HELP! READY TO BUY

[mike2]

Help! I am looking to buy my wife a round diamond. I''m looking at 2 diamonds with the following specs:

2.93 ct: EGL Cert, 9.51 -9.38 x 5.59, depth 59.2%, table width 58%, crown height 13.70%, pavilion depth 43.30%, girdle thickness thin - medium, polish good, symmetry good, cutlet none, clarity VVS1, color H, fluorescence faint. PRICE - $21,700

3.10 ct: EGL Cert, 9.34 -9.31 x 5.85, depth 62.7%, table width 58%, crown height 14%, pavilion depth 45%, girdle medium faceted, polish very good, symmetry very good, cutlet none, clarity VS2, color I, fluorescence none. PRICE - $17,500

SO I ASK ARE THESE DIAMONDS WORTH WHAT THEY''RE ASKING? AND ACCORDING TO THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE THESE GOOD DIAMONDS?

 

[Lugus]

What do you mean by "good diamonds"? People have different opinons about what makes one good. If you mean, are they well cut diamonds, then I'd suggest plugging in the numbers to the cut advisor.

http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

I'm too lazy to do it myself, but offhand I don't think you'll get fantastic results. However, if by good you meant are they big diamonds, then I'd say yup, they're big.

 

[mike2]

What I'm actually saying is are the diamonds worth what the sellers are asking?

 

[Lugus]

The prices seem to be in line with other diamonds you can find on pricescope.

 

[mike2]

Lugus, very helpful!

Took your advice, checked out:

https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

The first diamond came out EX in all categories. The other came out GOOD, FAIR, FAIR, VERY GOOD.

Does this mean I still need a Sarin report?

Thanks.

 

[okaynow]

You have a nice budget.

I'm not sure if I'd go with a diamond that had a couple of Fair ratings, unless you don't care about cut. So I don't think spendng anything with a Fair rating is worth 17 and a half grand. You deserve the best for what your budget is.
OR perhaps cut really doesn't matter on a huge 3ct. stone? I would think at this point it's all about size.


And all of a sudden I'm a diamond expert(advice from a cheapo that wants to go SI2).

 

[Lugus]

Remember that the cut advisor is just one tool to use to evaluate the diamond. Though some might tell you differently, I would not rely on it alone to make your decision.

The sarin report will tell you much more information about the stone. Though I couldn't find the red flags in a sarin, an independant appraiser certainly could. For the amount of cash you're spending, I would definately have an appraiser look at the stone first...especially with an EGL cert. I'm definately not an expert, but I have come to the conclusion that they can be a bit more leniant that AGS and GIA.

Can I ask if you've set a budget for the stone? There is a $4000+ difference between the two. Are you simply looking for a 3 carat stone, or do you have more criteria than that? Maybe we can help you find one.

 

[mike2]

Lugus,
Appreciate the advice. Went to look at the 3.1 ct stone today, it really had lots of life; sparkle. I guess you'd call that a combo between brilliance and scintillation. I'm wary of the seller. He's a broker that doesn't seem to want an outside appraisal. Says the EGL is good enough.
The 2.9 ct seemed to have less life, eventthough the Cut Advisor rating came EX all the way. It's $21,700. I know the seller will come down 10 - 15%.

I'm going to post another question about buying procedure in a new topic.

Anyway, my wife has her heart set on a stone that's round, 9.3 mm diameter. My budget is the best stone for $15k - $17k.

Are you a dealer?

 

[Lugus]

Am I a dealer? Nope, just a consumer who just went through the exact same thing you are going through. Only took me 4 months to find my diamond

Just a clarification, brilliance white light return, fire is colored light return, and scintillation is your sparkle.

Interesting that the stone that rated lower in the cut advisor seemed to sparkle more. Just goes to show that it should be one tool of many to make your final decision. Also make sure the stones are being evaluated in the same kind of lighting.

HE DOESN'T WANT AN OUTSIDE APPRAISAL???? I wouldn't even consider a stone without one. The EGL cert is NOT enough, unless of course you're going to wrap the cert around your sweetheart's finger

By the way, my budget was similar to yours, and I too wanted the best stone I could get. My priorities were a bit different than yours though. I decided on a 1.73 E VS1 superbcert from www.superbcert.com. I found that I was unable to find a perfectly cut stone as large as 3 cts without sacrificing something I didn't want to sacrifice.

 

[Mara]

I too would not suggest working with a dealer who did not want to agree to an outside appraisal. What is he afraid of? From just eyeballing the numbers, the first stone is the better stone...the 2nd has too deep of a pavilion and the depth is deep too. What this means in general is that you are paying for a carat weight that is being carried heavily in the pavilion. You can also see that in the dimensions below..the smaller stone has larger dimensions? Definitely carrying too much weight in the pavilion. Dont waste your $$ on extra weight that adds no life to the stone.

Sounds like neither of the stones are really speaking to you? One you like but the dealer sounds shady. The other one does not speak to your heart as you say it doesn't seem as full of life as the other stone. Keep looking? Do you have to make a decision on these two stones? Have you looked online at all?

My suggestion is to keep looking, if you find a stone you feel is good, get a return policy of at least 15 days and get the stone independently appraised. If it does not work out, return the stone ASAP. The return policy should not be contingent upon anything, you should be able to return the stone, no hassles, no questions. My two cents anyway...that's alot of money you are spending, spend it wisely!

 

[JayTee]

Mike2,
Also, I noticed that the numbers you plugged into the Cut Advisor were the crown height % and pavilion depth %. If possible, you need to obtain the actual angle measurements for use with the HCA, as that would give a more accurate score. Ask the broker if he has a Sarin or Ogi report on your two stones. Check past threads here for why you should use angles rather than percentages when calculating the HCA score.

JayTee.