Is it possible to buy USED stones?

[Carats]

Is it possible to buy second hand rings/stones? Are there places that specialize in just the sale of second hand - how much discount can I expect??

 

[denverappraiser]

There are plenty of dealers that sell used, a.k.a. estate, a.k.a. second hand, a.k.a. resale, a.k.a. consignment, a.k.a. vintage, a.k.a. recycled diamonds. Some will trumpet this as a feature and others won’t mention it or might not even know. Prices on stones will vary quite a bit from store to store, just like with ‘new’ goods. Within the offerings of a particular dealer, there won’t be a significant difference in pricing for a particular stone based on the ownership history although there may be considerably differences between superficially similar stones for other reasons. Purchases from individuals are often priced lower than similar items from dealers but there are often other issues that make dealers worth considering.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[ladykemma]

yes

pearlman's
signed pieces
ebay (buy from individuals. I have had good luck with mlopros and greatstuff53)
ebay (mel's antique jewelry looks promising)
pawn shops (will sift through lots of junk)
estate sales

learn as much as you can first. recomended reading: renee newman diamond buying guide. antoinette matlin diamond buying gude. newman's is better on visually inspecting diamonds for cut, clarity and color.

edited to add: learn to spot quality. in december i found for a friend a 14k yellow gold -platinum head - 0.5 tcw three stone ring. beautiful visible arrows in the stones. marked LSC. leo schacter? 200 bucks.

i found for myself for a cheapie birthday present a 28 point H VS2 blue fluorescent oval on ebay last week. very pleased. - in spite of the tiny size, my co-worker can't take her eyes off it, it just glows and glows, she doesn't know it's the fluorescence. one of the signs i knew to buy it was - for two months i kept going back and looking at it. and it was a quality setting, no cheap prongs.

you will know it when you see it. train yourself to spot good stones and good workmanship.

 

[mrssalvo]

I agree with the above. I bought my stone from Pearlmans consignment section at a great price..used diamonds don''t bother me one bit

 

[blingless]

This looks a lot like the F SI I sent back to a different eBay seller a few weeks ago. You have to love the title on this one (LOL). At least they were honest. http://cgi.ebay.com/1-32-Carat-Ugly-White-Diamond-Do-Not-Buy-This-Thing_W0QQitemZ110051886417QQihZ001QQcategoryZ10216QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I''m still trying to figure out what to do with the other eBay diamonds I couldn''t return. I only need one glass cutter. I''m open for other suggestions. Although graded differently they are all about the same quality as the one above. Don''t get me wrong I''ve used eBay for years and its great but I think I''m personally done with eBay diamonds.