question about trading up...

[Demelza]

...at some point in the future, that is. I''m currently very happy with my 1.5 ct round brilliant, but I suspect at some point in my lifetime, I would like to trade up. The problem is, I did not purchase my stone from an online vendor with a great trade up policy. I purchased my stone from a wonderful local gemologist with a very small operation who brought the stone in on memo directly from Keppie Keiger, a diamond cutting company. I''m wondering whether any of the online vendors who post here are willing to do trade ups with diamonds that were not originally purchased through them??

Thanks!!

 

[PhillipSchmidt]

I am curious too

 

[perry]

I believe that you will find that the Internet Vendors who operate B&M stores will be willing to consider it as a trade. This means that they would personally evalute the condition of the diamond, and perhaps the ring it is in - if it is something of much value - and provide you a "fair" value offer for it -- IF the diamond is something that they would not mind having for sale.

I will note that most often the "fair" market trade value is on the order of 1/3 of the original purchase price. Sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the diamond, its condition at trade, and perhaps it's original paperwork.

Note that there is some risk of this as mounting prongs can be used to hide defects. You would likely get a better price offer if the diamond was removed from the ring assuming that there are no flaws under the prongs.

Be prepared for a minimal or no offer at all if the diamond does not fit what the vendor is marketing or if the diamond has damage to it that would require repolishing or recutting.

Perry

 

[denverappraiser]

Demelza,

Everyone who sells also buys - It’s the only way to have goods to sell. Most are pretty selective about what they carry and from whom they are willing to purchase but many dealers will be willing to consider a deal if the program is right. Ring them up and discuss it. You can get a pretty good idea what they are selling and what they are charging by searching the database at the top of the page labeled ‘pricescope your diamond’ for stones that are similar to yours. They will, of course, expect to pay less than what they are charging and they may have some additional expenses for lab examinations, repolishing, etc. that will be taken into consideration. They also many not agree with the grading from your original purchase but this will give you a good place to start. Expect to give a dicount of 20%-45% from these prices depending on the details of your stone. Some are easier to sell than others.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[valeria101]

Kind of a hassle... with allot depending on what you are trading in and what are you trading up for as well.

Even at the same seller trade ins are not really at 100% the former purchase price (if nothin else, the new stone comes at some premium so the total adjusts). Assuming a private sale would work for about half the purchase price (if that wasn''t at a serious premium that is)... at least a jeweler would likely offer a better deal for a desirable stone. That is never sure to happen on a private sale since the expected buyers might not have the same knowledge.

As far as I know, of course

 

[moremoremore]

I know of one ps vendor who may consign it for you...but only if it''s a H&A I believe...feel free to pm me. And yeah, and expect to pay a 10-15% commission which is fair....

 

[Demelza]

thanks for the replies. As I said, it is something I might be considering at some point in the future. My stone, I believe, is quite desirable. It''s an AGS certified Ideal Cut H&A 1.53, G, VS2. I absolutely love it, but like so many others here, I would love to have a 2+ ct stone. I wish I could give my diamond growth hormones

.

 

[FireGoddess]

I was surfing Diamonds by Lauren's website the other night and they do say that they would consider buying stones which were not theirs in a trade up situation, with two big IFs....one IF being that they have the need for such a stone and it is desirable to them, and the second IF being the consumer willing to be paid considerably less than the stone is worth. I think that's kind of the norm when it comes to tradeups with companies who did not sell you the stone.

A diamond "wholesaler" near me only trades up with diamonds you purchased from them, AND they only give you back 80% of the purchase price. And that's when you've strictly dealt with them. You will inevitably take a loss if/when you trade up...but it may be worth it to you at that point. Your stone sounds lovely, and I hope it delights you for quite some time.

 

[perry]

Here is a suggestion for Leonid to consider:

Why not have a PS diamond "Trade & Sale" forum... where people could post the specifics of a diamond they are willing to trade or sell for the right price.

It would be understood that this would not be an instant sale site, but enough people flow through pricescope that I think many things would sell at reasonable prices within 3 to 6 months.

People could PM each other on it if they did not want to post directly.

The diamond would be sent to an independent appraiser for verification of condition and other features, and for an opinoin on if the original cert papers were still valid.

The diamond could even be recertified with a major lab cert if desired.

This would allow for people like you to sell your diamond for a reasonable value, help someone get a value diamond.

People selling such diamonds would have to understand that in many cases the existing setting would be scrapped.

I don''t suppose that more than a half a dozen to a dozen diamonds a month may ever change hands (and initially, it might just be a few here and there); but it would provide an interesting place for the few people who want to dispose of a great looking diamond for a fair price; and for those occasional engangement rings that come up when she says "no" (and selling diamonds on e-bay has not resulted in many good prices).

Payment options could be arranged by the appraiser as part of an optional service (the diamond does not get released to the new owner until payment has been recieved by the current owner. I am sure that some of the pricescope regular appraisers would be willing to set up some sort of service for this.

Perry

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

A diamond "wholesaler" near me only trades up with diamonds you purchased from them, AND they only give you back 80% of the purchase price. And that''s when you''ve strictly dealt with them. You will inevitably take a loss if/when you trade up...but it may be worth it to you at that point. Your stone sounds lovely, and I hope it delights you for quite some time.

FireGodess:There are many vendors who apply 100% of your original purchase price towards an upgrade or "trade up"

If your talking about cashing in your orignal diamond and getting a bigger diamond from a different source, this is a different story.

 

[sharon scott]

Gemstone nut,

Are you a jeweler or an afficianado? You seem to know a lot. I heading to to Alaska this summer for a cruise. If you have any travel tips, I would love to hear about them in a private message.