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How to find a good diamond?

heatwave80

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
5
I am looking to find a 1 ct brilliant diamond for an engagement ring. I have read through most of the online literature and visited jewelry stores, etc. But it makes me so damn nervous to purchase a diamond online. I just don't really know where to begin. Good news is I have picked out a setting for a 3 stone ring and its perfect! Whats the best online sources for purchasing quality/fair priced diamonds? I am looking for around 1ct, color G & H, Vs1/Vs2/Si1, and ideal cut with H&A(hearts of fire diamond with out there prices). I have found many diamonds that fit this category, but I have no clue whats a good or bad price for something like that. Any help or suggestions would be awesome!

Thanks,
Brant
 

heatwave80

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
5
For example I found this diamond online for around 8k. I don't know if this is good, bad, or indifferent! Help Please!



Report Type: The Platinum Light Performance Diamond Quality® Document
Shape and Style: Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.40 - 6.44 x 3.95 mm
Cut Grade: AGS Ideal 0
Color Grade: AGS 2.0 (H)
Clarity Grade: AGS 5 (SI1)
Carat Weight 1.007
Fluorescence: NegligibleLight Performance: 0
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Table: 57.3%
Crown Angle: 34.8
Crown Height: 14.9%
Girdle: Faceted, 1.7% to 3.9%
Pavilion Angle: 40.7
Pavilion Depth: 42.9%
Star Length: 54%
Lower Girdle Length: 77%
Total Depth: 61.4%
Culet: Pointed
 

footshooter5

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2011
Messages
30
I can definitely understand your anxiety at purchasing a diamond online, but rest assured, the PS recommend online vendors are all very good (WhiteFlash, GOG, James Allen, etc), and have excellent reputations. You can use the diamond finder tool on PS, and search "In House" only, which means the vendor will have the stone in their possession, and can pull it up for you almost immediately, and tell you anything and everything you want to know about it. Additionally, they can compare a few stones for you and give you their professional opinion.

This is an excellent way to save a fair amount of money for a few reasons: 1) No sales tax (technically...); 2) online vendors are able to keep their prices lower than brick and mortar stores (generally) because they don't have the same operating costs and overhead that traditional stores do and 3) I can't really think of a 3rd reason, but I figured a sound argument should have at least 3 points...

Another way to save money is to use a bank wire transfer, which will usually shave off another 2-3% in addition to the 2-3% you will save by being a PriceScope user.

The last thing, and possibly the most important, is to be sure you're getting a GIA or AGS stone - you end up paying a premium, but the consistency in grading between these labs is unmatched by "lower-tier" labs like EGL. You'll notice that some EGL stones, which may be graded the same as their AGS/GIA counterparts are sometimes 50% cheaper...well, there's a reason for that, because more than likely, they're not graded appropriately (not always the case - I hear EGL USA has relatively stricter standards and is making way as far as their consistency).

Sorry if you know all of this, but any questions you have, this is a great community to ask them!

-Gayan
 

footshooter5

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2011
Messages
30
I forgot to include one thing...

The HCA (Holloway Cut Advisor) is a useful tool in helping you rule out potential stones. If you google it, or search for in the pricescope forums, you'll see a tool that allows you to plug in the dimensions of the stone, and tell you where it fits on the scale. Generally speaking, you want to look at stones that have an HCA < 2.0.

This is not the only thing you should use to determine which stone you should buy, but it's a useful screening tool to know which stones you should NOT buy.

-Gayan
 

Regular Guy

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 6, 2004
Messages
5,962
Hi, heatwave,

What you've selected certainly shows promise. Looking first at the fact it comes with a) a Platinum report, and b) 0 for light performance tells me this. The H and SI one are somewhat more choice, but quite mainstream and favorable for value and quality.

Not noted is the cost (all relative) and vendor, likewise. A good diamond for which you way overpay is not a good diamond, sort of.

Locally, if you found it, could be swell, for benefits of buying local.

If shopping on line, several strategies are available to a new shopper here, but absolutely, the threads here could be mined for understanding.

Above, under Forum, there's a testimonial section that can help. Under resources, there's links to featured sponsored.

Know that vendors and providers mentioned with frequency, and associated with quality include White Flash, Good Old Gold (GOG), Brian Gavin, James Allen, High Performance, Infinity...and tools that help with selection include reflector images, being either or both the IS (Ideal scope) and ASET tools.

Hope some of this helps.

Ira Z.

P.S edited to add...oops, I see you DID find it on line, for about $8K. I did a quick search using the search by cut, above, and find a comparable, so what you found is at least encouraging. Ask vendor if eye clean (in both cases), as SI 1 will vary.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2696772.htm
 

heatwave80

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
5
Thank you both for the input and help, I really appreciate it! I have checked the three stones that I am comparing and they range between 0.7-1.7 on the HCA calculator. I am in talks with the online vendor with regards to eye clean and any other important info I might need to know. I checked the ideal scope and nice contrast with very little loss of light. I tried to attach it to the post, but I don't know how. So do you think that diamond listed above is worth 8K? The three vendors are some of the ones mentioned around here a lot GOG, Brian Gavin, and WF. They each have one of the three stones I am comparing. Have a a good weekend!
 

footshooter5

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2011
Messages
30
I'll be completely honest and say that my knowledge of pricing is very limited...did you find similar stones and compare the prices from the online vendors? The three that you mentioned, WhiteFlash, Brian Gavin, and GOG are all excellent and very customer friendly (I've had very positive experiences from WhiteFlash), but a slew of PriceScopers have worked with all three to very satisfactory results.

-Gayan
 

heatwave80

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
5
Gayan,
I would say most of the diamonds I found are all within 1000 dollars. I am gonna have a local jeweler give me a quote for the same specs and see what they come up with. If not I will buy one of those stones sometime this week. Also do you know anything about Brian Gavin Signature Blue diamonds?
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
heatwave80|1319413510|3046161 said:
Gayan,
I would say most of the diamonds I found are all within 1000 dollars. I am gonna have a local jeweler give me a quote for the same specs and see what they come up with. If not I will buy one of those stones sometime this week. Also do you know anything about Brian Gavin Signature Blue diamonds?


Brian Gavin and partners started Whiteflash and he created the ACA brand they carry, is a 4th generation diamond cutter, and is regularly asked to speak at trade events as an expert.

He started his own company ... three years ago, thereabouts and has MANY MANY reviews on here. If you look on the PS forum Show Me the RIng right now you'll see four PSer posts about their purchases. This is very common as they are a favorite of pricescopers: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/forums/show-me-the-bling-rings-earrings-jewelry.8/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/forums/show-me-the-bling-rings-earrings-jewelry.8/[/URL]


I personally have made three purchases with them and have been thrilled with the customer service and the quality each time. Ask for Lesley and enjoy.
 

footshooter5

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 2, 2011
Messages
30
Double for what Gypsy said. Brian Gavin is an outstanding cutter, and his customer service is top notch; I've had nothing but positive experiences working with them. To answer your question, the Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds are the super ideal, hearts and arrows cut. The Brian Gavin Blue are fantastic quality stones, but they didn't QUITE meet his requirements to be a signature hearts and arrows...this means it could have missed the mark by the smallest of margins, but it wasn't quite there. It's highly unlikely you'll really notice a difference between the signature and the blue, and the Blue can be an excellent value. The same holds true between the "A Cut Above" line and the "Expert Selection" from White Flash - very similar premise.



Gypsy|1319414130|3046168 said:
heatwave80|1319413510|3046161 said:
Gayan,
I would say most of the diamonds I found are all within 1000 dollars. I am gonna have a local jeweler give me a quote for the same specs and see what they come up with. If not I will buy one of those stones sometime this week. Also do you know anything about Brian Gavin Signature Blue diamonds?


Brian Gavin and partners started Whiteflash and he created the ACA brand they carry, is a 4th generation diamond cutter, and is regularly asked to speak at trade events as an expert.

He started his own company ... three years ago, thereabouts and has MANY MANY reviews on here. If you look on the PS forum Show Me the RIng right now you'll see four PSer posts about their purchases. This is very common as they are a favorite of pricescopers: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/forums/show-me-the-bling-rings-earrings-jewelry.8/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/forums/show-me-the-bling-rings-earrings-jewelry.8/[/URL]


I personally have made three purchases with them and have been thrilled with the customer service and the quality each time. Ask for Lesley and enjoy.
 

heatwave80

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
5
Gayan & Gypsy,
Thank you so much for the input. I just want to make the right decision and purchase my future fiance something very nice! That is if she says yes:) For me Brian Gavin seems like the front runner for online vendors, there prices and quality seem to be the best. I have been emailing back and forth with Lesley today, she is the one who recommended a signature blue diamond. Seems like a great idea, but I just don't have any knowledge about flouresence and the impact on diamond resale/looks. But Brian's H&A diamonds look absolutely amazing!

Thanks!
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
heatwave80|1319417113|3046204 said:
Gayan & Gypsy,
Thank you so much for the input. I just want to make the right decision and purchase my future fiance something very nice! That is if she says yes:) For me Brian Gavin seems like the front runner for online vendors, there prices and quality seem to be the best. I have been emailing back and forth with Lesley today, she is the one who recommended a signature blue diamond. Seems like a great idea, but I just don't have any knowledge about flouresence and the impact on diamond resale/looks. But Brian's H&A diamonds look absolutely amazing!

Thanks!

Flourescence is negative in a very small population of stones. BGD as a result inspects every Blue Line stone individually before deciding to carry it. So you are good there. Unless you have strong blue or a black light you aren't going to see much difference. And if you have a strong blue you will only get a slightly blue-ish glow in a very limited number of lighting environments. Ask Lesley to speak to Brian about it himself, he will tell you what you can expect.
 

TimMD

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Messages
267
BGD's Blue line is actually his line of diamonds that offer a great value in that they are very well cut diamonds that are selected for great proportions but they have flourescence. There are a billion threads here about flourescence and since Brian released this line earlier this year, it has been quite popular on PS and I have read nothing but rave reviews about the stones. I believe the value in this line is once upon a time, fluorescence was negatively viewed and stones with med/strong fluorescence are able to be obtained at a better value. In some stones it has the potential to make them cloudy/milky but in many others (especially those in the near colorless range) can actually show up even more white. Keep in mind Brian hand selects these stones and they would be more than happy to discuss any of these stones with you and assure you of their brilliance. I personally have been looking at them intermittently and would have no problem pulling the trigger on one and wish this line was out when I bought my stone. If you go to youtube, there were several videos of people showing of their "Brian Gavin Blue" when the line was first released. As far as BGD goes, I second, third, and fourth how phenomenal they are and if you inquire, be sure to ask for Lesley, she is the BEST and will take great care of you. Interestingly, there was a recent thread on "why do you like flourescence" where some of the PS regulars gave their thoughts on potential coolness of flourescence, not to mention the value!! I hope that helps! :wavey:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/why-do-you-like-fluorescence.167215/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/why-do-you-like-fluorescence.167215/[/URL]
 

elis2serious

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
1
Hello Heatwave,
I am currently working with BGD on a project and since I have purchased both his signature H&A and his signature blue stones I can assure you that they are both super Ideal cut stones. I thoroughly inspected each diamond with a loupe, idealscope, and 2 different H&A viewers and they both display perfect hearts and arrows with spectacular brightness, fire, and scintillation. You cannot go wrong with the blue line since they are less expensive and equally as beautiful. I prefer the fluorescence as it adds a distinct feature to the stone with the bright blue glow you will see under UV lighting and a slightly blue hue on top of the stone when the sun is shining on it. Trust me I spent countless months doing research on how super ideal cut H&A diamonds should look like and Brian Gavin will exceed your expectations!
 
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