Need help with questions to ask Jeweler..have a diamond on deposit

[emerscape]

I''ve spent the past year looking on and off but finally have spent the last month really looking hard. I became friends with a local jeweler in town here in Boston and have spent hours with him looking over a bunch of stones. I have found one that I really like but need some advice on whether the price is good. It is in house certified but not GIA or whatever.. I would like to get it certified or at least appraised. how do i go about doing that?

Here are the stats:

1.73 tcw Round
i color
VS2
I remember seeing the measurements.. the only thing i remember was the table was 56.1%

set on a 6 prong, 18k pinch tiffany setting.

He wants $7,400 all said and done.

 

[belle]

7k for a 1.73 i/vs????

get it appraised(by a reputable INDEPENDENT appraiser) or ask him to have it graded by gia or ags. spending a couple hundred to do so can save you a lot of headache on a major purchase like this.
he can send it to the lab himself. you can find an appraiser, either locally, or out of state. there are a list of appraisers under the 'resources' tab at the top of this page.

 

[emerscape]

is 7k high or low? I thought it was on the lower end. what's the turnaround time on sending it to the lab?

 

[belle]

waaaaaaay low.
not low as in, you''re getting a great deal from your new found friend low. low as in, you better make sure what kind of diamond you really have low.

 

[emerscape]

any suggestions? im gonna have him put it under the scope for me to look at today. I've met a few people who went to him and had nothing but good things to say.. i guess im more nervous/cautious... to quote another price.. i didnt look at this one much because i didnt like it but
2.03 H VS2 $9k for just the stone

 

[jaz464]

These prices are way too low, to say the least. I am positive that they are not as they have been "graded." I would absolutely not buy a diamond from this person unless it had a GIA or AGS report. Nobody just gives diamonds away. The jeweler knows something you don''t.

 

[atoth22]

Are the diamonds enhanced? Also, ask him to look at the stone next to a GIA I stone. See if there is a color difference. I would definately get it appraised before buying. I met some jewelers in my search that lied soooo much because most people don''t know the difference.

 

[belle]

Date: 10/9/2006 11:38:20 AM
Author: emerscape
any suggestions? im gonna have him put it under the scope for me to look at today. I''ve met a few people who went to him and had nothing but good things to say.. i guess im more nervous/cautious... to quote another price.. i didnt look at this one much because i didnt like it but
2.03 H VS2 $9k for just the stone

my suggestion is still the same as before. have it graded and or appraised by an independent appraiser. either will add very, very little to the overall cost.
a well cut 2ct. stone that is truly h/vs should cost twice that amount.
you need to know what you are getting. a microscope is not going to help you.

 

[emerscape]

just got back from there as well as a place in the diamond building... asked the guy that about the one i really liked and asked if he would send it to GIA for certification as I wouldn''t buy one that wasn''t certified. He was cool about it and didnt have a problem. He said he will have a couple GIA certified ones from his other store tomorrow so I will find out.

 

[belle]

make sure you get all (and more, if you can) of the information from the gia stones as well.
don''t focus so much on what you see under the microscope (unless you are going to be carrying around a mircroscope to admire the diamond) or the differences on white paper. look at the diamonds under the situations you will normally see them. try and get out from under the bright jewelry store lights (hold the diamonds in the shadow of the display case) and look for lots of sparkle moving INSIDE the diamond, not just flashes off of the facets from the outside.
best of luck! let us know how it goes.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I personally wouldn''t care about getting it certified, if I could have the stone evaluated by an independent appraiser referred from PS do an appraisal. You will get more information that way....quicker and less hassle and more important to your decision making. If you like what you are getting, you can send it in for a cert after you own it, if it is important to you. Click "resources" above for a recommended appraiser in your area.

 

[anacgarcia]

i agree, those prices are too low to be true, my 1ct round was $8,000 diamond + setting..

 

[Stone Hunter]

belle is right.

Do not buy one of the GIA stones JUST because it is GIA. Buy it because you LOVE it and it looks good in all those lighting situations belle mentioned.

A GIA paper will tell you what you are getting, it doesn''t mean it''s a great stone. But it is good to know what you are getting and to try and find one that is a great stone too. So insist on a GIA to know that your I is an I cause you don''t want to pay for an I and end up with an L. But focus on the stone itself. Do you love it? Do you love the faceting and light return and sparkle? How does it look to your eyes in different lighting situations?

HTH