New to forum, confused about my new purchase

[rushca01]

Hello all, new to the forum (not new to the forum world though, member at other forums non diamond related)

I have just bought an engagement ring and now I''m starting to second guess the ring that I bought. Little background, at first I wanted to go hearts on fire just b/c at first glance the cut on these diamonds is amazing but the price is a bit steap and there is no negotiating on it (all prices are set by HOF). So i started looking at non branded diamonds. The one I found and put a 20% deposit on is: round diamond, ideal cut, .73ct, G color, VVS2 clarity and EGL certified. When the jeweler brought it out I was comparing it to a Hearts on fire .71ct, J color, S12 clarity. Even though the HOF diamond had more "shine" to it the other one looked more colorless (obivous as it was G) and looked more clear. I was on the edge and just wasn''t sure about the HOF diamond. I ended up purchasing the non HOF diamond for 3800, the jeweler said it was a 5400 diamond but sold it to me for 3800 b/c I was thinking about going somewhere else. I told them they had the better customer service but the other place had a better price. The jeweler stated they would make sure this was my last stop and they did.

So now after having done more research I found out the EGL certification has less value then a diamond certified by the GIA. Did I make a good purchase? Should I keep looking for another diamond? I set my budget for the diamond at 6000 but when they brought that one it just looked amazing so I pulled the trigger and had money left over in my pocket. Should I go back and say I want to look at some GIA diamonds. PLease help new to the diamond world

Thanks!,
Chris

 

[InlovewithJHK]

What are some of the details of the diamond? do you have crown height, table size, things like that on the cert? without it, there isn't a person on PS that can tell you if you made a good deal or not. Are you happy with your purchase? You said that the diamond "just looked amazing" so that is a good sign!

 

[whatmeworry]

welcome Chris,
just remember you are buying the diamond and not the paper. There''s nothing wrong not spending all of your ring budget (but of course I''m a guy so I can say this!) However, if you are second guessing yourself, go back and look some more so as to remove all doubts. Good luck. EGL-USA according to the appraisers here is good.

 

[kcoursolle]

Hard to say with the info you provided. Please post all of the cut information from the certificate including depth, table, crown/pavillion, girdle, polish/symmetry. We need this information to evaluate the cut of the stone.

 

[decodelighted]

I can''t say much about the stone you found without more details ... but

For 6K I found this stone ...that is over a carat, ideal cut, hearts & arrows (similar to Hearts on Fire) that measures 6.43-6.45 X 3.96 mm. It has an AGS cert, which is even more stringent than GIA (and *as* reputable IMO).

One carat is a VERY nice size -- especially if it''s spready & it breaks my heart (

) that you COULD get there -- with a super ideal cut no less -- for your budget, but are choosing not to.

 

[risingsun]

I was also considering a HOF diamond. I purchased a beautiful ACA of a larger size and comparable quality. They are both graded by AGS. It is often said on this forum that you can''t go wrong with an ACA...and I agree!

 

[rushca01]

Thanks for all the input. I know it''s tough trying to judge a diamond by numbers but I don''t have the cert in front me. All I that I can remember on the cert (besides ct, cut, color, and clarity) is that the diamond is "mapped" and is considered ideal cut by Tolkowsky standards. So all I know is that the table and depth fall in the parameters of a Tolkowsky cut diamond. If I remember the polish and symmetry are either good to excellent. I have called back to the store telling them I was second guessing the purchase and thinking about upgrading and they kept telling me I made a fine purchase. So I don''t know if they are being sincere, just trying to puch that diamond out of the store, or if they just don''t want to have to de-mount that diamond and re-mount another diamond. I know internet pricing is amazing, I''m not ready to purchase anything off the internet yet. So should I have bit the bullet and gotten a hearts on fire with its amazing cut or get the non branded diamond that hasn''t been cut to such exact measures.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 7/25/2007 6:55:29 PM
Author:rushca01
Hello all, new to the forum (not new to the forum world though, member at other forums non diamond related)

I have just bought an engagement ring and now I''m starting to second guess the ring that I bought. Little background, at first I wanted to go hearts on fire just b/c at first glance the cut on these diamonds is amazing but the price is a bit steap and there is no negotiating on it (all prices are set by HOF). So i started looking at non branded diamonds. The one I found and put a 20% deposit on is: round diamond, ideal cut, .73ct, G color, VVS2 clarity and EGL certified. When the jeweler brought it out I was comparing it to a Hearts on fire .71ct, J color, S12 clarity. Even though the HOF diamond had more ''shine'' to it the other one looked more colorless (obivous as it was G) and looked more clear. I was on the edge and just wasn''t sure about the HOF diamond. I ended up purchasing the non HOF diamond for 3800, the jeweler said it was a 5400 diamond but sold it to me for 3800 b/c I was thinking about going somewhere else. I told them they had the better customer service but the other place had a better price. The jeweler stated they would make sure this was my last stop and they did.

So now after having done more research I found out the EGL certification has less value then a diamond certified by the GIA. Did I make a good purchase? Should I keep looking for another diamond? I set my budget for the diamond at 6000 but when they brought that one it just looked amazing so I pulled the trigger and had money left over in my pocket. Should I go back and say I want to look at some GIA diamonds. PLease help new to the diamond world

Thanks!,
Chris

Hi Chris and welcome to PS.

Can you give us the specs on the stone. You saw it, it wowed you. That''s what matters. You can also pricescope your stone to see what other stones that are comparable are going for ( look at the top of the page). Which EGL lab certed the stone. There is a big difference between EGL labs. Was it EGL USA?? Please give us the crown and pavillion angles as well.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 7/25/2007 7:50:37 PM
Author: rushca01
Thanks for all the input. I know it's tough trying to judge a diamond by numbers but I don't have the cert in front me. All I that I can remember on the cert (besides ct, cut, color, and clarity) is that the diamond is 'mapped' and is considered ideal cut by Tolkowsky standards. So all I know is that the table and depth fall in the parameters of a Tolkowsky cut diamond. If I remember the polish and symmetry are either good to excellent. I have called back to the store telling them I was second guessing the purchase and thinking about upgrading and they kept telling me I made a fine purchase. So I don't know if they are being sincere, just trying to puch that diamond out of the store, or if they just don't want to have to de-mount that diamond and re-mount another diamond. I know internet pricing is amazing, I'm not ready to purchase anything off the internet yet. So should I have bit the bullet and gotten a hearts on fire with its amazing cut or get the non branded diamond that hasn't been cut to such exact measures.

Chris, many of us came here just like you when we were beginning a search for a diamond for one reason or another. I had not even heard of hearts and arrows diamonds before this forum. I did have to seek out a Hearts on Fire dealer in order to see one. I did see that H&A diamonds are very beautiful, but I bought one from Good Old Gold because the price was about a third less! No way was I going to pay that much more for an identical stone that just had more marketing money behind it. Next my husband got me new diamond earrings, and again, I got hearts and arrows (ACA) diamonds from WhiteFlash. If you are most comfortable with a brick and mortar store, then I'd recommend Good Old Gold since they had a store long before they had a website.

Here are some examples of 1 carat H&A stones you could get for your $6000 budget:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3004/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3000/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3002/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3042/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3291/

Oh, and regardless, yes, I'd ask for GIA Excellent or AGS ideal certificates.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Hi Chris-- As several of the other posters mentioned, part of the grading to determine what you reallly received is dependent on a number of factors. From my understanding, the GIA/AGS reports are the gold standard; EGL (USA) typically is a "loose" grader (for instance, a G VVS2 graded by EGL-USA would likely get an H VS1 by GIA), and non-US EGL certs are looser still, and other labs less reliable still.

By putting the assumption of those parameters in the "Pricescope Your Diamond" box above, it shows that the internet pricing for a GIA graded H VS1 is around $2200-2800. (GIA G VVS2 cost around $3500ish.) Brick and Mortars have higher overhead mark-up, so I doubt you should considered yourself to have gotten a bad deal if you paid a bit more; to me, $3800 sounds reasonable, but not particularly a superdeal.

If you love the stone, there you go. But if there''s some ambiguity and you are wondering if you could do better from a strict financial position, the answer is probably yes. If it helps, when it came time to purchase an engagement ring, my fiance and I went with a brick-and-mortar shop ourselves for the benefits of establishing a relationship locally-- cleaning, appraisals, polishing, repairs, and better prices on successive pieces gave an additional piece of mind an convenience that made us comfortable. But if I had to do it again, would we have purchased online and made more out of the budget? Probably. When you take a look at websites like goodoldgold.com, and read through the many people who have been satisfied here with SP and WF, it becomes quite clear that there are some first-rate sellers among the options on the internet.

Good luck!

 

[rushca01]

Thanks again for the help!

For now I do want to stick with the brick and mortar store just b/c of reputation, developing that relationship and any future cleanings and servicing issues. I think I have really considering going back in there and asking to look at some GIA or AGS certified diamonds. When I called the store and spoke to the jeweler that I worked with I expressed my concern about the EGL cert. They stated that the store owner hand picks and reviews every diamond that comes through the store and if they don''t agree with the rating then they don''t buy it themselves. Even with that said I think I would still like to go back in and look at some more options. I put 20% down and said I will pay the rest once the stone is mounted, well it is mounted now b/c they called and stated it was, is it wrong of me to look at other diamonds even though the current stone is set?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

No, it is not wrong to continue looking since you haven''t yet taken possession of the ring. Since you were originally budgeting $6000 for the diamond, I''d certainly try to look at some closer to that price range. Don''t be fooled by the value the jeweler says the stone is worth. The stone you bought is "worth" $3800. That is a fair price if the stone is as represented.

 

[SpeedracerII]

Reputation for what? He is selling you a $3500 stone for $5400. He is a business man first and foremost as all business owners are. He has overhead to pay. Here is a very nice stone of similar size that you bought... http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2258/ from a very reputable dealer for $3500. This particular dealer has a B&M store but also does business on-line. I bought my stone from them and would gladly do business with them again as many on this forum would. I had this dealer ship three stones I was interested in to a local appraiser so I could both see them in person and get an independent view of the asking price. I suspect an independent appraiser might suggest you are over paying for that stone. It was not free but it gave me peace of mind. You could do the same and with the $2,000 you save buy her a nice wedding band or set of diamond earrings, or better yet, a nice HDTV!