Helzberg Masterpiece H&A...how good are they?

[Joe836]

I recently visited a Helzberg Diamonds store and viewed some of their masterpiece diamonds. I am curious about a few things. The masterpiece diamonds are H&A diamonds and they told me they are GIA certified Excellent Execellent. They also told me that the diamonds were better quality than the Hearts on Fire diamonds since the HOF diamonds are not certified through the GIA, they are certified through the IGI or something like that. When I was taken back to the little room where we looked at the diamonds under the microscope the diamonds seemed to look very nice. They had a 1.03 H SI1 for 7999 which included a complimentary setting (white gold x prong imitation it looked like). I know the price is a bit high, but lets just talk about the quality of the stone. Does Helzberg have something so much better than what you see on GOG website H&A and Whiteflash ACA stones?

Any thoughts on these stones? Has anyone seen them?

Thanks,


heres the link to helzberg:

http://www.helzberg.com

 

[DiamondLover23]

Though I have not seen them myself, I bet they are just overpriced.

I would NEVER pay that much for a 1.03 H Si1.

 

[denverappraiser]

Yes, I''ve seen them. They''re lovely.

Mostly you''re answering your own questions.

GIA and IGI are both independent labs. They will be happy to grade stones for whoever sends them in, including Helzberg, HoF, GOG, Whiteflash or anyone else who will pay their fees. HoF can, and does get GIA paper. So do all of these other people. For that matter, so can you.

Remember that you are buying the stone, not the paper. A GIA report is a good indication of a properly graded stone, and I certainly recommend them but it does not mean that the stone is any better or worse than one that has been examined by any other lab. The stone is what it is and the report simply a report. These reports are a useful aid in buying a stone but a report from a different lab does not change the properties stone at all. Most HoF stones seem to be properly graded and every one I''ve seen has been accompanied by either GIA or AGS paper but it''s certainly possible that they use IGI as well.

GOG and Whiteflash are masters at defending the quality of their branded stones and they both sell excellent products. I would be surprised if Helzberg could demonstrate that they have something better, but they are welcome to try.

By the way, a ''free'' 14k x-prong knockoff is saving you about $200. This is not the most important issue. Pay attention to the diamond.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Deputy74]

Compare "1.03 H SI1 for 7999 " to a 1.16 D VS2 for $500 more and that''s what I payed.

I was originally going to go with Kay''s Leo diamond till I started asking questions. The absolute BEST they could give me was an I with an SI1 for about $8000 for 1.0. I started educating myself on GOG''s website and I realized I could pay that same amount for a much better quality diamond.

The diamond itself is not bad, but the price is horrible.

Compare Heltzberg to these:

1.03 H&A H VS2 (same as yours except the clarity is BETTER) $6342
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_03_h_vs2_H%26A76.htm

1.03 H&A H VS1 (Even better clarity) $6610
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_03_h_vs1_H%26A76.htm

If you prefer color to clarity
1.01 H&A D SI1 $7817
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_01ct_d_si1_h%26a.htm

But you can make your own decisions.

 

[Joe836]

I agree with you about the prices. GOG does have much better prices.

I looked at the stones you suggested and they look great. However, what about the MB Flourescence on them. I had the district salesmanager from Helzberg helping me, and she was very nice and seemed very knowledgable as well. I asked her about flourescence and she was not a fan of it, said that it makes the stones look chalky and causes them to lose the brilliance. Is this true? Does it affet the brilliance?

Thanks for your help.

 

[KittenKat]

I happen to LOVE fluorescence. It is something I look for when diamond shopping! There are MANY people who prefer it.

My engagement ring is an F - and it has blue fluorescence. My stone glows a cornflower blue in some lights. It''s NOT cloudy or milky at all.

You''re looking at a medium blue, which should have no chalkiness at all. I wouldn''t worry about it. And don''t forget, she''s a sales person. Don''t believe everything you hear.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I''ve seen the Masterpiece collection and went back to the same little room as you and looked under the viewer and microscope and oooohed and aaaahed. These diamonds ARE amazing. There''s no doubt about this. What turned me off is the price. They''re simply FAR too expensive IMO! The stones from GOG are just as gorgeous when viewed under the ideal scope, as the online pictures prove, and it makes more sense to me to either save money or purchase a larger stone.

Regarding flourescence, many LOVE this trait, like KittenKat.

If you find an I stone with flourescence, it can actually look whiter than an I. Before taking what a sales person says as fact, do a comprehensive search here and learn about the details of this diamond characteristic as seen from the propective of many people, not just ONE person''s opinion. Calling any prospective company and asking if the stone is chalky is an easy way to solve the mystery of the stone and how it will perform.

FWIW, I''ve talked to numerous mall diamond sales people and have found less than half truely know what they''re talking about. One woman didn''t even know that a 70 pointer meant a .70!

Michelle

 

[luvmysparklies]

Date: 11/22/2004 1:25:24 AM
Author: Joe836
I agree with you about the prices. GOG does have much better prices.

I looked at the stones you suggested and they look great. However, what about the MB Flourescence on them. I had the district salesmanager from Helzberg helping me, and she was very nice and seemed very knowledgable as well. I asked her about flourescence and she was not a fan of it, said that it makes the stones look chalky and causes them to lose the brilliance. Is this true? Does it affet the brilliance?

Thanks for your help.

I wouldn''t worry about MB or even Strong fluorescence if the stones came from GOG. Jonathan cherry picks the stones listed in his inventory and he is such a madman for high quality. If, when he''s run his test(s) and the poor diamond passes the GOG "hazing" process

you can best believe that the stone will be awesome.

Matter of fact GOG, Whiteflash and Wink Jones all have great stones that go through a lot of tests for optimum beauty, durability, maximum light return and just overall quality. I would much rather buy from them (heh which I have) than pay more for a stone from a mall chain who purchases stones based on just the H&A pattern. There''s other factors (angles, etc.) that contribute to a beautiful stone. Good luck!
Luv

 

[Emu_67]

I just recently purchased a diamond masterpiece VS1 (H) at Helzberg for around 8,299.00 and must say that even though that was way out of my price range by around 3K, I still think that it was worth it. I looked at this stone under a microscope and saw no inclusions or blemishes..As compared to the radiant star or the hearts on fire diamonds, I saw a vast difference due to the fact that a masterpiece has been cut or faceted (right spelling?) many times over those rocks, thus the reflectivablity in the light was more brilliant and more breathtaking (I thought..) Anyway, I might''ve overpaid by about 2k but then again, she''ll love it so I guess that''s all that matters..

 

[irishtangerine]

We got a Helzburg diamond 1/2 carat... the stone is absolutely stunning. we researched thoroughly throughout several malls/jewelry stores and no one could offer a stone NEAR the quality of this one. I agree the price was hefty, but the stone was worth it (and the setting is gorgeous).

I cannot tell you how many ccompliments I have received from independent dealers, appraisers, auctioneers, coworkers, general public since I have had this ring!

 

[pricescope]

Irishtangerine and Emu_67, welcome to the forum

Can you post pictures please

 

[MissAva]

There are a few things I noticed when I went to the Helzberg web page that I did not like, your stone can be anywhere from .95-1.1 for that price and there is no mention of color or clarity. I also noticed that the exact same description is used for four different priced one carat diamonds, from $7799 to 9299 which is a huge difference in price. This would make me very uneasy. Also GIA grading reports due not measure for cut and they do not provide information about how they decide what makes their stones worthy of the title masterpeice. I think you also need to know the center stones mesurements becuase 1ct stone can be a wide vareity of sizes, and you want to see what you are paying for.

What is their trade up policy? Whiteflash and GoodOldGold (and I think James Allen/DCD) offer 100% of the price you paid if you ever decide you would like a larger stone.

The setting is easy to find else where:
X-Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring in 18k White Gold From WhiteFlash $605
Platinum Knife Edge X-Prong Engagement Ring From WhiteFlash $1100
Platinum Comfort fit X-Prong Engagement Ring $1100

Round Brilliant Stones:
1.25 I SI1 $5801 From WhiteFlash
1.21 H SI1 $6396 From WhiteFlash
1.202 H SI1 $7116 From Good Old Gold
1.31 G SI1 $7693 From WhiteFlash

THere are many more options depending on what size you want and your budget, this is just a small taster. If you would like to search for stones I would highly recommend the Search By Cut feature. You can organize them from lowest to highest price, it is dead helpful. I hope this helps.

 

[kevinyonker]

Regarding Flourescence, I purchased a diamond from GOG last week. It is a .85 F VVS2 with very strong blue flourescence. I was assured by Jonathan that he knew this diamond intimately. Without question, I would NEVER trade this particular diamond for an exact replica with no flourescence. There is no milky, oily, chalky appearance to it in in the least.... The diamond is so brilliant and firey it will hypnotize you. This stone is an immediate attraction/distraction to anyone you meet.

 

[schowtyme]

I recently purchased this stone at whiteflash:
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-2173443.htm

Hearts and arrows and one color grade down from the one you are looking but better clarity and probably better symmetry and polish, and I got it for about $2k less. They also provide all the angles which you can plug in to this tool to get an idea of the cut:

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

They have many selections and I really enjoyed buying the diamond from them. They also give pricescope people a discount of about 3% of list... not too shabby. I also looked at the Helzberg Diamonds you mentioned but for the same quality diamond I could afford, I would have had to go about a quarter carat smaller. I was scared about purchasing on the net but after a little research I feel very comfortable with my diamond and I would advise others to do the same. Obviously these guys have less overhead so they can charge a little less.

 

[seeker78]

I think that if you are going to consider paying that much for a Helzberg stone of that color and clarity you would be absolutely insane not to consider an eightstar! you could probably get one for about the same price.

 

[CareBear]

I''ve looked a a 1 carat G-VS2 for $8999 at Helzberg. I was able to see perfect arrows under their microscope thingy. So yes, I''m pretty sure it''s an H&A. The setting is quite nice, but it''s 18k white gold, not platinum. If you don''t want it in that setting, you have to pay extra for a new setting is what they told me. Is the diamond better than the online vendors that are popular on pricescope? I doubt it''ll be better. At most the same quality. The certificate they showed me was from GIA, so no detailed information on all the angles. It comes down to, why pay more?