lang antiques in san francisco and european cuts

[ringster]

so i went to lang antiques today for the first time and can i say WOW WOW WOW. it''s a tiny store but they have tons of great rings. whoever is doing the buying is doing a great job. the salesperson who helped me was super nice as well and NO pressure. the pictures on the website do not do the jewelry justice AT ALL. if you are into antiquey jewelry and live in the bay area - you need to get thee to lang antiques - don''t even bother looking at the website just go.

i found a really nice ring that is a reproduction of an edwardian ring (created by a local jeweler from the sf jewelry institute (i think) who does fantastic reproductions). the stone is .89 european cut but not certified. the only info that they had was that it was L and VS2 (i am going to call tomorrow to double check if they have any more specs). There are also Ten European Cut Diamonds in the setting (.30 carat total weight Color: H-I Clarity: VS-SI1).

i think it is a pretty good cut as there was alot of fire and the setting is really beautiful. i have not seen anything like it so far. i put it on hold and will go back wed or thurs to see if i still like it.

however, i''m not very familiar with european cuts so don''t know what the going rate for these diamonds are. i checked the faycullen website but didn''t see a diamond with my specs but even if i did, i don''t have the table % or depth % info so can''t compare specs. based just on the color and clarity and approximate weight, the diamond might be around $2K?? does that sound right? this means that the setting is about 4.75K but that includes the 10 european cut diamonds. the way the setting is, it would not be possible to change out the diamond as the setting was made for the diamond which is ok with me as long as i am getting a reasonable deal for the diamond which i am not knowledgeable enough about to know at this time.

i''m also concerned about buying an uncertified diamond. i know lang has a good reputation on this board but has anyone bought an uncertified diamond from them? how is it appraised if it is uncertified? i''ve never bought any jewelry that ever cost this much so i''m kind of nervous and not sure what to do.

sorry if i''ve rambled on a bit. i hope this makes sense.

 

[Gypsy]

Langs is fabulous! We''ve gone there at the last two SF GTG''s and it''s always the favorite site.

If you are unsure about this ring ask them to give you a few days to return if it doesn''t check out, then I''d make an appointment at a good independent appraiser and have the ring taken in for appraisal-- if it checks out, great, if it doesn''t well.. take it back. I''ve seen some of their rings though, and they are stunning.

 

[ringster]

thanks gypsy - i can see why you all would meet there - i think it is the best place i''ve been to so far hands down.

would you recommend getting the ring resized first or appraised first? i would hate to get it sized to my size and then return it after appraisal.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d get it appraised first, and go from there. Sounds like a wonderful store, have read the reviews after PS''ers GTG''s.

 

[surfgirl]

I''m not familiar with Lang''s as I live farther south, but the ering I chose was also an antique ring and had no "pedigree papers" as it appears to have never been to the spa before. I too was nervous about such a huge purchase without concrete and trusted paperwork. I ended up getting the shop to sign the ring out to me on loan, and I took it to two independent appraisers and while one appraiser was a bit weird and shady, both appraisals basically were close enough that we felt comfortable with what we were getting, plus my usual appraiser is very conservative and likes to try to match a GIA appraisal in terms of not going crazy overboard so I think his appraisal is probably the closest to what we''d get if we sent it to a lab.

If you can get them to do the same for you, I''d have two appraisals to set your mind at rest. If they''re close in overall grading and value then you know you''re on the right track.

 

[ringster]

thanks kaleigh and surfgirl for the advice!

 

[ringster]

kaliegh and surfgirl, are one or both of you in the bay area? if so, do you have any recs for appraisers? i know nancy stacy has been mentioned but i need a 2nd one now

thank you!

 

[surfgirl]

check the top of the page here and you will see RESOURCES. Pull that down and you will see APPRAISERS and you should be able to find someone. Also, post a new thread with the title "APPRAISAL REFERENCES in SF" and that way people from your area will see it and perhaps share who they use.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 10/30/2007 12:42:01 AM
Author:ringster
so i went to lang antiques today for the first time and can i say WOW WOW WOW. it''s a tiny store but they have tons of great rings. whoever is doing the buying is doing a great job. the salesperson who helped me was super nice as well and NO pressure. the pictures on the website do not do the jewelry justice AT ALL. if you are into antiquey jewelry and live in the bay area - you need to get thee to lang antiques - don''t even bother looking at the website just go.

i found a really nice ring that is a reproduction of an edwardian ring (created by a local jeweler from the sf jewelry institute (i think) who does fantastic reproductions). the stone is .89 european cut but not certified. the only info that they had was that it was L and VS2 (i am going to call tomorrow to double check if they have any more specs). There are also Ten European Cut Diamonds in the setting (.30 carat total weight Color: H-I Clarity: VS-SI1).

i think it is a pretty good cut as there was alot of fire and the setting is really beautiful. i have not seen anything like it so far. i put it on hold and will go back wed or thurs to see if i still like it.

however, i''m not very familiar with european cuts so don''t know what the going rate for these diamonds are. i checked the faycullen website but didn''t see a diamond with my specs but even if i did, i don''t have the table % or depth % info so can''t compare specs. based just on the color and clarity and approximate weight, the diamond might be around $2K?? does that sound righ
t? this means that the setting is about 4.75K but that includes the 10 european cut diamonds. the way the setting is, it would not be possible to change out the diamond as the setting was made for the diamond which is ok with me as long as i am getting a reasonable deal for the diamond which i am not knowledgeable enough about to know at this time.

i''m also concerned about buying an uncertified diamond. i know lang has a good reputation on this board but has anyone bought an uncertified diamond from them? how is it appraised if it is uncertified? i''ve never bought any jewelry that ever cost this much so i''m kind of nervous and not sure what to do.

sorry if i''ve rambled on a bit. i hope this makes sense.

Old Euro''s tend to be darker when removed from the setting, so an "L" could be an "N" or lower. Table sizes and depths vary. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Obtaining an independent appraisal is a good idea and make the purchase only if there is a 100% money back return in writing. It''s not uncommon that an Old European cut diamond has no lab report.

Jeff Averbook,GG Graduate Gemologist/Appraiser

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[erica k]

i think you could get it independently appraised without a certificate. but i''m not sure whether the stone would have to be removed from the setting first. i know Lang Antiques has a return policy, so that wouldn''t be too much of a problem.

i love staring at their website. there are some gorgeous OEC rings!

 

[ringster]

thanks for everyone''s great input. i''ve decided against the ring - the L color was niggling at me and i think i would end up not liking the ring after awhile because of it. the cut was really nice tho and the ring beautiful.