How is this 1.14ct?

[Mara]

No worries, the sim / man made market is far away from colorless stones...so unless you are buying a fancy yellow, the market saturation problem will not happen for at least a few more years if not many more.

 

[Rhino]

Not for nuttin but Al's advice is right on and I'm not just saying this because I'm a PS vendor. I've been buying diamonds for over 2 decades and know every trick in the book. Why? Becuase I've seen consumers get eaten FOR LUNCH time and time again and some of the biggest feasts are generally happening right on ebay. In the end you can end up spending more money on shipping, appraising, etc. ad nauseum and while you think you're being penny wise end up being pound foolish. We perform a very exhaustive analysis before we lay out our money for a diamond and 99.9% of the time when a deal sounds to be too good to be true there is always a reason! While consumers experience this on the retail end I experience this on the wholesale end except I make it impossible for me to get taken.

This is not to say there aren't good deals out there but if the product is not what you ultimately want, the deal you think you got now can turn out to be a sour lemon once you are made aware of the facts. Do you realize that a super ideal cut stone that is a 1ct can totally outshine a 1.13ct that is cut like poop and even look just as large?




If you are basing your definition of "ideal" according to table and total depth alone this is akin to playing russian roulette with your money. I enjoy the hunt just as much as the next guy does but what tools are you using to determine your choice? If it is table and total depth alone or just a GIA report then that tells me you are also a gambling man. Last year at Vegas I brought one of my tools with me and had a heluva lot of fun hunting but in the end did not find one new H&A distributor who could cut their stones to optimize light return... ie... bang for the buck.




I'm not saying you shouldn't pursue this stone, at the price it is for sure very tempting but I am willing to bet a NY dime that there is a very good reason it is priced the way it is.




My .02c


Rhino

 

[Mara]

----------------
On 12/19/2003 7:58:08 PM Rhino wrote:







I am willing to bet a NY dime that there is a very good reason it is priced the way it is.

----------------

Is a NY dime worth more than a CA dime?

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 12/19/2003 6:10:47 PM finchuck wrote:





Also, my budget isn't entirely because of finances, I have more than enough money to buy something three times as much as this while maintaining a decent sum in my proverbial nest-egg. I also have a pretty good job secured. For my age, I'm far ahead of the game. For some reason I can't personally justify spending more than $3,000 on this though. I'd rather put that money to more useful things such as a place for us when we gradute. I have my 'plan' as I call it. ----------------

Fin, all of that is AWESOME......sounds like you really have your head into the game.

I'm not suggesting that you blow out of the $3k budget.....to be honest, my fiance and I felt that $3k was a lot of money for a ring, too! I guess what I've been trying to say is this: If you want to keep that budget, great.....but know that the budget means you won't get a decent HONKING rock for that money, and look for something with DECENT quality in your budget range.

I personally would rather get a nice .75-.80 H/I, SI stone from a reputable vendor with a decent make (not superideal) than get a 1.3 stone with a horrible make and yellow stones. Size matters to a point, I suppose, but there becomes a point at which size isn't worth the quality sacrifice. The ring you want to choose should be the best blend of all the elements. If you want to stay in the $3k range, I'd really suggest you come to terms with finding a smaller but *decent* make stone.

 

[finchuck]

Yeah, I hear all of ya. But does this ring really sound like THAT much of a risk to you guys? It has an I/SI1 1.14ct center round, two .16 I/SI1 round side stones, all mounted in an 18k white gold setting. It has a GIA cert, decent dimensions as far as size goes, good table/depth figures, and the seller is willing to use escrow.

What are the chances that it has a poor cut?

He's also willing to meet in person to make the transaction, even at a jeweler if I should want to. I think I prefer escrow though, that lets me inspect it at my leisure without HAVING to purchase it right then and there should I want to do it.

 

[strmrdr]

----------------
On 12/19/2003 11:42:49 PM finchuck wrote:




What are the chances that it has a poor cut?
.----------------

considering that almost all diamonds are poorly cut the odds are very good its a crappy cut.

 

[finchuck]

I emailed Gem Appraisers to see if they could have it sent to them for evaluation and then them send it to me.

 

[finchuck]

Haha, funny thing, I asked this guy where he bought it a year ago, he tells me off Jim at DCD. Small world eh.

Anyway, I shot an email off to DCD to see if they can help me out in any way by verifying what this guy is telling me. This guy says that DCD sold it as an ideal stone. Hopefully DCD can confirm this for me and if so, I'm going ahead with it.

**Waits patiently to hear from DCD**

 

[Mara]

Good sleuthing....would be interested to hear if you have more info from DCD. If he bought it from DCD as an ideal, chances are better than the average random stone that it would be pretty well-cut. I'd pursue it if you feel confident, having Gem Appraisers look at it for you. You never know.

 

[Chrisk327]

I have only browsed the ebay thing and wasn't impressed. Most of the sellers are venders and i don't trust that. If a vender is selling on ebay he can't be ALL that much cheaper. Priviate sellers are where the bargins are... but there are a lot of bad stones, overpriced stones, shady stones. I didn't want the headache for the cost.

Having said that.... its your money and if you're want to take the ebay risk that is your decision. If you're interested in the stone, and you think its all legit... take it to an appraiser.

Your mistake is to care about your $100. You have two choices either deal with a reputable vender with a proven history(and still probably get it appraised), or be prepared to pony up the appraisal and shipping fees to have your stone checked out and not feel bad(about spending the money) if it doesn't work out.

Playing on ebay, you're gambling $100 for the option to save a few thousand, if its nice. If you don't accept the risk of loss you're playing the wrong game.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 12/19/2003 11:49:13 PM strmrdr wrote:

considering that almost all diamonds are poorly cut the odds are very good its a crappy cut.
----------------

Where is the world did you get *this* idea? It is simply not true.

Regarding ebay - again - someone has taken the advice & is selling at a loss on ebay when the engagement goes south. So in that respect, Rhino, I don't agree with your blanket statement about ebay not having any bargins for the consumer. I will agree, however, that the majority of the "regular" ebay diamond sellers sell poop. But, that is in the eye of the beholder. A few months back, a gentlemen (against all of our advice) bought an I1 that looked like poop. It was big & CHEAP. Both he & the girl he proposed to were in seventh heaven. To each his own.

Fin, good luck. Let us know how it plays out. Here's what I would do if I were you. Seller in PA - your in NJ - Dave Atlas in Phily. After setting up an appointment, meet the seller at Dave's office. Have him look at the stone. From his information, either buy it or not.

 

[finchuck]

Well the money is off to escrow and we'll see what happens. This guy has been great with my email correspondence so I decided to go for it.

When it comes in I'll let you all know what my jeweler says, I'll also have to get some pics. I have a 30 day inspection period, although I'll have it inspected immediatley anyway.

I also have to comment on how great the customer service is at Dirt Cheap Diamonds. I'm not even a customer but Josh spent almost 10 minutes on the phone with me trying to find this guy's records. Unfortunately, nothing came up, but Josh said back in 2002 all of the records were paper, so it's not uncommon that he really did purchase it from them and the record just got lost in the shuffle.

They do everything on computer now.

 

[finchuck]

GOOD NEWS!

We were looking at the wrong year, so I called Josh back and he found the records of the purchase and confirmed EVERYTHING that this guy told me. He said it looks like I'm getting a winner and it should be a great performing stone. He said it would probably be sold under "Very Best Cuts" on their website and most likely is a very very well cut stone.

I can't wait to get it now!

 

[Mara]

Great finchuckula!!!! (don't ask me where I got that, I just like it).




I am intrigued now.

You may prove us all wrong.

 

[finchuck]

I might be just one of the lucky ones. Shopping for an engagement ring on ebay takes a lot of time, patience, investigating, and a certain risk factor. I spent 4 months searching until finding this one, and while I am spending more than what a typical ring goes for on ebay, I feel its worth it. The combination of escrow, the fact that he was a customer of DCD and just how nice he sounded over the phone all made me feel comfortable.

Not to mention, I went to my bank to wire the money over to escrow which usually carries a $17 surcharge, but the lady at my bank waived the charge when she saw that it was for an engagement ring! She said good luck and congratulations, it was quite nice of her.

The ring is coming with the GIA cert and an appraisal. I sent $2,450 for the stone, I then have the choice to buy the ring from him or have it reset in a new one and send the ring back to him. I'll have to see how it looks when I get it. I'm very excited and I can't wait to see this baby.

Then I'll just have to wait about a year and a half before I pop the question. I'm thinking around next summer, I'll be graduated and she'll be starting her senior year of college. I am going to get everybody's approval and surprise her. For now though, I am just going to have my jeweler look at it and then throw it into my safe until the time is right.

 

[Giangi]

If everything works out as it should (and I am sure it will

), you've got the deal of the CENTURY!

Congrats! I can hardly wait to hear from you!

 

[finchuck]

Thanks guys

I'll definitely tell you how it all goes, I should be receiving the ring on Friday. My wire transfer to escrow was just approved and he's shipping it tomorrow. It's going from PA to NJ, so that should be quick.

I'll get some pictures too. Everytime my girlfriend and I go into stores like BJ's Wholesale, Costco, or Kohls, she looks at diamond rings, and while they're all nice looking, I don't think any of them will hold a candle to this. I just can't believe that my search may finally be over. When I eventually do ask her to marry me, she'll be floored.

As a side note, I never mentioned this, but I actually did propose to her when we were quite young, about 3 years ago. I had a J/SI2 0.50ct round solitaire, but both our parents disagreed. I offered to keep the ring for her or buy her a better one when the time was right, so she chose the latter.

I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I am going to wait until the time is appropriate and make sure that both her parents and mine approve the gesture. Her Mom is already talking about it though, making little hints and such. I think I should be out of college first though. I'll wait it out.