Okay.....I''m looking for a diamond and pretty brand new at this, so I peruse the internet and found PS. What a great site this is! I read most if not all of the articles and print out a bunch of stuff because I''m going to be taking a trip to LA. My mom swears by the Jewelry Mart in the downtown area, but she mostly buys just gold stuff. Armed with all of my info (in my head and on paper), I head on into the first big store (inside, there are many little dealers) and find a lady that greeted me almost immediately as I walked in. Most of her inventory was bridal sets so I figured that''s who I should be at least starting with. I told her that I was looking for a diamond and that I''ve been searching online for one. I told her what I wanted in size, color, quality and price was looking for. She pulled out a box full of wrapped gems.
As we were talking, I mentioned that I wanted a "graded" diamond. Either a GIA or an AGS. She immediately told me that the only graded diamonds that she had were from GIA or EGL. Mostly all of them were from EGL. None were "double-graded". I also asked if any of them had any other printouts such as H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope. She looked at me as if I were from another planet. I kinda explained the different reports to her to the best of my ability, which probably showed even more how much I didn''t know about diamonds. She also said something similar to the effect of "You can''t trust anyone other than EGL or GIA. Give them a few dollars and they will type up anything you tell them you want. Money talks." I''m not sure that she was understanding what I meant about the H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope reports. I then asked about the HCA. She asked what that was and I tried to explain that to her.
So, I decided to just look at her selection anyway. Every diamond that she pulled out, she exclaimed "This one is beautiful" or "This one is almost perfect". The weights ranged from .5 to 1.05 and prices were just as varied...the cut and clarity were all over the place as well, although she didn''t show me one higher than a G. I looked a few with a loop and saw some with feathers, and some with big black carbon spots, and some with "bubbles" and some perfectly clear (to at least my eye). I heard so many prices and saw so many diamonds, I couldn''t keep them straight....so I decided to pick one and take home the "specs" and price and see if they even are a good deal. I picked one out and looked at the EGL sheet and got all of the dimensions needed for an HCA inquiry. (It ended up being a 4.4)
I took the info and left after I told her that wanted to check around a bit. Okay....I was full of emotion at that point. Mostly confused by the whole ordeal. It seemed that I was being bombarded with the 5 c''s info (cost included) from this vendor. I can totally see how people can be swayed into just buying whatever just because they saw a diamond that was in their price range and it looked nice. By the end of looking at just ONE vendor, I was thinking, "No one is going to look at my future wife''s stone with a loop....what the heck am I doing...what is the difference if there are a few light feathers, or the angles aren''t exactly perfect, or I don''t have a certain piece of paper that shows the pretty diamond under a red light". Needless to say, I left the area fairly disappointed. I figured that the 9,000 other vendors in this two block area, would have the same song and dance.
Part of me wants to get a good quality diamond and have all the necessary paperwork to back that up (and pay a bit more) and the other part of me just wants to buy the clearest largest diamond and not worry about how "perfect" it is (nobody I know even HAS a jeweler''s loop...hahaha). I''m sure that there is a middle of the road somewhere. I''m more than likely going to buy one online, because the vendors here aren''t afraid to give full disclosure via paperwork and closeup pics.
So here are the questions.
1. Does it matter that a diamond doesn''t have a ton of paperwork to go along with it (ie. idealscope or multiple grades)....this question is directly related to the upgrading of the diamond at a later date. This vendor told me that he would give me full price of what I paid for a larger stone in the future, but I''m stuck with buying again from him.
2. It seems to me that the diamonds that are for sale on this website have tons of paperwork, but may be a few bucks more. Is it worth it to buy online?
3. The lady told me NEVER to buy diamonds online...because some are "treated". I''m sure that there are reputable dealers and not-so-reputable dealers out there. Are the ones that have a listing on this site on the up-and-up?
As we were talking, I mentioned that I wanted a "graded" diamond. Either a GIA or an AGS. She immediately told me that the only graded diamonds that she had were from GIA or EGL. Mostly all of them were from EGL. None were "double-graded". I also asked if any of them had any other printouts such as H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope. She looked at me as if I were from another planet. I kinda explained the different reports to her to the best of my ability, which probably showed even more how much I didn''t know about diamonds. She also said something similar to the effect of "You can''t trust anyone other than EGL or GIA. Give them a few dollars and they will type up anything you tell them you want. Money talks." I''m not sure that she was understanding what I meant about the H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope reports. I then asked about the HCA. She asked what that was and I tried to explain that to her.
So, I decided to just look at her selection anyway. Every diamond that she pulled out, she exclaimed "This one is beautiful" or "This one is almost perfect". The weights ranged from .5 to 1.05 and prices were just as varied...the cut and clarity were all over the place as well, although she didn''t show me one higher than a G. I looked a few with a loop and saw some with feathers, and some with big black carbon spots, and some with "bubbles" and some perfectly clear (to at least my eye). I heard so many prices and saw so many diamonds, I couldn''t keep them straight....so I decided to pick one and take home the "specs" and price and see if they even are a good deal. I picked one out and looked at the EGL sheet and got all of the dimensions needed for an HCA inquiry. (It ended up being a 4.4)
I took the info and left after I told her that wanted to check around a bit. Okay....I was full of emotion at that point. Mostly confused by the whole ordeal. It seemed that I was being bombarded with the 5 c''s info (cost included) from this vendor. I can totally see how people can be swayed into just buying whatever just because they saw a diamond that was in their price range and it looked nice. By the end of looking at just ONE vendor, I was thinking, "No one is going to look at my future wife''s stone with a loop....what the heck am I doing...what is the difference if there are a few light feathers, or the angles aren''t exactly perfect, or I don''t have a certain piece of paper that shows the pretty diamond under a red light". Needless to say, I left the area fairly disappointed. I figured that the 9,000 other vendors in this two block area, would have the same song and dance.
Part of me wants to get a good quality diamond and have all the necessary paperwork to back that up (and pay a bit more) and the other part of me just wants to buy the clearest largest diamond and not worry about how "perfect" it is (nobody I know even HAS a jeweler''s loop...hahaha). I''m sure that there is a middle of the road somewhere. I''m more than likely going to buy one online, because the vendors here aren''t afraid to give full disclosure via paperwork and closeup pics.
So here are the questions.
1. Does it matter that a diamond doesn''t have a ton of paperwork to go along with it (ie. idealscope or multiple grades)....this question is directly related to the upgrading of the diamond at a later date. This vendor told me that he would give me full price of what I paid for a larger stone in the future, but I''m stuck with buying again from him.
2. It seems to me that the diamonds that are for sale on this website have tons of paperwork, but may be a few bucks more. Is it worth it to buy online?
3. The lady told me NEVER to buy diamonds online...because some are "treated". I''m sure that there are reputable dealers and not-so-reputable dealers out there. Are the ones that have a listing on this site on the up-and-up?