whoisjohngalt
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2017
- Messages
- 4
Looking for some more general help or advice finding a fancy yellow diamond for a ring for my SO. I have been spending a fair amount of time researching this, browsing some sites that sell yellow diamonds, have also gone into some B&M jewellers to view stones with different properties. Recently posted a related q about how yellow diamonds are affected by fluorescence and got some good responses so hoped that maybe a general question would yield some more avenues of finding this type of stone.
I've done what I can to educate myself about the different GIA parameters from their own site, sites like diamdb.com and also other online articles and forums about how to buy a stone. Have seen in person the way different parameters can make a big difference (saw two otherwise similar SI1 vs VVS1 stones recently at a local B&M jeweller and the "sparkle" was dramatically different between the two).
So why this post ?
Essentially, being somewhat frustrated with the logistics of trying to find a stone like this. I don't think I need to rehash the pros/cons of the large brand chains (Tiffanys) vs local B&Ms vs drop-shippers as I would hope people on here would understand compromises of each. Only a minority of B&M places I've contacted in my area have been able to get back to me with things that are like what I want to see ... however my experience at B&M places confirms that some things that look great on paper were underwhelming in person, while things that don't look promising really shine when they are in front of me (excuse the pun). Also wrt drop-shipper style sites I'm not independently wealthy and can't keep putting up the thousands of dollars to ship these diamonds back and forth to be able to see them in person ... I don't live in NYC so can't go to a showroom without dropping a bunch of money for a plane ticket.
Anyway, any advice or resources forum users have would be appreciated.
Here are some parameters I'm looking for:
> 1 ct and realistically less than 1.7 ct for my means, non-round cut, preferably something more elongated
must have GIA or comparable certificate
must have table/depth/ratios close to optimal ranges on diamdb.com for cut
at least VS2 clarity. I know some vendors argue that the average person can't tell the difference to the naked eye with lower clarity stones, and maybe i am biased by the limited number of diamonds I've seen not being a jeweller, but I disagree. The higher clarity rating has definitely improved the appearance of the stones I've seen controlling for other things.
judging from a thread I posted earlier (see here - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fluorescence-rating-in-yellow-diamonds.228396/), avoiding fluorescence would be preferable if buying online as it seems that there is a risk it will make the diamond look worse
price - I have a range in mind but part of the reason for this post is to get a sense from people on here of what is realistic. I ask because the spread in terms of cost seems enormous depending on the parameters of the diamond. Compare this one on James Allen for example https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di.../oval-cut/1.60-carat-vvs1-clarity-sku-2405074 with this one on Liebish Co http://www.leibish.com/yellow-diamonds/fancy-vivid-yellow-oval-28610
Is it just that this is a hard thing to find because yellow diamonds are rare, and to get the right combination of features is difficult ? If what I'm looking for is unrealistic, I would appreciate hearing that as well.
- John
I've done what I can to educate myself about the different GIA parameters from their own site, sites like diamdb.com and also other online articles and forums about how to buy a stone. Have seen in person the way different parameters can make a big difference (saw two otherwise similar SI1 vs VVS1 stones recently at a local B&M jeweller and the "sparkle" was dramatically different between the two).
So why this post ?
Essentially, being somewhat frustrated with the logistics of trying to find a stone like this. I don't think I need to rehash the pros/cons of the large brand chains (Tiffanys) vs local B&Ms vs drop-shippers as I would hope people on here would understand compromises of each. Only a minority of B&M places I've contacted in my area have been able to get back to me with things that are like what I want to see ... however my experience at B&M places confirms that some things that look great on paper were underwhelming in person, while things that don't look promising really shine when they are in front of me (excuse the pun). Also wrt drop-shipper style sites I'm not independently wealthy and can't keep putting up the thousands of dollars to ship these diamonds back and forth to be able to see them in person ... I don't live in NYC so can't go to a showroom without dropping a bunch of money for a plane ticket.
Anyway, any advice or resources forum users have would be appreciated.
Here are some parameters I'm looking for:
> 1 ct and realistically less than 1.7 ct for my means, non-round cut, preferably something more elongated
must have GIA or comparable certificate
must have table/depth/ratios close to optimal ranges on diamdb.com for cut
at least VS2 clarity. I know some vendors argue that the average person can't tell the difference to the naked eye with lower clarity stones, and maybe i am biased by the limited number of diamonds I've seen not being a jeweller, but I disagree. The higher clarity rating has definitely improved the appearance of the stones I've seen controlling for other things.
judging from a thread I posted earlier (see here - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fluorescence-rating-in-yellow-diamonds.228396/), avoiding fluorescence would be preferable if buying online as it seems that there is a risk it will make the diamond look worse
price - I have a range in mind but part of the reason for this post is to get a sense from people on here of what is realistic. I ask because the spread in terms of cost seems enormous depending on the parameters of the diamond. Compare this one on James Allen for example https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di.../oval-cut/1.60-carat-vvs1-clarity-sku-2405074 with this one on Liebish Co http://www.leibish.com/yellow-diamonds/fancy-vivid-yellow-oval-28610
Is it just that this is a hard thing to find because yellow diamonds are rare, and to get the right combination of features is difficult ? If what I'm looking for is unrealistic, I would appreciate hearing that as well.
- John