Please help with this stone and on-line buying phobia

[Diamond 4 Ever]

Hi again,

I think I have finally found the perfect stone and have place it on hold. This stone is from Blue Nile. Although I have heard that Blue Nile tend to be pricier than other on-line vendors, but they are the only one with the stone that meets my criteria and budget so far.

So, here are my on-line buying phobias which I hope you can help with.

1. Although I have read that Blue Nile is one of the more reputable on-line vendors, what if the diamond they send to me is not what was promised?

2. Wiring them the payment would save some $$, but I am thinking of paying with my credit card in case I do not get what I paid for, then I can dispute it (not sure if I will win the disput though since we are talking about such a big amount). Has any one made a purchase from Blue Nile in the range of what I am buying? If yes, how did you handle the payment? Any problems?

3. I am also thinking of having the diamond sent directly to an independent appraiser in my area (Southern California). Do you know of any good ones in the Los Angeles, Orange County, or San Diego area? I am willing to drive there so that the package can be opened with a third party witness. This way, I won''t be accused of swopping the stone if anything should happen. Am I being too paranoid?

After voicing out my phobias, now comes the information on the stone. I am hoping that some one can tell me if this is a good buy or if there are any reservations to the quality or price of the stone.

E VS2 2.02 carat
measurements - 8.09-8.13x4.97
Table - 57%
Depth - 61.3%
Crown Angle - 34.5''
Pav Angle - 40.7''
HCA - 1.1
Polish - ex
Symmetry - ex
Girdle - thin-med
Culet - non
Flourescense - none
Inclusion - Crystals on table and side, pinpoints not shown, surface graining not shown.
Price $21,789

I would appreciate any comments or input for the stone and advise on purchasing from Blue Nile. Thanks so much everyone for lending a helping hand! (Sorry this is such a long post)

 

[valeria101]

Just a quick 0.2 worth...

Another poster retruned his diamond to BlueNile without a glitch, and he may answer your concerns (here's the THREAD ). Not much I could tell, sure many could do better and there is alot of older feedback on BN too.

 

[chris-uk04]

I definitely had a phobia about buying online, too. Before I started searching I only had heard of Blue Nile, diamond.com etc.

1. You can send it back within a certain amount of days. (remember to carefully read the fine print)
2.I still would be hesitant about buying from Blue Nile because you have very little information about your stone. You are uncomfortable because you are still pretty much buying blind. A GIA cert will only tell you so much. (It doesn’t mention crown and pavilion angles, two other important measures).

I just placed a hold on a stone from www.goodoldgold.com . I could see pictures of the actual diamond at magnification. When I wanted to see how the color looked, I emailed them and they took pictures of the stone against a white background. If a stone is only 99% perfect, they point out where the 1% is. www.niceice.com also has a good reputation around here and so does www.whiteflash.com .
If you can’t call Blue Nile and have them take a picture of your stone I would look elsewhere. Some of these online vendors don’t have their own inventories. They are merely brokers. Why go there and risk not being happy when you can shop elsewhere for competitive prices.

Here’s a 1.91 E VS 2 19.1 E VS2

Also, remember to look at the diameters almost as much as the carat weight. Although it’s 0.11 carats smaller, it’s $800 cheaper but it only has an average diameter of 8.05 versus 8.11 mm.., hardly worth noting.

Honestly, I couldn’t never pay $21K for something I had never seen before or even see pictures of. The wealth of information that GOG provided me, made me a lot more comfortable buying online.

 

[pqcollectibles]

The diamond you selected is nice. Blue Nile is very reputable and you can return or exchange diamonds easily with them. There was a gal recently, Stephcola, that got 2 or 3 different diamonds from them. She didn't care for the first 1 or 2, but really liked the last one and decided to keep it.

The problem with BN is there is no lifetime upgrade or buyback policy. Shrinkage does set in and who knows? You might want a 3 carat down the road! Maybe you will hit hard times and need to sell the diamond. No one can predict the future.

Here is a comparable AGS0 diamond from White Flash. White Flash gives a 5% discount to Price Scope Forum members, so that makes the price $20,473.

Here is a Hearts and Arrows diamond from Good Old Gold over 2 carats.

There are other choices than BN. Equally reputable Vendors, offering quality diamonds, with better long-term policies.

 

[fongrx7]

yah, same here. I am a newbie in the market for a "rock" soon. after reading so much research, I still have some question about the on-line ventors. not being offensive. but just heard too many stories enough to cautch my nervous.

sure, many people say that buying stones on-line could save about 10%-20% or even more than local stores. and it is easy and fast too, and many of them provide good service too, like provide pictures, and then send stone to third party for appraisal. but how do we know:

1)they will send different firescope pictures, etc to you when you ask for them. you know, so many perfect pictures online.
2)finding a good reputable third party for appraisal is really another headache. can the vendors talk to the appraiser first to be less strict with the inspection on the stone? not being offensive here again. that could happen in real life, you know.
3)can be the stone swapped at or by the appraiser after paying the ventor? god knows if the appraiser accidentally send you another one?hence, it seems to be a good idea to find an local appraiser to inspect it after getting the stone?

there is no offensive to anyone here. just trying to be careful here, due to the frauds are everywhere in the world.

thanks

 

[Mara]

That looks like one really nice stone from the numbers!! Unfortunately, Blue Nile cannot or will not get you pictures of the stone, IdealScope images etc which for me buying online is a MUST...but if you feel comfortable with their return policy...then I would order the stone and take it immediately to a local inde. appraiser and get it checked out. Should everything work out and the stone looks great to you, congrats!




I know that there are internet horror stories floating around, but if you do your research beforehand, you will not get screwed. Cover all your bases and you will be fine. It's people who come online, avid internet surfers, who don't know a thing about stones or diamonds, find a random website with diamonds for 'wholesale pricing' or pre-set rings and order from there without knowing a thing about the shop they are giving their money to OR researching it first (e.g. finding a forum such as this one and asking Q's and running some archive searches for testimonials etc) that are at the highest risk of being screwed over.




While Blue Nile would not be my first choice for buying a stone, many people have bought from them and been quite happy. If they are the only company you have found online that has a stone that fits your bill AND you have really looked around and at all the vendors that are on this forum and elsewhere that are reputable...then what do you have to lose? The shipping cost to mail it back and the inde. appraisal fee. Sounds like it may be worth it for a $20k stone?

Anyway the stone's #'s sound great...it will not be a H&A stone since BN does not sell those but it should be a very nice ideal if the looks match the numbers. If you aren't 100% sold, keep looking. There are many diamonds out there and with a little patience you may have more than one option.




Good luck!