Just curious...

[Peepa]

How much did the jeweler cut from the original cost of your purchase? Let''s say you bought something that cost 10k. I''m guessing it''s smart to ask for at least a hundred bucks off? Just wondering what kind of differences in original to sold price you guys got.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This totally depends on where you are buying. I emailed a jeweler the other day to ask him if they discount their watches and he said to call him. So certainly ask if there is a discount on any item you are purchasing. I just wouldn''t be buying a $10,000 diamond from a jewelry store without doing a LOT of homework to determine the appropriate price in advance. You can start by being sure the diamond has a GIA or AGS cert, it should say excellent or ideal for cut, and then you can compare the prices on this search:


https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx

Put in excellent-excellent for cut (if you are looking at round diamonds) and check GIA and AGS only for labs.

 

[surfgirl]

It is always worth asking and on a $10k price tag, I wouldn't consider a $100 discount a deal at all. If they'll give you 10-20% off, that's great. In fact, I bought a very high end watch a few years ago and I got it at Neiman Marcus because they're the only AD in my area. Turns out, NM wheels and deals in it's Fine Jewels department....who knew?! So I ended up getting about 15-20% off the MSRP because the watch I wanted was a style that was being replaced and this was one of the last pieces in their inventory. But I hear they negotiate on fine jewelry as well. It's less about the seller, and more about you as the consumer, knowing the street value of what you're purchasing vs. what the seller probably put into buying that piece. If you do your homework, you'll get a better deal and be able to negotiate better.

Another example is car buying. When I bought my current car, I did my research for 6 months before buying and timed the purchase to be late August/Early Sept - a time when car dealers are chomping at the bit to get rid of that year's models. I paid a few bucks to join Consumer Reports and get access to the real dealer's invoice information, I shopping around town to see what other dealers had and what they were asking, and when I found the car I wanted, I had all the information that the dealer has on his books, so there was little to haggle about because I knew what they paid for the car, I knew the dealer incentives they'd get from the manufacturer for selling a car, and I got my car for about $150 over dealer invoice. But I did a lot of research before I bought.

 

[Peepa]

Hi surfgirl,
Do you know which month is best to buy a diamond?

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 3/27/2008 1:34:50 PM
Author: Peepa
Hi surfgirl,

Do you know which month is best to buy a diamond?

i''m not surfgirl, but prices are only going up on diamonds, there isn''t any real discount months like some other luxury items. you might like out on setting discounts from time to time though.

 

[Peepa]

The more I learn, the more I feel like I don''t know. I''m so worried I''ll make the wrong decision and get taken for a chump in the process. Thanks for your answers!