Pricing Question Part II

[Ngage]

Tried looking up specs on these diamonds in the dbase but nothing came up. can anyone give me some advice as to how these stones are? also, i ordered an idealscope but was wondering if a jeweler will take offense if i show up with one to look at the stones with. i read in another tutorial on this site that if i goto a store in another state i may not have to pay sales tax. is this true for any state or does it only apply to certain states? finally, a friend told me they when he bought their engagement ring he was told to come back another day so the ring could be set. he claims that he believes the ring he was given after being set was not the same as before even though he was handed a gia report. is this something i need to watch out for or is he just acting paranoid? he states that once i make the purchase i should not take my eye off the stone until it is set and i can leave the store with it. can i request this or does it take significant time to set a stone in a band? help. i am confused.

1.
size: 1.26
Depth: 60.6
Table: 61
Pol: Very Good
Sym: Good
Clarity: VS2
Color: G
Flo: None
Cul: None

$7750

2.
Size: 1.22
Dep: 58.9
Table: 59
Girdle: Very Thin - Med
Pol: VG
Sym: VG
Clar: VS2
Color: G
Flo: None
Cul: None

$7585

3.
Size: 1.20
6.89-6.93 x 4.06 mm
Dep: 58.8
Table: 57
Gir: m-th, f
Pol: VG
Sym: G
Clar: VS2
Color: G
Cul: VS

$7200

4.
Size: 1.35
6.93-7.14 x 4.42
Dep: 61.8
Table: 58
Gir: stk-thk, f
Pol: G
Sym: G
Clar: VS2
Color: G
Cul: none

$8700

 

[belle]

hey ngage!

i hope you found helpful answers to your pricing question part 1!

have you or will you be seeing these stones in person? these are not ideal cut stones, but they could certainly be very nice to your eyes. as far as using the idealscope, who cares what they think? any store that is not willing to help the customer make an informed decision does not deserve the business. they may look at you like you have two heads at first but if they aren't willing to help, move on.

if you walk into a store and buy something in a state that has sales tax, you have to pay the sales tax.

when you buy a loose stone there is a good chance it will have to be set at a later time. many jewelers are quite busy and won't have time to set the stone immediately after purchase, it gets tasked in the order it was received. i highly recommend that once you buy a stone, you familiarize yourself with the type and location of the inclusions of your stone. ask the jeweler to help you. most jewelers will record the inclusions on a plot before taking posession of the stone. once the stone is set, you can look at the stone again to verify the type and location of inclusions. this is all very precautionary. if you are working with a reputable jeweler, there is almost no chance of something untoward happening. it is just not worth risking their entire business to do. it doesn't happen.

 

[phoenixgirl]

None of the stones is jumping out at me as being a winner in terms of cut, but the idealscope may give you more information. #4 looks to be a bit out of round.

Sure, there are some jewelers who will act offended if you try to gauge the cut of the stone with an ideal scope, but they're just the slick used car salesmen type. Anyone who is trying to sell you a quality product at a reasonable price will be confident in making a sale and will accomodate you.

If you buy the stone out of state and have it shipped to you, then I believe you won't have to pay sales tax. The same applies if you buy from an online vendor not located in your state.

It is very unlikely that a reputable jeweler with a reputation to maintain would switch your stone with one that looks similar but is worth a little less (how much could he possibly make on such a switch? $1000? It's not worth the consequences if it's discovered, especially with a GIA report -- it's too easy to determine if it's the same stone). I wouldn't be paranoid about that.

Have you considered looking online? You can get an ideal cut stone without looking for a needle in a haystack with your idealscope. Examples:

(Note -- when I list prices lower than what the link says, I am getting it off of the search by cut engine under the prices link at the top of this page -- some vendors discount their stones for PS customers -- ask for the discount if you are considering the stone)

1.24 H VS2 H&A for $7869

1.146 G VS2 H&A for $7995

1.19 G VS2 H&A for $8645

1.32 I SI1 H&A for $6596 Most people here would agree that an ideal cut will make more of a difference visually than two grades in color and clarity, so if you're looking for a larger stone I would recommend I/SI1 to get bang for your buck.

1.37 H SI1 H&A for $8012 It's actually got a smaller diameter than the stone above, so I personally wouldn't spend an extra $1500 for one color grade, but I'm not the one looking for a diamond (sigh).

1.27 F SI1 H&A for $8398

If you're not looking for an ideal stone per say but want to make sure you have G/VS quality, then this stone looks intriguing:

1.23 G VS1 for $7410 Because it has a very low depth (about 57), it has a huge spread (its diameter is bigger than the diameter of the 1.35 stone you posted), but its crown and pavilion angles indicate that it probably has a good light return (the Holloway Cut Advisor gives it a 2.5 -- very good).

 

[Ngage]

belle. thanks for the info. part 1 was an excellent start thanks to you and Al. As far as the stones are concerned, i have seen them in person. the first 2 stones look nice although the 1st stone has 4 inclusions whereas the 2nd has 2.

that being said i still lke the 1st stone better but that may be because it was the 1st i looked at and i spent the longest time on that one. all of the stones look nice to an untrained eye such as mine which is why i am trying to research so delicately.

unfortunately i see no specific way to gauge them other than having extensive experience in the field. while the cuts are a science, there is still a fine art to this field and i fully understand that i do not currently possess that skillset.

phoenixgirl: thanks for the links. i was checking out GOG''s list also and came across the same stones. i may go and check them out since they are within reach for me. it''s woth the trip if it''s the right stone. so i assume AGS guidelines are stricter than GIA? or is it just that they give you an internal cut rating...

 

[Kaleigh]

Make an appointment at GOG and they will help you fin a beautiful stone. AGS gives the cut information where GIA doesn''t. That may change down the road we''ll see. Good luck!!

 

[belle]

glad you're finding answers. keep reading here, you will be amazed at the information available. have you read the tutorial in this link? the first stone you have listed is what is known as a 60/60. here is a link about 60/60 diamonds. i've found that most of the jewelry stores i've gone to refer to this as 'ideal'. you will find that term tossed around quite a bit in the industry, however the only lab that gives ideal grades is ags (and those stones are not 60/60 proportioned). ags is generally considered one of the most strict grading labs, along with gia. ags is different from gia in that they do use crown/pavilion angle measurements and they use a performance based grading system to determine ideal.

 

[VegasAngel]

Like Belle mentioned yes you will have to pay sales tax. Just to share my experience I got my diamond appraised and set yesterday. My appraisers qualifications looked good to me www.huntingtonjewelers.com and they have been in business for 30 years. I felt fine when I dropped my diamond and setting off but was edgy when I picked them up. Why did I ask an associate if they switched out my diamond? Like they would admit it anyway if they did lol. Her response, not in these exact words, but you get the picture, the company would not put their business and reputation on the line for my 1.03ct H color diamond & 14k setting. I told her I would have asked her the same question even if she was my own mother! I''m just wary of people, I cant help it.
I spent a lot of time talking to people there and by the time I left I knew that I would be fine leaving my jewelry there to be cleaned, checked, etc. in the future.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 10/22/2005 11:24:01 AM
Author:Ngage

i read in another tutorial on this site that if i goto a store in another state i may not have to pay sales tax. is this true for any state or does it only apply to certain states? finally, a friend told me they when he bought their engagement ring he was told to come back another day so the ring could be set. he claims that he believes the ring he was given after being set was not the same as before even though he was handed a gia report. is this something i need to watch out for or is he just acting paranoid? he states that once i make the purchase i should not take my eye off the stone until it is set and i can leave the store with it. can i request this or does it take significant time to set a stone in a band? help. i am confused.

The sales tax thing in another state is hearsay, but most jewelers from away won''t charge you taxes.

Re the swap thing, if you follow the protocol of a) having the diamond checked out of the setting, and then again b) by the same appraiser after it''s set, they can confirm it''s the same diamond. After (b), the appraisal you walk away with is the one you can use to insure your ring.

 

[VegasAngel]

If you walk into a jewelry store in another state you will have to pay their sales tax whatever it is.