shape
carat
color
clarity

Internet/Store Diamonds

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
Hello Pricescope members,

As you can see I am new to posting in this community, however, I have been reading and learning from all the helpful advice you have given to others. I have decided to post now because I am coming closer to purchasing an engagement ring (probably within the month)and could use any advice you have to offer.

My first question deals with the purchase of a diamond/ring online or in a store. To verify, when I say store I mean more of Shane Co. or Jared's instead of something like Zales. To me it seems the mall stores offer lower quality diamonds at a higher price, but Shane Co. seems to have comparable diamonds to places like Blue Nile. The question I bring up: For a comparable diamond at Shane Co. or Blue Nile, the Shane Co. diamond is about $500 dollars more, however you receive the warranty and cleaning without having to mail it back and forth and also the ability to see the diamond in person. Do you think the up-charge at Shane Co. is worth it?

My second question involves the diamond itself. Unfortunately, I am a grad student so I have more money going out of my pocket then I do coming back in! The more research I have done on this subject has changed what my idea of what is important in a diamond. I have come to the conclusion that the cut of the diamond is most important, and with that in mind I am looking for "super ideal/ hearts and arrows/ a cut above" etc. I also thought that the only good diamond was a D or E and internally flawless. The money I have to spend does not allow for everything to be perfect and have a diamond that can actually be seen. Upon reading these forums and suggestions, I now understand that for my purposes anything down to an H would be acceptable. I am still having a problem wrapping my head around a S1 clarity diamond, so I think I will have to stick with nothing less than a V2. Now I wonder, am I on the right track for getting a nice diamond sacrificing in the "right" aspects of the diamond to supplement the possible more important aspect. These options however limit the size of the carat with my budget to about .75. I wish I could get it a bit bigger.

This is for a round brilliant diamond, probably on a solitaire setting.

Do you think these requirements are reasonable? Thank you very much for your time, I apologize for the wordiness of the post.

1.gif
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,227
You have not yet mentioned the most important thing to the beauty of a diamond.
Cut.
A poorly cut D IF will look dull, dark, dead and lifeless next to a well cut M SI2.

Finding a well-cut round is easy compared to other cuts.
Just get one that scores under 2.0 on the Holloway Cut Advisor or HCA.

After narrowing your search to those, evaluate their Idealscope images using this.

When it comes to color and clarity go out and see with your own eyes what your comfort zone is.
Only buy a stone with a GIA or an AGS report.
Other labs grade soft so you think you are getting a good deal but that H may really be a J. Buyer beware.

I'd only buy online from the top Pricescope vendors.
If there is a problem (unlikely) you can complain here and it will get cleared up PRONTO!!!!
They know one loud poster can harm a reputation it takes a lifetime to build.
I see this as the ultimate in consumer protection.

Learn to clean your own diamond at home.
I clean mine daily.
I'd go crazy leaving it dirty till I could make it to the jewelry store.
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
what is your budget? we can probably find some online options for you
 

KittyGolightly

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
515
IMO, the extra $500 isn''t worth it. I''d rather spend that money on the stone or the setting.

If I were you, I would go to a store that sells H&A diamonds and take a good look at I color stones. You may not be able to tell the difference between the colors once the stones have been set. Of course, you could be one of the unlucky color sensitive ones.
2.gif
You won''t know until you look. Good luck!
 

stone-cold11

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
14,083
warranty is pretty much useless as most store would check and clean the ring for you for free. The rest of the coverage you would be better serve with an insurance as that would also cover loss, theft and damage.

With your limited budget, 500 is quite a significant chunk of it.
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
33,852
a well cut G-H VS2 sounds good to me.
36.gif
 

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
I apologize for the delay, I had class. Thank you for the responses.

I thought I mentioned but I guess I was not clear about the cut. I agree that it is very important and that is why I am leaning to the "super ideal" type cut, something with the hearts and arrows. I believe that this makes it sparkle the most.

In all honesty $4500 is high but doable for a decent diamond and ring, I would think. If less was available, it would be nice to be able to afford to eat. :)
 

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
Wow, that top one is quite nice!
 

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
Another problem I have is the setting. Haha. I think my girlfriend likes the solitaire because it isn''t very showy. However, because I can''t afford the big diamond, it might be nice to spice up the side, without going overboard. Opinions?
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
go with the solitaire if she likes the solitaire...lots of people have them in the size you are considering (which is a really nice size, very substantial!) and it looks great :) can''t go wrong with a classic solitaire if that''s what your girlfriend likes
1.gif
 

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
That''s probably true!


I wanted to mention, because I have seen vendors on here, I live in the Denver area and if you think you might have a diamond/ring that fit these qualifications I would be happy to meet up.
 

Lula

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
4,624
Many of us have our favorite vendors; there are many good online vendors to choose from. What I would do is take some time to look through the online inventory of the following vendors in addition to Brian Gavin Diamonds, all of whom sell top of the line hearts and arrows diamonds, and all of whom will give you personal service and also be able to set the diamond for you. Compare prices and service and settings among these vendors, and also check on their upgrade policies. What some people do is buy the best diamond they can afford now from a vendor that has a good upgrade policy, and then for an anniversary, you can upgrade to a larger size diamond, if you wish. If this is something that interests you, make sure that you are buying a stone that qualifies for upgrading. Some vendors sell stones that are not eligible for upgrading.

Other top hearts and arrows vendors:
Good Old Gold
Whiteflash
High Performance Diamonds
Nice Ice


You can find these vendors'' websites here
 

Todd Gray

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,299
Date: 5/3/2010 7:33:49 PM
Author:adeilos
Hello Pricescope members,

As you can see I am new to posting in this community, however, I have been reading and learning from all the helpful advice you have given to others. I have decided to post now because I am coming closer to purchasing an engagement ring (probably within the month)and could use any advice you have to offer.

My first question deals with the purchase of a diamond/ring online or in a store. To verify, when I say store I mean more of Shane Co. or Jared's instead of something like Zales. To me it seems the mall stores offer lower quality diamonds at a higher price, but Shane Co. seems to have comparable diamonds to places like Blue Nile. The question I bring up: For a comparable diamond at Shane Co. or Blue Nile, the Shane Co. diamond is about $500 dollars more, however you receive the warranty and cleaning without having to mail it back and forth and also the ability to see the diamond in person. Do you think the up-charge at Shane Co. is worth it?

My second question involves the diamond itself. Unfortunately, I am a grad student so I have more money going out of my pocket then I do coming back in! The more research I have done on this subject has changed what my idea of what is important in a diamond. I have come to the conclusion that the cut of the diamond is most important, and with that in mind I am looking for 'super ideal/ hearts and arrows/ a cut above' etc. I also thought that the only good diamond was a D or E and internally flawless. The money I have to spend does not allow for everything to be perfect and have a diamond that can actually be seen. Upon reading these forums and suggestions, I now understand that for my purposes anything down to an H would be acceptable. I am still having a problem wrapping my head around a S1 clarity diamond, so I think I will have to stick with nothing less than a V2. Now I wonder, am I on the right track for getting a nice diamond sacrificing in the 'right' aspects of the diamond to supplement the possible more important aspect. These options however limit the size of the carat with my budget to about .75. I wish I could get it a bit bigger.

This is for a round brilliant diamond, probably on a solitaire setting.

Do you think these requirements are reasonable? Thank you very much for your time, I apologize for the wordiness of the post.
1.gif

I wonder whether the diamonds being compared are truly "comparable" in terms of the nitty, gritty details... Or do they merely appear comparable at first glance? In my experience, internet vendors are working on significantly smaller margins of profit than their retail counterparts... Most people consider diamonds as a commodity based on their Price Per Carat (PPC) and compare diamonds like this: Shape | Carat Weight | Color | Clarity... A "few" might include Polish and Symmetry.

An even smaller group of consumers will expand the depth of their comparison and also consider: Total Depth | Table Diameter | Crown Angle | Pavilion Angle | Girdle Thickness.

Perhaps 1% of diamond buyers will add Star Facet and Lower Half measurements to the equation, those will also be the buyers who consider things like how the diamond faces up when viewed through an ASET, Ideal Scope and Hearts & Arrows viewer... It is insightful to see how differences in Optical Symmetry / Cut Precision and Cut Performance create disparity of price between seemingly "comparable" diamonds.
 

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
Well Shane Co. didn''t give me proportions of the diamond, however it was their Shane Classic which they said was their best cut diamond. What I was able to compare it to was carat size, clarity, and color.

The Shane Co diamond was .78/VS2/E (Shane classic)

Blue Nile was .74/VS2/E (signature ideal)

Also, for anyone still interested, I just got back from the local Jewelry Exchange.

The manager showed me some GIA EX cut diamonds, but told me the average person couldn''t tell the difference between EX and Very Good.

The diamond he showed me was .70/VS2/E (excellent GIA cut) for 4100. I told him that seemed high from what I was seeing online, and he told me 70% of diamond bought online are returned. Did I get any truth from him?
 

MichelleCarmen

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
15,880
NEVER listen to a sales person's comment(s) regarding online vendors/diamonds because they're competitors. They'll tell you anything to get you to buy from them rather than online. Did you ask the guy where he got his statistic from?

Just a quick tip: ALL local jewelers will clean your diamond(s) for free regardless of where you bought - their store, another store, or online. I take my diamonds into Ben Bridge and they clean them all no questions asked (because they know I'll browse their selection in the meantime). One of the sales associates cleaned my studs and then flipped out at how amazing they looked and praised them until I told her I bought them online. lol THEN she tried to explain to me that even though mine were beautiful, I could still find just as pretty stones from their store (obviously at a higher price, though, but she avoided that aspect).
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
The cut of the diamond is the most important factor in determining its appearance.

also I would get a G/H colored diamond to save money, those will be a lot less expensive than the E colors you were looking at.

video comparing round cut diamonds

here is a video that compares cut quality in round cut diamonds in the size you are looking at.

Overall the prices online are going to be more competitive. I have no idea if 70% of the diamonds are returned, but there may be a high return percentage because a lot of the online vendors have good return policies and you can compare 2 different diamonds and then return one.
 

adeilos

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
8
I tried to get the guy to show me some G/H color diamonds that were eye clean S1, but either they had none in stock or he was trying to get me to pay the premium.

Thanks for the video, very helpful.

MC... I like that cat :)
 
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