Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Leo Diamond vs Radiant Star...which is a better choice

M

max4321

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
8
So I have narrowed my ring search down to two:

Option 1
Leo Diamond from Kay
  • .70 CT
  • D Color
  • SI2
  • Princess Cut
  • No Treatment
  • Excellent Polish
  • Good Symmetry

This comes with a GSI report and the 14 KW setting makes it 1.40 CT TW. The price for this is retail $7,799 with a promotion making it $6,999, but I talked the guy into a total out the door price of $6,600 with lifetime warranty and tax. It is this ring http://www.kay.com/en/kaystore/diamonds---gemstones/diamond-engagement-ring-1-1-3-ct-tw-princess-cut-14k-white-gold-990657405--1/100020/100020.100023.100050

Option 2
Radiant Star from Helzberg
  • .71 CT
  • F Color
  • VS1
  • Cushion Cut
  • No Treatment
  • Very Good Polish
  • Good Symmetry

This comes with a GIA report and a separate 14 KW Scott Kay setting with .29 CT. The price for this is $3,999 for diamond and $2,395 for setting but talked down to a $6,100 out the door price with lifetime warranty and tax.

Which would you say is the better choice for the money...the people at Kay said that they very rarely get a Leo diamond that is D Color and Excellent Polish, but since it is GSI can I even trust that? The way Kay works is they have like 3 of the ring, and you can choose which you want, the other 2 Leo's were F and H color with Very Good and Good symmetry.
 
Ugh. No, I wouldn't trust GSI - if it were really a D SI they would have sent it to GIA or AGS.

Are you resigned to buying at one of those 2 places? Would you consider buying online?

Here is a spectacular princess with a top-notch cut (i.e. great light performance = mucho sparkle)
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2874872.htm

This is a very nice princess already in a spectacular halo mounting:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3380/

The setting you linked is reminiscent of Gabriel & Co mountings -
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/styles?default_head_shape=PR

I think you can do MUCH better - you can get a spectacular stone in a very nice mounting for what you would be paying in the "maul" store for not such good quality.

Start looking at Whiteflash, James Allen, Good Old gold (they carry Gabriel mountings and can likely work with you on the "out the door" price for both stone and mounting)
 
Neither. I wouldn't buy from Kay or Helzberg. Also, you're getting royally ripped off with that first stone, especially with a GSI certificate.
 
You can do much better! ecf8503's suggestions are very good.

The ACA from Whiteflash is beautiful. With your budget you can hit 1ct or get very close depending on your color and clarity preferences.
 
Yeah I really like the loose diamond prices on there and there are a ton of options for beautiful settings, but I suppose I am nervous about the idea of buying online and how much I can trust where this is coming from. Also is there anything that is equivalent to the lifetime warranty of a store (replaces chips, cracks, lost diamonds, etc.)?
 
max4321|1381078459|3533169 said:
Yeah I really like the loose diamond prices on there and there are a ton of options for beautiful settings, but I suppose I am nervous about the idea of buying online and how much I can trust where this is coming from. Also is there anything that is equivalent to the lifetime warranty of a store (replaces chips, cracks, lost diamonds, etc.)?
Click to expand...

That's what insurance is for. :) But yes, sometimes the makers will cover a lost melee stone, etc.

Stick with trusted PS vendors and you'll be fine. We don't recommend them lightly; they have a proven track record of providing superior goods and services. And they have return periods if you aren't happy for some reason.

Good Old Gold
Whiteflash
James Allen
Brian Gavin
High Performance Diamonds

I'm sure I'm missing some......
 
You need to read the hundreds of stories on PS of people buying from the very trusted venders. Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, James Allen, Brian Gavin Diamonds are amongst the most popular. I have purchased several stones and pieces of jewelry from WF starting in 2006 and visited their offices. Good Old Gold has a regular store front in NY. BGD is run by a husband and wife team. All these vendors welcome phone calls and emails. Talking to a real person is comforting when buying on the internet.
 
Listen to us...we won't steer you wrong!
 
Yes, do listen to everything they say - I did!!! I made my first online diamond purchase this past summer from a trusted PS vendor and I couldn't be happier. The service was great and the experience was so positive that I can't wait for the next purchase. You get a much better quality of diamond for a much better price - in my case, almost 50% less then what I was quoted in a B&M store. So, don't hesitate - listen to the advice - and good luck!! (I went with Whiteflash and would definitely go with them again - but I have also looked into the other vendors and believe that they would give the same quality and serivice!)
 
sorry I also agree I would rather by from a PS vendor than a chain retail store or a GSI stone.....
 
I would personally purchase a stone in that shape from either Whiteflash, James Allen, Good Old Gold or a Crafted by Infinity, Wink doesn't have a heap of Princess cuts in stock at the moment, but you can email him and ask, I am sure he would find you something or alternatively if it's extra fire and sparkle you seek email Good Old Gold and ask either about their Princess shaped Solasferas or one of their other square shaped custom cuts. Most of their stones will leave the others for dead in terms of light performance and if you are going to pay a premium for a cut marketed as better than the average on you might as well go for a top one. All will also give you a good price on a setting if you buy a centre stone from them.
 
I am working with a WF consultant currently and was wondering if you all have had any success with price reduction from the what the website costs are? I would be buying both a setting and a center stone.
 
Tell them you are a Pricescope member that should get you a small % discount. They usually give some type of discount anyway if you purchase the stone & setting all from them.
 
Gorgeous stone and much bigger size for your buck!
 
I went ahead and ordered that JA setting and diamond! So I am very excited! Can't wait to finally see it in a week!
 
Soooo, I went into Kay Jewelers to cancel the layaway I had on the Leo Diamond, since I placed the order for the James Allen and the guy said he could lower it all the way down to $5,500....Do you think that makes the Leo Diamond more worth it? OR does it just prove that they know the diamond is obviously worth less than that and it really isn't worth that?
 
a .7 "D SI2" you can get for probably less than $2K.

How about you wait for your JA order, which you spent less than 5500 on. Then go back to Kay and see which one you prefer.
 
That is an excellent idea! Also, once I put in the order at JA I was instantly relieved and instantly less stressed from the past few weeks of searching for the perfect ring. Thank you all for your help! I will be sure to post a picture once I receive my ring...again, I couldn't have done it without all of your input. I would have caved on a $6,600 poorly certified, overpriced ring. Thank you! :twirl:
 
You can get a GIA-graded 0.7 carat D SI2 from James Allen for $2100. And that's GIA-graded -- you can't trust the grades from whatever crap lab Kay is using. I saw a thread here once where someone got a diamond graded by GIA after it had been graded by another lab, and the color was FIVE grades off. I think the fact that he was willing to knock over 2k off the price is very telling. You bought a beautiful ring -- it's bigger and higher quality. No doubt in my mind, you should stick with the James Allen.
 
I am sure that once I see it I will be absolutely 100% happy with my choice to go with JA...also the guy at Kay's was very pushy and unfriendly, while the lady from JA was a freaking saint and not just kind for a salesperson, but for anyone, definitely set a new standard for customer respect and service.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top