Help on a proposal

[rahan]

Hi !
I was looking for a diamond for an engagement ring here in France (yes i''m french

) and i received a proposal by a quite serious site on diamond.
They proposed me a Hearts and Arrows.
I didn''t know and never heard about this so i get infos on the net and now i''m wondering if it is as serious as i was thinking.
They send me a copy of the IGI certificate.
This is a 0,31 carat, color D, purety IF, Polish/Symmetry Excellent, Proportions Excellent. On the header figure the picture of the Hearts and Arrows of this diamond and the comments is "Hearts and Arrows ''IDEAL CUT'' laserscribed #number"
It seems to be a piece of exception.
They propose me this diamond (with certificate) for 1256 € (about 1700 US$).
It seems cheap. So is it a good proposal, is it risky, is there traps with IGI certificate ?

Thanks for any help. I wouldn''t want to miss a so beautiful diamond...

 

[Independent Gal]

Bonjour et Bienvenue! That diamond is not cheap! It's a rip-off. It costs about TWICE what you would pay for a similar diamond on bluenile.com that is graded by a reputable organization like GIA or AGS. I wouldn't trust IGI. They have a reputation for inflating their diamond grading. So, this is probably not ACTUALLY a D ideal cut diamond with hearts and arrows.

My advice would be to see whether Bluenile or GOG or whiteflash will ship to France!

Make sure you look into any duty questions. But a diamond like that looks to run under $1000, so it shouldn't be too crazy with the 'douane'.

ETA: Whoops! I was looking at D VVS1 ideal cuts. It looks like if you want flawless, it jumps 50% to $1400 or so. But still cheaper and more reliable than IGI. Plus, are you sure you want flawless? I can guarantee that if you got a VVS1 stone you would never be able to find the inclusion(s) even with magnification.

What I like to think about inclusions is: my guy has flaws, and is no less beautiful because of them, so why should the microscopic flaws in my diamond make it any less beautiful? For me it's symbolic! Now if only I could only see my guy's flaws under a 40x microscope!

Kidding.

 

[rahan]

Hi !
Thanks for your quick response.
I didn''t think that IGI has a so bad reputation.
That''s the more common lab used for online sell diamond in french sites...

I gonna see the sites you gave me and see if i can adapt it on a ring here in France... (sad mode)

 

[surfgirl]

Hi Rahan. Actually IGI is not a reputable lab and most people here wouldn''t buy a stone solely based on a lab report from IGI. If you look at stones graded by AGS or GIA you will be more on the right track of getting a really lovely stone and knowing you are getting what you''re paying for. Bon chance!

 

[rahan]

Thanks surfgirl !
I begin to wonder if there is not a difference of point of views between these IGI and GIA in America and in Europe.
I think most of u are located in America and maybe the american IGI offices (New York) have a worse reputation than the european one (Antwerp - Belgium).
I found the copy of the certificate i received.....on another site for a very little bit more expensive...


here

If it can help...

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 6/4/2007 10:14:30 AM
Author: rahan
Hi !
Thanks for your quick response.
I didn''t think that IGI has a so bad reputation.
That''s the more common lab used for online sell diamond in french sites...

I gonna see the sites you gave me and see if i can adapt it on a ring here in France... (sad mode)

Stick to GIA and AGS, on average they grade more strictly so when you buy a D you more likely to actually get a D.