Opinions on loose diamond

[tjwm207]

hi everyone!

i''m a beginner to the wrld of diamond purchasing and am in the market to look for a nice engagement ring for my girlfriend.

Went to a couple of places and viewed a number of loose diamonds.

One of them I saw was a round brilliant Lazarre Ideal Cut of 0.21 carat, VS1, and H colour.
The shop quoted me S$975 (Singapore Dollars).
Is this a good deal?

thnx in advance everyone!

cheers!

 

[niceice]

975.00 Singapore Dollars = $570.99 United States Dollars, it's not that far out of whack, but you could probably do better with a stateside internet dealer...

 

[tomatoe]

tjwm, what is ur approx budget? where is the diamond from, does it come with a cert? what is the info on the diamond? if u want the users on ps to help, it would be better if u can provide more info like, colour, clarity, depth & table %, crown & pavilion angles, culet. since u r in singapore, try and look out for diamonds that have at least an AGS cert than u will be provided with more info than a GIA. good luck

 

[valeria101]

All good, but it is not very likely to get all this info for a stone way below 1 ct. The one place I know of that sells small ideal cuts (this is what the previous post is about) is Whiteflash. Otherwise, I guess the name of the brand does stand for some cut quality, even if it does not guarantee the actual optical properties of each stone.

Looking for omething online: yes, I guess this is a very good idea to optimize your buy.

 

[tomatoe]

valeria, in singapore all the layperson has to depend on is

1. their eyes
2. the GIA/ AGS cert that hopefully comes with the stone even the smaller
ones like the 0.21 that tjwm207 posted about
3. the spiel that the sales person gives them
4. lotsa good luck that it does not out to be frozen spit away from the
shop's lighting

from reading many of the posts on PS, i've come to gather that the general american diamond buyer is also in the exact same situation. although they have access to much more information and technology than us

edited: why the lower ct weight diamonds may have a higher tendency to be certified in singapore is cos the market in singapore is for the 0.5ct and below diamonds more so than anything else....

 

[Giangi]

At that size, a certificate is absolutely NOT necessary. It might be a nice touch, but its cost is 20% of the price of the diamond itself! Makes no sense to me...
You can find a nicely cut SI 1 or SI 2 stone in the 0.30 range that will look just as good to the naked eye.

 

[tomatoe]

giangi, in singapore, if the diamond does not have a cert, there is no way for us to find out there and then a simple thing like what clarity or colour the diamond even is, the only thing the shop can tell u is the ct weight. as for appraisers, there simply isnt alot of them here and as far as i've been trying to find out, none have even heard of a sarin machine.

i know that a cert is not cheap and adds to the diamond price, but its not like in america, where there is an abundance of sophisticated machines & appraisers that can provide the consumer the info that is needed. here, a good eye, the cert, plenty of luck and hopefully an idealscope is the only way to find a presentable diamond. i am definitely not an expert but i know the singapore diamond consumer side well enough.

 

[pqcollectibles]

You might consider ordering an Ideal Scope from Garry Holloway. You can check diamonds you are viewing in person for light leakage. That would be a good hands on tool to use while shopping in person.

If you shop on the Internet, White Flash, as stated before, sells Certed, Super Ideal cuts in the smaller carat weights. WF ships to the Asian markets as well. They are knowledgeable in the shipping and import details associated with an international purchase.