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rock newbie - be gentle.

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kcorcoran

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2001
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4
ok... so after cheating my wife out of her birthright 4 years ago while i was in the army... i am now ready to somewhat make up for it by buying her a diamond ring.i work on 57th in manhattan and took a walk down to 47th today to scope things out.... first off, i know NOTHING about diamonds and i am no impulse buyer so you better believe i will be well informed when i am ready to buy. the first place i went to (R&R Jewelry)... the lady was VERY nice and showed me what I should be looking for and what the ratings meant.i have pretty much decided what i want after visiting the district and surfing the net...approx .50 (give or take) marquis cut. i like the whiter stones so I want go go with something H or better and i finally looked at a diamond under the loop thing and learned what an inclusion is... and i dont like 'em (hehe) so i guess i will be wanting something in the VS area. i might like to go for a complete platinum setting but i am not sure yet. today I was given a price of $1250 for a .51ct H/VS marquis in a white gold setting with platinum prongs.i walked down the block a few stores and got another price of $1000 for a .50ct G marquis (he didn't give me the clarity rating on it (i guess because i wasn't ready to buy.if anyone can help me out here and let me know what i should be looking for or point me in the right direction.... please do so. i REALLY dont want to get jacked. i would like to feel comfortable knowing my wife has something she loves and i was comfortable buying it.i really want to give this to my patient wife on our anniversary (1 May). so the sooner the info, the better.thanks,
keith
 

lawmax

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
1,317
(Taking a bow)Keep us posted KC.
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lawmax

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
1,317
Hi,Well, it's hard to know where to begin.First of all, the cut of a diamond (its proportions) is what makes a diamond beautiful. The cut will determine how much brilliance (return of white light), dispersion (the breaking up of the white light into colored light), and scintillation (sparkle) you will get from the stone.You will want to look for diamonds with GIA grading reports (IMHO) and only look at loose diamonds.You must compare GIA graded stones to GIA graded stones to be able to compare color and clarity gradings.Check out http://www.pricescope.com/tutor_fnc3.asp
for the proportions you may want to look for in the diamonds for your best chance at optimal cut. At this time, there is no agreed-upon standard for grading of fancy cut diamonds, but Dave Atlas whose chart you will be looking at, is the recognized authority. You will need to see the Sarin report for the diamonds to be able to evaluate them properly. A "good" jeweler/gemologist should be able to supply you with this report.See if the diamonds show an ugly black bowtie in the middle. Unless you love them, they are considered undesirable by most. Find one with the least visible bowtie effect.You can check out prices for comparison by using the search engine at www.pricescope.com. These are internet prices, but some of these stores are brick and mortar as well.You would be advised to have your stone looked at by an independent appraiser. Here is a list of some: http://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.asp Elly Rosen is often recommended in New York.Appraisal Information Services
2216 Ryder St.
Brooklyn, NY 11234 USA
718/692-1975 692-3720>
Elly Rosen
[email protected] *Do not let the seller guide you to an appraiser.*Make sure that you can take the stone to the appraiser before payment or that you have an iron-clad return policy in writing.Be sure that your receipt matches what is written on the diamond grading report in terms of description of the stone.While shopping, don't look at diamonds under the blaster gem lights the vendors often prop up on the counter and beware the overhead lighting. Most often there is spot lighting that could make any stone, even the worst, look good.Ask to see the diamonds by the window, outside and/or in regular office lighting. If you are not comfortable asking this, you may want to shop elsewhere. You may want to try shopping in a brick and mortar store out of Manhattan. If a price seems too good to be true, on 47th street in particular, it probably is.Beware the vendor who tries to show you what a good price you're getting by showing you the Rap sheet. That's often a trap. Here's a fun read on that topic. http://www.niceice.com/raptrap.htm That's all my thoughts for now.Hope it helps. Was it gentle enough?
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jamesd

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2001
Messages
106
Consider:The stone is described and presumably priced as SI1. You can't find anything inside it so you're pretty sure that it isn't SI2 or I1.Now you're contemplating whether you should spend $150, 17% of the purchase price, on a certificate which won't make it any more attractive. What are the odds that any likely lower grade will reduce the price by more than 17%? Seems fairly unlikely to me at such low values.Certificates are good but sometimes the potential benefit from them is less than the certain benefit of not paying for one.
 

jamesd

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2001
Messages
106
I've been thinking of doing a web site so I don't have to keep typing the same answers!
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kcorcoran

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2001
Messages
4
ok. i understand i am probably being picky but a thousand bucks is not something i can afford to gamble with.$1000 stone might as well be a $10000 as far as i am concerned and since it is tough to find a reputable jewelry store in NY who isn't trying to pay thier rent every time a customer walks in the door... or... one who isn't trying to jerk you out of your hard earned money, you don't know who to trust.i guess i should just take the chance and make sure i have a return policy that says i can get my money back if i ever decide it is worth the 17% to get it appraised.still seems like a gamble... this shouldn't be that hard.thanks for the replies.
kc
 

pricescope

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
8,266
Hi Lawmax... you are the best! Telling you - you have to write a book for consumers, seriously
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kcorcoran

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2001
Messages
4
thanks for the information and the effort you put into your reply.i will certainly use the information you provided to the fullest.i'll let you (everyone) know how it turns out.kc
 

kcorcoran

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2001
Messages
4
hi all,yesterday i went to a local jewelry exchange in search of a diamond.i didnt think i would find any bargains or even a certified diamond for the matter but i looked anyway.going in there with my specifics i ended up at a booth that had what appeared to be a very nice looking stone already in a setting.i got it under a loop and could see almost no inclusions but a little (and i mean little) surface pitting if that is what you call it.it was a very white stone no bowtie effect. again, it looks like a nice stone.the 'jeweler' told me she estimated the stone at G color/SI1 (even though i didn't see anything in the stone). it was a .47 ct marquis.i was told the stone would cost $900
when i asked about papers, of course they didn't have any but said they would have it appraised for me for $150. I told them i wanted something more than an individual's assesment and the I would like the stone certified by EGL or AGS, they said they would do it for me for the same $150.i was told that she was estimating the diamond at an SI1 to be safe and wouldn't be surprised if it came back higher.i don't know if this was a used ring or not... i couldn't really tell.i am not sure what to do...
do i tell them to go ahead with the EGL report and if it doesn't come back at least what they told me then I don't want it?do i take it for $900 (try to chew 'em down a bit), put out the $150 or whatever for my own appraisal and return the diamond if it doesn't measure up?or.. do i just bite the bullet, put out the etra money and get something loose and new that is certified off the bat?or any other ideas anyone may have...thanks.
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 15, 2000
Messages
18,423
Sounds like you could do worse.You trust her, you like the ring, she passed the tests.On the web everyone tells you not to buy retail because the price is too high, but if that stone went thru the GIA grading and markup on top of the cert etc the stone would cost 150 x a markup from the dealer and then the retailer.It is not common to cert stones below 1/2 ct anyway. I only cert stones above .90ct and that is to protect my reputataion, not for my clients benefit (who have always taken my word for a diamond grade anyway)just do it.
 
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