Help With X-mas Earings I Just Purchased

[jpete]

I need help and opinions with a set of earings I just purchased for my wife. I really want to make sure they are a nice set but I''m very intimidated by jewelry stores since I don''t have a real grasp on reasonable pricing.

The earings I purchased are IGI certified Princess cut stud earings in 14k yellow gold.
The actual description on the card is Square Mod Brilliant Cut.
The measurement section reads: AVG. 4.45 x 4.40 x 3.20 mm.
The weight section reads: EST. 0.57 CT EAch Total 1.14CT(S)
The Color Section Reads: Near Colorless (H-I)*
The Clarity Section Reads: I(1)/I(2)*
POL/SYM: Good/Good
The Star* says Gemstone Grade Expressed As A Minimum.

I paid a little over $1100 from a major department store but I would like advice on whether I overpaid by a lot or if these earings were priced reasonably. I know a ton of variables go into the value of these stones but if someone could offer some type of guidline I would greatly appreciate it. Would I be better off going to an SI 1 or 2 maybe at a smaller size? Should I stay away from I stones all together? Do the inclusions affect the way the diamonds sparkle? I don''t mind paying a little more for quality but without some type of guideline I feel like I''m going to get completely ripped off. The ones I purchased look nice but it seems like they should sparkle more for their size and color. I''m assuming the larger department stores get lesser quality stones and that the grading is a bit liberal. I went to two major jewelry chains today before I purchased these and the salesperson behind the counter didn''t even have a grading for any of the earings she was showing me which is how I ended up with these since at least they were graded.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bh9]

Does not sound that bad, but:
1. IGI is not reputable, so these stones would likely be given much lower grades by GIA or AGS.
2. I clarity means easily visible inclusions.
3. I would not settle for less than VG polish/symmetry.

That being said, I went for the same gift for my wife (1.08 tcw in platinum) and spent about twice as much. (See https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/advice-on-diamond-stud-earrings.131394/)

Should I stay away from I stones all together?
If you mean clarity, yes. If you mean color, it is a matter of taste.

Do the inclusions affect the way the diamonds sparkle?
It depends on the inclusions, but an I1/I2 from IGI would signal a decent likelihood of yes.

 

[neatfreak]

Unfortunately those stones are likely to be fairly unattractive and will likely have a very cloudy appearance, as you have noticed.

Personally, if it were me, I would prefer a smaller but MUCH nicer set from somewhere like Whiteflash, Brian Gavin Diamonds, Good Old Gold, etc.

Basically those won't sparkle much. So although they are bigger than what you could afford if you get something much higher quality they will look like frozen spit.

You want GIA or AGS certifications only, with excellent cut quality. You can go down as low as J/K SI2 with the vendors I mentioned above and still have a beautiful set of earrings that will FAR outshine anything you can get at a department store.

There's still time if you call one of the vendors I mentioned above tonight or tomorrow!


ETA: If you want something quality without the need to learn about diamonds and choosing the right ones, these will fit the bill. The stones are not upgradable but they will be EXTREMELY high quality and really stunning. Far nicer than what you have already. If you can afford to keep the ones you have already kicking around until these arrive I assure you you will be STUNNED by the difference in sparkle. Call WF and I bet they can have them to you overnight no problem.

http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=678&CategID=54

 

[JulieN]

small princesses at I1/I2 with no concern for cut just have no chance of sparkling. this is one time when I think "commercial quality" is appropriate.

If you are intimidated by jewelry stores, online stores are a great option.

your best bet for sparklers are small rounds, probably about .3 cts each, I/J color, SI clarity is fine.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/20/2009 11:57:14 PM
Author: neatfreak
Unfortunately those stones are likely to be fairly unattractive and will likely have a very cloudy appearance, as you have noticed.

Personally, if it were me, I would prefer a smaller but MUCH nicer set from somewhere like Whiteflash, Brian Gavin Diamonds, Good Old Gold, etc.

Basically those won''t sparkle much. So although they are bigger than what you could afford if you get something much higher quality they will look like frozen spit.

You want GIA or AGS certifications only, with excellent cut quality. You can go down as low as J/K SI2 with the vendors I mentioned above and still have a beautiful set of earrings that will FAR outshine anything you can get at a department store.

There''s still time if you call one of the vendors I mentioned above tonight or tomorrow!


ETA: If you want something quality without the need to learn about diamonds and choosing the right ones, these will fit the bill. The stones are not upgradable but they will be EXTREMELY high quality and really stunning. Far nicer than what you have already. If you can afford to keep the ones you have already kicking around until these arrive I assure you you will be STUNNED by the difference in sparkle. Call WF and I bet they can have them to you overnight no problem.

http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=678&CategID=54

I would much rather have these.

 

[jpete]

Thanks for all the great advice. One user commented that they would look like frozen spit and I had to laugh because it was a perfect analogy.

Whiteflash has these two princess cut diamonds left:

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-114416.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-114416.htm

Otherwise it would have to be their ready, set go option. It seems to me like these loose diamonds would be much better quality. Can anyone verify these would be a good match? Do I have to worry about the extremely thin girdle on these? For a little more $$ these would be a much better option than the SI 1 SI 2 non-verified diamonds in the ready set go category, right?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/21/2009 10:26:08 AM
Author: jpete
Thanks for all the great advice. One user commented that they would look like frozen spit and I had to laugh because it was a perfect analogy.

Whiteflash has these two princess cut diamonds left:

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-114416.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-114416.htm

Otherwise it would have to be their ready, set go option. It seems to me like these loose diamonds would be much better quality. Can anyone verify these would be a good match? Do I have to worry about the extremely thin girdle on these? For a little more $$ these would be a much better option than the SI 1 SI 2 non-verified diamonds in the ready set go category, right?

The ready set to go diamonds are excellent quality, you really have no worried there. The only difference is that you cannot take advantage of the upgrade policy with RSTG earings. If that doesn''t matter to you, then I would go for the Ready Set option because it is more ecnomical. But those diamonds you posted are also lovely!

 

[neatfreak]

JPete Those would also be beautiful choices. Just verify with WF that they could make them in time for x-mas.

But I promise you that the RSG options at WF are excellent as well if you want to go that route. They have very high standards for all their diamonds.