamond district (or you can do a search here).

as for advice on buying a rock, i''ll leave you to the experts here.
2.gif
 
Thanks for your helo...one more thing...I think I have narrowed it down a bit and now have a better idea......but the girdle....is this something that you want faceted or not? I see some have a "TH-M" girdle and some say "TH-M F"?? Any ideas?

Thanks,
Mike
 
There have been a few posts on faceted/non-faceted girdles on here in the past - if you run a search, you''ll come across them easily. I gathered that it''s just a matter of taste. I think more people seem to prefer a faceted girdle because it doesn''t get dirty as fast as a bruted girdle. As long as there''s no bearding along a bruted girdle, it should be fine too, I think. We''ll see what the pros say... If you see a stone you love and the only thing you''re not sure about is the bruted girdle, you should probably just go for it - my 2c.
 
Chawdawg,
if I was any where near the diamond district in NY my personal choice would be to see david at diamondsbylauren. I have never bought anyhting from him and am absolutely unconnected with him. But I have been checking out diamond info for over three years, here and on DT - initially for e ring and then just cos it got addictive!!!! He just seems - as do alot of other vendors - very trustworthy, cool and on the ball.

So far, I have seen lots of posts on him + I haven''t seen a complaining post about him. I''m frantically trying to think of how to buy from him without getting skinned on import duty to Europe. Even contempalting a fun trip to NY just for a weeekend. At €300, the rtn flight would be less than import tax.

I maybe wrong but then, you''re closer to his door step than I am. I would def go check it out. His prices seem good too.

Just my 2c s worth and once again, absolutely not affiliated. If you do check him out, let me know how it goes;

A
 
My experience in the NY Diamond district is that many of the random vendors often called things "Ideal" without having the stats to back it up. You have gotten some good recomendations of great jewelers to deal with. I''d personally stick more to those than the huge numbe of them at street level. You can really get taken for a ride if you do not know what you are looking for and talking about if you are not careful. There are also some good vendors there, it''s just hard to know without some recomendations.
 
Glad to hear you have narrowed it down, since you are using the services of PS, before you buy why don''t you post the specs, etc. and let the PS community assist and comment, and then you have all the tools to make a great and important decison. Just my 2 cents.
 
My fiance and I just had a wonderful experience buying online from Jonathan at Good Old Gold. If I were as close as you I''d head over to his store on Long Island. Man would I love to see all his beauties live and in person. The 1.2ct Hearts and Arrows round we bought is stunning! It still amazes me everyday.
 
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