Another thing re upgrades, which is not relevant to Jonathan or GOG but to all upgrades from all vendors or stores. As Bryan from Whiteflash said one time on here that a given diamond of the same cut, color, clarity and carat weight can be different prices due to how the company bought the diamond, eg. rough newly cut, chipped diamond newly cut, time of buying and prices, wholesale prices, rough prices etc. etc. and all things I don't know about.
I have always being dubious about upgrade, maybe it is different in USA where bigger is better. However, if I buy a diamond and in two years want to upgrade, not just due to exchange rate and inflation, but there are other facts that are included. How would I feel or you feel if I bought a 2 carat diamond for say $25,000 and then in two years I see a 2.40 so want to upgrade and I pay another $7000 so I think I have a larger diamond for my upgrade, so it is good for me. However, what I don't know is that I have now paid $32,000 for a diamond which the dealer bought in for $14000 as salvage. Yes my first one was possibly $25,000 but that one cost the dealer $23,000. Now on the first diamond he (the dealer) made $2,000 but since I upgraded he has made on the second diamond $18000. So my coming back to him was a good deal for him. This puts me off upgrades, as I don't know enough about rap (as only wholesalers do), reselling, marketing, really being able to trust what they say, recut costs and secondhand prices they are paying. Not to mention how much does color prices increase over the years alongside, clarity and carat weight and even the highly promoted on this site cut.
I tend to want to buy a diamond once, at the given rate and that is it. I know this is business and all business has to be understood from the inside or else watch that what you pay is worth it to you. Size obviously is on this board worth it, if someone is willing to let a dealer make an $18000 profit on their diamond yet they only paid him $7000 and got 40 points more. Who knows what he will sell that first $25000 diamond for now, so more profit unless prices have gone down which they do. We don't as customers know enough about how prices go up and down. There is a table on this board, which is not kept up to date each month now, but it only tells us about diamonds from certain vendors and nothing about prices of diamonds and colors not in stock or about where the diamonds came from and what they cost originally. Profit margins etc, which I realise is business secrets and so they should be. These diamond prices I made up are hypothetical but as Brian at WF put it, a stone is not always the same price, I think people think they are when they upgrade and think they are getting a larger stone.
Unlike the little diamond rings found in the UK, where a second hand one in a shop is sold to the customer at maybe a third of the price - vendors on the internet where there are larger stones see a second hand stone as a new one to sell at a new price to customers. I have seen large second hand diamonds sold in small jewellers for less with a ticket in front of the box stating 'second hand' but on the internet this does not seem to exist second hand is repolished and is then treated as New. This is mostly seen in USA, I don't know what UK internet sites do, but I feel this is a big difference from bricks & mortar stores and is it really right, as in right by conscience or just business and taking a loan of customers. I don't know I can see it from both sides, but this world is about money and greed so I am not sure what I think really. It is not just the vendor, the public are greedy too, greedy for size and for a little cost as possible. Doesn't matter as long as they get the size they want they don't care how it came about.
I have always being dubious about upgrade, maybe it is different in USA where bigger is better. However, if I buy a diamond and in two years want to upgrade, not just due to exchange rate and inflation, but there are other facts that are included. How would I feel or you feel if I bought a 2 carat diamond for say $25,000 and then in two years I see a 2.40 so want to upgrade and I pay another $7000 so I think I have a larger diamond for my upgrade, so it is good for me. However, what I don't know is that I have now paid $32,000 for a diamond which the dealer bought in for $14000 as salvage. Yes my first one was possibly $25,000 but that one cost the dealer $23,000. Now on the first diamond he (the dealer) made $2,000 but since I upgraded he has made on the second diamond $18000. So my coming back to him was a good deal for him. This puts me off upgrades, as I don't know enough about rap (as only wholesalers do), reselling, marketing, really being able to trust what they say, recut costs and secondhand prices they are paying. Not to mention how much does color prices increase over the years alongside, clarity and carat weight and even the highly promoted on this site cut.
I tend to want to buy a diamond once, at the given rate and that is it. I know this is business and all business has to be understood from the inside or else watch that what you pay is worth it to you. Size obviously is on this board worth it, if someone is willing to let a dealer make an $18000 profit on their diamond yet they only paid him $7000 and got 40 points more. Who knows what he will sell that first $25000 diamond for now, so more profit unless prices have gone down which they do. We don't as customers know enough about how prices go up and down. There is a table on this board, which is not kept up to date each month now, but it only tells us about diamonds from certain vendors and nothing about prices of diamonds and colors not in stock or about where the diamonds came from and what they cost originally. Profit margins etc, which I realise is business secrets and so they should be. These diamond prices I made up are hypothetical but as Brian at WF put it, a stone is not always the same price, I think people think they are when they upgrade and think they are getting a larger stone.
Unlike the little diamond rings found in the UK, where a second hand one in a shop is sold to the customer at maybe a third of the price - vendors on the internet where there are larger stones see a second hand stone as a new one to sell at a new price to customers. I have seen large second hand diamonds sold in small jewellers for less with a ticket in front of the box stating 'second hand' but on the internet this does not seem to exist second hand is repolished and is then treated as New. This is mostly seen in USA, I don't know what UK internet sites do, but I feel this is a big difference from bricks & mortar stores and is it really right, as in right by conscience or just business and taking a loan of customers. I don't know I can see it from both sides, but this world is about money and greed so I am not sure what I think really. It is not just the vendor, the public are greedy too, greedy for size and for a little cost as possible. Doesn't matter as long as they get the size they want they don't care how it came about.
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