Is there an online company that specializes in larger stones?

[LisaLondon]

We''re looking for something in the 8-10 carat range (Emerald or Asscher) and I''ve not seen much online in that size. There are amazing things at Graff (of course!) but the price we negotiated them to is still marked up 30%, according to a diamond dealer friend of mine (she buys rough and polishes them, and also doesn''t do anything in larger sizes).

 

[Allison D.]

The best way to go about finding a diamond in that size range is to give your specs to a trusted vendor and let them source for you.

Most of us don''t stock those goods regularly due to a very limited potential market, but we''re able to source them on request.

Sounds like an amazing project; best of luck to you.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

I second Allison''s advice.

Stones of such size are not sold daily, and for the cutters specialized in such sizes, having them listed online could reduce the appeal of these diamonds (at least in their eyes).

Then again, I suppose that most online retailers have the necessary connections to source them, and to evaluate them when they arrive in the office.

So indeed, the best advice is to contact the retailer that appeals most to you, and to ask them to try and source such a diamond for you.

Be aware however, that the higher the weight of the diamond, the lower the probability of easily finding a high cut-quality. Unfortunately.

Live long,

 

[bgray]

additionally--high quality large carat stones at this size are not going to be lying around at bare bones prices. these stones are typically circulated in very small circles.

 

[decodelighted]

If you can buy from Graff at just 30% mark up -- why look further?

 

[Rosa]

I''ve never bought from this company, but have definitely seen 7+carat stones (I was looking at Asschers) on the website: www.abazias.com

They list all the stats with a nice little diagram.


When my hubby bought my ring, though, he didn''t want to buy online, so he went to a diamond dealer on 47th St up on a high floor. This guy doesn''t have a booth - he just sells to the trade and to a few consumers through word of mouth He pulled a bunch of certs (mostly GIA, I recall, maybe some others) with the stats my husband asked for and asked him to pick which ones to call in in person. Then DH went to his office and looked at them under a loupe and a microscope, and just decided which one he liked the best.

If you have a friend who works in the diamond trade, even with smaller stones, I am SURE she must know someone like this for you to call.

You need to try on a diamond like that. They will use wax to attach it to a setting so you can put it on your finger.

I have tiny hands and 8 carats looks ludicrous on my finger - like I''m wearing my great Aunt Tilly''s costume jewelry. You might find that if you have thick fingers a traditional elongated emerald will look better than an asscher.

Take a look for price comparison at abazias, but if you are spending several hundred thousand on a diamond, make sure you try it on and like it!

 

[LisaLondon]

The Graff stone was a J, and beautifully cut, but I just wanted to see if there was anything else out there to compare it against. So far, I haven't found anything close. I know a lot of people in the diamond trade already (which helped with the negotiations with Graff; one works for them). Everything else we've seen outside of Graff has been rubbish and crazily priced... as Paul-Antwerp points out even stones way out of our budget were not very well cut ...especially DeBeers. Maybe online just isn't the way to go. I'll continue to have the guys in Antwerp find me things. Even they are having a hard time finding stones! If I wanted a round, it would be easy for them. The only sizeable stones they've found so far are Bellataire, which after doing some more research, isn't at all what we are after.

Thanks for all of the info!