recent ebay activities... a learning process

[GemFever]

Thanks CharmedOne and YayTacori!

Got the emerald ring today. It looks smaller than I imagined, but not by much. Maybe after yesterday's 5-stone it looks so dainty.

The emeralds are the perfect emerald bluish green color (at least as I always imagined emerald). The emeralds are around 1.5-2mm each. There are some minor scratches, but nothing visible without a loupe. The center OEC is around 3.9mm, and I spy a tiny black inclusion in there under a loupe. Not visible without magnification. The outside diamonds are maybe .6-.8mm. Most of them are tiny OECs

One of the best parts of getting the ring was cleaning it It turned super sparkly when it came out of its soapy warm water bath. I'm afraid to put it into windex because of the emeralds. I doubt they are fracture filled because of their age (I hope, at least), but I don't want to risk it anyway.

Now just have get the ring sized, it's several sizes too big. Frustrating not to be able to wear it comfortably right away.

And finally -- pics!

 

[Rosebloom]

Gah!!! I love it!!!

Off to scour eBay...

 

[GemFever]

Good luck Rosebloom! I should take a break there, not just not to go broke, but also because I don't want to bid against PSers too much

There is a curious listing up there right now though, it will end soon [ended by the time I'm posting]. A funky looking sapphire & diamond stone. The seller claims each of the central two diamonds are 1ct. It seems there is no way that's possible from the pics. Just no way! And the Q&A section at the bottom shows people's doubts, too. But the seller still claims they are 1ct each. Her seller feedback from over a year ago isn't so good though. And no return policy

I don't think I'll be taking a chance on this one [update... err, yeah, I wanted to, but not above $500]. Though curiosity is strong I think that's also a danger of ebaying -- buying things just because you want to see them. At least for me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEAUTIFUL-Custom-European-Diamond-Sapphire-Ring-Fashion-Engagement-gift-/200850910167

Man, if a PSer bought that, I sure hope to hear about it here! 1ct each! I just wanna knooooow

 

[GemFever]

Since I called this thread "a learning process" I'll include another recent experience that had to do with red flags in a listing.

Recently I saw an opal and diamond ring -- the diamonds were in a sizable OEC halo. The ring was in white gold for some reason (usually vintage opals are in yellow, from what I've been seeing), and the gallery looked kind of new. The description of the item seemed coherent, the pictures were decent. But the seller had only one feedback.

For a while the bidding hovered at $100, which was quite tempting. But I felt a bit nervous because of the lack of history for this seller. So I decided to contact the seller with a question and gauge trustworthiness by the response. I asked for a higher-resolution photo, asked about some details of the listing, and about the seller's location -- because the seller claimed to be in the US, but ebay displayed a notification that the account is opened in a different country and is in a different language.

All the response I got was: " please bid after winning will provide larger image." That pissed me off, gotta admit. I replied that I would have loved to bid, but can't because of the absence of an ebay history. Didn't get any response to that.

The item ended up selling for $400-something, not to me. And this morning I got notifications from ebay that that account had been misused, and the listing closed (hence, I can't include a link or upload a pic). I hope whoever put in the highest bid didn't hurry to pay (like I usually do, I tend to pay immediately). The wild west of ebay!

 

[Midsommer]

Midsommer, I use search terms like "european diamond," "old mine diamond," "vintage diamond," and "art deco diamond." When I run those searches, I try to eliminate some terms like "reproduction, gold filled, faux, rhinestone, swarovski" etc. Also I try to eliminate some of the big retail stores (any ebay store that uses stock images instead of actual photos of the item). But the most important thing is to have patience. I've been spending several hours a day on ebay for the last month (not proud of this , but just to give you an idea) before I found something I considered a truly good deal. In the meantime, there were plenty of temptations to overspend on very pretty things. Gotta keep a cool head while looking at all those pretties! Good luck in your searches!

Thanks! I have a bit more time now I'm on uni holidays - would love to find some old cut diamonds in half eternity style to match a ring my mum just got (two rubies and three old cut diamonds)

 

[GemFever]

Good luck in your searches!

Two rubies and three old cut diamonds sounds lovely! Any pics?

 

[Midsommer]

Just the sale link - hasn't been given to her yet (my dad is having it resized) - but ive seen it and the rubies & central diamond (in all its wonky glory) are amazing. The outer diamonds are a bit darker but still very sparkly. Paid less than the listed price.

http://www.rubylane.com/item/600998-cc22274/18ct-Victorian-Ruby-Diamond-5?popup=1

 

[GemFever]

Beautiful! Congrats to your mom!

Rubies are next on my list. Probably not soon though.

I actually coulnd't wait till Christmas and gave my mom the 5-stone this weekend. It looks perfect on her hand, I'm happy to say

 

[alyssak]

Is it taboo to ask for a range of what you spent on the emerald and diamond ring? I'm looking for a ring almost exactly like that for an engagement ring, and am getting a wide, wide range of prices... I'm trying to see if I should wait for a deal, or what exactly a deal is, now that I'm looking. My ring would preferably have rubies instead, but just to get a sense for that style. And if that's taboo, then my apologies and congrats on the gorgeous finds!!!

 

[Midsommer]

Beautiful! Congrats to your mom!

Rubies are next on my list. Probably not soon though.

I actually coulnd't wait till Christmas and gave my mom the 5-stone this weekend. It looks perfect on her hand, I'm happy to say

Did she love it? I was inspired by your choice of 5 stone and did some hunting in pawn shops here in Australia (online) .... Found an oec 14k yg 5 stone ring - total carat weight just over 0.5 so not overly huge but will match her ruby & oec ring perfectly (same era of stones) - was $300 on a Christmas sale. Snapped it up! K colour stones Looking at ones with similar specs are 1-2k elsewhere. Their pictures weren't very good, I hope it will be gorgeous in person. Feel like I lucked out as its hard(er) to find oec rings here with more than a solitaire.

 

[GemFever]

alyssa: I always want to know about prices, so I'm glad to share. I got the emerald ring for $333 on ebay. However, when I went to my local jeweler to get it sized, he said that the gold has worn very thin on the outer edge of the ring, and there is a high risk that I will start losing the smaller diamonds unless the gold is reinforced. I think he is right, because I could see myself that it is as thin as tinfoil in some places. The jeweler's quote to fix it was around $250. So those prices together bring the total close to $600. I still think this is a great price for the piece.

I think rubies will be harder to find than emeralds. There are a lot of synthetic rubies out there, they were very popular earlier in the 20th century (but they are usually pretty big). Also, you may know that both rubies and emeralds are routinely treated to improve their appearance. But the treatments are different -- emeralds are oiled (soaked and permeated with oil to make the inclusions less visible). This is not a permanent treatment and usually doesn't impact the price too much. Most rubies on the market today are also filled with something to make the inclusions look better (or practically invisible), but instead of oil they are filled with lead glass. I believe this treatment is permanent, and it greatly, greatly reduces the value of the stones. When looking around for rubies, I'd suggest doing a good bit of preliminary research on treatments, to be aware (check out the Colored Stones section of PS). Lead glass-filled rubies usually look nice, so it depends on whether this treatment bothers you or not. If not, you could get pretty rubies for cheaper. I guess the most important thing is that you don't overpay for glass-filled rubies.

I hope you don't mind my little rant. If you already know all of this, my apologies

Midsommer: I would love to see some pics! I hope it's lovely!!! My mom did love it She's not as picky as I am when it comes to jewelry, and she loves everything I give her. But I think this particular ring really looks good on her finger. It's her style.

 

[Midsommer]

So glad your mum adored it.

Can't take pictures just at moment (in hospital) but ill try over Xmas when I give it to her yay

In the addictive nature of old diamonds.....just got a Xmas present for myself too - 5 stone omc with bezels on each stone - 18ct gold so in love, won't arrive from the uk until after Xmas I think but still.......ahhhhhh pictures when I get it xxx

 

[dianabarbara]

gemfever, how beautiful!!
ebay is indeed very addictive, but you demonstrated several times that it is possible to close very nice deals!
I totally share your enthusiasm!!

 

[GemFever]

Midsommer -- I hope you won't be in the hospital too long and that everything is ok! Looking forward to pics of that omc 5-stone. Sounds lovely!

dianabarbara -- thanks!

 

[CharmedOne]

GemFever, awesome eBay finds! You have a knack for finding the most amazing vintage pieces. I haven't been on eBay much lately but that emerald and diamond ring makes me want to go for on an eBay treasure hunt. I just love it.

Midsommer, I do hope you are feeling better today.

Well, off to see if I have any luck. Fingers crossed

 

[GemFever]

Thanks, and good luck CharmedOne! Also, I'll be checking back in the "under $500" thread on SMTB for pics of your amazing emerald cut diamond ebay find!!!

Today I *didn't* bid on something, and it feels so good. This platinum and diamond ring:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330846142713?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

When I saw it last night it was at $330. Then today it went up to around $420 and held there for a long time, into the last minutes. It ended at $680 (I wasn't watching the final minutes, but it must have made some big jumps in those last seconds). $680 is more than i would have bid, but I decided about an hour before the auction ended that I wasn't going to bid. The piece is beautiful to be sure, but the seller has a bunch of negative feedback, and no return policy. And the pics don't show the faceting too well. But most importantly, I realized I didn't really need (haha, "need") another OEC. As pretty as the ring is (and my size too, for once!), I tried to put things in perspective, considered how many rings I actually wear nowadays (umm only my wedding set), and thought about what my long-term jewelry "goals" are. This ring didn't fit in the picture. So I'll put away some of the money I didn't spend today (maybe two hundred) into future "planned diamond" fund. I really want a pretty emerald cut...

Posting this here just so I can re-read it next time I'm tempted

 

[Midsommer]

Hi!

I added a thread with the rings I hunted down online - hope you approve!