Need help...first time buyer

[Matthew10_28]

I have educated myself on diamonds (I am a quick learner) and have been looking for a short time. I understand the optical properties as I am studying physics to be an engineer. My girfriend likes the princess cut and I myself think 1 carat is a good number so thats where I started my search. I have looked through the malls just to get a feel for whats out there. Most are cut to deep leaving a dark spot in the center of the stone or they have great color but horrible clarity or visa versa. I went to Shane Company and was impressed with the quality and quantity of their selection. I had the salesman run a search for what I was looking for and was wondering if I could get an opinion of the diamonds he found.

.98 VS2 I 5.4x5.5 $4720

1.01 VS2 I 5.3x5.2 $4860

.95 VS2 I 5.3x5.3 $4575

1.01 VS2 I 5.9x5.5 $4860

These fell within my budget of 3-5k but im always lookin for the best deal. I did a diamond search through this web site and found similar stones for 1k cheaper. I guess it comes down to whether or not that 1k difference is worth it as far as warrenty and such goes.

Thank you for you time,
Matt

 

[Split Rock]

Hello Matthew, I hope you are aware that most diamonds at the Shane Co. do not have certificates issued by the GIA or AGS. Recently they have started offering diamonds with GIA certs if you ask to buy a certified diamond. I would buy only diamonds that have a cert from either GIA or AGS. Diamonds are a bit like a used car, without a guarantee you don't have much more than the salesperson's word. As for price ideas check Blue Nile.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi Matthew!

Welcome to Price Scope!!

First of all,..... We can't tell you much about the diamonds you posted. You need far more information than carat weight, color, clarity, and diameter. You also need to post table %, total depth %, crown height %, girdle thickness, etc.

There are guidelines, Cut Charts, for selecting a Princess Cut posted on www.gemappraisers.com (link to website). Check out the stats there. There is also a DIY system that will allow you to enter the stats on diamonds you are considering. The DIY will grade the quality of the cut for you.

With a princess cut diamond, you wanna keep the table and depth %'s at around 70%-72% or below to find the better performers. With princess cuts, a more even girdle is desireable. You don't want a widely ranging girdle that goes from extremely thin to extremely thick or something like that.

You mentioned you are interested in a 1 carat diamond. You might consider hitting just below the 1 carat mark. There's a pricing premium for hitting the 1+ carat level.

To get an idea of specs on some well cut princess diamonds, you can visit the following websites and look at info on diamonds the Vendors have available:

www.whiteflash.com Expert Selection

www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com Signature Series

www.goodoldgold.com

and

www.niceice.com

All 4 Vendors physically stock princess cuts that have been professionally evaluated for quality and performance.

Good Luck in your search.

As you find diamonds you are interested in, you can post stats here and folks will be glad to help.

One last tip. The Cut Charts for princess cuts are just guidelines to weeding out poor performers. Stats are not as hard and fast for fancy cuts as when evaluating specs on round brilliants. A princess diamond with great stats can still be a poor performer. The final test for the quality of a princess cut is your eye.

 

[Matthew10_28]

Thanks a lot for you help. I have a feeling that I would be paying about $1k more if I go with Shane Co. Heres a stupid question, online diamonds more that likely do no have any sort of warrenty against the stone scratching or chiping do they? It kinda seems unlikely that the hardest substance would crack or chip to me but.... what are your opinions about service and warrenty packages? Are they a gimmic?

 

[moremoremore]

Actually, princess stones are more prone to chipping than any othe shape for obvious reasons. This is something to be worried about especially when you are dealing with an X thin girdle. Once you leave the store and you chip it, it's your problem. You'd have to get it insured (as part of homeowners, or by itself if possible...I don't know, I use my homeonnwers/renters) What are the specs on the princess stones you listed? We'd need the info listed on the cert to tell you if it's a good deal (price in relation to cut quality)....

 

[Matthew10_28]

heres one from whiteflash. I did a search for .85-1.01 ct 70-72% table and depth, med to sthk girdle

Item Code: 2439509
Price: $3,596.00
Report: GIA
Shape: Princess
Carat: 1.01
Color: I
Clarity: VS1
Depth: 71.8
Table: 70
Girdle: M-STK
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Culet: None
Fluorescence: No
Measurements: 5.69-5.47X3.93
Length/Width: 1.04

EDIT: btw everywhere ive been including Shane Co has offered free replacement on any stone if it cracks, chips, falls out.