Need some help on buying

[climbhigh]

Hello - I''m new here. Great source of info ! I have a couple of questions. When buying a diamond , what is the most important "c" , and in what order should they go ? { Cut , color , etc }. Also , if I can get more diamond for my money on the internet , then that is most likely the route I will take. At a quick glance , the size I can afford will generally be around .75 carat. Would anyone know of a website , or even a picture here , that I can view that would represent an approx .75 carat diamond? I am just trying to get an idea of how big it is . Last question , and pardon my ignorance - what is a "PS''er" ??? { I''ve seen it on this site several times} .

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/1/2007 10:41:34 AM
Author:climbhigh
Hello - I'm new here. Great source of info ! I have a couple of questions. When buying a diamond , what is the most important 'c' , and in what order should they go ? { Cut , color , etc }. Also , if I can get more diamond for my money on the internet , then that is most likely the route I will take. At a quick glance , the size I can afford will generally be around .75 carat. Would anyone know of a website , or even a picture here , that I can view that would represent an approx .75 carat diamond? I am just trying to get an idea of how big it is . Last question , and pardon my ignorance - what is a 'PS'er' ??? { I've seen it on this site several times} .

Hi and welcome!

PSer means Pricescoper! Cut is the most important C for a diamond's beauty, so it is wise to get the best cut you can, if not what we call a Superideal cut diamond which is cut to very exacting proportions, then a ' nice make' which conforms to a tight depth,table, crown and pavillion angle, girdle thickness and ex ex for polish and symmetry. It can be best to centre your search around AGS0 for cut quality and light performance, and GIA EX cut grade which will help you find a lovely diamond. Then you can fit the colour and clarity according to your preferences and budget to get the size you want.

Buying online is often the best way to go for many, you can definitely get more for your money, plus many of the PS vendors have all the cut technologies and expertise to help you make your choice. Also many diamonds you see are what are known as ' virtual stones' which means they are on the main database from the cutters, and aren't necessarily owned by a vendor. It can make choosing easier to stick to in house diamonds which the vendors actually own, that way they can actually see the diamond to assess it's suitability for you. Vendors such as Whiteflash have their Expert Selection diamonds which can be a great choice, popular vendors here include also:

Good old Gold
Wink Jones at Winfields
James Allen
Engagement Rings Direct
Bill Pearlman

These chaps can help you every step of the way to find a great diamond. Also I know there is a great chart around here which shows diamond sizes on the finger, I will try to find it.

Lastly, some put cut as their top priority, then colour as some feel that is the next priority, then clarity as often in many SI1 and even SI2 clarities are eyeclean, we call this not paying for what the eyes can't see with a very high VS or VVS clarity etc, of course this is a personal preference. You can also read the tutorial at the top of the page under knowledge as this will be very helpful!

I wish I could find that great chart MrsSalvo uses to show the carat sizes on the hand, but I can't locate it...

Also if you let us know your budget, we may be able to find some examples for you and perhaps get you nearer to a carat if you would like.

 

[Ellen]

Lorelei gave you great advice, and I''ll only throw in this to top it off.

To see what size you like best, and the lowest color you can tolerate (some people are more color sensitive than others), I would suggest going to places that sell AGS0 graded stones and/or branded, like Hearts on Fire. Those will be well cut, and can give you a true idea of those specs. A lesser cut stone will show more color, and can possibly face up smaller than a well cut of similar specs.

When viewing stones, it''s best to get the stone away from the fancy jewelers lighting (which makes everything look white and sparkly) to see what it really looks like. By a window with natural lighting is good.

 

[climbhigh]

What is AGSO and GIA ??

 

[Ellen]

AGS and GIA are the top two labs that grade diamonds. An AGS0 is a stone that has had its light performance graded, and will assure you a pretty stone without a lot of guesswork.

Another thing that might help if you are just getting started is to read the tutorial here.

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/

 

[Lorelei]

eta - Ellen just explained it beautifully, read the tutorial she posted and this should be of great help to you!

 

[climbhigh]

On the tutorial it says:

"If you plan to buy a diamond on the internet, ask the vendor to firstly send your stone to an independent appraiser to ensure it matches its Grading Report and possibly make an insurance appraisal. Stones can be switched, deceitfully or accidentally and honest vendors will happily do this. The appraiser will then ship the stone to you, or back to the vendor to set the stone into a mount."

Does this mean I pay for it first , then I can request it be sent to an appraiser , and is this a neccessary step with a reputable on-line dealer?

 

[Ellen]

I'm not sure how companies work when you send it to an appraiser first. Not sure if it's a deposit, or full price. There are many vendors on here where I would (and did) only take the stone once it's set, just to make sure you did get the correct stone. Accidents do happen. However, if you have a good loupe, that could read a laser inscription on the girdle, that might not even be necessary.

It might also depend on a stone in question at times, as to whether it might be prudent to get an appraisers opinion.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 10/1/2007 10:41:34 AM
Author:climbhigh
Would anyone know of a website , or even a picture here , that I can view that would represent an approx .75 carat diamond? I am just trying to get an idea of how big it is .

If you can interpolate...

 

[climbhigh]

Ok I spoke with her last night to get a better idea of what she likes. Now here''s a twist - she would prefer an antique/estate type diamond ring. Square setting with a round diamond { What does this look like?}. Are the antique { genuine , not replica''s} rings typically more or less expensive than buying a new one? Also , what does the term "old mine cut " mean?

 

[Lorelei]

An Old Mine Cut diamond is basically an older style of cut diamond, these can be highly prized and desirable. If you use the search tool to the top right, you can type in old mine cut and get a ton of info and pictures of these diamonds.

Many vendors can locate an old mine cut if you tell them what you are looking for, as to the ring you could either buy an estate ring with the diamond already in place, or you could go custom and have the ring built for you if you know what your GF wants and you can't find what you are looking for. www.faycullen.com has various examples of old mine cuts and estate rings. Pricing between vintage/ estate rings and new is very variable, so no hard and fast rules there. You could also try Pearlmans as he sometimes has older style rings on consignment.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/2/2007 7:54:51 AM
Author: climbhigh
Ok I spoke with her last night to get a better idea of what she likes. Now here's a twist - she would prefer an antique/estate type diamond ring. Square setting with a round diamond { What does this look like?}. Are the antique { genuine , not replica's} rings typically more or less expensive than buying a new one? Also , what does the term 'old mine cut ' mean?

I see Miss Lorelei beat me to the post while I was searching.

I'll post it anyway.

I will give you some links that hopefully will help. I would definitely recommend contacting Ari at Singlestone, he's hooked a few posters up with some great rings.

http://www.singlestone.com/main.html



An Old Mine is also referred to as an Old Cushion Cut. If you do a search on here for Old Mine Cut, and Old Cushion Cut, you'll get several threads.

Here's one that has some pictures in it.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/modern-cushion-vs-antique-cushion.23890/


Here's a thread that may be of help.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/she-put-me-in-charge-vintage-e-ring.61973/


Here are two threads with lots of pics of antique cuts, and mine is the first one in the second thread, which happens to be an Old Mine in a somewhat square setting. (in my av too)

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-antique-cuts.32348/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-antique-cuts-part-2.65973/

HTH!

 

[climbhigh]

Wow! great info. thanks so much!

 

[Ellen]

You are very welcome. And if you have questions about anything, just ask. Many on here love helping, and have been through the steps, know which questions to ask, etc. I just had mine given to me to enjoy, so I didn''t have to do the legwork.

 

[climbhigh]

Well I found a beautiful ring and sent her pics of it and she loves it . It is exactly what she wants. Please take a look and let me know some opinions , thanks again.

http://www.langantiques.com/detail/10-1-1423.html

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/2/2007 10:22:28 AM
Author: climbhigh
Well I found a beautiful ring and sent her pics of it and she loves it . It is exactly what she wants. Please take a look and let me know some opinions , thanks again.

http://www.langantiques.com/detail/10-1-1423.html

I think it's lovely, and rather unique, which I also like!

However, this appears to be a replica, is that ok with her? I'm just going on your previous statement that she wanted an antique/estate type piece.

Also, the center diamond is graded by EGL, who is known for "softer" grading than say, AGS and GIA. What that means is, while they say it's an H VS2, it could in fact, compared to the stricter grading labs, be an I or J, SI1-SI2.

If you do a search on here for EGL, you'll get quite a bit of info. I suppose if you didn't want to try and find something else, you might buy it contingent upon the diamond coming back with the same stated specs from an independant appraiser. Some people have done that...

And you might make a new thread, naming it something like, Need help with antque style setting, so those in the know could help you out, they may never see this in here. I think that might be a good idea.

 

[climbhigh]

More great info! Yes , she would prefer a genuine antique ring. How can you tell the difference , and if I don''t want to waste time viewing replica''s , how should I do a web search?

 

[Ellen]

The wording made me think it''s not. And it doesn''t have an older cut stone in it, another possible red flag. Also, in looking at other rings of theirs, I clicked on another Edwardian engagement ring, and the description starts with, "We have hand crafted", (which means it is not antique) so I am thinking yours may not be an actual antique (setting) either. But again, I have not had to search, and don''t know near as much as some of the gals on here who actually looked for and purchased old pieces. That''s why I want you to make a new thread, being specific about what you are looking for.

 

[climbhigh]

Here is the response I recieved from the on line retailer :


"Thank you for inquiring about this item. It is actually a new mounting with a round brilliant cut diamond. It does have an antique-y feel to it though. Please let me know if you have any further questions. I am happy to help."

Good eye Ellen!!

 

[Selkie]

Hi Climbhigh,
I just responded to your antique ring thread, but just thought of something else I wanted to post, and didn''t want to muddy the waters over there.
When I was looking for my e-ring, at first I also was trying to find an antique, but ended up going with a new antique-style ring, so I just wanted to point out this third possibility to you.

There are a couple of jewelry manufacturers that make NEW antique style rings using the original techniques, so that they are of extremely high quality and don''t have some of the issues of "replicas." One of these is Van Craeynest: http://www.vancraeynest.com/, another is Jabel, www.jabel.com.

To clarify, many genuine antique rings are "die-struck" (stamped from a piece of metal with a very precise model/die) which makes them more dense and durable, with finer detailing, than many cast-metal rings. To make replicas of these, jewelers will cast copies by pouring molten metal into a mold of the original, which can result in a loss of detail. The two makers I mentioned still use the die-struck technique.