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Pklemm

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
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I recently purchased the diamond below on James Allen. I proposed yesterday and my now fiancé said yes, but we are doing some additional research and are questioning the IGI certification, since it sounds like GIA is a more reputable source. I would be willing to spend a few grand more to get a better diamond / a GIA certified diamond. Did I overpay for this one? What are thoughts on the quality? We found another diamond that we think may be a better one. Unfortunately the return period runs out in a few days. Any opinions would be appreciated! I’m a total newbie!

Here is the one purchased: https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5078912


Here is the GIA certified one we have on hold:
https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4381721
 
First off, congrats on the engagement!

In regards to the diamond, IGI is not very well respected so it's hard to trust the data on cert. I would probably return if I were you. In addition to being IGI, the angles aren't the best for optimal sparkle.

I didn't really care for the GIA stone you have on hold either, but will look when I'm on my laptop again.

We can find you a good stone. What is max dollars, color and clarity requirements? Also if you dip down to a 1.8 or 1.90ct stone does that matter?
 
GIA and AGS is the way to go. What's your budget and what size, color, and clarity are you looking for?
 
Do you like the ring and the diamond?
 
Thank you for your congratulations! That’s extremely helpful. We’ve been stressing and going back and forth on whether IGI makes sense all day and we didn’t have a great feeling about it.

The max dollars we would like to spend is around 15-16k. Ideally 15k as a max. Here are our spec requirements:

Carat- ideally we would really like to stay at 2, but would be ok dipping slightly lower

Color- I or H (if possible)

Clarity - a clean Sl1 or better

How do you feel about James Allen? Since we have the setting from there now as well it would be easiest for us to exchange on there, but open to your thoughts. Thank you!
 
whitewave said:
Do you like the ring and the diamond?
Click to expand...

It looks nice in person but I don’t have experience with diamonds so I’m not sure if this was a good price / If it is a good diamond. I would much rather spend a bit more if I can find something better / that is a better deal. We are also concerned that it is IGI and not GIA.
 
sledge said:
First off, congrats on the engagement!

In regards to the diamond, IGI is not very well respected so it's hard to trust the data on cert. I would probably return if I were you. In addition to being IGI, the angles aren't the best for optimal sparkle.

I didn't really care for the GIA stone you have on hold either, but will look when I'm on my laptop again.

We can find you a good stone. What is max dollars, color and clarity requirements? Also if you dip down to a 1.8 or 1.90ct stone does that matter?
Click to expand...

Thank you for your congratulations! That’s extremely helpful. We’ve been stressing and going back and forth on whether IGI makes sense all day and we didn’t have a great feeling about it.

The max dollars we would like to spend is around 15-16k. Ideally 15k as a max. Here are our spec requirements:

Carat- ideally we would really like to stay at 2, but would be ok dipping slightly lower

Color- I or H (if possible)

Clarity - a clean Sl1 or better

How do you feel about James Allen? Since we have the setting from there now as well it would be easiest for us to exchange on there, but open to your thoughts. Thank you!
 
GIA XXX 2.01ct I SI1, $15,440, 56 table 60.9 depth 34/40.8 angle combo & 75 LGF's (fat arrows)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5554927

I could show you some super ideals also. Cut is superb. Vendor is awesome. Trade up policy is much better also (spend $1 more and get full credit of original stone vs JA's spend 2x as much to get full credit). Downside is you will have to drop down to about a 1.8ct and you will have the hassle of dealing with the setting.

Let me know your thoughts. If you are interested in the above stone, place it on hold and ask for an Idealscope image.
 
I would return your stone. You can always use the same setting to set other diamond.
I you are buying online buy GIA or AGS certified diamonds only.
Check also the Blue Nile website: https://www.bluenile.com
 
I'm not a fan of the original stone. Angles are not complementary and color is funky. You can do much better with your budget. James Allen has been very overpriced recently compared to the other Drop Ship vendors, so I would personally avoid them. You can do much better by shopping around.

I found two on FourMine that are well-cut and fit your specs.

This is my personal favorite. Same stone that @sledge posted, but listed $2500 cheaper! (see, I told you James Allen is terribly overpriced right now ;) ). Love the cut of this diamond and it will definitely be eye-clean:
https://www.fourmine.com/shop/diamo...ce=rarecarat&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=2017

This one is also nice, but it has a cavity. Most people tend to avoid cavities as they can cause durability issues, but it may be worth considering if a gemologist can confirm that the cavity is not an issue:
https://www.fourmine.com/shop/diamo...ce=rarecarat&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=2017
 
Congratulations with your engagement!
I have a pair of studs that came with IGI certificates, graded as I/SI1, Excellent Cut. I had them sent to GIA where they were both graded as Very Good for cut, and one of them got J for color. Since the price was based on the specs of the original (IGI) certs, my estimate is that it was at least 20% higher than what it should have been. Unfortunately, with IGI you can't be sure that you are getting what you are paying for. Sorry about that! On a positive side, you've got a quite a few other options and the one TreeScientist posted would be a fantastic deal price wise (apart from it being a gorgeous diamond).
 
TreeScientist said:
I'm not a fan of the original stone. Angles are not complementary and color is funky. You can do much better with your budget. James Allen has been very overpriced recently compared to the other Drop Ship vendors, so I would personally avoid them. You can do much better by shopping around.

I found two on FourMine that are well-cut and fit your specs.

This is my personal favorite. Same stone that @sledge posted, but listed $2500 cheaper! (see, I told you James Allen is terribly overpriced right now ;-) ). Love the cut of this diamond and it will definitely be eye-clean:
https://www.fourmine.com/shop/diamo...ce=rarecarat&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=2017

This one is also nice, but it has a cavity. Most people tend to avoid cavities as they can cause durability issues, but it may be worth considering if a gemologist can confirm that the cavity is not an issue:
https://www.fourmine.com/shop/diamo...ce=rarecarat&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=2017
Click to expand...

That is one nice thing about virtual inventory -- multiple vendors means opportunity to shop prices. Good find on price savings by @TreeScientist.

FYI, I also found that other diamond with the cavity on JA. I didn't recommend because of the cavity, and also the arrows appear weak in the BN picture. Exact price is escaping me, but something like $13,400 or maybe $14,300 on the JA site.
 
farrahlyn said:
Are you ok with the color in the stone you currently have? If so, i wouldn't discount a GIA graded J because that IGI graded I is prob more like a GIA J or K.

That said, i do like this one though it IS slightly outside of Ideal parameters. But it scores well on the HCA (1.4) and has a really good spread.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5551599
Click to expand...

Great point by @farrahlyn regarding the color and IGI cert of the existing stone.

The stone she listed looks solid. I'm a little concerned with the 35.5/40.6 angle combo but it's doable. If interested, put on hold and request an idealscope image so we can confirm it's okay.

If you decide to go with the stone I listed or that @farrahlyn listed, I do think it's worthwhile to see if you can find that stone elsewhere for a better price. As @TreeScientist pointed out earlier, they may be trying to increase their pricing a little.

Assuming you find the stone elsewhere, but wish to stick with JA you can either pay the price premium, or request they price match. I do not see any policy on their website that requires them to do so, but the fact these stones are VIRTUAL INVENTORY and almost any retailer can access them, they do not have a unique product and consequently should be willing to compete on price to earn your business.

For a few hundred bucks I probably wouldn't get too worked up about it as there is hassle with the setting, etc. For $2,500 I would be willing to pitch a fit and return the setting and go elsewhere.
 
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