Need to get appraisal for loose stone from BM jeweler?

[tonygrez]

Hi all,

First of all, thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience on this forum. I am new to the forum, but have really appreciated the amount knowledge and research everyone has put in here. It has helped me a lot and made me feel much less intimidated with the diamond hunting process.
I have a couple of quick questions here that I would appreciate getting your advice for:

I''ve been looking around online and at brick and mortar jewelers in Boston ( in Boston Jewelers Exchange) to get a nice solitaire engagement ring. my budget for the stone is around 2000$, and i know i want something at .50 ct (my fiancee''s finger is small, so we dont need a bigger stone than that).

A jeweler showed me on .53 ct - E- VS2 with very good cut (GIA), polish and symmetry, for around 1900$, but then another jeweler shows me one .54ct - D - VS1 - very good cut, excellent polish and symmetry for $2000.

My questions are

- should I get either of the stones appraised by an independent appraiser in Boston first before deciding which to buy, or is it not worth the money for the appraisal? Would the jeweler be open to that option?

- the second question might be stupid, but i still like to know, is that should i just go for D-VS1 which seems to me like a much better deal, or there is something that the appraisal can tell that justifies the E-VS2 being slightly expensive?

Thanks so much,
Tony

 

[stone-cold11]

Question, why are you settling on VG cut when you have that good a budget? Cut is what makes a stone alive, VG cut might be good, but most of the time they aren't.

What is the depth, table, crown and pavilion angles if you want use to make a rough guess on how the stone will perform.

EDT:
Also what is the physical dimensions, and girdle variation?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/22/2009 12:54:13 PM
Author:tonygrez
Hi all,

First of all, thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience on this forum. I am new to the forum, but have really appreciated the amount knowledge and research everyone has put in here. It has helped me a lot and made me feel much less intimidated with the diamond hunting process.
I have a couple of quick questions here that I would appreciate getting your advice for:

I've been looking around online and at brick and mortar jewelers in Boston ( in Boston Jewelers Exchange) to get a nice solitaire engagement ring. my budget for the stone is around 2000$, and i know i want something at .50 ct (my fiancee's finger is small, so we dont need a bigger stone than that).

A jeweler showed me on .53 ct - E- VS2 with very good cut (GIA), polish and symmetry, for around 1900$, but then another jeweler shows me one .54ct - D - VS1 - very good cut, excellent polish and symmetry for $2000.

My questions are

- should I get either of the stones appraised by an independent appraiser in Boston first before deciding which to buy, or is it not worth the money for the appraisal? Would the jeweler be open to that option?

- the second question might be stupid, but i still like to know, is that should i just go for D-VS1 which seems to me like a much better deal, or there is something that the appraisal can tell that justifies the E-VS2 being slightly expensive?

Thanks so much,
Tony

Hi Tony

GIA Very Good cut grade can have some lovely stones within it, but in order to judge properly we need the following info

depth%
table%
crown and pavilion angles
girdle thickness
polish and symmetry grades
diameter
star %
lower girdle %
fluorescence if applicable

If you could post the above info for each diamond we can advise you as to which is the best cut and therefore probably the most beautiful diamond. The info needed will be on the grading reports or alternatively if you get the GIA report number we can look it up.

 

[tonygrez]

Sorry - my previous post does not have all the data:

The stats of the D-VS1 are as follows:

Round Brilliant
Measurements: 5.27 - 5.30 x 3.18 mm

Carat Weight: 0.54 carat
Color Grade: D
Clarity Grade: VS1

Proportions:
Depth: 60.2%
Table: 58%
Girdle: Thin to Medium, Faceted (3.0%)
Culet: None

Finish:
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None

Clarity Characteristics:
Pinpoint, Crystal

Crown Angle: 34.5°
Crown Height: 14.5%
Pavilion Angle: 40.6°
Pavilion Depth: 42.5%
Star length: /td> 55%
Lower Half: 90%
Cut Grade: Very Good


I dont have the E-VS2 yet, but will try to get it up here soon.

Thanks a lot everyone,
Tien ANh

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/22/2009 1:07:17 PM
Author: tonygrez
The stats of the D-VS1 are as follows:

Measurements: 5.27 - 5.30 x 3.18 mm
Depth: 60.2%
Table: 58%
Girdle: Thin to Medium, Faceted (3.0%)
Culet: None

Crown and pavilion angles please? Do you have those? They are critical in judging the diamond. ETA - thanks, those look fine but the lower girdle percentage is very high, can you recheck that figure please?

Also you could get an appraisal on your choice certainly, ask the seller if they have a return policy so that you can return the diamond for any reason within such time and get this in writing. If they offer a return period then you could get an appraisal during that time.

Appraiser tool

https://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.aspx

 

[stone-cold11]

Numbers looks good, but the virtual facets will be very splintery, that is personal preference but I prefer chunkier virtual facets. Normal numbers for the lower facets are in the 75-85% range.

You like the looks of the D outside of the the store lightings?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/22/2009 1:13:36 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
Numbers looks good, but the virtual facets will be very splintery, that is personal preference but I prefer chunkier virtual facets. Normal numbers for the lower facets are in the 75-85% range.

You like the looks of the D outside of the the store lightings?

To try to expound on this, if the diamond shows a strong or disorganized arrow pattern face up Tony which you may be familiar with, the look of the ' arrows' will be very thin which can give a different personality/ characteristic to the diamond. The facet measurement is very high so this effect will likely be heightened.

This page has diagrams so you can see this more easily and understand what is meant.

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds_info/t/articles.aspx?articleid=154&zoneid=14

Nothing wrong with longer lower girdle facets, in fact I prefer them but it can be a matter of taste. 90% isn't seen that often so it would be good just to check that figure as we can't actually see the diamond. These types of diamonds can look very bright and sparkly in jewellery store lighting but less so in plain daylight so be sure to check the diamond out away from the store lights which is standard advice in any case.

 

[tonygrez]

No, I dont get to see the D-VS1 stone outside of the store. Thats why i have some reservations about it.
I did get to see the E-VS2 and liked it quite a bit.
Thanks,
Tony