lumera prices very competitive.. any catch?

[eddiehgf]

Lumera prices seem a good 10 percent cheaper for equivalently specs stones as compared to wf and bgd.... is there a catch ?

 

[tyty333]

WF ACAs and BGD are branded H&A stones. I dont think you are comparing apples to apples. Does Lumera have pictures of the
stones, Idealscope, H&A images etc? Those cost money.

Not everyone needs a branded H&A stone but that a long with all the documentation that helps you to make sure you are getting
a nice stone is why you are seeing the price difference.

 

[Gypsy]

They are a drop shipper. That's the catch.

 

[kenny]

Lumera prices seem a good 10 percent cheaper for equivalently specs stones as compared to wf and bgd.... is there a catch ?

"Specs" do not describe everything.

That's like saying dealer X has cheaper cars and all of their cars all come with 4 tires and a steering wheel, and windows.

 

[Gypsy]

As a follow up read this: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/[/URL]

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.

Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.

 

[jillianfl]

I contacted Lumera about a stone and asked them to send pics. They refused (there's their catch I guess!) saying that they don't send pics at all and that their people do all the evaluating for you. I said see ya to them after that! I would never use them because of that, what vendor refuses to send a customer a pic when requested? (this was not a case of they don't have it available at the time being because it is in another country or something, it was flat out we don't provide pics under any circumstances, we will be the judge for you) I ended up buying from B2C who seems lower priced than Lumera from the comparisons I was pulling at the time, and who more importantly had no problem providing customers with pics when requested! Good luck in your search!