Is there a shortage of larger, ideal cut RB stones?

[sna77]

I was just playing around with the "Pricescope Your Diamond" cut quality search tool, and put in the basic specs of my wife''s ring, and it produced a grand total of ZERO results... (Search string was D-F, Ideal, 2.25-10 ct, IF-SI1). Expanding this search to 2ct + produced two results…

I then tried searching Blue Nile, which seems to have the largest database of diamonds, and there were only a handful of diamonds that fit into that range, and they were substantially more expensive than what I paid in Dec 2004 (from WF)... Plus, there seemed to be a much larger selection than there is now?! Has that much changed in the industry since then? I figured with the world economy being down there''d be an excess of diamonds now...

Thanks in advance for your responses / insight...

 

[dbsdiamonds]

When I do a search using your criteria I hit over 1000 and still counting. So you are not looking in the right place.

Diamonds of quality over 2ct have exploded in pricing over the past year. Just last year we sold a 4ct F VS asscher for $80k, now this type replacement is over $150k. Nov a 6ct H SI2 Ideal triple ex is now over $130k. In Feb 2007 we sold a 7ct fancy light pink GIA pear in an aweome mounting, replacement is probably over $1mil right now. And Nov 2007 a 14ct+ E VS emerald cut with Ex/Ex in a mounting for $950k, shocking what a replacement costs now.


Marty
CEO/Pres
Diamond Brokerage Service, Inc
www.dbsdiamonds.com

 

[neatfreak]

I don''t know if "shortage" is the right word, that implies that it''s temporary. There are just many many fewer bigger diamonds found, thus why diamond prices aren''t linear with carat weight. There are always fewer stones as you get bigger and bigger...

 

[sna77]

Date: 8/30/2008 6:12:02 PM
Author: dbsdiamonds
When I do a search using your criteria I hit over 1000 and still counting. So you are not looking in the right place.

Diamonds of quality over 2ct have exploded in pricing over the past year. Just last year we sold a 4ct F VS asscher for $80k, now this type replacement is over $150k. Nov a 6ct H SI2 Ideal triple ex is now over $130k. In Feb 2007 we sold a 7ct fancy light pink GIA pear in an aweome mounting, replacement is probably over $1mil right now. And Nov 2007 a 14ct+ E VS emerald cut with Ex/Ex in a mounting for $950k, shocking what a replacement costs now.


Marty
CEO/Pres
Diamond Brokerage Service, Inc
www.dbsdiamonds.com

Those pricing jumps are insane! Do you need to have diamonds re-appraised every few years to ensure that they are properly insured? Nothing would be worse than if my wife lost a 2.4ct stone and I had to replace it with a 1.7...

BTW, I was using the cut-quality search here: https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx What tool are you using?

Thanks for the help.

 

[agc]

Date: 8/30/2008 6:12:02 PM
Author: dbsdiamonds
When I do a search using your criteria I hit over 1000 and still counting. So you are not looking in the right place.

Diamonds of quality over 2ct have exploded in pricing over the past year. Just last year we sold a 4ct F VS asscher for $80k, now this type replacement is over $150k. Nov a 6ct H SI2 Ideal triple ex is now over $130k. In Feb 2007 we sold a 7ct fancy light pink GIA pear in an aweome mounting, replacement is probably over $1mil right now. And Nov 2007 a 14ct+ E VS emerald cut with Ex/Ex in a mounting for $950k, shocking what a replacement costs now.


Marty
CEO/Pres
Diamond Brokerage Service, Inc
www.dbsdiamonds.com

Marty,

That is interesting that you get 1000''s. When I go to your website and enter 2-10 cts., D-I color, IF-SI, GIA AND AGS, H&A-Ideal cut I get six diamonds that most PS''ers would begin to consider ideal (AGS0 or GIA Ex/Ex/Ex).

 

[dbsdiamonds]

I just released the new version of our website. The inventory needs to be updated. There is also a master list of gems available to the trade. Many suppliers don''t allow their inventory to be posted which is why you see the traditional "50,000" diamonds or "30,000" or whatever the count is.

The actual count is over 100,000+.

In terms of appraisal usually an appraisal of say 30% over cost (not retail) would have been fine, but with how the bigger diamonds have been looked at as commodities over the past year or so I am quite sure a majority of people have really bad value information on their appraisal if older than 2 years.

I''d just recommend casually glancing every year or so and if you see prices closing in or exceeding your replacement value then you better go get it updated.

The insurance companies are notorious for screwing people over when the values are too low, and if too high they''ll "reserve the right to replace" even if you''ve been paying on a higher appraisal value...

Marty
CEO/Pres
Diamond Brokerage Service, Inc
www.dbsdiamonds.com

 

[dbsdiamonds]

Explained in the last submission. Engage and I''ll show you.

Marty

 

[dbsdiamonds]

On the advanced search just query for ex/ex on polish/symmetry and take the "ideal" and "h and a" off. We are working on this section to figure out how to isolate the specific H And A''s available. This will give you 935...actually I did generic search in those parameters, not just ex/ex but you can fine tune as you''d like.

Again, As we work on this site to bring it to full term the inventory has to be updated.

Marty

 

[agc]

Marty,

I''m curious. Using your trade access to the database lets pick something middle of the road. 2ct H VS2 H&A GIA EX/EX/EX or AGS0. How many do you get?

 

[dbsdiamonds]

48 GIA or AGS. 2.00 to 2.50. But then the H and A will have to be confirmed.

Marty

 

[agc]

Thanks Marty. 48 is not that many for 2-2.5 ct range considering most will probably not be true H&A.

 

[sna77]

Date: 8/30/2008 6:56:18 PM
Author: agc
Thanks Marty. 48 is not that many for 2-2.5 ct range considering most will probably not be true H&A.

Is that database just US based?

 

[dbsdiamonds]

Agreed...

The squeeze is on the "rough" diamond side of the market. And as Russia, China, India, Dubai and other players increase their role in buyers/demand market the US market is feeling the change, irrelevant of the current economic situation that one party it trying to tout as being "bad".

The interesting thing will be to see what happens when the US consumer confidence jumps back up in terms of pricing and availability. Many here ares waiting for the bubble to either let some air out or burst but the consumers here are loosing control over how the market reacts to their demand by the overseas demand, just like in oil.

It would be wise to keep an eye on appraisal values more frequently over the next year or so until things cool down...

Marty
CEO/Pres
www.dbsdiamonds.com

 

[dbsdiamonds]

No, not just US based but major major percentage is...