How much are these diamonds worth?

[melbournelove]

There is an auction this weekend and we have our eyes on one loose stone and one ring. There is an 18% buyers premium, please let us know what these pieces are worth and we will see if it's within our budget! E.g if you think it's worth $5000, our final bid would need to be less than $4230 because we need to add on the premium.

1. Loose diamond 1.00ct round brilliant GIA EX F SI1
GIA report # 2175870915

H&A image


2. 18k white gold halo ring 1.00ct GIA E SI1 modified cushion brilliant (brand new)
Centre stone: 1.00ct
Remaining stones: 0.45cts
GIA report # 2196069546
They were unable to provide an idealscope or ASET image. From this article http://www.pricescope.com/journal/cushion-cut-diamond-guide-engagement-rings-direct-0, it is an "X" factor cushion diamond.

This ring will need to be resized 5 sizes smaller.

Please give us some insight to the value of these pieces.
Thanks in advance.

 

[tyty333]

The first stone is well cut but does have strong fluorescence which sometimes(its rare but does happen) affects the way a stone looks.
If it is not affected by the Strong Blue and it is eye-clean then it is worth close to $5k. That being said, I would not pay close to $5k
(or $4230) because it's a second hand stone and you arent getting any services with it...no return, no aset images, no upgrade...

Example: Could not find an exact match.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2059752
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-d-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2270384

The ring...a shank with pave on it can not be resized 5 sizes. There is a possibility that the shank could be replaced (maybe)
but I couldnt tell you. Is that a Branded "X-Factor" from that the link you posted or just a stone with an X in the faceting pattern?
Reason being is that the branded X-Factor is pretty much guaranteed to be a nice stone (with nice light return). If it is not a
branded stone than there is no guarentee at all. The pictures are not close enough to make much out as far as the stone goes.
However, the stone does not look good from what I can see. I would not spend $5k (or anything) on this ring from these images.
If it is a branded X-Factor (the pictures dont look like it but like I said, they're bad pics) then you can get an approximate value
from here...
https://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/x-factor-diamonds/

If you have a $5k budget we can help you find something...also Yuketiel at ID Jewelry usually offers a lot for the dollar.
http://idjewelry.com/

 

[melbournelove]

Thanks for your response. We are located in Australia and our budget is AUD$7000 including an 18k white gold knife edge setting. If we were to purchase from the U.S, we can only spend a bit over $6000 including the setting as we will need to pay 10% tax when it comes into Australia.

We were originally thinking of bidding up to AU$5000 ($5900 incl 18%) which is approximately US$4350. Is that too much even including the 18%?

We have our eyes on https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2200941, however JA are unable to provide ideal scope or ASET images. After taxes, this will end up costing AU$5900 (US$4350), for the same price, would you choose this diamond from JA (smaller ct size and lower color grade) or the one from the auction?

Unfortunately it is not an X factor branded diamond, it just has an X in the pattern. I did initially think the resizing with of the pave may be a problem. The ring is a N and we need an I! We haven't done much research about cushion cuts because we always wanted a simple round brilliant solitaire, we may just stick to a round brilliant.

We have seen Yuketiel's name a lot in the forums, will have to reach out if the JA and auction diamond are no good.

If anyone has other suggestions within our budget for a GIA round brilliant, please advise. Any help is much appreciated.
Carat size: 0.85-1ct
Cut: EX
Color: J or higher (no visible yellow preferred)
Clarity: SI2 eye clean

 

[Bron357]

Hi, I'm in Australia too. You will find that you can get a better diamond and much more choice buying from the US. A bit scary but I've been buying for years no trouble. The only issue is returns, not really possible as you can't get your GST and import tax back without huge effort and drama (if you return the diamond). Also, you'll do much better $$$ wise choosing a diamond and having it set in the US. Jewellers here charge a premium to set "someone else's" diamond and more again if the setting is also "someone else's". Labour is cheaper in the US and more competitive.
The ring up for auction could not be resized 5 sizes down. The shank (side bits) are set with diamonds so they would "pop out" as you tighten the curve to make the ring smaller. Mostly it's not recommended to resize any ring more than 2 or 3 sizes without affecting its integrity.
I've been buying jewellery from auctions and eBay for decades. It's difficult these days to get a "bargain" unless you stumble across something misdescribed or lacking broad appeal. So for a person new to buying diamonds, stick with what the experienced PS ers suggest. If you ask them to look for a diamond for say a $4,000 US budget and let them know your preferences on colour, clarity etc, they will gladly help out. Some vendors do settings as well and a simple 4 or 6 prong knife edge setting shouldn't set you back more than $600 US. You will be able to get a very nice quality diamond in a good, solid setting for probably $2,000 cheaper in the US than here.

 

[Crystal_Dreams]

I replied to this earlier but my internet died, taking what I had typed with it!

My brother recruited me to help one of his friends look for a diamond and a ring recently. We are also located in Australia (Sydney).

I put them in touch with IDJ to help with the search given the budget and specs they were after (quite similar to yours actually). We were looking for I colour and up, SI1 clarity and up and anywhere from 0.7-1ct excellent cut stones. I think his total budget was in the 7-8k aud range and he wanted a simple setting so the majority of the budget went towards the stone. We allocated roughly 4k-5k USD to the stone given the exchange rate and likely import taxes.

While I'm not sure what he chose for the setting in the end, we worked with Denise from IDJ and she was lovely. We basically told her the budget, that we wanted excellent cut stones within certain parameters and certain colour and clarity grades. They were great about calling in stones that looked like they would fit those criteria and were very honest about what they thought of each stone in person (whether they were eye clean or not, how fluoro affected them if present). I can tell you that among the stones we considered, there were certainly some that fit your criteria and budget... (For example, I think there was an I VS2 0.9ct which was about the same price as that JA stone you listed).

There are certainly merits to buying locally (supporting the local jewellers etc) as well as being able to physically inspect what you buy, get it resized easily and so on. These are all important things to consider when thinking about where to purchase from.

 

[melbournelove]

Just an update on how the auction went.

The loose stone sold for $8260 ($7500 + 18%) which was a lot more than we were willing to pay. The cushion cut halo did not sell as there were no bidders, they started the auction at $6800 and that was out of the budget since we need to add in the premium. Lesson learnt, we won't be going to one of these again, well at least not for an engagement ring.

Will get in touch with IDJ, any other diamond suggestions on BN or JA? Our budget is approx US$3750 for the loose diamond

 

[tyty333]

Just an update on how the auction went.

The loose stone sold for $8260 ($7500 + 18%) which was a lot more than we were willing to pay. The cushion cut halo did not sell as there were no bidders, they started the auction at $6800 and that was out of the budget since we need to add in the premium. Lesson learnt, we won't be going to one of these again, well at least not for an engagement ring.

Will get in touch with IDJ, any other diamond suggestions on BN or JA? Our budget is approx US$3750 for the loose diamond

Wow...is that what stones go for down there? It was a well cut stone as long as the blue fluo was not affecting it.

You'll probably get the most for your money by talking to Yuketiel at ID Jewelry.

James Allen is an excellent place because you can see their stones on video. This stone that you were looking at is nice.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2200941

I would talk to Yuketiel and see if he can beat it...you need to make sure whatever stone you get is absolutely eye-clean since
you dont want to have to send it back. Yuketiel will take care of you.

 

[melbournelove]

Hi tyty333, Crystal_Dreams & Bron357 .

Thank you for your responses. We have had trouble replying to posts and creating new topics lately and just read the PS forum about them switching servers!

We have reached out to Yekutiel from IDJ, he sent us an image of a diamond that matched exactly what Crystal_Dreams mentioned (I VS2 0.9ct), I asked for idealscope or ASET images but he hasn't responded. This was two weeks ago, he may still be on holidays, I will contact him again if I don't hear from him by next week or I'll contact Denise.

We have found these diamonds below and asked for idealscope from JA.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.92-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2308049
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.84-carat-i-color-vvs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-2351313
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.84-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1881928 (worried about the cloud affecting light performance though)

The original diamond we were looking at from JA (0.90ct I Si1), we have found it cheaper on numerous other sites which are official sponsors of PS so if we go with that diamond, we may purchase from another website. None of the websites have been able to provide an idealscope or ASET for this particular diamond which is a worry.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

melbournelove.

 

[bmfang]

That sounds very much like jewellery auctions up here in Brisbane. One wonders whether those bidders have really done their homework or otherwise. Incredibly overpriced for what they are.

I just recently purchased a loose stone and solitaire setting for my wife from Brian Gavin Diamonds (which after paying GST upon it arriving, will be under my AUD$8k budget). Am currently waiting for the finished ring to arrive now. The cut quality of the stone certainly beats anything that any of the local chain stores and independent jewellers up here in Brissie have available or can source as well as what the Brissie diamond brokers have (their virtual inventory lists look hella exxy to me). Apart from JA and BN, you also have the two major ideal cut providers as well, BGD and Whiteflash (which have a number of fans on PS, myself included), if you are wanting H&A. Though after a quick perusal of their inventories tonight, it would appear they don't have a stone that would fit within your budget currently.

Re: the three you picked off JA, the 0.84 I/VVS2 has an arrows pic available which looks like an Idealscope image to me, and while there appears to be some light leakage under the table (a little less red/pink than the surrounding areas), I would guess that the ASET for that stone would look pretty good. The 0.92 J/VS2 also looks like a pretty good stone as well visually even though the HCA score for it is above 2. The 0.84 H/VS2's proportions look very nice (though not as nice as the I/VVS2's IMHO). The inclusions under the table don't look that large that they would unduly affect optical performance.

For the price though, I'd end up picking the 0.84 I/VVS2 Ideal Cut over the other two. That price difference would help out covering the GST payment upon import. Only issue now is whether any of the JA settings float your boat or not.

All the best with your search & Happy New Year!

 

[tyty333]

I would probably stick with the H or I stone being that you are so far away...just in case the J is showing a little too much color for
you. The VVS2 would be really safe but if you want to go for the H just make sure that JA evaluates it and that the light return is
not affected by the cloud. You would not think it would since it is a VS2...but make sure.

So my logic is stay on the safe side since you dont want to have to return.

 

[gm89uk]

In order of my preference:
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6956911-0.90-carat-Round-diamond-H-color-VS2-clarity.aspx?sku=6956911&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8888329-0.91-carat-Round-diamond-G-color-VS2-clarity.aspx?sku=8888329&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8989832-0.90-carat-Round-diamond-H-color-VS2-clarity.aspx?sku=8888329utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com
(check eyeclean)

 

[melbournelove]

I would probably stick with the H or I stone being that you are so far away...just in case the J is showing a little too much color for you.

Makes sense! We were hoping to stay away from J due to the reason you mentioned. However, we were open to it as our budget is a little tight as the AUD is weak against the USD at the moment.

JA got back to us regarding the cloud in https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1881928 There seems to be a small white leakage but JA have come back and said that it was due to the diamond being tilted when the imaging was performed. They said it is tilted because some of the arrows are not lining up. They also suggest this over the other two as it is less likely to have warmth than an I or J.

In order of my preference:
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6956911-0.90-carat-Round-diamond-H-color-VS2-clarity.aspx?sku=6956911&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8888329-0.91-carat-Round-diamond-G-color-VS2-clarity.aspx?sku=8888329&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-8989832-0.90-carat-Round-diamond-H-color-VS2-clarity.aspx?sku=8888329utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com
(check eyeclean)

The first diamond is beautiful! But unfortunately over our budget as we need to factor in the setting & GST. Realistically, our budget for the diamond and setting is US$4500 as this will come just under our budget of AU$7000 including GST.

The second and third diamonds are definitely an option as b2c have relatively affordable 18k white gold solitaire settings.

We will get in contact with Denise from IDJ sooner than planned as all the good diamonds may not be available for much longer leading up to Valentine's day next month.

 

[gm89uk]

I don't think the image is particularly tilted. It is just leakage. But despite the leak, I still think that's a really nice idealscope and these smaller areas of leak are common when the stone isn't perfect H&A.

Good luck with IDJ.

The second stone from B2C unfortunately seems to have been snapped up. Not entirely sure about the third one because there is a black inclusion under the table. It does seem pretty small but you'd need some firm assurances if you were to go ahead. My main concern with your current choice is "Cloud".

 

[melbournelove]

We went to look at diamonds here in Melbourne and we have decided to steer clear of I or J stones. We are just not comfortable with the possible warmth. Denise is helping us out and keeping us updated

 

[Crystal_Dreams]

So glad to hear that you got in touch with IDJ! Denise was the one who helped us too and she was really great- they called in stones for us and were really honest with what they thought of each!! I hope they can sort something out for you

It sounds like they have been on holidays lately, so hope they get in touch soon! They went and got ASET images for every stone I asked for so I'm sure they will be willing to oblige!! Keep us updated on how your search goes

 

[melbournelove]

Hi Crystal_Dreams!

Nice to hear from you again. Denise has been great and helping us find the perfect diamond. We have narrowed it down to two. However, she is just checking one more I color to see if it shows any yellow/warmth.

Did you end up seeing the diamond (or the finished ring) you helped your brothers friend choose? If so, was there any yellow?

The two we're deciding between is here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thoughts-on-this-diamond.227859/#post-4114323#p4114323