hmmm.. did I pay too much?

[mrquick]

Ok - I bought the diamond and setting, and proposed, and all is well. I did price shop around before I made the purchase (of course).

Something has been sitting weird with me, and I am probably one of many who feel like this. I am looking for honest opinions, nothing said will change what I do, but it will put my mind at ease. If I spent too much, well, I have spent money in worse ways in the past.

So without further adeau,

I purchases an AGS certified Ideal cut, .85 carat round cut H color, Si1 clarity. I bought it along with an 18k white gold setting with a total of 8 channel set side stones, VS2 clarity. Total weight of the sides stones was .39, total weight of everything was 1.24. The setting is beautiful!! The stone is amazing, 1 feather about the width of a prong near the girdle, it was hidden underneath it. I couldn''t see ANY other inclusions under the micoscope 10x and 30x, and I looked VERY carefully. It looked better than another VS2 I was also looking at.

I was told that if I bought the stone and the setting together I would save money. The setting alone was $1250. I am not sure the price on the stone because it was brand new from their vendor (I saw on the AGS cert copy, it WAS very new).

So - Before taxes I spent $5200 on the package. The sales rep said that was really as low as they could go, that they weren''t really making much money off the deal. they were a friendly place - a smaller, local store. Other places I looked at were more expensive, but were also in "richer" cities.. that part is hard to explain.

Any opinions on the deal I got? The prices I am seeing online are quite a bit less for a diamond of equal or better quality than what I bought. It varies so much. I am usually VERY good about getting deals on things, but the date that I wanted to propose was rapidly approaching, so I really couldn''t wait. also, I wasn''t finding another setting I liked any better at the other stores.

I am going to get it appraised ASAP, but it will be a week or so until then I am sure.

So am I happy? Well - SHE is extremely happy, so I am happy. but I still want opinions on the price paid, if for no other reason than to trust the store to go back to them in the future.

thanks in advance!!

 

[pb]

A quick search of loose diamonds meeting your exact specs gives a price of about $3750. I''d say you paid within a couple hundred dollars of what most folks would expect to pay. The price of the setting sounds pretty reasonable to me too. I''d say you got an honest price overall.

 

[icekid]

Date: 8/12/2007 3:32:34 PM
Author: pb
A quick search of loose diamonds meeting your exact specs gives a price of about $3750. I''d say you paid within a couple hundred dollars of what most folks would expect to pay. The price of the setting sounds pretty reasonable to me too. I''d say you got an honest price overall.

I did a quick search though PS too, and it looks like well-cut ideal stones in that range are running ~3200. So maybe then you paid around 800 over internet price, which sounds approx right to me for B&M pricing.

 

[lyra]

It sounds like you got a fair deal considering it was a B&M store. I agree that the setting price also seems reasonable too. Think of it this way: you and your FI love the stone and ring and you obviously stuck to a budget that was comfortable for you and now have a place near you for future repairs/maintenance or upgrades. The store has to make money, or they couldn''t stay in business, and a B&M store has high overhead. I think you did great. Prices at B&M stores in my city are absolutely outrageous compared with what I could get online. But I do have one store I trust and have done business with for years. They tend to give better discounts when they see you returning for more too. Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yeah, it's just a fact that you pay more at a regular jewelry store. At least you were able to access an AGS0 stone,though! It sounds very nice! This is the closest I could find:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-232033.htm

It is .83 but the price would be 5% less with the discount, so you could say that a .85 top quality hearts and arrows stone would be no more than this one without the discount. The price of the setting sounds about right. So I'd say you could have ordered it online for about $4500 with no tax. I think the price you paid was typical for a jewelry store. I would use them for things you can't do online, like cleaning and repairs or buying small items, but order future diamonds online to save money.

Oh, and congratulations on your engagement!

 

[pb]

This chart should ease your mind. It''s a screen shot from four AGSL stones that match everything, only varying in carat weight by a little. You can put in the parameters yourself at Blue Nile. Be sure to sort by report type so that AGSL is at the top.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Whew! I''ve always said that Blue Nile was higher than some of the other vendors, and this certainly affirms it! I''d much rather have the WF ACA at $3200 than these at $3700!

 

[mrquick]

wow - thanks everyone for the quick replies!!!

Sounds like I did ok as far as getting a fair/good deal. Good enough.

Like I said, she loves it, and that alone is priceless!!

thanks again

 

[wolftress]

I might be a bit late in chiming in, but I think you got a good deal for a B&M store. You could have saved a few hundred by buying online, but there would have been the risk of you not liking the diamond and having to return it. That would have been unwise considering your time constraints.

I''m glad your fiancee loves the ring. Please come back with handshots for us so we can admire it too

 

[Stone Hunter]

I understand the need to check out the deal you got. That done. Howabout some photos of the ring?