Please help with fancy light yellow

[Jessica75]

Hi everyone -

My bf and I would appreciate your help because we aren't sure we're getting a good deal. We have a deposit on a custom e-ring, 14k white gold, which should be finished on Friday. The stone specs are as follows: GIA certified Fancy Light Yellow, 2.18 carats, VS1, even color, no fluorescence, good polish and symmetry. The pic is below. THIS IS NOT THE SETTING I AM GETTING so try to picture it loose.

Questions:
1) Should we insist on seeing the diamond loose?
2) Is $20k too steep? We talked him down from $27,500. I think it is too much because this is a fancy light yellow but it is so hard to tell because we haven't seen very many. The halo and band will total less than .5 ct.
3) Should we be concerned about the "Exchanges only" return policy or are there ways around it?
4) Is it normal to complete payment on delivery or prior to seeing the finished product? Common sense tells me to wait until delivery but they want full payment two days prior.

I think the jeweler sensed our excitement and eagerness to see so many yellows in one place and may be taking advantage of our naivete. Please help! I love the stone but this anxiety is getting to me ...

Jessica

 

[Jessica75]

I neglected to mention it is a cushion modified brilliant with a depth of 70.5% and table of 65%. I''ve attached a side pic ...

 

[widget]

Hi, Jessica...

I guess the best way to get a sense of the going rate for fancy diamonds is to check out the wares of other merchants who deal with them. www.diamondsbylauren.com and www.icestore.com are two that I know of...

It certainly looks beautiful from the pictures...and I like that it has a GIA report and that it doesn''t have any secondary color (brown for instance.)

I personally do not like the "exchange only" policy, and would insist on being able to have the ring looked at by an indpendent appraiser of my choosing before I committed to keeping it.

JMO....

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[Libster]

Hi Jessica,
Welcome to Pricescope!

That''s a beautiful ring you have posted. I''m no expert on diamonds, but love yellow ones

In my opinion the yellow gold setting can enhance the "yellow" of the stone. I''m not sure whether the price is too steep or not, but you can take a look at some beautiful yellow diamond rings and loose stones at the Diamonds by Lauren website www.diamondsbylauren.com They also have an education section that has a yellow diamond grading tool that shows the various shades of yellow and their descriptions. I would not feel comfortable with an "exchanges only" policy. I would like to be able to have at least 30 days to have the ring and make a final decision. As I said before, I''m no expert, just love yellow diamonds!!

Hopefully some of the other members will come along soon to give you some help.

 

[Jessica75]

Thanks Libster and Widget,

I have looked on the websites you mention and it only further made me think we aren''t getting the best price, especially when we know FLY is the lowest fancy yellow grade and we have seen fancy vivids of only slightly smaller size but higher clarity for less money.

The thought of $20k makes me want to vomit, but I feel like I wouldn''t feel this way if we were getting a vivid or intense. The diamond is beautiful so I am not sure it''s anxiety over the cash or because I am not well informed on yellow diamonds.

They also heavily pushed the white gold over platinum, which I found interesting. They cited the strength of gold since platinum bends. I know as much about jewelry as I do about walking on the moon. Any ideas why the push for white gold?

Jessica

 

[EZ]

Because it is cheaper for them to procure and increases their profit margin? I just cannot buy the reason they gave you. It is a pretty ring but I know nothing about what it should sell for, sorry I cannot help.

 

[widget]

Pushing white gold over platinum is certainly new to me...perhaps an expert will chime in on this issue. Seems weird..

I would definitely want the stone''s prongs/basket in yellow gold to enhance the color though.

I don''t think it''s unreasonable that a brick and mortar jeweler''s prices would be a bit higher than internet vendors....that''s just the way it is. I guess if there was a huge difference between the prices of similar stones I''d be concerned.

The stone looks beautiful to you, you love it, and you''ve seen it with your own eyes...these are all good things...

I''m still most concerned about their return policy, and would walk away if I couldn''t have it looked at by an independent appraiser before committing to keeping it...

Sorry I can''t be more help...

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[diamondsbylauren]

Hi Everybody!
Thanks for the nice mentions!

Jessica,
Seeing the diamond loose is not a neccesity, IF you trust the seller and have a money back guarantee. In truth, it is far more important that the diamond look good once it''s set, becasue that''s how you''ll be looking at it.

I would be VERY wary of an "exchange only" policy- it locks you into a seller and gives them far less motivation to satisfy you , under all circumstances.

Paying before completion constitutes a HUGE problem without a money back guarantee.
This is the type of policy I''d want, if I was purchasing- even from a Brick and Mortar store.

The platinum thing really rasies a red flag.
Platinum is the superior metal. Period.
It wears far better over the long run.
It is quite a bity more expensive- say it might add $700 over an 18karat ringf. But if you''re spending well over 10K then it seems silly to try to save that $700- unless the mechant has an ulterior motive.

I agree with widget- there are good reasons to pay more for a ring from a Brick and Mortar jewelry stone in certain instances, if the difference is within reason.

I would say the price of $27500 is simply ASTRONMICAL - designed to make $20K seem reasonable.
It would be possible to buy such a ring for at least $4000 less if a dependable online merchant had it.

Hope this helps!

 

[Gemklctr]

As David notes, it should be most important to you that the diamond looks good to you when set. That said, since you are contemplating a different setting and particularly lighter yellows can change dramatically in appearance depending upon the setting (for example, if they are underlaid with 22kt yellow gold versus set in a 14kt basket) you should try to get some idea of the expected appearance of the stone in the setting you want. That may require removing the stone.

 

[widget]

Jessica....completely, totally off topic: I am desperately in love with the dog in your avatar!!!!!

What a cute, funny picture! What''s his/her name?

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[Jessica75]

Thanks to everyone who responded! I wish I had posted earlier and that I had known David posted here.

Well, big turn of events last night after I posted for help - they finished the ring two days early, probably because we said we would not be in to pay until the ring was done. We drove down there last night and I LOVE THE RING! I will be posting it in Show Me the Ring shortly but I''ve attached a couple views from above. Photographing this thing is trickier than I thought so sorry about the lack of focus! The pictures don''t do it justice.

The diamond was indeed set in a 22k basket with 22k prongs, and the color is so much more vibrant than before. The jeweler told me, "For someone who doesn''t know anything about jewelry, you designed a beautiful ring."

While I will probably always feel we paid too much and the exchanges only thing unsettles me, I LOVE THIS RING and don''t anticipate returning it. Lesson learned though for the future, and this website has been a very valuable resource!

As for the platinum v white gold thing - they were going to charge me $2500 extra for platinum.

Widget - The dog in the avatar is my Bull Terrier puppy Egg. He''s a hoot.

 

[Jessica75]

and on the hand ... again, sorry for the poor camera work!

 

[belle]

wow...what a beauty! i just love everything about it.

 

[ScheinerDiamonds]

Jessica hi,
20k is high. Should be closer to 13k in my mind.
Insist on a full money back guarantee as this is normal.
Payment in advance is OK maybe for the ring and labor but not for the whole thing. Some sort of deposit.
There are many diamonds like it so don't rush into it.
Michael

 

[Jessica75]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the input - I should have been more patient, less impulsive, etc. This particular jeweler has onhand many yellows and frequently gets pinks and blues in stock so I guess we were dazzled by the fact he had what we were looking for right in front of us. I am sure he could smell our excitement. (The other store that was ordering yellows in for us were quoting better prices but not getting GIA certified stones.) Lesson learned.

Ah well, the deal is done and I am very happy with the ring. Hopefully buyer''s remorse won''t set in!

 

[Gemklctr]

Jessica, the ring looks great and certainly presents close to a fancy yellow. I''m equally enamoured of your dog. If I ever get another dog (have 3 now) it will be a bull terrier with just that coloration.

 

[Libster]

Jessica,
The ring is BEAUTIFUL!! You did a great job on the design and the most important thing is that you are happy

Now we must have more photos to drool over

 

[icekid]

Jessica, your ring is just stunning! Try not to feel too bad about the money. What''s done is done, and you shouldn''t let that take away at all from your enjoyment of your new ring!

 

[blueroses]

You''ll save money next time.....that ring is GORGEOUS!!! We don''t see many FY halo rings here....please post on the "rings with halos" thread!!!

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Jessica,
The ring is LOVELY!!!!

Wear it in good health.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Jessica, fantastic job of designing your ring! It is absolutely gorgeous!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Absolutely beautiful!! That is fantastic you are so happy with it - I know I would be!! Congratulations and enjoy

 

[Daniela]

Yellows don''t usually make my heart go pitter patter, but yours is a real knockout.