How much is that diamond in the window...

[bling]

Hi all,
Can anyone tell me how much (estimate)Eightstar diamonds go for?

thanks!

 

[dimonbob]

Welcome to the forum Bling,
Dude, you have to give us more information than that. That is like saying How much is a BMW?
The answer is...A Lot!
You might ask..how much is a 1ct H SI1 8*?
or how much 8* can I get for $4000?

 

[danaLynne]

Okay, how much 8* can one get for $4k?

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Eightstar Diamonds are not listed on the internet. Like the prices of other ideal cut stones. It seems to be a marketing technique which is unique to Eightstar in not discussing their prices. However I have been qouted several prices on several different stones of different color and clarity and it seems it has a 30-40% mark up on other branded hearts and arrows stones.

Like DiamondBob points out list what our priorities are like color and clarity and then you will be able to get some qoutes on "how much diamond" you can get for $4000.00.

I know that the only people that will be able to qoute you prices on Eightstars are their dealers. Stevl on the forum is a dealer as well as Wink Jones (www.winkjones.com) These are just 2,but email them your request and they will be more than happy to qoute you a price based on your priorities. You can also go to the Eightstar website and fill out a request form and they will supply you with a dealer in your area which can also get you prices.

-Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[bling]

Thanks..wow..i never thought of a chat room dedicated to diamonds..i love it. your are correct..i was not very specific in my question, but i guess it would have to be around the E, F color range and around the VS1 to VS2 clarity range..size about a carat. eek..im not even sure i want to know the answer. i contacted 8* and there is a retailer just around the corner to where i live..even scarier!

thanks!

 

[bling]

and i guess, since im asking, what would be the same price for a non branded H&A diamond..same C's. Would you recommend internet to get a diamond? My sisters fiance bought a H&A diamond from a wholesaler and payed high $7000's for it. After looking on the internet, it seems you can find some of the same quality for cheaper...could he have found a better deal or is there something shady with the online dealers. thanks again!

 

[Mara]

online dealers can be great, just be sure you are dealing with a reputable vendor and a good return policy. some vendors post here on pscope, also we get alot of recommendations on here from people who purchased their stones online and are very happy. you can get great deals, you just have to shop around.

that said, 8* marks up around 30-40% over regular H&A stones from what I have seen. I looked at 8*s and a 1.10 J VS/SI was around $10,000. A 1.10 J VS/SI H&A superideal stone online would go for around $6,000 if not less. Will your naked eye detect a difference between the two? maybe...maybe not!

definitely go visit the 8* dealer near you, its great to see them in person. some people feel the markup is worth it...others don't agree. so you can make the distinction with your own eyes. ask them to show you what they would consider an 'ideal' stone, AGS0 or similar and see if you can see the differences with your naked eye. then look with the 8* scope etc.

personally i think they are ridiculously marked up, I didn't see a huge difference between the 8* and ideal stone, and you can get a great H&A stone online for much cheaper and put your extra money into a bigger ctw. BUT you may not agree!

let us know what you think after you see the stones in person!

good luck

 

[bling]

Thanks for the advice. I will go check them out, but they do seem quite expensive.. I hope for my sake i cant tell the difference between an 8* and non branded H&A..

ill let you know what i think!
Can anyone give me some reputable internet site to check out too... thanks!

 

[Mara]

[/quote]

http://www.niceice.com/certcopies/ags0003501601/index.htm

1.01 E VS2 H&A AGS0 1.6 HCA $6700


http://www.niceice.com/certcopies/1034fvs2_ags3174803/index.htm

1.03 F VS2 H&A AGS0 1.2 HCA $6885


NiceIce also has around 4 other stones in this carat range listed that are E/F VS and about 4 that are G VS. I like G's because you can save some $$ usually, and it still faces up very white. My G is very white. But you may prefer E/F for the colorless range on paper. NiceIce deals in unbranded H&As and they offer cert info, closeups of the stones and their inclusions (many pix), mathematical ray tracing to see how your diamond will capture and return light, IdealScope images, Sarin/MScope/OGI reports, Hearts and Arrows images, etc.


-----------


http://www.whiteflash.com/acut/diamond_details.asp?ItemCode=445289


1.01 F VS2 H&A AGS0 A Cut Above SuperIdeal $7255


WhiteFlash also has another stone listed that is slightly more expensive at $7600 for 1.02 E VS2 ACA. They may have other stones on their site. This is a 'branded' 'superideal' H&A but their markup seems very very minimal. They have the IdealScope images and Hearts and Arrows images on their site, as well as cert info and closeups of their stones.


------


http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_00ct_e_vs2_h&a.htm

1.00 E VS2 H&A $7300


http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_01ct_e_vs2_h&a.htm

1.01 E VS2 H&A $7600


http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_01ct_f_vs2_h&a1.htm

1.01 F VS2 H&A $7400


GoodOldGold has over 15 stones that are in your ctw range and color/clarity that were listed. Jonathan deals in unbranded H&As with the rare 8* or other branded stone coming his way. He hand picks his stones and has closeups of the stone, Hearts and Arrows images, IdealScope images, cert information, Sarin/Mscope/OGI information and the fun fun fun BrillianceScope reports which show the diamond and its animation which is VERY cool.


You should also check out SuperbCert.Com, though they didn't have any stones that came up in my Pscope search. They have some gorgeous 'superideal' stones as well, and a bunch of people have posted pix of their SC stones recently, knockouts.


From a wealth of information standpoint, and from recommendations I have seen on this board, these are the vendors I highly recommend starting your search with if you decide to look online. There are many many internet vendors out there, this may only scratch the surface. But many of these vendors do post on Pricescope to help others, and we are all very familiar with them and their practices of selling only the best stones.


I personally feel that any of the stones above would knock your socks off!

Good luck!!

 

[bling]

thanks so so much for all that info! I will check out the site! Ya...it is friday..and hmmm, feeling like going home..

 

[Aprile]

Slightly OT but I have to tell you Mara....you do impress me. Your posts are always so informative and well written & your knowledge is amazing. So refreshing to read!

Thanks!!
aprile

 

[Mara]

Thanks Aprile..I appreciate the sentiment! I love absorbing information and imparting to others, and of course the stone searches are the most fun!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Mara is definitely a GURU in my book. She has been very helpful to me both when I've posted questions and read her responses to others.

White Flash, USA Certed, Superb Cert, Good Old Gold, Nice Ice, (just to mention a few of the biggies) have all had high praise in the PS forum for their H&A's. Check out inspection periods, buy backs, and lifetime upgrades to help in the decision process.

Just another thought on the one carat net search.... Go back to the Price Scope home page. Upper right hand side of the main body of the page. You can search for diamonds with known crown and pavilion angles. Try searching to hit just below the 1 carat mark, like .9 to .99 ct. You'll get the 1 carat look without taking the premium hit for that magic 1.0 carat and above mark.

Good Luck in your search!

 

[Mara]

pq---thx..awesome idea, great minds think alike!!

that is what i did when i found the stones i posted--i love the cut quality search!! there were way too many results to post so i just listed a few. bling has much to choose from, between all the vendors there is something like 30 stones to consider--lucky guy

fun fun.

 

[bling]

thanks to all again for all the great advice. There is so much to consider and think about, but having such great support and advice from everyone sure does help!
we went and looked at some stones this past weekend and saw some beauties! we are in the sf bay area so that where we went..its actually a wholesale place for jewelry. by the way, we did consider the 8* but thought they would be out of our budget considering the type of stone were looking for. anyway, we liminted out search to H&A, 1 to 1.1 carat, E or F color, VS1 to VS2 clarity. after looking at a few stones at a few different shops, we walked away torn between a few things. our question became, what do we sacrifice on..size or color and clarity. here were the scenarios... there was a 1.10 stone, H&A, F VS2 and there was a 1.00 stone, H&A E VS1. They were around the same price..but started to wonder if having the larger stone with slightly lower color and clarity was just as good as a smaller stone with slightly better colore and clarity. is this just a personal judgement or is it always better to go with color and clarity. would you recommend color over clarity or vice versa...or doens it matter less when the cut is really good? Im stuck here and would love to hear what others thing. again...many thanks...and by the way..this is a whole lot of FUN!!! thanks

 

[Mara]

Well there really IS no difference between a E, VS1 and F, VS2 but the price. You will not see a difference between the E and F...they are still both colorless. VS1 vs VS2..again..no eye visible difference because the nature of VS is ..you can't see anything with your naked eye anyway! So in my opinion, if the are cut the same (thats the important question), go with the bigger F VS2 stone, hands down.

Keep in mind that H&A doesn't mean anything until you see the H&A images under the viewer and can confirm that they look sharp and not sloppy. Sometimes vendors slap that H&A name on there to just sell the stones for more $$, depending on who you are working with and their reputation. Just be smart. Ask to see the H&A images for yourself and compare them to some of the stones on NiceIce and GOG's site, they have top-notch H&A images and will note when something seems off (good way to educate yourself on what real H&A should look like, the nuances are SMALL and you will have to really look).

Be sure to get the stone appraised. But sounds like you have a few choices. Again, there is no difference between the two stones in color/clarity but minute details that are not worth paying more for. Now if you asked...I have this E and I have an I..which one makes more sense, that is more of a question that may take some figuring on. This is a no brainer. Especially since visual shrinkage does happen, and if you two have already seen the 1.10c, if you get the 1.0c....later you will both wonder....hmmmmmmm what ever happened to that nice bigger 1.10c for the same price.

0.10 should make a difference to the eye..I see a huge difference in 1.0 and 1.15c.

Good luck!

 

[bling]

i see your point and yes...the larger one always seems so nice! it is true, when we put them next to each other, you really couldnt see the difference in color. i always wonder though..even though f is colorless, its one away from g which isnt...so would you ever go g and get an even larger stone? personally i wouldnt, i just feel more comfortable with the colorless range.
the stones i looked at had both gia and ags certs..confirming thier cut and H&A. it was nice that they had both certs for each stone.
thanks again for the tips..its always nice to hear your comments...

 

[Mara]

I have a G stone and its great. I have never seen a hint of color in it and when I place it next to my coworkers E and it looks the same, in fact mine even looks better.

So I would always go up in ctw for a G stone, esp if its an H&A or well cut, they face up whiter than a non-well cut stone of the same color would. Plus also keep in mind that people do not walk around with two stones on their hand, so its not a comparison when the stone functions in the real world. It's easy to think..oh this E looks better than the G but in a plat setting on a hand, it will face up just as white to the average viewer IMO.

If you have AGS certs for both, post the specs on the stones. Will be interesting to compare the cuts to each other using the #'s and also the HCA. But I'd definitely go for the larger stone if cuts are equal.

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 4/24/2003 11:14:33 AM bling wrote:

after looking at a few stones at a few different shops, we walked away torn between a few things. our question became, what do we sacrifice on..size or color and clarity. here were the scenarios... there was a 1.10 stone, H&A, F VS2 and there was a 1.00 stone, H&A E VS1. They were around the same price..but started to wonder if having the larger stone with slightly lower color and clarity was just as good as a smaller stone with slightly better colore and clarity. is this just a personal judgement or is it always better to go with color and clarity.

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

I'd encourage you to get more information on the cut of these two stones.

If the extra 10 points is all carried in the pavilion, then "larger" doesn't benefit you. Carat weight relates to just that.....to weight, not to size. I'd look to compare the actual dimensions of these stones. If both are nearly identical in measurements (probably somewhere around the 6.5 mm range), then the weightier stone is costing more money without adding more spread. In essence, it may not be larger, even though it is heavier.

If the F stone does have a bigger dimension (more like 6.68 mm), I'd positively agree with Mara...go for the F stone. There is virtually no difference to the unaided eye between them, so you're not sacrificing anything by going with the F to get a bigger look (if the dimensions are bigger.)

 

[pqcollectibles]

Definitely use the Cut Advisor. The AGS Certs have the info right on them to enter crown and pavilion angles. You will have to contact the vendor to get that info on GIA Certed diamonds. You can ask for a Sarin report. Also, in another post earlier today, Rock Doc or Old Miner said that GIA has Sarin info on all diamonds they grade. While GIA doesn't print it on their certs, the info is available to the person/company that submitted the diamond and paid for the grading.

Also, some certs have, "Exhibits Hearts and Arrows pattern" in the comments section. That doesn't mean that diamond is a true H&A. Unless the vendor is marketing it as such, you have to look at the diamond thru a H&A viewer to verify good clean hearts and arrows. There are non branded H&A's available. Just be sure you are getting what you're paying for.