My hunt for a big OEC is taking us to the US!

[hippi_pixi]

i didn't have the balls to spend 30K online buying an OEC sight unseen for my engagement ring so we are having 2 weeks in the US to find a stone and have it put in a very quick setting so i can wear it home! we'll be in the US for the last 2 weeks of feb

i have 30K to spend on a big OEC (3cts or 9mm+) that has the best optics possible, has good symmetry and faces up white. I'm hoping for J color but this is something i think i need to see for myself. I'm not so fussed on the specific stats than i am on a stone that looks good in person. I'm also not someone to get stuck on whether its 'mind clean' I don't mind going lower in color and clarity than some would consider if it faces up a nice stone

so far we are thinking 4 nights in LA to do some sight seeing and set up a meeting with JBEG, 2 nights in vegas because my partner says we can't go to the US without visiting vegas. and then 6 nights in NY to see GOG and OWD. I haven't yet contacted these venders as we are just organising and booking the trip now

I did think of trying to squeeze in San francisco and Langs antiques but they don't seem to have any strong enough possibilities for me to insist we detour. we can't add time onto our trip as my partner is starting a new job just this week so he can't take more than 2 weeks off work including flights

I guess I'm throwing this out there for in case anyone has any good suggestions or tips to get the most out of it. other vendors we need to visit, anything potential problems i haven't thought of, sights we ought to see. stones you recommend i check out.

I'm considering myself very lucky to have this opportunity to visit the US from Australia to pick my dream stone and I HAVE to come back with something so i can't screw this up due to poor planning.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[hippi_pixi]

ps there might be better places to post this topic but i wanted to talk to antique lovers

 

[yennyfire]

Hi hippi pixi! Wow, what an amazing opportunity (and probably a bit scary too, since you have an end goal in sight)! I think you've probably hit the "biggies" of the antique stone gurus in the U.S. I'd add Singlestone to the list....they often have loose stones that aren't on the site and Ari is as honest as they come. I wouldn't hesitate to work with him on this.

M.S. Rau is in NYC and while the stones on their website are likely beyond reach (most people's reach!), they may have items that are not listed. It would be worth an email to find out, since you're going to be right there.

I'd go ahead and start sending emails to these vendors, as they may want to send you specs and pics now so that they can get a good feel for what you like/don't like (I may be wrong, but I'd give them as much of a heads up as I could).

Good luck!! Can't wait to see what you wear home!!!

ETA: I'd move this to RT so that it gets more traffic and the more seasoned antique stone folks can add their thoughts.

 

[Enerchi]

Hi! What an exciting trip you have planned!!! I'd also suggest at least meeting with Leigh Jay Nacht and their web is www.antiqueengagementrings.com I met with Leigh and Winona when I was hunting for a setting for my OEC and they have a wide variety of designs and diamonds. OWD may be your best source for diamonds, but their settings were lovely! I mean, if you are in NYC, why not see as many as possible, right??? You just never know....

AND PLEASE take a ton of pics so you can share everything with us!!

 

[gregchang35]

This is a FANTASTIC post as I will be making a trip from AUS to the USA in July/August 2013!!!

You have hit the vendors (GOG JBEG and OWD) that i have been researching and also agree with Enerchi with Leigh Jay Nacht.

I am taking notes and also would love to see photos as well. My project is somewhat smaller (0.5-0.75ct) but would love to hear about it all!!!! Well, i have a few projects

I am soo excited for you!

Enjoy!

 

[hippi_pixi]

Thanks greg, enerchi and yennyfire!

sorry i forgot to mention singlestone! they are on my list to visit while in LA. I originally had planned 25K for diamond and 5K for custom singlestone setting but after oggling stones like gingers and zahraleylas ive gotten greedy and given my entire 30k budget to stone and will put it in a 'cheap as chips' simple solitaire setting quickly and temporarily with the idea to have a dream setting done later on down the track.

I will add leigh jay naught to my NY list as well. I haven't had the opportunity to see that many large OEC's in Aus. I've only found one place in Queensland and have seen everything possible in Sydney and Melbourne which is still not that much. so this trip so i will have to cram in as much visual learning in as short a time period as possible.

i haven't heard of m s rau so i will look into that tomorrow since it is past my bedtime

greg i hope this thread and my trip will be helpful to you later in the year!

and i will definitely be posting TONS of pictures while in the US to get everyones advice so stay tuned

 

[GemFever]

What an awesome trip! But also has potential to be quite stressful as you feel the pressure to decide, and have so many places to look. As yennyfire suggested, I would send inquiries to the vendors as soon as possible, and maybe start narrowing down your options before you arrive. This way, you can start getting advice from PS old cut experts ahead of time and when you are in the US to look at the stones in person, you won't feel overwhelmed.

If I may, I'll post a link to Madelise's search for her perfect big OEC. I like that thread because it starts out with her being a little overwhelmed, and progresses through a bunch of stones to her final selection of a beautiful, perfect huge OEC.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-dreamer_d-and-yssie-and-other-old-cut-lovers.175753/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-dreamer_d-and-yssie-and-other-old-cut-lovers.175753/[/URL]

Cheers to this great trip!

 

[Rosebloom]

That sounds amazing! What an incredibly fun trip!

 

[hippi_pixi]

I'm STILL reading my way through maedlises thread its taking forever but its good stuff! especially since the 3.13 J Si1 at the beginning is one of my contenders. i get nervous of stones that have been for sale for a long time and have been discussed and passed on by people here on PS

I might starting posting contenders and see what you guys think of them. so again 30K, 3ct/9mm+ approx J/Si1. I'm not going to judge on graded color and clarity when i'm deciding so much as its a good light performer who is white enough and without distracting inclusions when viewed in person. So I don't really want to rule out stone due to color or clarity but want to rule out stones for things like asymmetry, bad facet patterning, leakage, fish eye, nailhead and generally poor light performance. i know what i don't want but i can't really tell from online pictures and videos

so to start the action there are two stones from JBEG I'm looking at a

2.51 J Si1. 8.45 x 8.49 x 5.36. $23 650 currently on hold slightly smaller that i was after. i bought 2 cubic zirconias 8mm and 9mm and could definitely see and feel a difference
http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Loose-Diamonds/251ct-Old-European-Cut-Diamond/23477402_vpXkGj#!i=1897369907&k=8J3WtHh

3.62 L VS1. 9.65 x 9.45 $26 875 this ones currently in a ring and is listed in that category on the website. its lower color than i wanted but they say it looks 'VERY white' face up in most lighting conditions and its very bright. i quite like the slightly cushiony shape.
http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/SOLD-ITEMS-1/362ct-Loose-Old-European-Cut/14738104_zXhL4P#!i=1100236688&k=kKccxwh

From GOG

2.26 J Si1 AVR. 8.2 x 8.18 x 5.49 med fluor $28 967
Pros: great optics, i love fluor. cons: too small, no genuine antique history
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9865/

3.20 L Si1 OEC. 9.28 x 9.24 x 5.85 $26 780
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9503/

3.13 J Si1 OEC 9.06 x 8.99 x 6.25
deeper than the others and i while i liked this from OWD its ASET on GOG doesn't look that great. also I've seen it discussed on a few threads and no one has bought it so far...
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9511/



all comments welcomed!

 

[GemFever]

I'm not that good and critical commentary on stones, all I usually see is either "oooh, pretty!" or "no good at all." My eye is not trained for the finer details. But I would advise to take this thread to Rocky Talky at this point. You'll get much more advice there. I love this subforum myself, it feels a bit "cozier" than RT to me, but I think at this point before your trip, you need as much traffic and feedback as possible!

 

[ruby59]

http://jewelsbyericagrace.com/antique_vintage_and_reproduction_rings_page_3

The 3.62 carat diamond you posted - that was sold to a Priscescoper. See link above and scroll down. I believe her screen name is Armywife. There is a big thread about it in the show me forum. She is reselling it and could give you info about it.

Edited to add

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/be-still-my-heart-3-62-oec-from-jbeg-in-the-julia.178866/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/be-still-my-heart-3-62-oec-from-jbeg-in-the-julia.178866/[/URL]

 

[Dreamer_D]

My primary advice is to contact all the vendors before you visit andschedule appointments, so that they have pull contenders. All those vendors have access to many more diamonds than are listed on their websites. Also, for that money, let the vendor do the legwork identifying possible contenders and picking though inventory.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

This would be my dream vacation. Seriously. You get to travel along both coasts of the US, AND look a pretty diamonds, AND go home with something big and beautiful! I hope you have a BLAST! (And of course, post pics of your journey!)

 

[madelise]

3.20 L Si1 OEC. 9.28 x 9.24 x 5.85 $26 780
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9503/


all comments welcomed!

HANDS DOWN. As soon as I was reading this thread, I thought of this stone. I think of this stone often, and think of it almost like my "One That Got Away". I was too focused on mm spread, and maximizing my SO's budget. I really wish I bought this one. And it's a true L, so if you're searching for up to J, and looking at the usual EGL certs that inflate the color grading, the L is a good option.

You watched the video, right? It's fireworks. It's like getting an AVR without paying for the AVR premium. Buy it! Please So I can stop looking at it and wondering if anyone will adopt it..

 

[madelise]

http://youtu.be/5iJvva6kSW8?t=11m28s

 

[hippi_pixi]

Thanks madelise i have seen that video and i keep getting distracted by your big ass stone! it looks stunning! i posted on one of your M is for mMmm thread asking if their was a final product yet and then found Ladies in waiting and found some of your posts and realise mine was a bit insensitive sounds like your in a good place though and can't be long now!

You might think of the 3.2 as the one that got away but i've been thinking that about yours the last few days. I watch that video and think i wish i was in the market 6 months ago cos damn that 3.73 looks fine!

I like the look of the 3.2 but am worried about the color but i dont think i can rule anything out or have any front runners until i see their color in person. its frustrating comparing GIA to EGL and sites that don't mention either is like comparing apples to oranges. more confusing because i have looked at many of the available antique stones on the east coast of Australia and they seem to pick a letter out of a hat when it comes to color! I've seen K's that look great and J's that look very yellow. and the only places with genuine certified loose stones near me are all MRB's in higher colors. I ordered a 0.37 J color off OWD a year ago to get a better idea but now realise i didn't come with a cert so although its a beautiful white it doesn't necessarily help me color wise. made a lovely pendant though...

I would move this to rocky talky but the antique section is nice and cosy and i feel like my thread would be lost to oblivion much quicker in RT and I'm hoping to get more good stuff off this thread over the next 6 weeks. its long enough that anyone interested in old cuts will stumble across in the section it by then

 

[hippi_pixi]

Ruby i did recognise the ring as belonging to armywife if she comes across this thread i would love to know more information about the color. photos make it seem like the color of the stone varies heaps depending on lighter and angulation.

Dreamer i have contacted Jon at GOG, JBEG and singlestone. i hesitated with contacting Adam at OWD because I'm not sure on the etiquette between he NY dealers and them sharing stock? :S in an ideal world i would love to see all the stones together and have Jonathons unbiased opinion on which to buy! but there are probably more than 10 reasons why that isn't possible! I know that Jonathon has called in stones from OWD before so I'm tempted to have him call over all the stones I'm interested but I'm sure that would irritate Adam and its sounds like he could have many hidden gems not listed on his website so I'm not sure how to go about it. just ginger sored a great hidden gen from him. its hard to compare stones without seeing them side by side. also i know they read these forums so i hope i haven't trodden on toes already

sweetpea&babycorn It's my first trip to the US since I was 3 and visiting disneyland and Hawaii not that i remember it. I was originally pushing for 3/4 weeks to get in more sightseeing but my other half has just started a new job today and we're getting married twice later this year so the budget is a bit tight. so we cut it back to 2 weeks. i think the sightseeing will help me relax and process all the diamond info and choices

 

[justginger]

Ruby i did recognise the ring as belonging to armywife if she comes across this thread i would love to know more information about the color. photos make it seem like the color of the stone varies heaps depending on lighter and angulation.

Dreamer i have contacted Jon at GOG, JBEG and singlestone. i hesitated with contacting Adam at OWD because I'm not sure on the etiquette between he NY dealers and them sharing stock? :S in an ideal world i would love to see all the stones together and have Jonathons unbiased opinion on which to buy! but there are probably more than 10 reasons why that isn't possible! I know that Jonathon has called in stones from OWD before so I'm tempted to have him call over all the stones I'm interested but I'm sure that would irritate Adam and its sounds like he could have many hidden gems not listed on his website so I'm not sure how to go about it. just ginger sored a great hidden gen from him. its hard to compare stones without seeing them side by side. also i know they read these forums so i hope i haven't trodden on toes already

sweetpea&babycorn It's my first trip to the US since I was 3 and visiting disneyland and Hawaii not that i remember it. I was originally pushing for 3/4 weeks to get in more sightseeing but my other half has just started a new job today and we're getting married twice later this year so the budget is a bit tight. so we cut it back to 2 weeks. i think the sightseeing will help me relax and process all the diamond info and choices

I haven't had business contact with Jon, so I can't comment on how he would react to knowing that Adam was on the case for you as well. I can only tell you that Adam was a good fit for me, very attentive, and at the time I was looking his pricing was unbeatable (though Erica did try very hard for me!). I was initially concerned when Neil appraised my stone as 3 grades lower than Adam told me it was - but when I actually reread my correspondence with Adam, it was clear that I had misunderstood him. He had stated that the stone FACED UP around L. My independent appraiser here in Australia agreed with that, and more so graded it face down as an M versus Neil's O/P. So, I suppose it's a subjective characteristic. I feel like Adam's eye was perfect for my tastes though. Neil and John Pollard were both very impressed with the cut of the stone, and Neil's realistic retail value came back about $7k more than what I paid.

I do know that some vendors share stock, and you start to artificially drive up pricing if you make too many similar enquiries with different vendors - the cutters and wholesalers think demand across the board has risen and their prices follow. That being said, I am under the impression that Adam has a fair bit of stock that is HIS, in his vault. That would not be shared with other vendors. For that reason alone, I would contact him directly. I can't imagine a vendor such as Jon being too bent out of shape - when you're traveling internationally and spending $30k on a stone, it's your prerogative to turn over every stone (literally?).

 

[madelise]

Thanks madelise i have seen that video and i keep getting distracted by your big a$$ stone! it looks stunning! i posted on one of your M is for mMmm thread asking if their was a final product yet and then found Ladies in waiting and found some of your posts and realise mine was a bit insensitive sounds like your in a good place though and can't be long now!

You might think of the 3.2 as the one that got away but i've been thinking that about yours the last few days. I watch that video and think i wish i was in the market 6 months ago cos damn that 3.73 looks fine!

I like the look of the 3.2 but am worried about the color but i dont think i can rule anything out or have any front runners until i see their color in person. its frustrating comparing GIA to EGL and sites that don't mention either is like comparing apples to oranges. more confusing because i have looked at many of the available antique stones on the east coast of Australia and they seem to pick a letter out of a hat when it comes to color! I've seen K's that look great and J's that look very yellow. and the only places with genuine certified loose stones near me are all MRB's in higher colors. I ordered a 0.37 J color off OWD a year ago to get a better idea but now realise i didn't come with a cert so although its a beautiful white it doesn't necessarily help me color wise. made a lovely pendant though...

I would move this to rocky talky but the antique section is nice and cosy and i feel like my thread would be lost to oblivion much quicker in RT and I'm hoping to get more good stuff off this thread over the next 6 weeks. its long enough that anyone interested in old cuts will stumble across in the section it by then

Haha but the price difference between the 2 were tremendous! It's a 10k difference!! That's why I say I keep regretting it! I wasn't t expecting to get my dream setting, so we went over budget for the diamond. THEN, we got my dream setting, so we ended up spending $$$$$$$. I feel so guilty many many times.

If you're worried about the color, ask Jon to make you a video of the color side by side other stones. That's what I would do. Honestly, I was very reserved about going up in the lower colors, too, as I started out seeking diamonds only up to H-I. But that's the difference of buying a stone from someone who won't give you an objective view of the color. I understand that EGL is the standard for grading old cuts, but EGL is very often inaccurate on their color grading. If you allow this "L" to bother you, you may seek out an EGL J that is an L or lower anyway. I have an M, and honestly, the color DOES NOT bother me at all. I was very very pleasantly surprised with how much I love the color. It's not bleach white, but it's still white. JustGinger's stone is also a lower colored stone, and from her pictures, there's nothing "yellow" about it!! That stone is white to me! You just have to find out what you're comfortable with. I'm not blind, I can definitely notice the tint difference between my M and a D-E-F. But it doesn't bother me. I can only notice it if they're sidebyside, really, and only if I pay attention really hard.

But definitely give him a heads up that you're coming to the US and make an appointment with him. You will be living my dream. I can't wait to meet him in person. Besides your love for OECs, you should definitely take the opportunity to see his proprietary cuts like the AVC, AVR (both versions) and his Octavia!! It'll be like a museum visit.



RE: Having the vendors pull from the same supply. Yes, the vendors will be fighting each other to present you the same exact stones. So the first vendor you contact will be able to pull the best supplies, and the other vendors are left with moot to pick up for you. I contacted Adam from OWD and Yekutiel from IDJ first. I guess Adam noticed, and he said something slightly unpleasant to me to point out that he noticed, and it made me feel like poop, so I sort of just said, "well if you have anything else, please let me know", and he stopped responding to me too.

I actually sought out Jon from GOG LAST, and was very upfront that I had been in contact with other vendors and I got an unpleasant remark from another vendor about it, so I didn't t want to hear that crap from him too. I was already frustrated by my search at the time I finally contacted him. He was honest and told me why it can be frustrating to compete with other vendors when there are only so many stones available. OEC's are rare. Well performing OEC's are needles in the haystack. If you read through my threads, I literally only had a handful of options. It's kinda tough if you're making a whole bunch of vendors compete for the best ones.. and then you assume X vendor doesn't have nice stones but really it's just because Y vendor took it all. KWIM?

If it were me, I would contact no more than 2 or 3 vendors in the NY area, and tell them to get you a few to inspect in your parameters. Tell them that you're traveling from out of country, and need as much info on each as possible, and want to see their best contenders. That way they have the ASETs and such available for you. Heck, I'd even have them send you that info before you come, so you can sift through the choices to the last contenders to view in person just to verify. Traveling back and forth sucks.

 

[hippi_pixi]

It looks like the 3.2 has already sold :'(!!!!! I'm a little heartbroken. and I'm getting the impression from vendors that it's not worthwhile to be looking at their stock until much closer to the time because i wouldn't be able to put anything on hold for that long a time.

the vendors i have contacted have all said contact me closer to the time. so if my dream diamond doesn't happen to be available while I'm there...

If only i lived in the US this would be much easier.

the problem with lower colored stones is that well i don't notice. I'm wrapped up in how lovely the thing is and appreciating if for more than just its color and then my partner will say "... its yellow... " as in why would you buy a yellow stone. i dont want to spend this much money on something and have my partner constantly thinking why would you waste all that money on a yellow stone! In the end if he just has very sensitive eyes and thinks everything below D is yellow i will just have to tell him to keep his mouth shut!

It is a tough position to put the venders in but in the end I'm travelling a long way and spending a lot of money I can't NOT contact everyone in order to see all my options. if this treads on peoples toes all i can do is apologise and move on. and hope they don't hold a grudge!

I was planning on only contacting GOG and OWD in NY. i figure between them they must have access to most of the antique diamonds in NY? I haven't contacted IDJ at all as i didn't think they work with antique cuts? I did see that one large old cut in the other thread but thought it might have been a one off. and if he gets his supplies from the same people i would just be making it more difficult!

Justginger you say that Adam has a fair amount of personal stock. what a great job! i wish i had a fair amount of lovely sparklies sitting in my safe to love and admire whenever i wanted. i wouldn't set them either just have them available to admire.

 

[madelise]

Oh no!! I wonder who bought it, and why the heck they haven't posted it!! Grr.

GOG + OWD sounds like a great plan. Maybe even add in ERD? I liked IDJ, but their photography skills weren't up to par. If you'll be going in person, though, that may sound like a good idea! Yekutiel is very budget friendly.


If you'll be in SOCA, might I also suggest H. Moradi if you can swing by San Diego. It's a distance from Los Angeles, but if you're trying to hit up all the tourist locations, San Diego is great for vacationing, too. They have a lot of honkers that you can even see on their eBay store, and they allow room for haggling.

 

[madelise]

HP, what about this one?
https://www.pricescope.com/forum/preloved-ps-jewels/2-57ct-oec-for-sale-price-reduction-t175365.html

 

[hippi_pixi]

Its a great deal but I think the stone would too dark. I might ask grace to bring it when I meet with her

Hit a bit of a road bump with my bank they say international transfers take 2-10 working days! Even if I saw everything on our first day in NY and decided that night we'd only have 4 business day for the transfer to go through...

I wonder how dangerous it would be to withdraw the money from the bank and take it in person!

 

[gregchang35]

HP

Interesting about taking money into USA.

THis is how i woudl interpret the situation. SOrry if it adds to your woes.

You want to spend about USD$30,000. As long as you are willing to declare when you exit Australia AND when you enter USA,there is no issue with physically take the money out of Australia and then into USA. Lots of paperwork and then there is the security issue of having the money on yourselves.

These are the upper limits of how much can exit AUS (AUD$10,000 per traveller) and how much can enter USA (USD$10,000 per FAMILY). Please bear in mind the exchange rate: AUD$1= USD$1.05

Your limit to take out of Australia is AUD$10,000 per traveller; in your case you and your partner= AUD$20,000, without declaring. Anything above this, you will have to declare to the customs officer=paperwork and lots of questions.
Now, here is the fun bit= entry into USA is limited to USD$10,000 per family. So, what you can do is both of you enter USA separately or together. However, your AUD $10,000 is about USD $10,500, which really means that each of you will have to declare. Or, the better option is if both come as a couple ( if US customs can term you as a family) and declare that you have over USD$10,000. This means only one set of paperwork, instead of 2 sets of paper (one for you and one for your partner) at the US end, if both of you entered separately into USA.


OPTION 1
Take AUD (not USD) out of australia, then go into a USA bank to change it as the exchange rate is going to be a bit better in the USA. Or if you like you can convert AUD into USD in Australia, and travel with USD on your person.

Obviously, there is always the security issue with that kind of money on your person.



OR

OPTION 2
I have a FOREX person that you can deal with. If you know who the vendor is that you are going to deal with (when you make the decision), he can then wire the money to the nominated bank account ( ie the vendor).

So this is how it would work. Get the bank acct details of the vendor that you want to work with. The vendor will usually give you a swift account number for international clients, which i am sure most vendors understand. When you know the amount, call/ email FOREX to purchase $USD. You pay FOREX the money via internet transfer(3days). FOREX will deposit the money into the vendors account. That will take 2-3days, depending on the banks. Maybe 6 days before Vendor gets the money into account. BEFORE they start working on the ring.

If you have the cash with you, at least you will have the diamond and the setting paid for and they can start the work. But, it may take 2 weeks for the ring to be made???? And, think your total time in the USA is 2 weeks?? Unless you choose a setting that is on stock that will fit your diamond, then it may only take a few days to have the diamond set into the ring?????? I am sure experienced PSers will jump in here.

I hope that explains a few things for you. Sorry, if it adds to your woes.

Think this way- you will get your beauty that you want!!!!! Yay to that!

 

[hippi_pixi]

Thanks for that info Greg! I'm not sure i would be brave enough to have that amount of cash on me the whole time. i would literally need to duct tape it to my body or risk accidentally leaving it somewhere! which reminds me i should definitely get this ring insured!

I had heard of Forex in the past but had forgotten them until now. i might check with them what their minimum turn around time is

we would have see all of our potential diamonds by Feb 22 which is a friday. i will have the weekend to think while the banks are closed and then we depart NY on the thursday. so max 4 business days if the vender was nice enough to start setting the stone before the money has arrived. i would accept any setting available especially a very very simple stock setting just as a means to wear the stone home. my partner is very firm that he wants to diamond set before we start moving around with it. but I don't think i can afford a diamond big enough that it WONT fit in my pocket or handbag in the worst case scenario. so if we dont have time i will have to take it home as is in my pocket or handbag and research jewellers in Aus

I am now looking into a cash passport and whether we would be able to do an instant eftpos payment via cash passport, what their daily limit is and how much their fees might be. I noticed GOG don't accept international credit cards online so I am confirming with them what their accepted payment methods are. we dont have credit cards as I am very firm on not living in debt and our visa debit cards work as credit cards in AUS for hotels and online purchases. not sure whether the Debit card will be accepted in the US. though so if anyone knows???

 

[gregchang35]

I suspect that if there is a visa symbol on the card, it should work the same anywhere in the world. A Visa card is a visa card. the debit/ credit only means where it draws the money from.... debit= your money, credit the banks money. But would like to know what others think, too.

the cash passport is something that i have not heard of but sounds interesting.

One thing with the new jewellry purchase.... you will have to declare it at customs upon return to AUS. IT is one of the questions on the immigration form for entry into AUS. You, one passenger, are duty exempt for gifts totalling up to AUD$900. So, there is the probability that GST will be charged on the diamond; which could mean another AUD $3,000 to the price tag.

You and your SO will need to be careful and creative.....

 

[madelise]

Its a great deal but I think the stone would too dark. I might ask grace to bring it when I meet with her

Hit a bit of a road bump with my bank they say international transfers take 2-10 working days! Even if I saw everything on our first day in NY and decided that night we'd only have 4 business day for the transfer to go through...

I wonder how dangerous it would be to withdraw the money from the bank and take it in person!

You will have SO much fun with Grace. She is the sweetest lady, ever. Good luck trying to figure out the $$ thing

 

[imagardener2]

Something to be aware of is what your debit card charges you to make the currency exchange and what that exchange rate is. I have never used a debit card internationally but do use one particular credit card (Capital One) when buying internationally that does not tack on any additional amount. Some credit cards can add on 3% and you don't know it until you see your statement.

The diamond brokers should be able to help you with payment questions, they surely have many international customers like you, with similar situations. Cash usually is worth a discount. I've seen "wire" prices a bit lower on quoted diamond prices.

gregchang said:
One thing with the new jewellry purchase.... you will have to declare it at customs upon return to AUS. IT is one of the questions on the immigration form for entry into AUS. You, one passenger, are duty exempt for gifts totalling up to AUD$900. So, there is the probability that GST will be charged on the diamond; which could mean another AUD $3,000 to the price tag.

You and your SO will need to be careful and creative.....

haha this reminded me of going through US customs on a flight back from Bermuda many years ago. A young couple ahead of us wearing lots of bling declared nothing and were pulled aside for further questions. We were young and poor, declared our small purchases and sailed through.

 

[justginger]

I use Ozforex for all of my exchanges. It is very, very easy, a completely reputable vendor (I've sent well over $70,000 with them with no issues), and when you sign up they give you your first 2-3 transactions fee-free. Their exchange rates are the best I've found as well, a nice bonus.

So set up an account with them, go to the US, find what you want, then book in a deal. They'll phone you wherever you are in the world to confirm it really is you making the booking (so you'll need to know the hotel number, or even the office number of the business you're dealing with - they call you within 10 minutes of booking the deal so you won't have to wait around). Then it's booked, at a confirmed exchange rate. All you have to do is bpay or bank transfer them the money, and they'll release the money to the nominated American vendor. I know it says something like 2-3 business days, but Aviva always confirms nearly instantaneous funds transfer whenever I'm dealing with a purchase from Leibish.

I think this is the fastest, easiest, most secure way to handle a transaction of this size.

 

[vinjewels]

I wish I had some useful advise on the financials (which I don't), but wanted to say that I am going to SO enjoy reading about your diamond hunt! How fun! Okay, carry on... Just living vicariously here...