humble request for opinions

[TSNARE]

Hi everyone. May I ask some opinions on some price offers I got today? This was the first time ever I had actually looked at stones in person, but two of the gemologists I talked with down at the diamond exchange buildings here in Boston each spent 60-90 minutes with me letting me practice with their loupes, look at fluorescence, find inclusions, etc. They were so helpful. Off the bat let me say that I know I can probably get cheaper stones of equal quality on the web, but I absolutely want to see the stone in person and work with a real dealer face-to-face. So I'd appreciate all of your opinions keeping in mind the fact that I'm willing to accept being overcharged a little. But, in accordance with all of your advice, I wisened up and realized that places like Tiffany's are a total waste of $ Thanks for all the advice! As for my budget, the ABSOLUTE MAX I can spend on stone + setting is $3700.

Option 1
0.90ct
depth 61.4%
table 57%
thn-med girdle
polish - v.good
symmetry - v.good
VS2
I
no fluor.
(awaiting Sarin)
$3400 for loose stone

Option2
0.73ct
depth 61.5%
table 59%
thn-med girdle
polish - good
symmetry - v.good
VS2
I
crown ang. 34.5
pav. ang. 41.4
no fluor.
$2430 for loose stone

Option 3
0.81ct
depth 62.0%
table 57%
girdle thn-med
polish - v.good
symmetry - v.good
VS2
G
med. blue fluor.
crown ang. - 35.5
pav. ang. - 41.1
$3700 including platinum solitaire setting

Option 4
0.75ct
depth 62%
table 57%
girdle (I forgot to note this)
polish (I forgot to note)
symmetry (I forgot to note)
VS1
E
faint fluor.
(I didn't ask for Sarin... should've)
$3500 including platinum solitaire setting

So there you have 'em. Options 1 and 2 represent different ends of the price spectrum. I'd like 0.72 ct. or higher, I guess. Two jewelers (one of whome was a gemologist) who work at high priced fancy retail stores actually told me to buy the 0.9 ct b.c they can't match that kind of offer; it was nice to see them be so honest about how high their own prices are. It seems to be the best deal, but it's really pushing my finances to the max... makes me a little uneasy. But what do y'all think?

Again, I realize these are not quite as low in price as if I were to get a stone on the net then get a setting... nevertheless, that's ok with me. I think the prices are pretty good in themselves. I'm also going to call Jonathan at goodoldgold tomorrow.

Of course, all the above stones are GIA certified and the stats I give are straight from the certificate.

Thanks to all of you and I apologize for taking up so much room with this post! I immensely appreciate the help you all offer.

 

[student]

One good way to compare the prices would be to use the price stats feature on pricescope. Divide the price per carat of each of your stones by the average ppc for similar stones on pricescope, and then you'll have a number providing some indication of how good a deal each stone is.

Then you will have to decide which of the various characteristics of stones matter to you most, which comes down to personal preference.

My personal preference would be for a whiter color such as G (especially with a platinum setting), but other people would prefer to go for size instead.

 

[rsilvers]

Here is how local stores work. I live in the Boston area.

They can often have good prices but they skimp on cut which almost no one, including them, understands.

Don't even consider buying one without a Sarin, unless you get an AGS stone which has that info already.

http://www.niceice.com/certcopies/0767evs2_ags2910607/index.htm
For $3570, here is an AGS certified stone (which has Sarin-like data).
Better than that, it is an AGS 000. The stones they are showing you seem nice, although not as nice as an AGS000 which is getting out of the budget range.

Sorry, I gave up on local stores. Had my diamond from niceice.com 24 hours after ordering it from Oregon, and did not pay sales tax. It came with a 10x loupe and tweezers on loan for inspection. I am willing to pay more for a local store -- but they never had stock on better cuts.

 

[rsilvers]

You will be doing fine with the Sarins and a check on the HCA shows they are below 1.5 or so.

Option 4 looks the most attractive to me.

 

[TSNARE]

rsilvers, thanks so much for your opinions... greatly appreciated... I hadn't even thought to check the specs on the HCA. Thanks so much for going through the trouble for me!

Think I should be worried about the med. blue fluorescence on the 0.82 stone?

Anyone else have any thoughts about these diamonds?

 

[slmulkey]

I would go with option 1, or option 4, depending on the HCA, your priorities for size vs. color, and what color metal you plan on using for the setting. Some people say that their "I" colored diamond looks great in a platinum setting whereas others are bothered by a slight yellow tint in the stone.

You might want to look at what size diamonds your soon to be fiance's friends are wearing. This might be a good indication of what she expects as far as the size of a diamond.

If you have time to look some more, you might consider going down a clarity grade to an SI1 and going up a grade or two in color.

FYI, I ran the HCA (assuming 0% cutlet) on the other two stones and came up with a 3.4 for option 3 and a 4.0 for option 2.

Oh, and regarding the med. blue flour., I wouldn't worry about it too much. From what I've read, it's not a big deal and some people even prefer it. In rare cases, a strong flour. can 'cause a diamond to look milky in sunlight.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[rsilvers]

I would not buy a stone that was above 2.0 on HCA. Eliminate those.