Stationed in Iraq

[stlcpl]

I am stationed in Iraq and thinking of buying a diamond online. This is my first time to consider this. I have been looking and found one on Bluenile I like. First is Bluenile a reputable dealer? Second how do I know if the diamond is natural of lab created from the GIA report? My wife has taken care of the family while I am away and I want to get her the ring she deserves. I appreciate any help you experienced diamond fanatics can offer.
Thanks, STLCPL

 

[Ellen]

Aw, what a sweet gesture, I am certain your wife will appreciate it!

BN is very reputable, and I've not heard anything about them such as a stone not being what it should be. We've had several posters purchace from them.

The only complaint I have heard, is some SI1 stones not being eyeclean after being told they were, so you might keep that in mond. Not sure what you're buying.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/14/2009 8:39:42 AM
Author:stlcpl
I am stationed in Iraq and thinking of buying a diamond online. This is my first time to consider this. I have been looking and found one on Bluenile I like. First is Bluenile a reputable dealer? Second how do I know if the diamond is natural of lab created from the GIA report? My wife has taken care of the family while I am away and I want to get her the ring she deserves. I appreciate any help you experienced diamond fanatics can offer.
Thanks, STLCPL

Welcome and thank you for your service!

Yes, BN is a reputable dealer, the thing is they don''t offer photos or images of the diamonds that many informed buyers want. Some of the other PS vendors can ship to military, here are some whose websites you can check out.

www.whiteflash.com

www.highperformancediamonds.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.jamesallen.com

www.exceldiamonds.com

A diamond with a reputable lab report such as AGS or GIA will not be treated, or artificial - GIA will grade laser treated diamonds I believe but it is rare you see those and it will be mentioned on the report.

If you give us an idea of what shape diamond you are looking for, requirements such as colour, carat, clarity and budget, we could offer you some suggestions if you would like.

 

[stlcpl]

I am looking at a 1.6 Carat Asscher Cut. I go to the GIA report check and it calls it a square emerald. Everything else matches up. I will attach the report. May take me a couple of times.

 

[stlcpl]

OK so I tried to attach the picture of the ring but it attached as an unspecified file on lower right hand corner of posting. Here is the GIA report hopefully it turns out better. LOL

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/14/2009 9:06:13 AM
Author: stlcpl
I am looking at a 1.6 Carat Asscher Cut. I go to the GIA report check and it calls it a square emerald. Everything else matches up. I will attach the report. May take me a couple of times.

Ok, this changes my personal advice. Asschers are WAY different, and need a very good eye (jeweler) looking for them. This is the place for Asschers, and Jon, the head honcho, will do videos for you. I would not recommend BN for an Asscher.

http://shop.goodoldgold.com/

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 3/14/2009 9:06:13 AM
Author: stlcpl
I am looking at a 1.6 Carat Asscher Cut. I go to the GIA report check and it calls it a square emerald. Everything else matches up. I will attach the report. May take me a couple of times.

I would not buy an Asscher cut on BN because of the lack of light performance information on the stone. Cut is what makes a diamond sparkles.

GoodOldGold will be a better bet. What are your specs and budget? We can give you some suggestions?

 

[stlcpl]

Think it worked this time.

 

[stlcpl]

Looking for an Asscher 1.5 carat or better for around 7k. I want to keep the setting shown in pic.

 

[stone-cold11]

Break your bank a little but this looks good.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5507/

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/14/2009 9:18:18 AM
Author: stlcpl
Looking for an Asscher 1.5 carat or better for around 7k. I want to keep the setting shown in pic.

As you need an Asscher then Storm can help you, he takes a special interest in these shapes and has unique expertise and is of great help in the majority of the asscher threads, he should be along later. If you can get photos of any asschers you like, storm can take a look and advise you which are the best ones. Ellen gives good advice on GOG also. BN is not the place to buy an Asscher in my opinion as they won't provide images which are crucial in order to judge the cut and performance of these shapes.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/14/2009 9:18:18 AM
Author: stlcpl
Looking for an Asscher 1.5 carat or better for around 7k. I want to keep the setting shown in pic.

The only caveat is, BN they won''t sell their settings seperately. I would really talk to GOG about finding a similar setting.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/14/2009 9:41:16 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/14/2009 9:18:18 AM
Author: stlcpl
Looking for an Asscher 1.5 carat or better for around 7k. I want to keep the setting shown in pic.

The only caveat is, BN they won't sell their settings seperately. I would really talk to GOG about finding a similar setting.

Ditto, GOG are great to deal with, see what they can come up with for you. Is that your wife's dream setting?

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 3/14/2009 8:39:42 AM
Author:stlcpl
I am stationed in Iraq and thinking of buying a diamond online. This is my first time to consider this. I have been looking and found one on Bluenile I like. First is Bluenile a reputable dealer? Second how do I know if the diamond is natural of lab created from the GIA report? My wife has taken care of the family while I am away and I want to get her the ring she deserves. I appreciate any help you experienced diamond fanatics can offer.
Thanks, STLCPL

Thank you for your service

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[stlcpl]

The setting is one I found after months of searching. Thing is she really does not know that she is getting anything. They listed it separately from the diamond. It was a build your ring thing. I think the setting was like 3k. I hope they will sell it separately from the stone. Other wise I might order a chip and have it mounted and get the stone from somewhere else.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/14/2009 10:00:19 AM
Author: stlcpl
The setting is one I found after months of searching. Thing is she really does not know that she is getting anything. They listed it separately from the diamond. It was a build your ring thing. I think the setting was like 3k. I hope they will sell it separately from the stone. Other wise I might order a chip and have it mounted and get the stone from somewhere else.

You could ask them but as Ellen says I don''t think BN will sell the setting separately - make sure if you do order the setting with another much smaller diamond and you intend to reuse it, that it will be able to accomodate the asscher.

 

[Ellen]

That has indeed been the policy in the past that they wouldn''t sell the setting seperately, however, it looks like things might have changed? Maybe they were losing too many sales....stl, you can certainly give them a call and ask!

http://www.bluenile.com/services.jsp


Sale of Settings Without Center Diamonds

If you would like to purchase a setting without a center diamond, simply contact one of our Diamond and Jewelry Consultants at [email protected] or 800-242-2728.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/14/2009 10:16:29 AM
Author: Ellen
That has indeed been the policy in the past that they wouldn''t sell the setting seperately, however, it looks like things might have changed? Maybe they were losing too many sales....stl, you can certainly give them a call and ask!

http://www.bluenile.com/services.jsp



Sale of Settings Without Center Diamonds

If you would like to purchase a setting without a center diamond, simply contact one of our Diamond and Jewelry Consultants at [email protected] or 800-242-2728.

Good info Batman!!!

 

[stlcpl]

Thanks for all the good info. I will check into the GOG.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/15/2009 3:20:45 AM
Author: stlcpl
Thanks for all the good info. I will check into the GOG.

Keep us posted! Jon is very nice to deal with, if you email him he might have some suggestions for you.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/15/2009 3:20:45 AM
Author: stlcpl
Thanks for all the good info. I will check into the GOG.

You''re welcome! And Lorelei''s right, GOG is great to work with. Just a heads up, they are closed on Mon and Tues.

Keep us posted, I can''t wait to see this ring, I love Asschers!

 

[stlcpl]

So I contacted BN and asked for some more info on the Asscher that I was looking at. This is the email I received back. Not sure how I feel about the response. Tell me what you guys think, does this sound legit?

Thank you for contacting Blue Nile.

I''m sorry to say that we are not able to provide photographs of loose diamonds, primarily because diamonds are notorious for photographing inaccurately. A diamond with M color and I1 clarity can appear colorless and flawless in a photograph, while a diamond with F color and VVS2 clarity can appear yellow and significantly included. Another layer of potential inaccuracy is added in trying to display such photographs online. It is very difficult to represent colors and dimensions in an online photograph consistently as differing monitor settings prevent images from appearing the same for all users.

Instead of photographs, we provide a large amount of information about each diamond which many of our customers find extremely helpful in allowing them to compare different diamonds and in determining how their diamond will appear under different conditions (other than in the photography studio or jewelry store).

I apologize, but for a fancy shape like the Asscher, the crown and pavilion angle information is not collected. This is because there is no industry-wide standards for shapes other than round diamonds.

I do want to mention that we have a 30-day return policy, so if you were to order this diamond and decide that you did not wish to keep it, you could return it to us for a full refund within 30 days. Because we do not charge shipping costs from us to you, the only expense would be the return shipping costs, which is usually less than $30-$40.

I apologize that I''m not able to be of more assistance. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

 

[Lorelei]

That looks like a pretty standard response, as they won't provide photos or other images for their diamonds. If you choose to buy from there then the only thing you can do is wait and see what the diamond is like when you open the box, but personally I am not into gambling, particularly with a shape like an asscher.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/16/2009 5:04:45 AM
Author: Lorelei
That looks like a pretty standard response, as they won''t provide photos or other images for their diamonds. If you choose to buy from there then the only thing you can do is wait and see what the diamond is like when you open the box, but personally I am not into gambling, particularly with a shape like an asscher.

Ditto. And me either.

Did you ask if they would sell the setting seperately?

 

[stlcpl]

I got busy and did not get a chance to ask. I am asking today. Also I can not understand why a company would not provide the extra information that so many diamond buyers want. How can BN have such an operation and not have the images at least for themselves? RANT! LOL. I will let you know about purchasing the setting without the diamond.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 3/17/2009 3:24:06 PM
Author: stlcpl
I got busy and did not get a chance to ask. I am asking today. Also I can not understand why a company would not provide the extra information that so many diamond buyers want. How can BN have such an operation and not have the images at least for themselves? RANT! LOL. I will let you know about purchasing the setting without the diamond.

Because BN is a drop shipper, meaning they don''t actually own most of the stones they advertise on their site. They just do the advertising and the stones are ship directly from the owner of the stone to the customers without passing through their hands. There are probably hundreds of these owners and no way to equip them with the equipments and training for them to take reasonable images.

 

[mercoledi]

Date: 3/17/2009 4:14:10 PM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 3/17/2009 3:24:06 PM

Author: stlcpl

I got busy and did not get a chance to ask. I am asking today. Also I can not understand why a company would not provide the extra information that so many diamond buyers want. How can BN have such an operation and not have the images at least for themselves? RANT! LOL. I will let you know about purchasing the setting without the diamond.

Because BN is a drop shipper, meaning they don''t actually own most of the stones they advertise on their site. They just do the advertising and the stones are ship directly from the owner of the stone to the customers without passing through their hands. There are probably hundreds of these owners and no way to equip them with the equipments and training for them to take reasonable images.

Precisely. They don''t have the stones, so they can''t provide the info. Jon really is a pro, and they may have more than is listed online. JamesAllen has also done better with providing IS images lately, they might be worth a browse.