purchasing diamonds in india--armed with average intelligence?

[viscera912]

good morning everyone,

just woke up to 2 small earthquakes here in lovely south cali and the first thing i do.....yes, post a question on PS!!!! anyway, being a member of PS for a little while now i have gathered a lot of intel on how to discern a well cut diamond. i am in the market of purchasing one probably fall of this year and my father had mentioned that we are taking a trip to india this summer. the exchange rate there is lovely for american''s but poor for the indian people. thus, it could be beneficial for me if i find something pleasing to just purchase it there. my question is, if armed with an IS and knowledge, could i find quality stones over there that i could trust being a well cut diamond? i read some posts in the past regarding this topic but im curious if things have changed? thanks for your help!

jason

ps
oh yeah im looking for princess cut

 

[oldminer]

."...armed with an IS and knowledge, could I find quality stones over there that I could trust being a well cut diamond?"

Sure you can find quality diamonds there. Those fellows are very polite and lovely people, but they may teach you a thing or two about gaining your confidence and then making the deal very challenging. In parts of the world where bartering and haggling in the market are the norm, people from other cultures find getting to the final and best price awkward. Maybe you can do this, maybe not. Unless you travel where Garry Holloway goes, you won't find anyone familiar with an Ideal-Scope, but they are very quick to learn about things which have an effect on value. They will probably be genuinely curious about what you are doing with an I-S. It could be a fun thing to do. I sure wish you a lot of luck. You'll need great patience and a strong will not to cave in too early in the negotiation process......

 

[viscera912]

hello dave

thanks for the reply, you know what you said about the bartering is so true, we take it to the next level!!! the best thing about it is that I am indian. although i was born here in the states, i have been back many times and am fluent with the language. mr. atlas, how would obtaining appraisals work if i was to purchase a diamond from there; in other words before i would purchase the diamond how could i get an appraisal to verify the quality of the diamond. also, would you suggest going to big name stores or finding some smaller establishments would you happen to know some places or cities that i could possibly check out? i suppose i will wait till garry replies and see if he can chime in with some suggestions. thanks again

jason

 

[dtexan]

The only problem in dealing with jewelers in India is that most of them try to tell you that VVS1/DE are the only way to go when it comes to diamonds. Plus, they only give their own certificates of authenticity which may not mean much if they were not honest. Also, i found they rarely know the cut stats on it besides claiming that vvs1/d is the best and can''t fathom why you would even want something else. Maybe when you''re buying wholesale the experience is different but most of the jewelery stores are like this. Good luck anyway! Let us know how your venture turns out.

 

[oldminer]

I sort of had a feeling that I might be advising someone culturally familiar with the routine of life there. It would be a very scary environment for me to deal with, but you might find it somehow much more natural, friendly and charming. It could be a great deal of fun and you would make new friends along the way. There is little infrastructure in India that I am aware of to have local appraisals done. Possibly there is a "valuer" there that does this work, but you must be concerned about their independent status. I think you can have a good time and make a nice purchase without too much fear by consulting with friends and family before you do the shopping. Maybe someone will have a good connection for you. It won't be like buying on the Internet, but it might be something memorable. Of course, no one really needs a D/E VVS diamond, but it up to YOU , not the seller to make that choice. You may not find a selection of the sort you would find in the USA. Possibly they sell only the higest color/clarity to the wealthy there, but here people of all income levels have all the choices. Just as long as their credit card doesn't give out.

 

[desibuyer]

Just make sure you have the internet by you so you know to compare with pscope prices. I just came back from India, and looked around Gujarat for a stone. Fancy cuts are harder to come by there, as are certifications. If you are looking for a round brilliant you will have better chances, but earlier poster is right. The only diamond they wanted to sell me were of VVS1 quality and G color or better and the prices were actually higher in some of the places. Also if you want a platinum setting, I would wait to get it set over here. The jewelers there do amazing stuff with gold, but tend not to use platinum too much. If they do, they seem to want to mix it with other metals.

I almost bought while I was over ther, but thankfully i was hesitant to buy something that wasn''t coming with some sort of certificate. Just be very careful, not that the diamond merchants are shady, but that the amount of information they give customers is lacking. I ended up getting a larger (although lower clarity, lower color) but super ideal cut stone for cheaper using White Flash. And, I know that if I have any problems or wish to upgrade, I can. I think unless you have some sort of in, the price difference between buying 1 diamond in India (in my experience anyway) versus from the internet is negligible.

Anyway, keep us updated, I would love to find out how your search goes.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I grade a lot of Indian stones for a jeweler friend of mine who is Indian, and buys from his "cousins" in the Indian diamond market.

The stones are consistently overgraded for clarity. They''re close on color, but I''ve got a feeling they''re doing their clarity grading without microscopes.

The prices are usually very competitive, but I personally would buy over the American internet. More information, correctly graded prices, vendor guarantees, trade in privileges, American mindset and language skills go a long way towards making the transaction more pleasurable.

 

[viscera912]

thanks for the responses everyone!

i believe that i am a little nervous that this trip is not promising to be as fruitful as i had imagined. i''m going to visit family and what not so the trip won''t be a waste but a small part of me was wishing to come home with a steal of a diamond. desibuyer, if what you are saying is true about the fancy shapes then i probably won''t be able to search through a wide range of choice in the princess department. i find the diamond market rather odd then in india because it is such a strong country with diamonds, do they just ship all their good rough to the states and europe to be sold? the economy isn''t the greatest in india but there are some wealthier people there that i imagine demand quality diamonds.

i didn''t have much time today to run an exhaustive search on the net but the couple of search strings i did try did not yield many returns for places to search india for diamonds online. needless to say i was disappointed but i am going to try again tomorrow. if anyone has any websites for places in india PLEASE inform me. i would be most grateful! in regards to the people pushing higher quality stones, VVS1 and D''s, well they can push all they want because to them i am just another indian fellow coming in. i speak the language and can pass for an indian citizen so perhaps they won''t give me as much as a run around. i am just concerned with finding a diamond and then not having the route to send the stone off to an appraiser to make sure its a quality stone and then purchasing it like we can with vendors here on PS. i doubt they are going to mail overseas and back. either way it looks like a fun learning experience and i will surely relay my adventures when i get back. oh and i won''t be going over until summer of this year so it will be a little while. hopefully, i will be able to find some websites. thanks again for your help, and anyone else that would like to chime in regarding the indian market for diamonds would be much appreciated!!

jason

 

[melanie]

I just happened to come across your post. My fiancee just suprised me with an engagement ring from India (he''s Indian), and it''s truly spectacular - not just by my standards, but also the guy who I went to get it sized from today who is GIA certified (sorry if I''ve screwed up the anachronym) It''s an H, VVS1, 1.2 Carat Round stone, with 2 1/4carat pear shaped stones on the sides ( don''t know their exact specifications). Anyway, he did have a friend, who had a friend... but I think if you have some family connecions in India, you''ll probably be able to track down someone reputable. Particularly if you''re in Bombay. Good luck!

 

[viscera912]

hi melanie,

thanks for the reply. congrats on your engagment!!! i would love to know the area he was searching for the diamond, i dont'' want to actually ask where he bought the diamond from but the general area would be greatly appreciated!!! my family is actually in south india but a quick flight to bombay may be in order if i can get a general idea of where to go. hope to hear from you!

jason

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Hmmm, I think you could get yourself into trouble.

I would try 47th Street NYC first, and if you survive and feel comfortable there then graduate to Bombay or Surat. While I never feel endagered in the market streets - I know to keep a certain type of disposition and confident attitude because there are some bad people who will sus out any weakness and fear very quickly. In some areas around Opera House at times there is only room to stand and gently push through the thousands of bodies.
Even if you are Indian you could be seen as an easy target.

 

[melanie]

Jason,

Unfortunately, he has a friend whose mom had a friend who is a diamond dealer and came to the house. It was a very word of mouth, "favor" thing. Sorry I''m not more help! One possible suggestion. Go on to the Lonely Planet, India web board and post that you are looking for people "in the know". They''re an extremely helpful bunch.

 

[viscera912]

good morning to everyone, i hope everyone is having a splendid monday....im swamped in rain, more rain, and then a little bit more rain.....anyway, garry, in response to your suggestion, i think that would be the best of advice. however, i was thinking more along the lines of an actual store store. i allready know that i would be in WAY over my head if i went to a marketplace bazaar or something; the thought didn''t even cross my mind. not so much because of the sales and throng of people, moreso, because i thought the diamonds wouldn''t be in the best of quality there? please correct me if i am wrong as i have never been to any diamond area in india yet. i came back from india this summer (my fourth time going) and the country has progressed so much that I thought there would be reputable stores in the bombay or delhi area. even bangalore, the south region of india, had some diamond stores that i visited; however, at that time i wasn''t in the time period to purchase a diamond.

melanie, i know all about how that goes about knowing a friend, of that aunt, who is a cousin, to the friend of a diamond dealer

isn''t it great to know so many people!!!! but anyway thanks for your help just the same. i am going to try and look up that place you told me about. i have tried to search the net for some online diamond stores from india, but to no avail. i will find a place!!!

jason

ps
garry, i am on the complete opposite place as new york, i am an hour from LA, so i could just go to their diamond district...im sure it would be as frenetic as NY would be!!