Should I have this ring appraised again?

[toothman]

Hello. I would appreciate some help on a purchase I just made.
I recently purchased a three stone emerald cut ring from a jewelry store in the mall for $2180. It was IGI certified after mounting. The retailer told me "we don''t sell deep or shallow cut stones." I don''t know very much about diamonds, but upon my inspection under the scope, it appeared near colorless with no obvious inclusions and symmetrical. The SOA reads:
Shape/cut: Emerald cut
Weight: .96 CT
Color: H-I
Clarity: VVS2-VS1
Polish/symmetry: Good/good
Est. retail repl. value: $3,980
The store has a 90 day refund policy, and I was considering having the ring appraised by a jeweler here in town before giving it to my girlfriend. Neither of us has an excellent sense about diamond quality, but I want to make sure the store is not making a killing off of me.
Here are my questions:
1. Do you think that (given the info provided) I paid a reasonable price.
2. Given the reputation for lower ratings (IGI compared to AGS,GIA), should I have the ring appraised, or should I accept the IGI SOA as my "independent appraisal"?
Thank you very much for anybody''s response.
Tim

 

[Nicrez]

Either you got a steal, or they stole from you...

Online, some cheap prices for the center stone average 9with the same specs) to about $3,000-$3,500

Here's an ideal cut from DirtCheapDiamonds:
.94cts I, VS2, Depth=63.6%, Table=62%, P=VG, S=VG for $3,074

So considering if that stone where what that cert says it is, you got a GREAT deal, because this is a THREE stone ring correct? What about the other stones? What are they, how big, color, clarity, etc?

My honest opinion is that this is likely to be a lesser cut, with a VERY lenient grading on the color and calrity (could be a K or lower, and the clarity could be a VS2, but I am wondering about the true carat weight...)

Was it on sale, or is that their "everyday" price?

 

[toothman]

Here are some clarifications:
0.96 CTW
Side stones: 0.25 CTW
Center stone: 0.46 CT
Price tag: $2500

 

[Nicrez]

Ok, well I apologize for that, that makes a heck of a difference!

A comparable center stone can be found at Whiteflash here for $1,027:

http://www.whiteflash.com/emerald/Emerald-cut-diamond-604678.htm

honestly, in this size, it's tough to find a lot of people who carry well cut stones, so I couldn't really say. My guess is that it most likely won't value at $3K, even with the metal, but in all honesty, if it's a nice looking ring, I would see how you like it. You can always get it appraised, or even contact some people on the web for a price quote for what a ring like that would be. That's also another way of doing it.

If you like the ring, maybe it's not a bad deal...with the gold setting (I assume it's gold), you can very easily get to that price, trying to have it made part by part. the color may be off and so might the clarity a bit, but does the color bother you right now? If you need that extra assurance, I say get it appraised, but find out the appraisal costs up front. Maybe you can get a cheaper appraisal just to verify the specs of the stone, instead of a full blown appraisal? Good Luck!!!