Need help with engagement ring purchase

[ineedhelp117]

Hello everyone,

I am trying to purchase an engagement ring for my girlfriend and have a few questions that I cannot seem to find the answers for. This past weekend I went to a Robbins Brothers with my girlfriend and viewed several diamonds to find something she liked. From all the diamonds we saw she really liked the 0.90 carat, round cut, I color and I1 clarity diamond. They quoted us $4,095 for this diamond and when I began to look online to compare prices I noticed that I could find the same specifications for a significantly lower price. An example is this diamond I found on James Allen

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.93-carat-i-color-i1-clarity-very-good-cut-sku-338448

My question is whether this difference in price is solely because James Allen is an online retailer so their prices are lower or if there is something else that influences the prices of these diamonds. Thank you very much for your time.

 

[Fancygems]

Most will not recommend I-clarity for an ering, try to stick to si1 eye clean. Yes, online will have better prices and I would go with any of the recommended vendors over Robbins brothers. Which setting was your girlfriend looking at? If designer I know Good old gold can source a stone and most likely get you a designer setting, otherwise BGD has lovely settings and diamonds and ERD has nice settings. James allen also has settings to chose from if you decide to go with them.

 

[Niel]

Hello everyone,

I am trying to purchase an engagement ring for my girlfriend and have a few questions that I cannot seem to find the answers for. This past weekend I went to a Robbins Brothers with my girlfriend and viewed several diamonds to find something she liked. From all the diamonds we saw she really liked the 0.90 carat, round cut, I color and I1 clarity diamond. They quoted us $4,095 for this diamond and when I began to look online to compare prices I noticed that I could find the same specifications for a significantly lower price. An example is this diamond I found on James Allen

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.93-carat-i-color-i1-clarity-very-good-cut-sku-338448

My question is whether this difference in price is solely because James Allen is an online retailer so their prices are lower or if there is something else that influences the prices of these diamonds. Thank you very much for your time.

I cant comment on the first stone you are talking about because :

I dont know what lab graded it. was it gia? was it EGL? who?

I have no idea about the cut. The CUT is the most important aspect of the diamond.

It sounds overpriced, but because we dont know that much info, i couldnt tell you how much overpriced it was


Because of that, i really dont like the stone you currently have picked out. Its not well cut. The cut is what makes a diamond sparkle, and the sparkle is what makes people want a diamond vs, say, a CZ or a topaz.

If you want to tell us your budget, and who graded that stone you saw in the store, we can help. If it wasnt GIA graded, you could probably go down in color, which would save you some money....

 

[ineedhelp117]

Thank you for your reply! I do not know what lab graded the diamonds at Robbins Brothers. The employee just informed us that their diamonds are all screened by their jewelers employed by their company. When I asked about the cut of the diamond at Robbins Brothers, they informed us that all their diamonds are well cut and that is the only cut they carry. They said that they do not break it down between ideal, excellent, very good etc. If anything the employee tried to discredit this classification system saying it is unreliable. My current budget is $4000 including the setting.

 

[Niel]

Thank you for your reply! I do not know what lab graded the diamonds at Robbins Brothers. The employee just informed us that their diamonds are all screened by their jewelers employed by their company. When I asked about the cut of the diamond at Robbins Brothers, they informed us that all their diamonds are well cut and that is the only cut they carry. They said that they do not break it down between ideal, excellent, very good etc. If anything the employee tried to discredit this classification system saying it is unreliable. My current budget is $4000 including the setting.

I dont like how they tried to sell you that diamond. You don't know who graded it nor the cut.

It sounds sketchy. And if they can't disclose that info how do you know what you're getting? Or if you're getting a fair shake?

What setting does she like

 

[Gypsy]

he entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only. EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.

 

[ineedhelp117]

I agree that it was very sketchy. It was a big reason I did not purchase anything in-store.

My girlfriend likes the plain 4 prong setting without any added stones on the band.

 

[Fancygems]

BGD Grace or Elegance is four prong
http://m.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/grace-18k-white-gold-5414w18

http://m.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/elegance-18k-white-gold-5415w18

 

[Niel]

I agree that it was very sketchy. It was a big reason I did not purchase anything in-store.

My girlfriend likes the plain 4 prong setting without any added stones on the band.

awesome! Those are usually budget friendly

Now this online vendor doesnt provide photos, BUT this would be a contender. What we need to know is

A. Is it eye clean?

B. Does the fluor have any negative effects. I would email BN and ask a rep both of these things. Good thing about this vendor, they have a great return pol, so if you need to see it in person you can

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD04815671?keyword_search_value=LD04815671

if it has an issue with fluor then ask if this is eye clean

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD04817609

this IMO is the nicest 4 prong setting they have in your budget, but they have many

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/diamond-engagement-ring-setting-white-gold_20403?elem=img&track=product

 

[ineedhelp117]

Thank you so much for your help! I will contact a BN rep and inquire about your suggestions!

 

[WillyDiamond]

OP
BN will not give you the idealscope image, they just don't do that. However, there are PS vendors on this forum like GOG, WF and BGD who will and as Gypsy said if you stick to AGSO, you will hit a home run. Best of luck.

 

[Niel]

OP
BN will not give you the idealscope image, they just don't do that. However, there are PS vendors on this forum like GOG, WF and BGD who will and as Gypsy said if you stick to AGSO, you will hit a home run. Best of luck.

Gog wf and bgd will not get him what his girlfriend wants in his budget.

You're right they don't provide idealscope images. But in this instance I do think going based off numbers, for this particular customer, would be fine. And if he goes in knowing he can return it if there's an issue, I see no problem.

 

[BrinkleyV]

I think it is clear that Robbins Brothers is out. It is hard trying to find the perfect diamond for the perfect ring as well! I have been there done that while helping to design an engagement ring with my sisters now Husband. We chose to deal with a custom Jewellers who only sell GIA certified Diamonds. And were genuine when it came to what we were paying for (we did our research as well). I can send you a link to them?

 

[BrinkleyV]

ineedhelp117 - We dealt through Polished Diamonds.co Their websites are based all around the world. Really good!