Is This Worth It??

[sarafrd]

Hi, I just started looking for "the rock" can someone tell me if this is worth it...AND can someone tell me why its so cheap, and if its not worth it why? Thanks so much!!

Price: $9,193
Shape : Round
Carats : 3.04
Cut Grade : Very Good
Color Grade : J
Clarity Grade : SI2

Laboratory
Measurement : 9.01x9.05x5.86
Depth : 64
Table : 55
Girdle : M-
Culet : None
Polish : Very Good
Symmetry : Very Good
Certification : EGL
Fluorescence : NO

 

[Beacon]

Have you seen it in real life? Tips that cause lower price are: J, SI2, 64, EGL. For a 3ct it hasn''t much spread, so that is something showing the depth. This stone might look bad in real life. Couldn''t say if it is worth the price.

 

[sarafrd]

I am seeing it tomorrow, I am ok with the J color and SI2. Is the depth really that bad? What does it mean to have a bad depth?
and is EGL really not good? sorry with the questions, dont know too much about diamonds.

 

[JulieN]

A depth of 64, with a medium girdle, means that this diamond has extremely steep angles which are not optimized for light return, as well as making the diamond appear smaller and yellower.

EGL USA is supposed to be more accurate than the European labs, and EGL Israel is purportedly worthless.

 

[sarafrd]

What depth would you be looking for with a medium girdle??

 

[JulieN]

58-62.3 is good, depending on several other things. For a J colored stone for an engagement ring, I'd shoot for 59-61/62

 

[JulieN]

You really don''t want something like this: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-need-your-help-and-opinions-on-this-diamond.48656/ )

 

[Beacon]

Since this stone likely has some cut issues (and it remains to be discovered how eye clean it is/not) maybe you should do this: Ask the dealer to show you this stone and then request that he get a GIA Excellent or AGS 0 stone out and put it side by side. You can take a long look and see if the differences are meaningful to you. You might want to ask if your subject stone has any damage or anything about it that might make it structurally unstable over the long term, e.g surface reaching inclusions, big feather near girdle or very thin girdle. Since it is SI2 you do have to check this carefully. You''ll also want to find out if there has been any laser (or other) enhancement done on the stone. All these things could bring the price into the low level you are quoted.

 

[Mara]

wow a 3c J SI2 for $9k? that in and of itself would be waving some serious red flags for me.

that depth is too deep but even with a 55/64 unless the stone is a total dog with a big dead center, i can't imagine that it'd only be $9k! that is $3k a carat which is ridiculous and NOT remotely inline with market price for a J SI2. even for a stone with the cut grade AGA 3A/3B, the average price per carat is still $5500-6k, and this is $3k which is 1/2 of that? that's just not right. there is an I I1 that is $2800 per carat in the 3c range. so if you are buying a non well-cut I/J I1 then possibly $3k per carat sounds right, but not for a properly graded J SI2.

i would imagine the stone is not good looking at all (very good cut?!?! i dont think so!) but yes do compare it with something better cut, though honestly if you are going in to see this at a jeweler i wouldn't imagine they'd have some really great EX stones just laying around.

here's a link to the $2800 per carat I I1 3c stone for $9k just for comparison purposes.

https://www.pricescope.com/origin.asp?id=368983&sh=8&prc=8635

 

[Lorelei]

To answer the title question, I doubt it. This diamond is too deep and many red flags here with the cut quality, clarity and colour and the grading. If this diamond was worth more, they certainly wouldn't be selling it for 9k, especially with the shortage of 3 ct diamonds and the overwhelming demand. Pass if I were you. 3 cts doesn't mean a thing unless the diamond is well cut and I have serious doubts that this one is

Also Sara to get a quality 3 carat diamond you are going to need to spend upwards of $20k for a GIA cert and that is the lower end of what you could spend for a diamond of this size, even a J SI2. Bear in mind too that in such a large diamond, the chances increase with a lower clarity that it might not be eyeclean, you might run into this a lot even if you up the budget. I am not saying this will always be the case, but be prepared it could be. Generally the larger you go, the more chance of seeing visible inclusions. EGL certed are almost always cheaper than GIA but this is because they are said to be softer on grading in some instances. Also another consideration is if you ever wanted to trade up, most vendors won't accept EGL certed diamonds in part exchange.

 

[~*Alexis*~]

if you dont mind me asking, who is the vendor? That could have an impact on the price as well.

 

[denverappraiser]

You asked the right question: Why is it so cheap?

Although we won’t be able to give a straight answer to the above question without seeing the stone, here’s a few common theories. Which apply, and whether they are acceptable to you given the low price depends on your taste regarding these things. Diamond shopping involves a series of compromises that we would rather not be forced to make and it can lead to people compromising without knowing and accepting it though denial rather than through a conscious decision. Otherwise, everyone would be buying 3ct AGS D-IF superideals. Here are what usually drives down the price of superficially similar stones:

1) Grading.
All J color’s are the same. This is an opinion from the lab and, at best, it’s only as good as the credibility of the lab. Even that is a bit of a stretch because every lab makes mistakes and those mistakes don’t just get discarded, they get sold with enthusiasm. J can mean L. The same is true with the clarity. SI-2 just might be Flemish for I-1.Beware of considering lab reports to be certifications. They are not. It’s not the lab that makes beautiful diamonds beautiful, that’s a collaboration between God and the cutter. A J color is a property endowed by God - a J grade comes from a lab. These are decidedly not the same thing.

2) Cutting.
As much as we wish it were true, not all diamonds are fashioned to produce the best optics. Some are, most aren’t. All diamonds are fashioned to produce the most MONEY. As with the above, although there is some overlap, these are not the same things. Excellent optics sells for a premium, which cutters like, but so do bigger sizes and higher clarities gained by cutting away certain things (which usually results in smaller sizes). It’s a delicate dance to balance these things and doing it well is a huge fraction of the job of a skilled cutter. It’s how they make their living. On the road from rough stone to finished, the cutter must make a series of decisions, most of which are irreversible and most of which are made with incomplete information. Occasionally this leads to mistakes but, for the most part, they are clever, well informed, well equipped and highly skilled people. Excellent cuts don’t happen by accident and neither do crappy cuts. In both cases, and everywhere in between, the cutter decided that they could maximize the sales potential of the stone by doing what they did. Were they right? Maybe. Probably. Is it the right stone for you? Maybe, maybe not. That depends on what you consider to be valuable. 'Very Good' can mean very different things to different people.

3) Damage.
Your lab report has a date on it. What you are seeing is documentation about the condition of the stone as of that date. You will not know of subsequent damage unless the dealer tells you about it or you or your chosen expert examine the stone. If the damage is slight, say a small chip on the corner of a princess, it’s pretty common for dealers to forget to mention it in the sales presentation or to sell the stone mounted in a way that covers it up. Damaged stones are easiest to sell to customers who are buying off the paper and who either don’t look at the stone or who don’t know what to look for. Certain markets are more conducive to this and, not surprisingly, damaged goods tend to make their way into those markets and they appear to be attractively priced.

4) Fraud
Sometimes they’re just lying.

5) Inappropriate market
This is the one everyone hopes for and sometimes it’s right. Some dealers are just stupid. They don’t know what they have and they don’t know what it should cost. This is more unusual than most buyers would hope and is usually occurs in non-professional markets like garage sales. Some stores are better at selling certain types of goods than others and you may be looking at something that they regret buying and are pretty anxious to sell. Some stores just aren’t very good at selling things, or they have a bad location, or the economy in their town/country is bad or any variety of other excuses. Aiming for these is pretty aggressive but occasionally leads to a good deal. Honest dealers who tell the truth about their goods while being too stupid or lazy to know how that truth affects the value or who otherwise are under pressure to make sales that aren’t in their best interest are pretty hard to find.
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Beacon]

So, tell us how the stone was? Was it nice - did you buy it?