Help with purchasing a loose diamond

[acanuck]

I went to look at diamonds this past weekend with my fiance. The one we seemed to like the most was as follows :

Round
1.05 carat
EGL cert
Color H
SI3
I didn't get the depth or table percentages (now I know)
offered at $3836.00

Admitedly not being that well informed I wanted to be sure about my purchasing decision. After coming home, I promtply started to do some research on-line and with the help of websites like this, tried to educate myself as best as possible. It also now seems apparant that on-line, I can get roughly the same size diamond with better grading for about the same price.

One such example :
Round
GIA cert
1.10 carat
VS2
Color : I
Depth : 62.5%
Table : 56%
girdle : thin-medium
Cullet : no
fluorescence : no
polish : very good
symmetry : very good
price : $3850

Is this really the no-brainer that it appears to be ? Something that I'm missing here ? Any reason that I shouldn't order the one on-line ? Most of the sites seem to claim 15-30 day money back garantees.....

My next question is how easy (or difficult) would it be to have the diamond set by a local jeweler ? I don't suppose they are going to be too helpful if I come walking in with my own diamond ?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks !

 

[pricescope]

Acanuck, welcome to the forum.

Assuming both diamonds are the same cut quality, the second one is about 28% better deal.

You should be able to find a local jeweller to do setting. You just might wany to insure your stone in case something happens with it during setting (e.g. chipping).

Are you looking for some special kind of setting? Why not to get your online vendor to set you the stone?

 

[aljdewey]

Without any other information than what you've provided, I'd definitely choose the second diamond. The cert is GIA instead of EGL, so the grading is likely to be more accurate on the second one.

It's really hard to say without crown/pav angles......those help to determine the make or cut of the diamond, and that's really what matters.

If you decide to purchase online....no worries. Most of the reputable vendors have excellent return policies; just do a search and you'll find who the oft-recommended vendors are.

 

[acanuck]

Thanks for the feedback, I would get it set by the on-line retailer but unfortunately my fiance picked out a band which seems to be difficult to find (the kind with a square/flat bottom shank). I thought it might be easier to get the shank she wanted locally.

With regards to crown/pav angles as they don't seem to be on the grading report, how can I get them ?

 

[Arlington]

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On 8/20/2003 4:41:50 PM acanuck wrote:


With regards to crown/pav angles as they don't seem to be on the grading report, how can I get them ?


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Take it from someone who has been searching off and on for the past few months for a great diamond...it ain't easy! Most vendors and just about all mall stores don't have that information readily available.

The best thing to do is just ask. Some vendors will have the info or be able to get it. Some will be able to get it for some stones and not others. Some may try to tell you it's not relevant. Don't believe them!

If you are looking at an AGS-certified diamond, the c/p data is on the certificate so just ask for a copy of the certificate. For other certed-diamonds, it's best to ask for a Sarin report which will provide you with all types of measurements.

If you can't get the values for a particular diamond, then it's up to you if you want to take that risk. Personally, I think it's pretty important and worth it to take your time to make sure you are getting a well-proportioned stone. Read this, if you haven't already:

https://www.pricescope.com/tutor_60.asp

This is why you need the crown/pavilion data!