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Quality versus Savings

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prestj

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
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I think I found precisely the ring I want to buy, but I''m not entirely sure about the diamond based on its measurements. Here are the facts:

EGL USA
Weight: 0.69 CT
Shape: Round Brilliant
Color: H
Clarity: SI1
Measurements: 5.66 x 5.57 x 3.46 mm
Depth: 61.6%
Table: 66%
Crown: 13.3%
Pavilion: 44%
Crown Angle: 38.8
Pavilion Angle: 41.6
Girdle: Very thin to sl. thick polished
Polish: Good
Symmetry: Very good
Fluorescence: None
Culet: None

Cost: $1680

According to the cut adviser:
Light Return: Fair
Fire: Poor
Scintillation: Poor
Spread: Very Good


Girlfriend seems to really like the stone, though we saw it loose, not mounted, but I want to be sure it''s worth the investment.

Any thoughts?
 
PASS!!! a poorly cut stone.
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I cannot comment on whether or not it''s a good stone but I would say that you should never ever buy any jewelry as "an investment" as it will never ever give you a major return. Unless you own a "significant" diamond or gem of the highest quality, I''m talking Liz Taylor level, it will likely never yield more than half - at best - if you need to sell it. Just buy what you guys love and enjoy it!
 
Date: 7/5/2008 11:07:23 PM
Author:prestj
According to the cut adviser:

Light Return: Fair

Fire: Poor

Scintillation: Poor

Spread: Very Good


Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Keep shopping!
 
This is a poorly cut diamond. I know she loves it, but am wondering if she's seen stones that are well cut, as in ideal proportions. I'd take more time to research and find those that are well cut. CUT is key to buying a beautiful diamond. If you need help, we will be happy to help you in your search. Read the tutorial here on cut at least....Good luck
 
I would take a pass on this one. Personally I would rather get better quality stone with less carat.

Did you and your gf see the stone in a strong light env''t in the store. These kind of lighting makes all stones look nice. Did you ask to see an excellent cut stone to compare? Did you take the stone to a less lit area to see the fire and brightness? Kaleigh is right, once you have seen an excellent cut stone, you don''t want to go back.
 
Okay, so I've been researching all night and I found a stone on Blue Nile. Here's what it looks like:

GIA
Date of cert: 7/6/2007 (is that bad?)
Weight: 0.70 CT
Shape: Round Brilliant
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Measurements: 5.67 x 5.70 x 3.51 mm
Depth: 61.7%
Table: 56%
Crown: 15.0%
Pavilion: 43.0%
Crown Angle: 34.0
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Girdle: MED to STK Faceted (4.1%)
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very good
Fluorescence: None
Culet: None

According to Holloway cut adviser:
Light Return: Excellent
Fire: Excellent
Scintillation: Excellent
Spread: Very Good


This without sale tax for buying online, so the price comes out to be just a little more.


What are your thoughts on the stone (and on Blue Nile)?
 
.70ct is a magic number weight on the Rap sheet. look for a stone just a tad below .70ct
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Is an upgrade policy important to you? If so, check out www.whiteflash.com. www.goodoldgold.com and www.jamesallen.com

BN does not do upgrades. I think the stone you found looks nice by the numbers. BN does not give the kind of info the above mentioned vendors do. But many have bought from BN and have been pleased. So there you go. Good luck!!!
 
Date: 7/6/2008 1:34:01 AM
Author: Kaleigh
Is an upgrade policy important to you? If so, check out www.whiteflash.com. www.goodoldgold.com and www.jamesallen.com

BN does not do upgrades. I think the stone you found looks nice by the numbers. BN does not give the kind of info the above mentioned vendors do. But many have bought from BN and have been pleased. So there you go. Good luck!!!
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I strongly ditto Kaleighs' advice - with something as important and complex as a diamond purchase, I think it just makes sense to use vendors that give you all the info and make your life a bit easier.
I've just finalized my purchase through GOG and WF, and I couldn't speak more highly of both vendors.
If you're interested, here's my thread https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-finally-finished-thankyou-gog-and-wf.89109/
 
When you say they don''t give you as much info, what do you mean? What info is lacking on BN?
 
Sarins
Is Images
etc....
 
Date: 7/6/2008 1:34:01 AM
Author: Kaleigh
Is an upgrade policy important to you? If so, check out www.whiteflash.com. www.goodoldgold.com and www.jamesallen.com

BN does not do upgrades. I think the stone you found looks nice by the numbers. BN does not give the kind of info the above mentioned vendors do. But many have bought from BN and have been pleased. So there you go. Good luck!!!
Click to expand...
Please definitely pass on the diamond you were considering, large table and it is what we call a steep deep - good chance it will leak light and not perform well.

Ditto the above advice also.
 
I''ve been looking at the GOG one, and I''m wondering how much difference those 5points will make in the end, and if the I->H matters much. Obviously GOG has great pictures, which BlueNile lacks. But the BlueNile stone does appear to be good from the numbers alone. The cost difference between the two is negligible it seems.

So is 5 points smaller going to be particularly noticeable?
 
The difference in diameter is 0.1mm. If you can tell that difference without a ruler next to it then you have better eyes than me. I don''t think you''d ever notice that difference.
 
Date: 7/6/2008 1:58:42 AM
Author: prestj
When you say they don''t give you as much info, what do you mean? What info is lacking on BN?
Click to expand...
In my opinion, quite a bit. On the "need to know" side, as Kaleigh has mentioned, Sarin reports and Ideal scope pictures, both of which can help us tell you how good or not the stone is.
For me, GOG adds alot more on the "not totally necessary but really fun and educational side", such as blown up images of exactly where the flaws are located, hearts and arrows images, usually a Brilliancescope which measures the diamonds light return (read, sparkliness), the list goes on. When you have a diamond up on a page at GOG, each one of those pics underneath are reports, all of which you receive in a nice dossier about your stone once you purchase.

Of course, its wise to remember we''re buying the diamond and not the papers, but all these things make for an easier, more informed decision when buying over the net - transparency is key, and GOG are nothing if not transparent imho!
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A REALLY good way to find a nice stone is to ask the local PSers here to help find the best for the money you want to spend. Give the details of what you want and how much you want to spend, and tell them whether size or clarity or colour is what you want the most. People here are MORE than willing to help find the best stone with the best cut for you...within your budget. GOOD LUCK. Personally I would go for the goodoldgold diamond listed above (http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4356/) Its a great stone and a great retailer. You could also call them and see if they could find you something a little bigger if the 5 points was a concern...
 
At this point, the GOG stone is at the top of my list. Now I''m trying to find the setting. I want a setting with pear sides, preferably of a similar style to the Tiffany design (http://www.tiffany.com/Engagement/Item.aspx?subCategoryid=3002 check out the side view). Most of the semi mounts I''ve found have the center stone raised well above the sides, and I would prefer a flush setting, or with the sides on a diagonal plane relative to the center. I''m not sure what size pears would work best with the 0.65 center, but I was thinking probably 0.10-.15 on each side. GOG has this ring http://www.goodoldgold.com/setting/V-134/ which is similar, but the sides are actually pear "illusions", which is created with 2 round stones in each pear shaped mount. I''m not sure how much the future Mrs. will like it, especially without seeing it first. I''ll definitely get a price quote from them anyhow.

I''m trying to keep the total cost under $4,000, preferably closer to $3,500. The GOG diamond is effectively $1900, so I''m looking at $1600-2100 for the rest.


Thank you all so much for your support and advice. You all are helping turn what could have been a very frustrating and, honestly, somewhat disappointing purchase into a very interesting and fun adventure. This site, its forums, and especially its community are superb
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)

\John
 
That is a lovely diamond from GOG! Don''t worry John, we will help you through the process and you will end up with a beautiful stone, we won''t let you buy a bad one
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you can get a very nice ring for under $4000. What sort of setting are you looking at? You may have more to spend on the center stone than you think depending on how elaborate the setting is. Is the wedding band also included in you budget, or will that be from a separate account?
 
The wedding bands are separate from this cost.

As I mentioned a few posts up, I'm searching for a setting with pear sides, similar to the Tiffany setting (there's a link in the earlier post). Marie of Good Old Gold seems to have found the perfect setting, but it's a complete ring with a 1.40 1.71 or so center, which will be way out of my league. She didn't mention if they have it as a semi-mount.

I got back in touch with my local jeweler (radcliffejewelers.com) who mentioned they have a "Hearts on Fire ideal cut .69 ct H SI1, $2,120" but I haven't seen the stone yet or a grading report number. And of course there's further savings online by not having to pay sales tax.
 
Does anyone have any experience in haggling with Good Old Gold for a better price?

I''m frustrated because they have exactly the style mounting I want, but the cost is very high, ~$3700. I feel like the designer name, Vatche, is driving up the price.

Should I be frank with her about my budget concerns?
 
You can laways get your setting custom made!! A lot of people find the rings they love but when not cost effective get Whiteflash or other dealers to make them...
 
Has anyone heard of GOG offering a discount for Pricescope?
 
So I''m just about ready to buy, working out a few last details with the gal from Good Old Gold.

We found a semi-mount in 14k White Gold I can afford:
http://www.leoingwer.com/new_details.asp?ID=1545

As I intend to go with the stone you guys recommended to me, the center will be 0.65ct. The mounting has a number of options for the side stones, but the ones I can afford have a Total Ct Weight of 0.20 and 0.40. I''m worried that the 0.20 will look too small. I have a feeling that 0.40 will look quite nice.

Do any of you have experience with pear sides for a center diamond of about this size?
 
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