Seeking your help in buying my first diamond!

[Diamond Virgin]

Hello everyone!

I''ve been browsing all your beautiful rings for some time and finally I''m joining the pricescope forum! As my handle indicates, I am new to the world of diamonds. It''s my birthstone, but my first ever diamond will be in my engagement ring which my DFH has basically left to me to pick out.

Now, I ask for some advice from the knowledgeable members of this forum. I think I found a good deal on a diamond, but I''m yet another newbie afraid of buying a diamond online sight unseen.

The diamond''s characteristics are:

Carat: .51
Colour: D
Cut: Excellent
Clarity: S3

If I managed to do this right, there should be a picture of it below.

So, some questions...

1. Is this a decent diamond (keeping in mind half carat is my preferred size...no behemoths for me

)?

2. Will there be inclusions visible to the naked eye? Can you see any in the picture?

3. How does the cut look? Is this an excellent cut? Is that the same thing as an ideal cut?

4. What arena would this be priced in or around?

5. Is there much of a difference between a D colour diamond and a G-H, to the naked eye?

6. There is no mention of the diamond being certified in its information...is this important?


And feel free to add in any opinions or helpful advice, it''s much appreciated!

Can''t wait to someday add my ring to the under a carat thread!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Is this a round diamond?

I would not personally buy a diamonds that did not have a cert from a reputable lab. Too much risk. The only way to know what you are getting is with a cert (ETA or a reputable appraisal from an independent appraiser, but I would still always prefer a cert).

 

[Gypsy]

Hi and Welcome.

There isn''t enough to evaluate your diamond''s quality. But there is just enough to concern me. You state clarity as S3... did you mean SI3? Or something else entirely. If it is SI3 then your diamond probably isn''t graded by GIA or AGS then two most reputable labs. Which right there makes me say.. probably not a great deal as you can''t be sure what you are getting.

My best advice is to post your budget and general location so we can either recommend a local vendor if we know of one, or if you are willing to buy online-- to suggest a vendor for you to work with who has diamonds in your requirements range.

 

[CharmyPoo]

You have received excellent advice from the other posters.

1. Not enough information. Stats provided mean nothing unless it is provided by a reputable appraiser or AGS/GIA Report.
2. Assuming the SI3 grading is accurate, it is more then likely that it won't be eye clean. Your photo is far too tiny to see anything.
3. Excellent rating means nothing because we don't know who rated it. Again, photo is too small.
4. Hard to provide pricing without more information on the stats accuracy.
5. Most people won't be able to tell a D from a G by looking at it alone. If you look at them side by side, you will be able to see a slight difference. However, it again goes back to who graded the diamond. Some people will say a G is a D
6. Yes - very important.

Overall, I would suggest you go down in color and up in clarity. G and eye clean SI1 is a sweet spot for many. If your budget allows since size does not matter, I would go up to a F VS1 for a GIA or AGS tone - you won't have to worry too much about the inclusions.

 

[Diamond Virgin]

Hopefully this works better...

Should be a diamond here:

 

[Dreamer_D]

That looks like a stock photo, but even if it isn''t, we just can''t tell anything from it. I am sorry.

 

[Gypsy]

Charmy's post is great. Depending on your budget and the shape of the diamond I'd go for a G vs2 personally. The picture you posted looks like a stock photo of a round super imposed on a something with cushion corners and not a photo of the actual stone

. As it is a cushion, the facet pattern on the stone and the light return are going to matter as well.

Are you looking for a cushion or a round?

If it's a cushion:
Here are a few high color and higher clarity stones from James Allen, for example. The pictures are acual pictures of the diamond.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1276424.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1284706.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1276426.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1281352.asp (this one has SI clarity)
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1276438.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1276424.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1276442.asp

 

[Diamond Virgin]

Wow-you guys are quick! This has been very helpful already.

Sorry, I meant to say the clarity was SI3. And the stone is a round brilliant, I''m so focused on round stones I seem to forget other shapes do exist

The dealer has been very open to all my questions, but I thought it might be a good idea to get a bit more educated before I kept throwing questions at him. This really helps. I''ll see if there''s certification for sure.

It''s interesting to find that that is probably a stock photo, I had obviously been under the impression that was the actual stone. Going to request more pictures then if I decide to pursue this one.

I''m located in the General Toronto Area (Ontario, Canada).

Thanks for the info everyone, and Gypsy-thanks for the links! Just looking through them...

 

[Gypsy]

Okay here are some nice options. And a little education.
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=650 G VS2 around 1750 dollars.

And here is another diamond around that same carat weight. Same great cutting, same brand name. Same lab grading it. Both ideal in light performance (AGS0 rating) and both perfect examples of hearts and arrows faceting (pretty much the best there is).

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=659 I color and I1 clarity. Now, if the diamond above were a reliability graded SI3... it would (in theory) be the equivalent of an AGS I1. So this one is more representative of the clarity of the diamond you posted (though labs that are not GIA and AGS are notorious for 'soft' grading... so this is going to be your BEST case senario in terms of inclusions. And your stone is probably, in reality, not even this clean or safe). This one is under 1000. Clarity makes a HUGE difference in price. And your "D" is ..., well, it might be a D. But to be safe assume it's a G or H. Again 'soft' grading is usually not worth the paper it comes on. And Infinity diamonds (both diamonds above are Infinity diamonds) are cut to mask inclusions and maximize the appearance of a diamond, period. Where as 'traditionally' cut stones are not, and will not mask the appearance of inclusions.


I'd take either of these in a heartbeat over the diamond you posted. If you look at the links you will see pictures of the actual diamonds. With a loupe function so you can look at the inclusions better, the certificate (AGS), and all the different pictures/scan with all the information you need (and we need) so you can make an informed decision. So, you can see why just posting the minimal information above isn't enough for us to tell you much about your diamond except that well... we probably wouldn't buy it, or recommend that you buy it. Cause that puppy is likely to have big black inclusions on it visible from just about anywhere and any distance.


BTW... it scares me that the photo of the diamond your vendor posted is of a badly cut, mounted diamond. If that IS the actual diamond, just walk away. It's been photoshopped to death. I am actually HOPING that it is a stock picture. Can I advise you to run, far far away from them. And tell you that we are happy to give you the names of ten vendors we can promise carry better stock and are used to dealing with oversease customers? Who will provide you with unaltered photos of the actual stones you are considering. And have return policies, etc.