Need help replacing stolen ring :^(

[terri]

Hi all--

Thank goodness for forums like this...

My wedding ring and engagement ring were stolen. Took them off for the first time in almost ten years, put them in our fire safe and the rest is history. Not scheduled on our insurance so a big financial loss. Cannot replace the engagement ring, but hopefully can find another diamond...

At any rate, would like to get advice on where to go for a diamond comparable to the one I had. It was a round brilliant, VVSI, D, with no flourescence. The polish was very good with very good symmetry. The table was 55%. It was .90 carats. The only flaw/occlusion was in the girdle (thin to medium) which was described as a bearded girdle. Otherwise it was described to me as flawless. We bought it in 1994 for a reasonable discount off the buying guide. It was very pretty lots of fire. Cannot offer much more than this since whomever took the ring took the gem report as well. This is all I remember. It was a well cut stone.

We are going to make the round at pawn shops but doubt we will find the ring. Normally I would do the research myself, but we (husband and I) are just paralyzed by this. I really loved that ring and am so sad that it is gone. Would like to find something in the neighborhood of a carat with similar qualities to replace it.

Would appreciate any suggestions on reputable online vendors? We have moved almost 2,000 miles from the people we bought it from. Don''t know any vendors in this area. If it is not acceptable protocol to ask about vendors would ask people to email me at [email protected].

Many thanks for your help.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Sorry about your loss, Terri.

You'll find the vendors on here to be some of the tops in the industry in regards to product, service and pricing. Nice guys, too.

I'm sure you'll get many recommendations from other consumers as to their positive experiences, along with some exploratory emails from vendors.

You might consider running a search with your desired parameters on the PriceScope search engine located at the top of your screen. It will give you an idea of some of the stones available, and their pricing.

May your second diamond and the remainder of your marriage be even better than the first! Renew your vows, take a second honeymoon, and go for that killer new ring style you've always wanted.

 

[terri]

Thanks Richard. Your post makes me feel much better! I am looking forward to posters' recommendations. Have gone to a couple of sites but am not finding a lot of the type of diamond I am lookiing for yet. But it is early in the process. Thanks for your kind words.

 

[Jax172]

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_00ct_d_vvs1_h&a.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_00ct_d_vvs2_h&a.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_00ct_e_vvs1_h&a.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_01ct_f_if_h&a.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_02ct_f_vvs2.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/br104fvs1ha.htm

From a Search at Whiteflash:
1.060 F VS1 61.3 57 AGS $8,682.00 View
1.007 D VS1 61.1 55 AGS $9,135.00 View
1.010 E VVS2 60.7 56 AGS $9,226.00 View
1.013 F VVS1 60.7 56 AGS $9,332.00 View
1.171 F VS1 60.3 57 AGS $9,582.00 View
1.053 E VVS2 60.6 56 AGS $9,592.00 View
1.137 E VS1 60.4 57 AGS $9,729.00 View
1.050 D VVS2 60.5 55 AGS $11,780.00 View

I've dealt with both dealers. They are excellent! I am sure you can find a gorgeous diamond to replace your lost one

 

[Hest88]

I'm so sorry Teri! I really hope you recover your rings.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy from two that Jax mentioned. Also www.midwestgems and www.ringdesigner.com. Um, let's see. www.usacertediamonds and www.niceice.com also have good comments from consumers.

 

[terri]

Thanks for the referrals everyone. Do you feel these people offer good value as well? I will definitely contact them and appreciate the help. I am starting the process of reading the tutorial and the site and feel a tad inadequate in the area of evaluation.

Anyone know whether there is a premium attached to a 1.0 carat vs. the .90 I had? Have diamond prices jumped a lot since 1994?

 

[Giangi]

Hi Terri! I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Lesley at whiteflash.com is the kindest person I've ever met and surely will take care of you! She sells A Cut Above diamonds, which are some of the best hearts and arrowns stones in the world. Basically you get a branded diamond at a non branded price. I'd check also superbcert.com... Good luck and have fun!

 

[Hest88]

Yes, all of these offer a very good value, even when compared to the bigger Internet dealers such as Blue Nile, not to mention many B&M jewelers.

And yes, the price does jump when you hit that magic 1 carat mark. If you can stick to just under 1 carat, you'll do better.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Aaaahhhh Terri!

I can't even begin to imagine how you feel.

If you had any insurance at all, homeowner's/renter's, check with your agent before buying anything. Every policy, homeowner's and renter's, that we've ever had included some sort of jewelry provision. Not much. Usually $1000, but at least it's something. So, if you have insurance, start there.

From what I've read here and at other sites, a lot has changed since you bought your ring. Thanks to technology and research, SUPER IDEAL CUT Hearts and Arrows diamonds are available now that will knock your socks off. The cut is near perfection and the diamonds maximize white light return and flashes of color. I have a .766 carat that looks like a 1 carat Mall store diamond in diameter.

Yes there are price premiums at various levels, and in more desirable sizes. A .75 carat will bring a premium over the rest of the .7 to .79 carat range just because it's 3/4 carat. Hard to find carat weights bring a premium too. And, there are premiums attached on a sliding scale as the carat weight increases.

If you go with a really really well cut diamond, you might actually go smaller in carat weight today and get the same visual size appearance as your 10 year old diamond. And, the new one will be every bit as sparkly as well.

After you read in the Tutorial and do some searching and comparing, post any diamonds you are interested in on the forum and the folks here will be more than glad to help you.

Good Luck in your search!

And keep your head up! Trials such as yours only serve to make us stronger!

 

[terri]

These comments have really acclerated my learning curve, so again I thank everyone.

I have a question re grading reports. I am used to the GIA report. Went to Whiteflash and the diamonds that popped up were AGS graded. The report seemed light on information. I will try and hunt up a thread on the relative merits of each report, but noted from the tutorial on this site that a high rating on an AGS report is no guarantee of a pretty stone. I don't think I can feel comfortable trying to evaluate diamonds using scopes and so forth--esp. given an arms' length relationship with an e-tailer.

I went to some random diamond broker type sites from a general search and came across some "accept no substitutes" type jargon re the GIA report. So is a GIA report truly the standard against which other reports are measured or do AGS reports and perhaps others I have not encountered carry the same weight?

Is AGS proprietary to a type of cut, ie the H&A? I am having a hard time figuring this out.

DId check our insurance as was suggested and there is some modest coverage. Better than nothing!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Ewwwww, Terri!

AGS Certs are actually somewhat easier for you to work with. AGS Certs have the Crown and Pavillion angles listed on them. Price Scope has a Cut Adviser (link at the top) you can use to help screen diamonds. Just plug in Table and Depth %'s and the two angles, click go and you get an evaluation of the diamond's cut and an estimation of the visual performance. The Cut Adviser also makes buying recommendations like, "Buy if the price is right", or "Crown angles are too steep".

Pull up the info on an AGS Cert and give it a try!

 

[dimonbob]

Hi terri
Sorry about your loss. I understand that feeling when you realize that something of value has been stolen. It is not really something that I can put in words.
GIA vs AGS:
Both are top labs. All of the information found on the GIA report is on the AGS report plus cut information which GIA does not have.
The AGS lab came about because the GIA lab would not grade cut information except in very general terms like good, very good, etc. The man who now runs the AGS lab, once was the head of the GIA lab in Los Angeles. All the the color, clarity and other information is the same except for cut. An Ideal cut diamond is the highest cut grade that the AGS lab can give. A diamond graded by GIA with an excellent/excellent and with a Sarin report that says AGS 0 does not make it an AGS Ideal. There is more to the Ideal grade than percentages, degrees and polish.
If I was in your shoes and wanted to replace my stolen diamond with the best cut possible, I would get a diamond with an AGS Ideal cut grade.
An Ideal cut diamond is a precision cut diamond. An Ideal cut diamond with very sharp hearts and arrows is a very precise precision cut diamond.
You will not find many of these type diamonds in B&M stores and when you do the price tag will choke you.
When dealing with an internet company, you have a return time which is not always true with B&M stores. If you don't think the diamond is beautiful, you can return it.
Happy hunting!

 

[clementine]

Terri-

Try looking at niceice.com. and goodoldgold.com

They post actual pictures of the diamonds they have in stock so you can see any inclusions the stone has. Both sell top notch diamonds and are very good to work with. I actually had contacted both when looking for my diamond and ended up buying from niceice. The vast amount of information they provided on several stones sure made me feel at ease buying over the internet.

Good luck!

 

[pyramid]

I think nobody has mentioned Superbcert yet. They also have reasonably priced H&A branded diamonds and provide photographs. Barry the owner is also a vendor on this board. Look under www.Superbcert.com

I am just a consumer and have not used any of the vendors but just noticed that this one had not been mentioned yet.

 

[terri]

OK--will take the plunge. I am very intrigued by the new standards for precision cut stones. And will check out all vendors noted.