Ok - so I just wrapped up the purchase of my first (and hopefully last) engagement diamond. I ended up going with a very nice .92ct F SI1 hearts and arrows stone. A month and a half ago, I knew almost nothing about the subject and, bearing this and the fact that I was about to drop a ton of cash in mind, I REALLY went to school and tried to educate myself. I read a gazillion articles, shopped the local jewelers, picked everyone''s brain worth picking, and even read the infamous Fred Cuellar book. For anyone that cares, I actually did call Diamond Cutters Intl. and, for a little while, was strongly considering a purchase from them. They were supposed to get back to me and, for some reason, did not.
In any case, for reasons I still don''t know, I felt the need to check up on Mr. Cuellar a little bit more and that led me to this forum and this thread here
That search (and this forum) ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me because of the wealth of knowledge floating around here and also word-of-mouth info. I ended up checking out Jonathan and goodoldgold because of information garnered here and it was well worth it. He is the one I ended up doing business with because of the fact that his reputation here is very good, and his website is excellent. One of the not-so-encouraging things I encountered when dealing with some of the local jewelers is a mild reluctance to go into detail (make copies of certs, etc.) regarding the cut of each stone. Reluctance is probably a bit of a strong word, actually. It was just that they seemed surprised/unprepared, in some cases, to deal with such a request and the feeling of asking them each and every time made me a little uncomfortable. With Jonathan, however, this was not an issue. That website has full details on every stone for sale, the photos are excellent, and the educational section is also very good and very thorough. The fact that I''d already done my homework prior to finding his site made this all the more apparent. Anyway, before you people think he is paying me, let me just say that the guy gave good information, good service, good price, good everything. The stone lights up like one of those *POW* signs on the old Batman cartoons and I will definitely go back to him for my next marriage.
That said, whether you shop Jonathan or your local JC Penney, here''s some of my "sage" advice for the aspiring newbie:
* DO educate yourself before commencing the hunt - especially if you''re the compulsive buyer type. These are shark-infested waters. (see Cuellar, F.)
* DO look at lots of diamonds before buying, ideally side by side. Any diamond by itself is going to look great, even if it''s a piece of well-polished sh**.
* DO find a reputable jeweler. Easier said than done, but this kind of forum and word-of-mouth aren''t bad places to start. At a minimum, check the better business bureau website.
* In my humble opinion, the most important of the 4 C''s by far is CUT! Learn the AGS parameters for ideal cut and stick within them. My (admittedly limited) experience has shown me that a well cut, but slightly more colored diamond, will out-shine (pun intended) a lesser cut but closer to colorless one. Learn the AGS numbers, lest you be confused by the trillion different variations of what is considered ideal.
* Don''t get all hung up on some magic number of carats. A stone cut to 1.0cts or just above may be cut in such a way so as to maximize weight (and therefore price) at the expense of quality. Size does matter, and you can test this theory after your marriage (*cough*), but quality is what counts when it comes to your stone.
* General consensus seems to be that AGS and GIA certs are somewhat more valuable than EGL. EGL apparently is known for cutting the stone itself some slack when evaluating it''s color, clarity, etc. GIA and AGS are supposedly stricter, with AGS being the one that provides the most information.
I hope this is of use to someone.
Regards,
Zeek
Albany, NY
In any case, for reasons I still don''t know, I felt the need to check up on Mr. Cuellar a little bit more and that led me to this forum and this thread here
That search (and this forum) ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me because of the wealth of knowledge floating around here and also word-of-mouth info. I ended up checking out Jonathan and goodoldgold because of information garnered here and it was well worth it. He is the one I ended up doing business with because of the fact that his reputation here is very good, and his website is excellent. One of the not-so-encouraging things I encountered when dealing with some of the local jewelers is a mild reluctance to go into detail (make copies of certs, etc.) regarding the cut of each stone. Reluctance is probably a bit of a strong word, actually. It was just that they seemed surprised/unprepared, in some cases, to deal with such a request and the feeling of asking them each and every time made me a little uncomfortable. With Jonathan, however, this was not an issue. That website has full details on every stone for sale, the photos are excellent, and the educational section is also very good and very thorough. The fact that I''d already done my homework prior to finding his site made this all the more apparent. Anyway, before you people think he is paying me, let me just say that the guy gave good information, good service, good price, good everything. The stone lights up like one of those *POW* signs on the old Batman cartoons and I will definitely go back to him for my next marriage.
That said, whether you shop Jonathan or your local JC Penney, here''s some of my "sage" advice for the aspiring newbie:
* DO educate yourself before commencing the hunt - especially if you''re the compulsive buyer type. These are shark-infested waters. (see Cuellar, F.)
* DO look at lots of diamonds before buying, ideally side by side. Any diamond by itself is going to look great, even if it''s a piece of well-polished sh**.
* DO find a reputable jeweler. Easier said than done, but this kind of forum and word-of-mouth aren''t bad places to start. At a minimum, check the better business bureau website.
* In my humble opinion, the most important of the 4 C''s by far is CUT! Learn the AGS parameters for ideal cut and stick within them. My (admittedly limited) experience has shown me that a well cut, but slightly more colored diamond, will out-shine (pun intended) a lesser cut but closer to colorless one. Learn the AGS numbers, lest you be confused by the trillion different variations of what is considered ideal.
* Don''t get all hung up on some magic number of carats. A stone cut to 1.0cts or just above may be cut in such a way so as to maximize weight (and therefore price) at the expense of quality. Size does matter, and you can test this theory after your marriage (*cough*), but quality is what counts when it comes to your stone.
* General consensus seems to be that AGS and GIA certs are somewhat more valuable than EGL. EGL apparently is known for cutting the stone itself some slack when evaluating it''s color, clarity, etc. GIA and AGS are supposedly stricter, with AGS being the one that provides the most information.
I hope this is of use to someone.
Regards,
Zeek
Albany, NY
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