IGI and Wal Mart?

[froufrou]

Okay so, I have looked at lots of sites of diamonds online etc and know how much a diamond reasonably costs. Recently I was on the Wal Mart website and thought, I wonder if you can buy diamonds there?

Anyway...this is really weird, Wal Mart has IGI certified 1 ct diamond rings for $992, online only. Ive mostly heard of AGS, but I thought id heard that IGI was reliable too. Now, how is this possible??? Ive never looked and found a diamond for that cheap that is 1 carat, even on bluenile where you can specify the lowest, lowest quality. Now, it doesn''t say the cut proportions though, I-J is not good and I3 is visual inclusions...so, how bad can such a diamond look? I am not really seriously considering buying it but it seems very cheap so I was wondering if anyone wanted to provide any comments on this.

Shape : Round

Center Stone : 1 Round diamond

Total Diamond Weight: 1 carat T.W.*

Color : I-J

Clarity : 13

Certificate: International Gemological Institute (IGI)

 

[Agent3Civ]

Wow, I had absolutely no idea that Wal Mart sold diamond solitaires

 

[stermag]

Mind posting a link to the ring in question? My guess is this is 1ct TOTAL WEIGHT, meaning that the center is actually a very small stone of questionable quality, and perhaps it has a couple of even smaller side stones, or a row of channel set diamonds alongside it? Adding up the weight might come close to 1ct, and that's how they choose to advertise it.

ETA: I just looked and this must be what you were referring to. It is, indeed a solitaire... 1ct center. It must be pretty awful quality. Did you say it was I3? I can't really see the clarity on the website.

 

[mrssalvo]

IGI is not reliable. You can do a search her and some old threads will pop up.

The info walmart provides give you nothing about the cut, which is the most important "C." More than likely it''s not going to sparkle at all. Hard to say with out the dimentions but I have a hunch it''s not a well cut stone or it wouldn''t be less than 1K. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is

 

[Agent3Civ]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4875201

 

[belle]

Date: 4/18/2006 2:34:00 PM
Author:froufrou

Anyway...this is really weird, Wal Mart has IGI certified 1 ct diamond rings for $992, online only.

that's because if you actually saw it first, you wouldn't buy it!

Date: 4/18/2006 2:34:00 PM
Author:froufrou
Ive mostly heard of AGS, but I thought id heard that IGI was reliable too.

igi can be inconsistent and they are 'softer' in their grading. they are not even in the same league as ags.

Date: 4/18/2006 2:34:00 PM
Author:froufrou
Now, how is this possible??? Ive never looked and found a diamond for that cheap that is 1 carat, even on bluenile where you can specify the lowest, lowest quality. Now, it doesn't say the cut proportions though, I-J is not good and I3 is visual inclusions...so, how bad can such a diamond look?

first of all...that diamond is likely the size of a .5ct stone dimension wise and probably looks like a cloudy piece of glass. the i-j i3 grading may have been much lower (jeeez..can you go lower than i3!?

) by ags making the already bad cut look even worse.

Date: 4/18/2006 2:34:00 PM
Author:froufrou
Shape : Round

Center Stone : 1 Round diamond

Total Diamond Weight: 1 carat T.W.*

Color : I-J

Clarity : 13

Certificate: International Gemological Institute (IGI)

wonder what the * is for beside the carat weight?

 

[stermag]

So, I guess I need to learn how to scroll. It does say I-J color and I3 clarity.

I remember, not so long ago, someone posted a link to a website with cheap diamond solitaires. The website had photos of actual rings, and the diamond quality was shockingly awful. At I3, that diamond is going to be heavily included...

What bothers me, however, is that Walmart doesn't show a photo of the actual ring. At least the website I mentioned above had the decency to show its customers what they were getting.

The picture of this solitaire doesn't look as poorly as its price suggest, which I think is deceitful.

 

[oldminer]

When a diamond is graded at the lowest possible grade on the clarity scale, you just know it is not going to be pretty. At best cloudy, at worst butt ugly. At that point who would care about the color? While there are many poor things said about IGI, they are being honest as can be when they say a diamond is the worst possible clarity grade. Now, if you want the worst possible stone, you have found the place to get one......No doubt, they sell much better ones too.

 

[froufrou]

yup, it is a one ct solitaire, no side diamonds or anything. i figured it would be something very bad quality, and i thought they should at least have the decency to show all available diamonds that they''ve got and let you see the exact specs of whatever you''re ordering. i just thought it was so strange that wal mart would even sell this. while i was at wal mart the other day grocery shopping i was looking at some of their other solitaires (the one in their store are .5 or so size) and they didnt seem like they had inclusions though the settings looked incredibly cheap which made the diamonds all just look like CZs to me.

anyway yeah, i just thought i would mention it on here in case anyone thought it was interesting too. i wasnt ever planning to get one (actually i was toying with the idea of ordering it to see if it really was that awful, because i was thinking maybe wal mart could make it so cheap since thye dont put a big markup on anything because they ARENT a jewelry store, but the return policy on anything over 300 dollars is complicated).

 

[froufrou]

stermag, what website was that with the rings that showed the I3 clairty??

 

[stermag]

Froufrou, hold on, I''m looking. Be back in a second.

 

[stermag]

Ah-ha! I found it:

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68072110
http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68386121
http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=67835516
http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68778401

These are honestly some of the worst diamonds I''ve ever seen.

 

[Blenheim]

When I look at a stone (that''s not even that magnified) and it looks to me like it''s been sprinkled with pepper, you know it''s bad. (I''m still learning how to identify inclusions from pictures.)

Stermag, you just made me ill. Thanks a lot.

By the way, the * next to TW means that it could be between .95 and 1.10 carats, according to the bottom of the page.

 

[froufrou]

WOW those diamonds look awful.

it would be funny to get one and then tell people "well i did 100s of hours of research...and im proud to say i got the UGLIEST diamond ever"

 

[princessv]

Unfortunately Wal-mart diamonds do appeal to the ''masses'' and for a couple that''s on a really set budget, the guy wants to be able to proudly exclaim "Look I was able to afford a 1ct!" When in reality, the 1 ct Walmart stone looks like a 3/4 carat at best, most people just don''t care about the type of diamond they get, they just care about the weight...all I have around this little town is a Walmart so I do wander by just to look when I need to wait on my prescription. I have to say their CZs look way better!

 

[icekid]

yeaaaah I would say that whenever you see I3, you should run far, far away! yuck

 

[Modified Brilliant]

I''ll ad my 0.02 cents..why not? I''ll bet their 1 ct. looks like a 3/4 ct. + and the girdle is as wide as a six lane highway. There''s ALWAYS a reason..in this case it''s most likely the cut and definitely the clarity. I''ll also bet that they sell out of these diamonds quickly!


www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[f0rbidden]

Clark Howard swears by Wal-Mart diamonds, in fact, made a big production of the fact that he purchsed the engagement ring for his fiance (could be now wife) from Wal-Mart

maybe they aren''t as bad as we''re assuming.

 

[Small]

I''m not surprised Walmart sells diamonds and IGI at that...have you ever looked at the jewelry at Sams Club? They sell IGI and some lab I''ve never heard of (I''ll have to check again when I go back LOL). I always peruse the jewelry counter while waiting in the long lines

It makes my time go by faster.
Yikes...I''ve never seen an I3 before...holy crap...that''s awful

Those must be the worst looking diamonds I''ve ever seen. I would think anyone with decent eye sight wouldn''t buy such a hideously included diamond

I guess there''s a market for everything

 

[froufrou]

i read somewhere that some private appraisal company did research and found that Sams Club loose stones were often better or equal quality to Tiffany''s diamonds?

hahaha...so i was telling my boyfriend about this walmart thing a couple days ago, and just now i told him to look at the I3 diamonds from the links posted, and he goes "so does that look good, or bad?" i was like "bad!!!" and then he''s like, "whoops, i just bought you a wal mart diamond online, i thought that was what you wanted". lol. he was joking though so i am okay. haha.

 

[stermag]

Date: 4/18/2006 4:22:59 PM
Author: froufrou
i read somewhere that some private appraisal company did research and found that Sams Club loose stones were often better or equal quality to Tiffany''s diamonds?


hahaha...so i was telling my boyfriend about this walmart thing a couple days ago, and just now i told him to look at the I3 diamonds from the links posted, and he goes ''so does that look good, or bad?'' i was like ''bad!!!'' and then he''s like, ''whoops, i just bought you a wal mart diamond online, i thought that was what you wanted''. lol. he was joking though so i am okay. haha.

Phew, I was reading that in horror... thinking he was actually serious. Yikes Good thing he has a sense of humor.

 

[froufrou]

haha, yes, all he does is joke. just now he was telling me how excited he was about this beautiful wal mart diamond he just got for me today....

 

[Small]

Date: 4/18/2006 4:22:59 PM
Author: froufrou
i read somewhere that some private appraisal company did research and found that Sams Club loose stones were often better or equal quality to Tiffany''s diamonds?

hahaha...so i was telling my boyfriend about this walmart thing a couple days ago, and just now i told him to look at the I3 diamonds from the links posted, and he goes ''so does that look good, or bad?'' i was like ''bad!!!'' and then he''s like, ''whoops, i just bought you a wal mart diamond online, i thought that was what you wanted''. lol. he was joking though so i am okay. haha.

YIKES...good thing he was kidding LOL

As for sams club diamonds...well I''m not sure. I''ve seen some dogs there but there was this really great pair of earrings I wanted and hubby decided to go to the mall jeweler and buy me something I didn''t want which ended up being more expensive and smaller...LOL...oh well...gotta love his effort anyway. As far as I''ve seen (and I go to Sams about every two weeks and wait in long lines

) I just noticed them carrying certified diamonds. I would have a hard time thinking they were selling pieces that compared to Tiffany''s but I guess anything is possible

 

[Scooba]

who is Clark Howard? and why even cut a stone that is as bad as in those pictures?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/18/2006 4:22:59 PM
Author: froufrou
i read somewhere that some private appraisal company did research and found that Sams Club loose stones were often better or equal quality to Tiffany''s diamonds?

Sams Club does offer what they call " the Regal collection" H&A rb''s with IGI lab report.

 

[Capitol Bill]

I recall reading somewhere recently that Wal-Mart is now one of the largest sellers of jewelry in the world, or perhaps the largest. Sort of makes sense -- mass produced jewelry for the masses.
Bill Scherlag

 

[Small]

Date: 4/18/2006 9:56:19 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 4/18/2006 4:22:59 PM
Author: froufrou
i read somewhere that some private appraisal company did research and found that Sams Club loose stones were often better or equal quality to Tiffany''s diamonds?

Sams Club does offer what they call '' the Regal collection'' H&A rb''s with IGI lab report.

Wow...really??? I''ve not seen those in my Sams club but obviously I''m not combing the diamond rings there either LOL. I''ll have to check that out sometime

 

[moon river]

How much worse is Walmart jewelry than a mall store? Are they about the same?

 

[XChick03]

Date: 4/18/2006 3:20:05 PM
Author: stermag
Ah-ha! I found it:


http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68072110

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68386121

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=67835516

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68778401


These are honestly some of the worst diamonds I''ve ever seen.

I''m going to have nightmares.

I saw a pair of like .30 cttw earrings in Wla-Mart the other day for like $70 and they were so cloudy, they barely sparkled at all.

 

[robbe]

hey guys, chill out; these uggly stones are not igi certified.
robbe


http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68072110

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68386121

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=67835516

http://www.reflectingconcepts.com/product.asp?dept_id=52&pf_id=68778401