Round Brilliant, wondering how much I should pay?

[michgirl16]

Hi everyone,
My BF has been on the hunt for a diamond for my engagement ring, he knows absolutely nothing about diamonds and is not the best researcher at all! So I told him to talk to my mom, she got her diamond through a good family friend of ours that we can trust and she is a jeweler that knows a lot about diamonds. This is what she found for him and this is what she priced...She says she is doing us a favor and not making any money on her end, any advice or input would be greatly appreciated on whether this is a good/fair deal for this loose stone???

PRICE: $12,000
Round Brilliant
Carat: 1.40
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Cut Grade: Very Good

GIA Certified
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Flourescence: None

On the GIA Report there were only maybe 2 or 3 very small little inclusions on the diagram.
His Budget was $15,000 for the stone and honestly I would have liked it a little larger, I was expecting over 1.50, she had another diamond that was 1.50 for $15,000 but strongly urged him to get the smaller one because she said it was a better diamond and a better deal and that I would''nt notice the difference in size. Again, any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know more about diamonds than he does but I am def not an expert!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

 

[Ellen]

Hi michgirl,

Doing a price search with the little info we have, the first one comes up at 10,623.00. Most stones will run more in a B&M than online, and it can be a little, or a lot. They choose whatever price they want.

She is right, if comparing two comperable cut stones, the size difference between 1.4 and 1.5 will not be noticeable, and you aren't paying to hit that "magic number".

I can't really offer anything else. If you want to know about the stone itself we would need more info. If you are interested, let me know and I'll tell you what all we need.

 

[denverappraiser]

‘Favors’ from a friend of a friend are always a red flag for me. You are in a better position than any of us to know if this is a line but it’s fairly likely and, if it is, this calls into question everything else she says as well. Maybe I’m just a cynic but I don’t know a lot of people who will hand over their paycheck to a stranger or even a friend of a friend just because they’re nice people. ‘Free’ always ssem to come at a cost and sometimes it’s pretty high.

It’s easy enough to shop these things with the utility at the top of the page titled ‘pricescope your diamond’. Enter a few specs and presto you get offers of dozens or even hundreds of superficially similar stones from some seriously competitive jewelers why AREN’T doing it as a favor. They keep their markups low but they are definitely doing this because they hope to make a buck off of it. If you have a few more specs about your stone, you might even find the exact same stone listed.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/25/2008 5:54:45 PM
Author: denverappraiser
‘Favors’ from a friend of a friend are always a red flag for me. You are in a better position than any of us to know if this is a line but it’s fairly likely and, if it is, this calls into question everything else she says as well. Maybe I’m just a cynic but I don’t know a lot of people who will hand over their paycheck to a stranger or even a friend of a friend just because they’re nice people. ‘Free’ always ssem to come at a cost and sometimes it’s pretty high.

It’s easy enough to shop these things with the utility at the top of the page titled ‘pricescope your diamond’. Enter a few specs and presto you get offers of dozens or even hundreds of superficially similar stones from some seriously competitive jewelers why AREN’T doing it as a favor. They keep their markups low but they are definitely doing this because they hope to make a buck off of it. If you have a few more specs about your stone, you might even find the exact same stone listed.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

Ditto what Neil said. I started to post the same thing (again), but feared I would sound like a horribly cynical broken record.

I've also said this many times too, but it's true. Rarely do we hear about happy endings when buying from the "family jeweler", or through a "friend of a friend". It can turn out well, but it's rare.

 

[TopSecret]

For comparison: 1.61 G SI1, bank wire price $13,995

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4846/

Several good options @ GOG > 1.5ct & < $15k.

I bought a stone there. GREAT folks.

 

[michgirl16]

Here is more information, basically here is the info that I don''t understand what it means?

Depth: 61.8%
Table: 58%
Crown Angle: 34
Pavilion Angle: 41.4
Girdle: Very thin to slightly thick, Faceted
Cutlet: None

Any suggestions on where I should go to buy a diamond if I don''t go through our friend? Do you guys think it is completely safe to buy online without seeing the diamond in person? Maybe if I understand the dimensions above it will help me find a diamond online. Any advice or input from you guys that understand all this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you sooo much!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 8/25/2008 3:25:56 PM
Author:michgirl16
Hi everyone,
My BF has been on the hunt for a diamond for my engagement ring, he knows absolutely nothing about diamonds and is not the best researcher at all! So I told him to talk to my mom, she got her diamond through a good family friend of ours that we can trust and she is a jeweler that knows a lot about diamonds. This is what she found for him and this is what she priced...She says she is doing us a favor and not making any money on her end, any advice or input would be greatly appreciated on whether this is a good/fair deal for this loose stone???

PRICE: $12,000
Round Brilliant
Carat: 1.40
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Cut Grade: Very Good

GIA Certified
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Very Good
Flourescence: None

On the GIA Report there were only maybe 2 or 3 very small little inclusions on the diagram.
His Budget was $15,000 for the stone and honestly I would have liked it a little larger, I was expecting over 1.50, she had another diamond that was 1.50 for $15,000 but strongly urged him to get the smaller one because she said it was a better diamond and a better deal and that I would'nt notice the difference in size. Again, any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know more about diamonds than he does but I am def not an expert!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

yep....sounds like my friend the used car salesmen

rule #1 ....never buy from a friend of (uncle/dad/in laws ) whose in the wholesale diamond business.

rule #2

....never break rule #1

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/25/2008 8:37:06 PM
Author: michgirl16
Here is more information, basically here is the info that I don''t understand what it means?

Depth: 61.8%
Table: 58%
Crown Angle: 34
Pavilion Angle: 41.4
Girdle: Very thin to slightly thick, Faceted
Cutlet: None

Any suggestions on where I should go to buy a diamond if I don''t go through our friend? Do you guys think it is completely safe to buy online without seeing the diamond in person? Maybe if I understand the dimensions above it will help me find a diamond online. Any advice or input from you guys that understand all this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you sooo much!

Ok, that helps, some. The table and depth are ok. And the crown and pavilion angles could work in a very tightly cut stone. But we don''t know that this stone is (and my guess would be no), and I doubt you could get a Sarin report and/or Idealscope picture. So the best we can say about the stone is, it has some potential. I''d really like to see the pavilion angle at 41 or less though. (less chance of light leakage)

It is absolutely safe to buy online, provided you buy from a reputable vendor, of which there are many. If you are comfortable with it, list what you are looking for, and budget, and we''d be glad to help you pick something out!

 

[michgirl16]

Well thanks again for your advice and help! This is what we are looking for -

A round Brilliant, Budget is $15,000 for stone, of course I want it to be good quality and I want it to sparkle and with little or no color, for size I was hoping for larger than 1.5 carats.

The problem is when I look online I of course can search for color, carat and clarity...but I know that there are so many other variables that make a diamond sparkle so I get a little confused, but any guidance would be sooo greatly appreciated!
Thanks again for your help, this forum is such a great place and everyone is so nice!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 8/25/2008 9:14:16 PM
Author: michgirl16
Well thanks again for your advice and help! This is what we are looking for -

A round Brilliant, Budget is $15,000 for stone, of course I want it to be good quality and I want it to sparkle and with little or no color, for size I was hoping for larger than 1.5 carats.

The problem is when I look online I of course can search for color, carat and clarity...but I know that there are so many other variables that make a diamond sparkle so I get a little confused, but any guidance would be sooo greatly appreciated!
Thanks again for your help, this forum is such a great place and everyone is so nice!

There is a lot of info to absorb for sure, we understand!

Let me see what I can find, and that's a very nice budget.

And you're quite welcome!

 

[Ellen]

Keep in mind that the plots for inclusions often look WAY scarier than they actually are, and the magnified photos can blow things up to what looks like horrendous proportions. In reality, many times SI1 and SI2 stones are totally eyeclean, just remember that.

Ask the vendor to eyeball it for you, they will be quite honest, as they don't want you sending the stone right back because it wasn't what you wanted.

Also, I only searched to H in color, because I don't know how sensitive you are. Lowering it to I might help you get a bigger stone.

Bankwire is discount price.

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4846/


This one has very strong fluoresence, which can help a stone face up a bit whiter/brighter. But do ask if it has any negative affect on the stone (very rare) Would be about 2-3% less w/PS discount.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1204644.htm#


Amazingly, here is another with very strong flo, and an AGS0, and the biggest! Price is 13,745.00 Ask about a discount, not sure of their policy on that. (I would try for this one first)

http://www.niceice.com/certcopies2008/ags0009015501/index.htm


I have purchased from GOG and WF, both are very fine companies. And I would not hesitate to purchase from niceice. Hope this helps!