Point me in the right direction

[jgdavis]

I need some help. I''m currently searching for a diamond with roughly the following specs...
Shape- Round or Radiant (but willing to expand)
Carat- .8-1.0
Color- F-H
Clarity- VS1-SI2
Cut- Ideal Cut
I''m looking at a budget of around $4500. We''re in our mid 20''s so this isn''t going to be the last diamond that I purchase. I want to be proud of the ring I purchase, but don''t need to go all out just yet. I''m looking at a solitaire setting so that I can put most of my money into the diamond. For the ring I''m trying to decide either 18k WG or Platinum. I''ve heard pros and cons for both.

Here are my questions in a nutshell....
1. What jewelers online are going to have the best combination of price and selection?
2. Any reliable jewelers in the Philadelphia area?
3. Which shape is going to afford me the highest quality diamond with my specs in mind, at the price I''m looking to spend?
4. Platinum or WG?
5. All of the qualities are important, but which should I be least willing to give up for cost purposes?

I know that''s a mouthful. I really appreciate all of the help in advance. I don''t know where I''d be without this site.

Thanks!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 8/8/2006 10:00:22 PM
Author:jgdavis
I need some help. I''m currently searching for a diamond with roughly the following specs...
Shape- Round or Radiant (but willing to expand)
Carat- .8-1.0
Color- F-H
Clarity- VS1-SI2
Cut- Ideal Cut
I''m looking at a budget of around $4500. We''re in our mid 20''s so this isn''t going to be the last diamond that I purchase. I want to be proud of the ring I purchase, but don''t need to go all out just yet. I''m looking at a solitaire setting so that I can put most of my money into the diamond. For the ring I''m trying to decide either 18k WG or Platinum. I''ve heard pros and cons for both.

Here are my questions in a nutshell....
1. What jewelers online are going to have the best combination of price and selection?
2. Any reliable jewelers in the Philadelphia area?
3. Which shape is going to afford me the highest quality diamond with my specs in mind, at the price I''m looking to spend?
4. Platinum or WG?
5. All of the qualities are important, but which should I be least willing to give up for cost purposes?

I know that''s a mouthful. I really appreciate all of the help in advance. I don''t know where I''d be without this site.

Thanks!

Well, I''ll preface this with saying these are just my humble opinions -- but you did ASK!

I''ll address a few of your questions, but I''m too sleepy right now to try to address them all!

I bought my last several diamonds online, and I doubt I will ever buy a diamond any other way in the future. Killer stones, great selection, good prices, knowledgeable staff, courteous service, what''s not to love?!

I personally like plat, but WG is less expensive... but I don''t like messing with the rhodium dip thing when the WG starts yellowing - which it almost certainly will, over time. But a lot people prefer WG, so I really doubt you can got wrong with either.

To get the most bang for your buck, never ever compromise on CUT. That is what will give your diamond beauty and sparkle... and NOTHING can compensate for the lack of a great cut. But after that, I would suggest considering lower color and lower clarity stones... when graded by a reputable lab (I prefer AGS), these can be awesome choices. I wouldn''t want to wear a diamond in a ring that wasn''t eye-clean, but MANY SI stones are wonderfully and delightfully eye-clean.

I wear a super-ideal cut AGS-0, 2.36 H&A RB; it''s a J/SI2, and it is gorgeous. Compromising on color and clarity (but never cut) allowed me to get more of what I love -- SIZE!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Like Lynn, I also decided to buy online after shopping locally and spending a lot of time on here getting educated. I definitely encourage you to look at hearts and arrows ideal/excellent cut stones. There are some fine vendors on here including Good Old Gold, Winfield's, WhiteFlash, etc. Good Old Gold and Whiteflash normally have the best in-house selection of excellent stones (but at any given time, they could have a low inventory in certain sizes. For ex, I didn't see anything much at WF in your size and price range at the moment, but they get new stones in every few weeks.) Some vendors appear to have a huge inventory, but the stones are really not in their possession (such as Blue Nile, and a lot of James Allen, although he has some in-house stones). Some of them also call stones ideal that are really not. Here are a couple of sample stones to get you started:

.93 H SI1 $4676. (wire price) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2341/

.81 G VS1 $4076. (wire price) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2213/

ETA: I agree with Lynn regarding not sacrificing cut and preferring platinum. I also think it is far easier to shop for a round brilliant cut due to the fact that they are graded as ideal or excellent in cut whereas most fancy cuts are not.

 

[wonka27]

Hi there. I''m guessing that if I tell you I''m from Allentown, PA, we are pretty close.

Anyway, I think your budget can get you what your looking for. I agree with Lynn...never sacrifice cut! If I were you...I''d look for the biggest H SI stone that is eye clean that you can fit into your budget with the setting. You can definately hit the .8 ct mark or so with a superideal cut. People will see that thing coming from a mile away.

As for where to look...check out the vendors page located in the Resources Link at the top of the page. Check out their sites then come back here and do a search for them in the forum. You will figure out quickly where pricescopes like to shop. There are a handful that are extremely respected here. Those guys can probably get the job done for you.

Good luck with your search...and feel free to ask more questions...Pricescopers love it.

 

[jgdavis]

I know there are a few very popular online retailers. WF, GOG etc. Is one better than the other? I''m also a little hesitant to purchase straight up online. Should I contact a local appraiser to set up an appointment to review the diamond? Is it a good idea to contact online retailers on the phone? If so is there anyone that you folks recommend speaking to?

Also, I''ve read articles about bargaining and negotiating prices of diamonds. Is that not needed with online retailers, or is that still something I should consider doing? As we all do, I want to get the highest quality diamond I can for the best price that I can afford.

Thanks a million!

 

[Lorelei]

You have been given great advice so far! WF and GOG are both fantastic vendors, you can't go wrong with either of them. I am in the UK so don't have too much of an idea about distance, but GOG are in Long Island so if that isn't out of the question distance wise you could make an appointment and see Jon and the team who will take very good care of you.

With Radiants, Coda is very good with them, fancy cuts are best evaluated by the eyes, but numbers give you a place to start. Here is a cut chart which may help. http://www.gemappraisers.com/oldcutgraderules.asp

You could of course have your choice sent to an appraiser locally and view it from there, this is accepted practice if you wish. Dave Atlas is in Philly and he has a fantastic reputation, also he created the chart above.

Regarding bargaining, online vendors are operating on slim margins anyway and in that way are able to pass the savings on to the customer, I guess you could ask, but suppose it depends from vendor to vendor if you may get a reduction.

Regarding cost, WG is obviously less costly than platinum. With the diamond, it depends on what shape you choose, never ever sacrifice cut as it is this which gives a diamond it's beauty, much easier to define in a round than a Radiant. Colour and clarity....in a round many I's and J's - even some K's look very white, but a nice middleground is a G or H. Clarity, an SI clarity can be a great choice in a round or Radiant if eyeclean. Radiants can tend to show more colour than a round, so would need to be taken on a case by case basis and personal opinion. Flourescence in faint or med is said to make some diamonds face up whiter and can be considered an advantage. Always ask your vendor if the diamond you are considering is eyeclean, they will be honest with you and help with your selection.

Contact the chosen vendors in any way you feel comfortable, phone is fine. Also with email they can send you pics of the diamonds, Idealscope Images, Sarin Reports etc, so I find a mix of both is useful, but prefer to make the first contact by phone personally in the first instance.

No worries about purchasing online, as Miss Lynn says, it is a great way to purchase and is one of the accepted ways of doing business now. Don't settle for less than fantastic cut quality, in this way you will both have a diamond to be proud of!

Best of luck!

 

[jgdavis]

What is a good price for a platinum solitaire setting? I''ve looked around and seen everything from 420-700?

 

[JulieN]

it depends on how nice the setting is.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Since WF and GOG stones are all GIA or AGS graded and come with an insurance valuation, I see no need to have stones from those vendors independently appraised. The grading lab has already impartially assessed the stone, and you can compare prices on the price search engine on this site.

And $420-$700 is normal for the platinum tiffany settings.