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Should I be concerned at the low price of an online diamond ?

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JonIrenicus

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I found a .90 carat, G color, Ideal cut, SI2 round diamond to go along with a specific band and the jeweler offered it to me for $4900. Shopping on bluenile.com I found a GIA-certified diamond with the same specs for around $3500 (i forget the exact price) and had them verify that it is eye clean.

When I told the local jeweler I would be bringing in my own diamond, they asked how much I was buying it for online and were shocked at the low price. They claim that no matter the source "diamonds cost the same" and "something's not right with that" and "we're not selling it for much more than we bought it."

They were very low-pressure about it and normally I would write this off as sales pitch, but since this is such an important purchase I've started wondering if I should be concerned. I've checked the bluenile diamond's spec sheet several times and don't see anything wrong with it. Other diamonds of similar quality go for about the same price but should I be concerned about the ~ 30% price difference ?

edit: here is a link to the diamond
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-ideal-cut-g-color-si2-clarity_LD00209782
 
Depends...there are many bargains to be had online, but one must be absolutely aware of what they are buying too! If you give us the specs from the GIA certificate(s) we can help to assess whether it is a nice stone or not.

And who is calling these stones "ideal"? GIA doesn't use that term.

Unfortunately B&M jewelers are often much more expensive for the same stone than online vendors...they have much more overhead.
 
Apologies, I just called bluenile and got the stock # so here is a link:
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-ideal-cut-g-color-si2-clarity_LD00209782
 
I am no expert, but it is a little deeper than many people prefer. Unfortunately, that diamond report is an old report, so it doesn''t have all the pertinent cut information necessary for us to really critique it.

I am sure it''s a nice stone, but I think you can find a better cut stone. Maybe one of the experts will chime in here.
 
When you say of "the same specs", are you referring to carat, color and clarity? Because as neat pointed out, it's a tad deep. Also, Symmetry is at Good, Very Good to Excellent would be better. Also, the grading report states crown angle is great than 35 degrees. Depending on the pavilion angle, that could mean none, to a little, or a lot of light leakage. All this will lower the price.

If you are serious about keeping it, I'd have an idependant appraiser give their opiniion. If you want a killer cut stone, I'd say return this one and keep looking.
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Ah I didn''t realize the differences in size were that significant! The diamond I tried in store (and which I thought worked well with the ring) had dimensions of 6.18 x 6.23 x 3.80.

Searching again I found a diamond with a depth of only 3.78 but it has strong blue fluorescence
here

and this diamond with a depth of 3.82 and no fluorescence as well as excellent symmetry. this seems like a better bet but is still too deep ?
here
 
Date: 7/8/2008 8:29:21 PM
Author: JonIrenicus
Ah I didn't realize the differences in size were that significant! The diamond I tried in store (and which I thought worked well with the ring) had dimensions of 6.18 x 6.23 x 3.80.


Searching again I found a diamond with a depth of only 3.78 but it has strong blue fluorescence

here


and this diamond with a depth of 3.82 and no fluorescence as well as excellent symmetry. this seems like a better bet but is still too deep ?

here
Click to expand...

Did you see the two I linked for you earlier? Those would be my choices personally assuming they are eyeclean...not to mention the fact that they are quite a bit cheaper than the two you have posted.
 
Jon-

Its not the physical mm dimensions that we are talking about. Its the depth percentage that we are looking at. Here''s a helpful little guide to finding a great cut stone:

Table: 54-57%
Depth: 60-62%
Crown angle: 34-35 deg
Pavilion angle: 40.6-41.0 deg

If you can find a stone that falls within that range, then you are all set.

Just to let you know, you will pay, sometimes significantly, more at a local jeweler than you will online, but sometimes its worth it. To me, personally, it was worth it to pay the premium. However, in my case, the jeweler actually went to BlueNile himself and looked up the prices to compare apples to apples and told me exactly how much of a premium I was paying. It was totally worth it for me, and it might be for you. There are many other threads on PS you can find about buying online vs buying at a local store. Good luck with the search and keep us posted!
 
I see what you guys mean about the dimensions. I did some more reading and played around with the HCA tool and now understand the significance of the 1.6 score for that diamond! I called bluenile and will find out if it''s eyeclean tomorrow.
I noticed it has medium blue fluorescence, do you think that will detract much from the appearance ?
 
Date: 7/9/2008 8:56:13 PM
Author: JonIrenicus
I see what you guys mean about the dimensions. I did some more reading and played around with the HCA tool and now understand the significance of the 1.6 score for that diamond! I called bluenile and will find out if it''s eyeclean tomorrow.
I noticed it has medium blue fluorescence, do you think that will detract much from the appearance ?
Click to expand...
Most likely no. You can do a search on here to learn about fluoresence.
 
I recommend going here and reading their info, especially what they have to say about cut. Warning... it will take awhile :). There is ALOT of info. I promise you will feel like a diamond expert when you are done though. No salesman would ever be able to pull the wool over your eyes.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/

I should also mention that if you are looking for nearly perfect diamonds (from a cut standpoint), this is a great site to check. You will, of course, pay a premium for stones of such quality.
 
Ask the jewelry store for a copy of the full proportions from the lab report and throw them in the HCA... Without those props, its hard to say which is better. Even if the BN diamond is "deep", the jewelry store diamond could be worse...
 
Alright, the diamond that scored a 1.6 is not currently in their warehouse, so I won''t hear back on the eyeclean check until tomorrow.

The other diamond that NeatFreak recommended, unfortunately, was not eyeclean, so that''s out. The diamond I was initially checking out has a crown angle > 35 degrees so that''s out as well.

Just to keep my options open I am also having them check out
this one ; it''s pricier than the others but it did get a 1.2 on the HCA.
 
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