Rapaport Sheet for Pear and/or Princess Cuts

[medwards007]

Anyone know where I can find or obtain access to a current Rapaport for the listed cuts? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Todd Gray]

The Rapaport Diamond Price Report is available to the trade by subscription... you could simply ask whatever jeweler you're working with to show you a copy. However it would be unprofessional of me not to say that simply having the list is unlikely to provide you with any real assistance because you would also have to be familiar with the premiums and discounts applied to the prices published in the guide in order to be able to use it effectively. It is this "hidden knowledge" that enables many jewelers to use the Rap sheet as a "sales tool" by telling their customers something like "This [indicating the price on Rap] is the wholesale price of this diamond and I'm selling it to you for X% less! [such a deal!]" when in reality a poorly cut diamond is priced well below Rap because Rap is based on diamonds of average make.

 

[denverappraiser]

This article might be useful to you.

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/why_isn%E2%80%99t_rapaport_pricing_important_consumers

 

[Dancing Fire]

The Rapaport Diamond Price Report is available to the trade by subscription... you could simply ask whatever jeweler you're working with to show you a copy. However it would be unprofessional of me not to say that simply having the list is unlikely to provide you with any real assistance because you would also have to be familiar with the premiums and discounts applied to the prices published in the guide in order to be able to use it effectively. It is this "hidden knowledge" that enables many jewelers to use the Rap sheet as a "sales tool" by telling their customers something like "This [indicating the price on Rap] is the wholesale price of this diamond and I'm selling it to you for X% less! [such a deal!]" when in reality a poorly cut diamond is priced well below Rap because Rap is based on diamonds of average make.

very true,but IMO i think Rap is very useful for the consumer if they are looking for a well cut stone.

 

[denverappraiser]

The Rapaport Diamond Price Report is available to the trade by subscription... you could simply ask whatever jeweler you're working with to show you a copy. However it would be unprofessional of me not to say that simply having the list is unlikely to provide you with any real assistance because you would also have to be familiar with the premiums and discounts applied to the prices published in the guide in order to be able to use it effectively. It is this "hidden knowledge" that enables many jewelers to use the Rap sheet as a "sales tool" by telling their customers something like "This [indicating the price on Rap] is the wholesale price of this diamond and I'm selling it to you for X% less! [such a deal!]" when in reality a poorly cut diamond is priced well below Rap because Rap is based on diamonds of average make.

very true,but IMO i think Rap is very useful for the consumer if they are looking for a well cut stone.

DF,

In what way is it more useful, or even close actually, to looking up comparable stones on the database here? These are actual stones that are actually for sale and available for immediate delivery (for the most part) rather than a theoretical discussion of averages and broad categories. As a shopper looking to callibrate their sense for competitive prices this seems FAR more useful. No?

 

[Dancing Fire]

The Rapaport Diamond Price Report is available to the trade by subscription... you could simply ask whatever jeweler you're working with to show you a copy. However it would be unprofessional of me not to say that simply having the list is unlikely to provide you with any real assistance because you would also have to be familiar with the premiums and discounts applied to the prices published in the guide in order to be able to use it effectively. It is this "hidden knowledge" that enables many jewelers to use the Rap sheet as a "sales tool" by telling their customers something like "This [indicating the price on Rap] is the wholesale price of this diamond and I'm selling it to you for X% less! [such a deal!]" when in reality a poorly cut diamond is priced well below Rap because Rap is based on diamonds of average make.

very true,but IMO i think Rap is very useful for the consumer if they are looking for a well cut stone.

DF,

In what way is it more useful, or even close actually, to looking up comparable stones on the database here? These are actual stones that are actually for sale and available for immediate delivery (for the most part) rather than a theoretical discussion of averages and broad categories. As a shopper looking to callibrate their sense for competitive prices this seems FAR more useful. No?

Neil...i'm just one of those guy who feels more comfortable knowing what i paid for the stone (+/- % of Rap) .i wouldn't be a very happy camper if i found out that i had paid say 25% over Rap,so yes on a large purchase i'd ask the vendor (what's Rap on this stone?) i use it as a guideline.true,there are stones selling on Ebay and at Zales for 30-35% back that i wouldn't touch with a 10 ft pole.

 

[denverappraiser]

I’m not trying to pick on you, you’re a very careful shopper and I value your approach to things.

Let’s take a theoretical example:

Rap for a 2.00/VS2/G/round is $29,000 today. I picked it because that’s a pretty popular stone and I think it'll generate a lot of data but we could do the same with just about any set of specs. A search here for 2.00-2.01cts in that grade yields 257 offers ranging from $12,800 to $32,350. That’s close to a factor of 3 difference, and the differences are entirely outside of what Rap is considering in their grid. Count only GIA graded stones and the range is a bit less with $20,865 as the bottom stone. I would further lose the top one because it’s probably an error, which brings the most expensive in the database today down to $30,929 with several in that neighborhood but it’s still a 50% bump from the bottom to the top. If Rap is the benchmark, how does a shopper proceed? What do you do with the knowledge that a particular stone is being offered at x% of Rap?

 

[Dancing Fire]

I’m not trying to pick on you, you’re a very careful shopper and I value your approach to things.

Let’s take a theoretical example:

Rap for a 2.00/VS2/G/round is $29,000 today. I picked it because that’s a pretty popular stone and I think it'll generate a lot of data but we could do the same with just about any set of specs. A search here for 2.00-2.01cts in that grade yields 257 offers ranging from $12,800 to $32,350. That’s close to a factor of 3 difference, and the differences are entirely outside of what Rap is considering in their grid. Count only GIA graded stones and the range is a bit less with $20,865 as the bottom stone. I would further lose the top one because it’s probably an error, which brings the most expensive in the database today down to $30,929 with several in that neighborhood but it’s still a 50% bump from the bottom to the top. If Rap is the benchmark, how does a shopper proceed? What do you do with the knowledge that a particular stone is being offered at x% of Rap?

Neil...couple of Qs before i can answer.how well cut is this stone? a true H&A?

in 2004 i was able to buy an 3+ct H SI1 GIA EX,EX,top cut with true H&A for 18% back of Rap,so based on Rap i was comfortable with my purchase.would i of been happy with my purchase at 20% over Rap? ...heck no , so i'd use Rap as a guideline not the rule.

i have always warn newbies about "too good to be true price".i'd rather paid Rap for a well cut stone then 30% back for a crappy stone.

 

[denverappraiser]

Rap doesn't consider how well cut it is. Or how accurately it's graded. Or the value added (or subtracted) by the dealer. H&A plays no part. That's my point. It produces a number in isolation based ONLY on those 4 variables. Beyond that you have to use other clues. If you want a superb cut, H&A, trade in priviliges or whatever, you need to be comparing to competitive offers from other dealers with similar things. It doesn't matter what Rap says. If you're looking for an h&a and JA, Whiteflash and GoG and others all have similar stones claiming h&a symmetry for sale, you have a MUCH better benchmark for pricing by looking at those instead of looking at Rap. That's what you and other sensible shoppers are going to do anyway so nothing is added by knowing what Rap thinks. On the contrary, knowing Rap carries the impression that you know a piece of secret information of what things 'should' cost and it discourages the research into what things really DO cost. You're not lazy, but a lot of shoppers are, and this leads them into a distinct trap because they THINK they've done their due diligence.