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Questions from a newbie, just left a deposit on ring.

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evan81

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 22, 2006
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Hi All,

I have been researching many internet sites as well as lurking around the forums here. I went out today to look for a ring. I went to the jewlery exchange in new jersey (wholesale jewlery market). I went in acting as if i never researched diamonds before (to see how honest they were with me, being 25 and looking 18, its funny to see how people try to take advantage) I spent a good few hours there talking with various jewelers and ended up leaving a deposit on a ring. What i found was a .90 carat princess cut diamond, Depth: 79.7%, Table 85%, Gridle: THK to VTK, Cutlet: None, Polish: Very Good, Sym: Good, Clarity: SI1, Color: F, Flour: None. The setting is 14k white gold with .65 carat princess cut diamonds in a channel setting. The price is $3650 total. The jeweler made me feel very comfortable, was very knowledgable, made sure i was clear on every aspect of diamond buying, took out the 10x without me even asking, wasnt pushy for me to buy today. The first jewler i went to had a nice .70 carat setting, and a 1 carat princess cut (color I, SI1) for $3300, but i didnt feel as comfortable with that jeweler, the one girl helping me just seemed like she was trying to sell me with her looks (she was very attractive) didnt get out a 10x, and was pushy to buy today. I admit she answeared any questions that i did have. By the way to me the .90 and the 1 carat looked the same as far as size. All in all, do you think i did ok? Thank you so much in advance for your advice.

I want to add one more thing the diamond is GIA certified, they gave me the cert to take with me and also offered me a 60 day money back gaurentee, said if anyone offered me a better price for a piece of the same quality he would refund or match as well. Thanks


Evan
 
I see a chart there, but did no notice prices. I priced out a similiar ring on bluenile. Blue nice came out around $1200 more expensive with same exact diamond specs, the setting looked very similair and had .15 less carat wieght then the one i am getting as well as lower quality diamonds (I color) the ones in the setting i picked are G.
 
could you post the GIA cert? or the dimensions? 5.xx X 5.xx?
 
the cert number? 13871755 measures: 5.39x4.98x3.97
 
GIA: no match found for 0360412102, 0.90 cts.

your stone is a little rectangular, coming in at 1.08 l/w. not that there's anything wrong with that
 
I posted the wrong number before i edited post. Sorry so many numbers on this :)
 
you have a GIA diamond dossier, which contains less information and is cheaper than the full diamond grading report.

so far, everything points to a rather average princess. the setting is probably 800-900. if you just want to make sure you didn't get ripped off, you didn't. If you're looking for a great diamond, then keep looking.

what are your priorities in a diamond? size? cut? price?

How rude of me...welcome to PS.

Also, the face-up size of your diamond is inline with something more like .80 carats. So when you're running comparison searches for price, you shouldn't search for .90 cts but for .80-.85 cts
 
I am looking to stay around where i am at for everything $3650. i started looking around $3000 total,but ended up closer to $4k. Thank you all for the prompt responses and the help. The piece looked very nice and sparkled alot. I compared it to different colors and cuts and until i got lower down the scale i couldnt notice much of a difference. The main C i could tell the difference with personally was color, hence why i opted for the .90 with the higher color. As you all know i do not have a trained eye. So to stay in the price range i am already in, does anyone have any suggestions before i pick up this piece next week. Thanks

Evan
 
http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00400223&filter_id=0

It's an AGS-2 (very good) but it scores 0 (ideal) for light performance, so that's good...you get ideal light performance for a discounted price.

It's .77 cts, 4.99x4.95, so it is smaller than the .90

Clarity looks eye-clean; I'd have BN set it in one of their settings so that any chips that may occur would be covered by them.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=53&item=315393 This would fit the bill if it's eye-clean...but it'll take a call to JA to find out. Set it with this: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones.asp?module=setting&cid=58&item=879&name=1217W and maybe ask if they'll put in a v-cap head to protect the princess corners, which are prone to chipping

Your jeweler was right, you can't get .90 cts F SI1 for whatever, 2700? Wish there were some .85 cts around; I couldn't find any in the inventories I searched, though. Just ask yourself, why is he selling it so cheaply? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
 
Well the price is good, i had to haggle for it. I live in a metro area very close to New York City, therefore there is alot of volume and alot of competition, so the jewlery market is worse then buying a used car when it comes to bargaining and wheeling and dealing. I am in sales myself so i am pretty good at haggling :). So far i think i will go for the deal i got.

*edit* He said he was selling me the setting at cost and making his profit on the diamond, which ofcourse he said was marginal. Might I add the jamesallen setting posted above was gorgeous.
 
A market with a lot of competition (many buyers and sellers,) means that there''s no such thing as a deal. Anyone who sells less than the going rate is not going to turn enough profit and will go out of business, and anyone who charges more than the going rate will not be able to sell.

Congratulations on your future purchase and engagement.
 
Well volume is the key. Just as when i was in the car business i undersold many dealers because i would make it up in volume. if john smith has an inventory of 10 cars and not much floor traffic he must maximize every deal. If Bill has 300 cars in invetory and constant floor traffic he can afford to make $500 per unit as opposed to $2000 per unit that John must make.
 
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Ok, say he's giving you the setting at cost (he's not.) And let's say his cost was 650. That means he's charging you 3000 for the diamond. The not-well-cut, not square .90 ct is as big as an ideal .80 ct (a good .90 should be maybe 5.35x5.35,) which costs about 2700. So he just made an extra 300 off of you. That's 10% of your original budget.
 
Hi Evan,

I think the important thing here is that you have done some research and then bought from a jeweller that you are very comfortable with. Everything doesn''t depend on the numbers and spec....the numbers are just to help in the decision making process.
 
My opinion is that the diamond is way too deep. Why buy a diamond that looks smaller than it is? The chart listed by JulieN is not meant to have prices. You can use it to judge the cut of your diamond, the most important of the 4 C''s, but one that you have not really mentioned. Numbers are not everything but they can help you weed out the bad stones. I would make cut the most important factor and keep looking.
 
I know you can''t always go by numbers for fancy shapes, but to me this diamond is too deep and the table is way too big. 85% is very large for a table, and likely this diamond will be very glassy looking as a result. I would keep looking if I were you.
 
Thank you all for the input. I didn’t think shopping for the perfect stone within my price range would be so difficult, but it’s an experience I’m starting to enjoy. I think i will still look around based on the input from you experienced folks. Anyone in central NJ want to help lol :). I think i am going to visit some local jewelers as opposed to the big jewelry exchange. Granted their prices are going to be higher i am sure i could get some decent hands on education from them and if they are willing to give a competitive price I would certainly purchase there. From reading I do understand cut is very important as it will give that nice shine, how can one judge the cut? I see many have been referring to the dimensions and the table. Thanks again for all the great help,


Evan
 
Evan,
Check out Bayer Jewelers on route 23 in Wayne right up by the Willowbrook mall, 1-973-812-9299. Ask to talk to Paul, they only carry AGS000 and GIA EX cut stones so they are all going to be the best cuts available. They are VERY fair and will spend enough time with you explaining everything you need to know without any pressure to buy. 30 day no question returns and a trade up policy. I''ve bought earings and necklaces from them and wish I knew about them before I purchased an E-ring. I consider them to be the best around and I''ve checked out everyone around the area. They''ll hook you up right!! Good Luck!
 
Thank you so much for the information, Looks like i will be taking up a trip upto wayne when i get the chance. Im glad i reasearched and found this forum before making a purchase as the jewlry market can open up uneducated buyers to a world of rip-offs. Once again i thank everyone for their input and assistance. I will keep everyone posted on my buying decision and post pictures when i finally "take the plung" lol :)
 
In order to judge a diamond''s cut you need accurate info regarding the table, depth, pavillion, crown, culet, and girdle. This is more info than is usually given to consumers but if the seller can run a Sarin on the diamond, he or she can attain this information for you. The best online vendors will have this info for you. You will probably have to ask for it from B & M''s but some may be willing to get it for you. Getting a diamond thoroughly appraised can also give you this information.
 
To read a princess accurately by numbers...you need a 3-D scan.
 
You''re not far from New York, so that puts you in Good Old Gold territory. I''ve never bought from them, but they have a fantastic reputation here on Pricescope. That first ring you posted about........I''d pass. The depth and table are pretty poor. For the money, there''s likely much better out there.

Best wishes..........
 
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