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Some basic advice needed for a 5.0 purchase...

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dssxxxx

dssxxxx

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 7, 2009
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114
First, let me say, that I have really enjoyed reading the forum but seem a little more confused now, than before.....
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The wife and I have decided that she deserves a new diamond.

We have decided that something in the 5.0 to 5.1 carat range would be great. Budget is around $12K - 16K per carat. Has a round presently but is considering a Radiant.

Can I get some advice and perhaps some recommendations of where to look? We are within 20 miles of NYC diamond district. I have become totally confused with cut, girdle, etc.

We would like to trade the following but have no idea of what it''s worth:

3.70 ct
Round Brilliant
I color
VS2
2 - tapered diamond baguettes (approx. 0.40 total weight)

Would keep the platinum setting (6 prong) and the 2 side diamonds. Would the setting accept the Radiant cut?

Any help and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
At the top of this page click on KNOWLEDGE.
Then select Advanced Tutorial.

It will take a while but read every page.
 
Find a good vendor and work with them to source something. A diamond of this size may take a little time so be patient.

Jon at Good Old Gold would be an excellent choice. Mark at Engagement Rings Direct has an office in the diamond district and would also take good care of you. Other PS vendors with offices in the diamond district are Excel Diamonds, ID Jewelry and James Allen.
 
Date: 12/7/2009 4:00:17 PM
Author: jet2ks
Find a good vendor and work with them to source something. A diamond of this size may take a little time so be patient.

Jon at Good Old Gold would be an excellent choice. Mark at Engagement Rings Direct has an office in the diamond district and would also take good care of you. Other PS vendors with offices in the diamond district are Excel Diamonds, ID Jewelry and James Allen.
Click to expand...
Ditto Jet, contact one of the above mentioned vendors and see what they can find for you. A diamond of this size might take some time to find but it will be worth it! I would bear in mind radiants can show more warmth than some other shapes, also in a stone of this size this effect will be exaggerated. So I would make the cutoff for colour GIA graded H unless you can see the diamond in person and are ok with a lower colour. As for cut, stones of this size are often cut for maximum weight retention so it might be more difficult to find a well cut radiant, but not impossible! One of our veteran PSers has a 4- 5ct radiant and it is spectacularly beautiful!

So that is what I would do, select a vendor and see what they can come up with. Also it is possible you might need a new setting as the diamond will be of different shape and larger than the existing diamond.
 
Depending on the setting, you might be able to reuse it. If it has an interchangeable head, then the jeweller should be able to remove the old head and put in a new one sized for the radiant. If the head on your current setting is the integrated type, it’s not going to fit. Not only is the mm difference too great, but you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole, so to speak.
 
First, let me apologize for not responding to the responses. I thought I would get an email and never got any.

kenny: I read the Advanced Tutorial prior to posting. It gave me a small amount of info I could digest and was very helpful, but if it answered all my concerns, I would not have posted. Not very helpful answer for a new member. But, such is life. I hope your comment was sincere.

swingirl: good looking stone

jet/Lorelei: good advice

Lorelei: great looking stone from Union. No pics available from Solomon

Chrono: We have almost decided that spending this amount of money, we will probably get a new setting. The setting would probably be in the $3500 - $5000 range and compared to the amount for the diamond, it''s a small price to pay. If we can use it, it will definitely be used.

We are going this Saturday to a jeweler whom we have bought many pieces from and trust. The reason we are looking outside of him, is that we have not been able to agree upon a mutual price on some pieces he has at the store. He is going to take our stone from the ring and send it out to be graded.

Based on the original post, I have raised my budget to $17K - 20K. But at the top end would expect a decent trade value on our ring and an exceptional piece.

Please keep giving suggestions and if any of the dealers that visit this site, wish to pm me with any details of their stores, etc., I would be happy to correspond with them.

Thanks for all the help and keep it coming. Because Lord knows, I need it.
 
Whatever you choose, you MUST post pictures for us to drool over in the Show Me The Ring gallery!
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Good luck with your search.
 
Absolutely.

But, I still need a lot more info and help on this one purchase.... :-)
 
Sometimes the subscribe option doesn't work, also sorry but no PM's available here.

I forgot to mention this earlier, with your existing ring ( assuming it has a GIA report) you might be able to trade it in or alternatively try selling it privately, ask the vendor you work with if they find the diamond you want if they would be agreeable to taking it in part exchange or consignment might be an option if you aren't dependant on selling this ring to get the new one. Some vendors offer this service whereas the advertise your ring at an agreed price and if a sale results they take a commission. It is usual to only expect to get 30 - 50% of what you originally paid when trying to resell or trade a diamond in, but I would firstly get an independant appraisal so you get expert advice on what a suitable selling price would be in the various selling scenarios open to you. There are several appraisers in the NYC area to choose from, here is the appraisers tool. Also this article will be helpful concerning reselling or trading diamonds.
 
My wife just emailed me after looking at the solomon diamond (no picture). This was her comment. Any truth to it?

I believe I read that a fluorescence that is blue to dark blue makes the diamond look whiter.

I have never heard this prior. Too bad Solomon is in Atlanta, could have gone and taken a look had they been in NYC.
 
Date: 12/8/2009 4:03:03 PM
Author: dssxxxx
My wife just emailed me after looking at the solomon diamond (no picture). This was her comment. Any truth to it?

I believe I read that a fluorescence that is blue to dark blue makes the diamond look whiter.

I have never heard this prior. Too bad Solomon is in Atlanta, could have gone and taken a look had they been in NYC.
Click to expand...

Yes, fluorescence if medium or especially strong can help a diamond face up a little whiter which could be beneficial in an H colour. Rarely strong or very strong blue can make a diamond look cloudy in some lights but this rare. A vendor or an appraiser will be able to advise whether the fluorescence in this diamond has a negative effect but as above this is unusual. Fluorescence does have its fans ( I love it personally) as not only can it help a stone face up a little whiter but it can show a violety glow in some lighting which to me and others is very attractive.

I think you might find both radiants I linked earlier including the one from Soloman Brothers are actually from the non in house database which means the diamonds are not exclusive to Solomans, so any vendor of your choice could call the diamond in for you to view in NYC, in fact the diamond might already be in NYC with the cutting house/ supplier. Find a vendor you like out of the NY listed sellers above and see if one can call the diamond in for you.

Here are the websites of the NY based vendors for your convenience;

www.goodoldgold.com ( are in Long Island)

www.exceldiamonds.com NYC

www.engagementringsdirect.com NYC

www.jamesallen.com ( have offices in NYC)

http://www.idjewelryonline.com/
 
BEFORE you talk "trade-in" establish the correct price on the new diamond. Only then see what the real trade-in value might be. In a straight deal with the assumption your 3.70ct diamond is very well cut and not fluorescent, undamaged, properly graded, etc, the number should be in the $20K+ to $27K range for the old diamond. Every diamond is individual and can''t be valued sight unseen.

If you allow the price of the new stone to be inflated in advance by making the trade-in known to the vendor too early, then the actual value you are getting for the trade-in gets lost or hidden in the horse trade.
 
This might be the best advice anyone has given me.

I always go out and find the trade in value of my car from a few dealers (one''s that I know I will not use) prior to going to the dealer I expect to purchase. I then have any idea of what to expect, even researching through Kelly/Edmund''s, etc. Then make the best deal on the car and after, ask for the trade in value. Usually can dicker a little more on the trade in.

But, great advise on the above.

Please keep helping.

Thanks.
 
I will just post this link again in case you didn''t see it above, an independant appraiser is the best person to give you advice on potential selling values of your ring, not a jeweller. Explain the situation to the appraiser and they will be able to give you prices based on trading the ring in against another stone and what you can expect for value etc, there are several appraisers in the NYC area which you can find using this link here.
 
I agree to an extent that an appraiser is a more unbiased adviser than a retail jeweler when it comes to trade-in value, but keep in mind that the highest bonafide, real offer is the best indicator of what you will actually get for the diamond. Sometimes an appraiser will advise you in the correct range, but few actually are going to pay you for the item. You sometimes have to go into the trenches to win such battles and whoever, no matter how biased, offers the best amount, is the real buyer that you need. The rest are not offering as much money and a trade-in or a re-sale is all about "how much" and not about the quality of advice without getting the money. Many appraisers really have no handle of selling prices as they rarely participate in the market for second hand items. They can do research, but it is not a perfect science.

My entire career as an independent appraiser has also included buying jewelry from dealers and individuals. Sometimes an appraiser cannot make an offer to purchase, but other times it is a totally separate business and a truly separate transaction. Some appraisers brag they neither buy or sell. That''s a nice thing to point out to clients. I always brag, politely I hope, that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is when I want to buy an item that is going to be potentially sold into the trade. I see no conflict of interest in such dealings and avoid those situations where there may be the appearance of bias. Even if all I do is make an estimate of sale price for a client, at least I tend to be very familiar with the estate jewelry market from personal experience. You really learn a great deal when your own money is at risk, especially when you lose. You don''t forget painful lessons so fast.

You can consult an inependent appraiser for great advice, but the ultimate determiner of value will be the highest bidder, not an adviser. So long as YOU become an educated seller, you will do better than the average person who wants to sell or make a similar trade.
 
Again, great advice.

We have decided that this Saturday we will have the diamond taken out of the setting and sent in for GIA grading.

I would imagine after it has been graded we will get a better feel for what it might be worth on a trade.

Thanks so much and hope we can keep this thread going because the more help I can get, the better educated buyer/seller I become.
 
A GIA report will pinpoint the price range better than everyone else''s opinion. It should prove useful.
 
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