Internet Retailers and Eye-Clean Advice?

[Jake_Needs_Help]

Hello all! I''ve been reading this site for a while now and have learned much. Thanks!

A few questions:

Are WhiteFlash, Blue Nile, and Mondera all considered reputable online retailers? These are who I am looking at right now. The major difference I seem to see is that WhiteFlash has a significantly shorter guaranteed return window. Should this make me nervous?

I am looking for an SI1 for an engagement ring. If I call, will the people at these companies really tell me if the diamond is eye-clean? Can I trust them to tell me that? Has anyone ever been told over the phone that a diamond was not?

Also, the cert for the first diamond listed below is AGS, but the cert does not list the cut grade. I thought AGS listed the grade (which here should be ideal). Am I wrong?

And now, on to the fun part!

Any advice on which of these stone might look best? Or which seems like a better value?

WhiteFlash #1
WhiteFlash #2
Blue Nile #1
Blue Nile #2

Any other thoughts would be appreciated. As you can see from these, I am looking for an Ideal cut, G, SI-1, around 1.2 ct. And I am planning to order this week!

Thanks a bunch!!!!

 

[belle]

hey jake!

welcome to ps!

Date: 3/14/2006 3:06:11 PM
Author:Jake_Needs_Help

Are WhiteFlash, Blue Nile, and Mondera all considered reputable online retailers? These are who I am looking at right now. The major difference I seem to see is that WhiteFlash has a significantly shorter guaranteed return window. Should this make me nervous?

they are all considered reputable. the 10 day policy that wf has is plenty of time to decide whether or not you will like the diamond and should not make you one bit nervous.

Date: 3/14/2006 3:06:11 PM
Author:Jake_Needs_Help

I am looking for an SI1 for an engagement ring. If I call, will the people at these companies really tell me if the diamond is eye-clean? Can I trust them to tell me that? Has anyone ever been told over the phone that a diamond was not?

bn and mondera drop ship the vast majority of their diamonds, so they never see them. wf has a stated definition of eye-clean, so you can trust by their definition that it is what they say it is.

Date: 3/14/2006 3:06:11 PM
Author:Jake_Needs_Help

Also, the cert for the first diamond listed below is AGS, but the cert does not list the cut grade. I thought AGS listed the grade (which here should be ideal). Am I wrong?

that is a diamond quality report. dqr''s do not list cut grade. the report that lists the cut grade is called a diamond quality document (dqd). most of the expert selection stones have either dqr''s or gia reports. all aca''s have dqd''s.

Date: 3/14/2006 3:06:11 PM
Author:Jake_Needs_Help

WhiteFlash #1
WhiteFlash #2
Blue Nile #1
Blue Nile #2

i like #1

g/si is a great combo. that would be my pick too!

 

[matthewk]

Date: 3/14/2006 3:06:11 PM
Author:Jake_Needs_Help

Hello all! I''ve been reading this site for a while now and have learned much. Thanks!

A few questions:

Are WhiteFlash, Blue Nile, and Mondera all considered reputable online retailers? These are who I am looking at right now. The major difference I seem to see is that WhiteFlash has a significantly shorter guaranteed return window. Should this make me nervous?

I am looking for an SI1 for an engagement ring. If I call, will the people at these companies really tell me if the diamond is eye-clean? Can I trust them to tell me that? Has anyone ever been told over the phone that a diamond was not?

Also, the cert for the first diamond listed below is AGS, but the cert does not list the cut grade. I thought AGS listed the grade (which here should be ideal). Am I wrong?

And now, on to the fun part!

Any advice on which of these stone might look best? Or which seems like a better value?

WhiteFlash #1
WhiteFlash #2
Blue Nile #1
Blue Nile #2

Any other thoughts would be appreciated. As you can see from these, I am looking for an Ideal cut, G, SI-1, around 1.2 ct. And I am planning to order this week!

Thanks a bunch!!!!

Call Bob Hoskins at Whiteflash and give him your list of potentials. Ask him if there are any in your list that are not eyeclean and tell him to take them out of the running. Then tell him to pick one, he will make a REALLY good choice.

 

[Shay37]

I have been told several times by WF that a stone I LOVED was not eyeclean. It was a total bummer in one way (they were gorgeous), totally awesome in another. The F SI1 that I ended up with was darn near loupe clean.

10 days is plenty of time to know if this is the one. I don't know about BN and Mondera as I have not purchased from there. I have bought from WF, and I trust them implicitly. HTH

shay

ETA: #1 from WF would be my pick too. Just ask them if it's eyeclean. There is a thread in the FAQ section that will explain what their definition of eyeclean is.

 

[Kaleigh]

#1 would be my pick as well. WF will tell you if it''s eye clean or not. Good luck!!

 

[Jake_Needs_Help]

Thanks so much for all the advice! More opinions are welcome as well.

Ok, I''m going to call WhiteFlash tomorrow, and hopefully I can speak to Bob. I''m guessing there are others around there that could help me out as well, but a personal referral is always nice.

As for the report: Is there any particular reason that this particular diamond has a DQR rather than a DQD? Does this mean anything for the value of the diamond? Would there be any reason that I should get a DQD after I buy the diamond if I already have a DQR?

Thanks for the picks too. Looks like we all like WF #1. Although it is the highest in price of those I listed, it also looks like the better diamond (on paper, of course).

Two more questions: Should I be comparing these diamonds using any of the online proportion calculators? I haven''t used any of those yet. Also, any other favorite online sellers that I should look into?

 

[solange]

You can call Whiteflash and ask to speak with Brian the cutter, if he is available. He can tell you if the stone is eye clean.

I bought an SI2 from them and it is perfectly eye clean. I cannot see the imperfections without a loupe even though I know where they are from the GIA plot. The ten days is more than enough time to see the stone and decide whether you like it although a G ACA is a no brainer. It has to be gorgeous.
If 1 is eye clean, it has a slightly larger spread and I am sure it is a great choice.
.
Also, Whiteflash gives you the full purchase price toward an upgrade shouls you want one in the future. Also I beliee these stones are in their inventory and they can tell you if they are eye clean. I d not thik you can go wrong with either one but if you want to spend the extra bucks, I like the first one.

 

[Kaleigh]

Bob is great to work with. He is very honest. I trust his opinion hands down. If Brian is available that''s great too as he is the one that selects the stones etc... You will be in very good hands with WF.

 

[Kay]

I trust Bob Hoskins at Whiteflash to tell me if a stone is eyeclean. He helped me picked out an eye-clean SI1 3 years ago. I referred a co-worker to him last month, and he called Bob about an SI1 he found on the website. Bob told him the stone was not eye-clean, and then recommended an SI2 that was eye-clean and cost less. I saw the stone before it was set, and I looked at it at different angles and in different lighting, and I couldn''t see anything without a loupe. The appraiser was very impressed with the diamond (as was his new FI).

 

[Jake_Needs_Help]

Thanks again everyone! It is good to hear that so many of you have had good experiences working with Bob. I think I might feel a little intimidated calling Brian.

And it also helps to know that some of you have come up with some eye-clean SI2''s. I may ask Bob''s opinion of some of those too.

Also makes me feel good that we all like what''s behind door #1. I tried it in the HCA, and it came out 1.3 which seems pretty good to me!

Any other info on the DQR vs. DQD? Should having the DQR rather than the DQD make me feel uneasy at all? Does this impact the value of the diamond? Should I look at getting a DQD?

 

[Shay37]

Date: 3/15/2006 12:08:29 PM
Author: Jake_Needs_Help
Thanks again everyone! It is good to hear that so many of you have had good experiences working with Bob. I think I might feel a little intimidated calling Brian.

And it also helps to know that some of you have come up with some eye-clean SI2''s. I may ask Bob''s opinion of some of those too.

Also makes me feel good that we all like what''s behind door #1. I tried it in the HCA, and it came out 1.3 which seems pretty good to me!

Any other info on the DQR vs. DQD? Should having the DQR rather than the DQD make me feel uneasy at all? Does this impact the value of the diamond? Should I look at getting a DQD?

Nope. It''s fine. They are both AGS grading documents. The DQD would only have the light return portion. It''s a more expensive report to purchase. WF only gets those on the ACAs not the expert selection. That''s one way they pass the savings to you.

shay

 

[stermag]

Just thought I''d chime in:

We were looking for an eye-clean SI1/SI2. I was really hoping to break the 1.5ct mark and none of the in-house stones at the time were within our budget, so I ventured into the virtual inventory.

When you''re looking at in-house diamonds and are able to talk to a trusted vendor personally, there''s no reason to doubt their assessment. He/she will often tell you exactly what the inclusions look like, send you magnified photos of them, etc. When you''re searching through hundreds of virtual stones, however, it''s much more difficult to decide which stone has greater potential of being eye-clean, particularly since, as we''ve found out, one sources'' definition of eye-clean varies GREATLY from that of others...

In one particular case, we had a diamond called in by James Allen based on the assertion of the seller that it was perfectly eye-clean. When the diamond arrived, and Jim sent us an idealscope, the huge black inclusion was so prominent we didn''t know if we should laugh or cry. Fortunately, the other stone we had called in (from a different source) turned out to be wonderful.

The stone we ended up with, an SI2 1.5ct, is truly remarkable. Sometimes you can get lucky with virtual stones, but my first choice would naturally be to find something within the in-house inventory and, in the future, that is likely what I''ll do.