Please lend me your expertise...

[LuckyinLove]

I am desperately in love with the woman of my dreams. She is my soul mate and I plan to ask her to be my wife. I have been doing quite a bit of research and still do not feel comfortable with my understanding of ALL the MANY things to consider when choosing a diamond. With so many enthusiasts and professionals on this forum I figure there was no better place to ask for help.

Here''s where I am:
I have been paying attention to the hints. I am looking for a "Lucida" style ring in platinum with a Princess cut diamond. I have a budget of $4,500 and would obviously like to get the most for my money.

I have been to a local dealer in San Francisco by the name of Derco Jewelers. They are in the Jewelry Mart and came highly recommended. The prices were far better than any other jewelry store and they had a local presence yet were not as good as my perception of the internet deals available as far as price was concerned.

I see numerous diamonds on line for purchase and am attracted to the tax free aspect of the online purchase. I am comfortable with a color say down to H and clarity down to SI2 as long as it looks good. I have seen some diamonds that fit this description in person and the variance in personality is amazing, with some being extremely attractive to my eye while others presented either less sparkle or had flaws I could detect on my own which I hope to avoid.

Sorry, I just realized how long winded I¡¦ve become. This is the most important purchase of my life and I¡¦m full of anxietyƒº here¡¦s the bottom line of where I think I need help.

How do I make these distinctions in the personality of a diamond when I am purchasing on the Internet? How do I know who is a reputable dealer? Also I have concerns about the quality of the setting, I¡¦ve seen a pretty broad range as far a craftsmanship goes.

Thank you,

Colin

 

[Mara]

I am trying to recall who recently has bought Lucida 'style' settings and built their own. We had a big rush of them last year and I don't think we've seen too many since then.




First off, run a search and look for something like 'Lucida' in the subject line. That should give you alot of reading up. Many people come here saying they want Tiffany Lucida. But then in the end, they build their own using a princess or a Lucere or a radiant stone, and a Lucida setting replica. So you may get a bit of an education there reading about what people before you have done.




That said, do you want a princess-cut stone with hard edges (which the Tiffany Lucida does not have)...or do you want something square with rounded edges, which is more like a Radiant or the Lucere or Flanders (which is more like the Tiffany stone). Something to figure out before you really start to look.




As for online vs. offline, there are alot of reputable vendors out there online that will help you from beginning to end with your purchase. Many of them are frequently mentioned on this board...and some of them even have 'branded' princess style stones or similar to help make your search for a well-cut stone easier. But then again, you need to figure out the 'shape' of the stone first before people can really guide you.




Prices will be better offline than an offline B&M...even a store like Derco. I would definitely not rule out shopping online--esp since there are some vendors that would be more than happy to assist you and see you as more than just a big wallet.

Hope this helps for now!

 

[weemodin]

Hey, I've just sent you a PM with some information you might be interested in! Read it! Read it!

Disclaimer: I'm not personally trying to sell him something here in violation of what I would assume is a PS rule -- I've just seen something that he might really like and I don't know if it's appropriate to post that here since it may be construed as "advertising or promoting" a specific jeweler since my jeweler in town happens to have it in stock. I am in no way affiliated with my jeweler or any jeweler, by the by. I've only met him twice, actually. This is the lawyer in me talking.

 

[valeria101]

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On 1/21/2004 1:08:10 PM LuckyinLove wrote:



#1) How do I make these distinctions in the personality of a diamond when I am purchasing on the Internet?

#2) How do I know who is a reputable dealer?

#3) Also I have concerns about the quality of the setting, I¡¦ve seen a pretty broad range as far a craftsmanship goes.

----------------

Here's my 0.2 worth at the end of a bussy day...

#1- The only way is to see the diamond in your hand. But this does not to shop online: you can get a good aproximation from specifications such as light return, detailed measurements and your own knowledge how those measures relate to reality. One way to get to know just how much information can be communicated about a poor diamond, try the site of GoodOldGold - esp. the GemAdviser images of the princess cuts. He's just got a bunch posted so there should be a wealth of learning material up there now.

#2- If a seller manages to provide enough info about himself and his stones so that you can make your own choice and not rely on his verbal testimony about his won merchandise... then you do not really need to know and trust the seller. Of course, there are only that many sellers about which Pricescope can testify, but that should already mean a few hundred princess cuts to choose from.

#3- right on target with this one! Usually one gets what he is paying for. But, if you like the overall shape of the setting, a good setter/jeweler can go a rather long way to make the details look great (such as finish, prongs size etc). Whiteflash has a nice Lucida-style model so does DVatche and perhaps every designer I can think of. On the niceice site there is a very Lucida-style setting which also looks well made. I guess there is no need to go for a "designer" name - just a decent product and a good jeweler to set the stone and add the final touch. Of course, matching the size of the stone with what the setting was intended for is teh first rule of thumb. It is much easier to talk about these details once some choices have been made... to comment on!

For example:
This could be a nice princess cut: either depth nor table is biger than 70% (people say that table % should be smaler than depth %, and I am not crazy about overly deap stones of any shape since they end up looking smaller), the seller has good reputation around here, SI1 has better chance of being eye clean tha SI2 and you can get further data about this stone from this source. The stone could fit in here tof course, there are many other stones and a few more sellers like this

Best of luck!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi Lucky!

And welcome to the Forum!

I wasn't quite sure how much to allow for the mount. That will kinda depend on your metal choice. Here are some prospects for you in the $3000 price range. All these Princess cuts were hand selected by the Vendors for performance.

White Flash has this stone.

One from Dirt Cheap Diamonds.

Here's one from Good Old Gold to consider. Good Old Gold has another one, 0.81 carat princess as well.

Here is one from SuperbCert.

Princess diamonds can be tricky. You should read the Tutorial and refer to the Princess Cut Chart to learn the specs to look for. Keep in mind that square cuts tend to hold and show more body color than round brilliants. If you haven't looked around, you might get out to some jewelry stores that carry accurately grades stones and look. You'll get a feel for visual size of carat weight and the color range you prefer.

As you come across diamonds you are interested in, feel free to post them here. Folks will be glad to help you in your search.