shape
carat
color
clarity

ok first time questions here (probably noobish)

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Cyberpunk

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
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2
Well it''s that time

and in the past several months I''ve been cramming more crazy gemstone knowledge than even the local jewelers probably have, the guy at Jared''s hadn''t even heard of an Eighternity or the Solasfera, but anyways (she''s a Princess cut fan, so while I''d probably let my inner perfectionist steer me towards the Solasfera and it''s eliteness, she''s saved me from that, unfortunately the standards established for Round Brilliants can''t be used with Princess cuts)

ok well I''m definitely stumped, I''ve shopped around and looked at the merchandise in several local jewelers, and while the nearby Jared''s probably had the best selections and terms (benefits, etc) I would of course like to "get more for the price"

now obviously, there''s a million and one factors here, but even among online vendors, there are huge gaps, I mean looking at a VERY similar stone, between James Allen, Whiteflash, and Blue Nile, we''re talking 5k, 6k, 8k

maybe the question isn''t HOW are they fluctuating so much, but WHY? if Blue Nile is the biggest and most popular diamond website, are they just charging for the name? (like any local vendor? ie Jared, Kay, Tiffany, etc)

and I''ve definitely seen a ton of positive press for both James Allen and Whiteflash on here, which is heavily influencing me, but I''m still shaky about online diamond sales (it just give me chills thinking how things could go wrong, of course, this being one of the biggest and most significant purchases I''ve ever made doesn''t help)

ok lastly, the guy at Jared''s gave a good schpeal about lifetime warranties and repair and rhodium plating for white gold and a 100% buyback for their stones. All of which sounded good, I''ve come to find out that a lot of those features are pretty standard stuff, BUT, I learned more about white gold and since have been kinda turned off by the whole "plating" deal, so now I''m leaning more towards Platinum (but of course now there''s the alloys issues), but is there a white gold variant or alloy that DOESN''T have to be regularly plated? or would Platinum really be the way to go for a white ring that stays white?

geez I know that this is probably a hundred and one too many questions, but I''ve seen you guys give some really good answers and here''s me hoping

thanks in advance
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
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38,364
Cyberpunk,
If you stick with a white gold palladium mix, there's no need for replating and stuff. See link:
http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/47/1/An-Overview-Of-Common-Alloys-Used-In-Jewelry.aspx

I don't know much about Princess cut diamonds but can tell you that I've made most of my diamond purchases online and could not have been more satisfied with the customer service, variety & choice of diamonds, and of course, price. Personally, I have bought from Good Old Gold, Whiteflash, Pearlmans, Quest, Wink, Gary Dutton and had lots of contact with many others like Mark at ERD and etc. Those I mentioned previously have proven to me that they are knowledgeable, care about their customers and are honest & trustworthy.

Even among the many vendors here, their prices vary accord to different specifications:
1. quality and preciseness of cut
2. colour and clarity
3. lab certification
4. store overhead & profit level
5. and many more

I hope you'll post your potential diamonds here: I'm sure there are many Princess experts who will gladly help you pick the nicest ones.
 

Cyberpunk

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
2
ok well this is the ring I''m looking at, and I''m going to call them and try to see what kind of alloy it is or what certificate or verification they have on that (I''m shooting for 950 Plat/Ruth)

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones.asp?module=setting&act=pd&item=172&cid=58#poss

and here''s the current stone:

James Allen
Princess
1.03
G
IF
GIA cert
68.9% depth
66% table
polish excellent
symmetry VG
girdle VT-Thin
no fluro
measurements: 5.78*5.59*3.85
L/W ratio: 1.03
spread: -6%

now while the dimensions are all well within the ''Ideal'' cut range, there''s no light tests (Brilliantscope, etc) whereas Good Old Gold has more individual info on most of their gems, but no IF''s of any size for Princess cuts

and one last thing, the Jared''s guy also gave me the schpeal about fracture filling and laser drilling and the whole scare-tactic when referring to online sales, what kind of assurances can you get online about things like that? I read a few sites that said they do not deal in that, but I can''t find it on James Allen

thanks again
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
I highly doubt JA deals with fracture filling and stuff like that. You can always call and ask.

Do you have the link to the stone so that we can see the picture (or a magnified photo)? Ask JA for an Idealscope picture, I''m sure they can do that. It''ll help you see if there is too much leakage or if it is a good performing diamond.
 

surfgirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
4,438
If you search on PS for "Jared''s" you should find a few recent posts where you will see that they dont seem very scrupulous at all. I dont think most people would buy from them after hearing these recent stories. If I were you, I''d read up on the store here to see what people''s recent experiences have been.
 
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