Strategies for finding the right diamond?

[Bry]

The type of diamond I am looking for is 1.35ct (+- 0.05ct), G VS2, with a budget of $9500 (+- $500). I want an ideal cut with a great HCA score, but I don''t want to pay the premium for H&A (for example, the WhiteFlash "expert selection" diamonds are close enough to my eyes). Mainly, I''m looking for a good value -- fluor is OK, larger table less carat weight is OK, ideal cut but not H&A is OK, prongable SI2 is OK.

Anyways, using PriceScope''s in-house search, there are only a few diamonds meeting these characteristics that aren''t already sold. Of those, most have nice blotches of inclusions right smack in the middle of the table, hence nobody has bought them. Of course, there are a TON of matching diamonds if you search against all diamonds. In fact, if I just narrow it down to GIA/AGS certified and ex/ex polish and sym, I''m still left with about 20 diamonds. It seems like it''d be a royal pain to request certificates for all of them (in order to narrow down on cut criteria), let alone things like idealscope/etc.

What is the best strategy for getting the diamond you want? Options I''m considering:

1) Keep monitoring pricescope and wait until one becomes available
2) Pick a few diamonds with the best "specs" (based on the limited specs listed), and request certificates just for those first
3) Request the certificates for all of the matching diamonds -- if one vendor won''t do it, then split the requests up amongst vendors
4) Contact a vendor and have them find one for me (but how will I know it''s the "best" they could have done?)
5) Buy the best matching one, and return it if I don''t like it; rinse and repeat until finding a good one

Or, what do you think I should do?

Last question is, have you ever "gotten lucky" with a drop-shipped diamond? Or, is it that you get what you pay for, and if it''s listed cheaper it''s because there will be a "surprise" waiting for me on the cert?

 

[Hest88]

#4. If you''ve been surfing PS you should have gotten a good sense of which vendors have gotten good reviews. Figure out who you''re comfortable with and trust, and let their expertise do the work for you.

 

[denverappraiser]

You’ve listed VS2 but mentioned that a ‘prongable’ SI2 would be acceptable to you. This is a huge difference and makes for a range that includes thousands of stones and a factor of 2 in prices. If your target is an eye clean stone, I would aim for SI1 and use strategy #4 (find a jeweler you trust and use their advice). When they produce one that seems promising, order it up, inspect it, show it to your friends, appraiser and guru and see if it’s the right one for you. If not, send it back and try again (strategy #5 on your list). This is not an unusual set of requirements and any capable jeweler should be able to help you out.

Yes, there are good deals to be had in the drop shipped diamonds. Where that system falls short is in the super-premium type and the bargain basement type goods but for the more ‘commercial’ type merchandise it works pretty well.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Regular Guy]

I see several you might want to consider, if you just shove left & right your criteria a little, using the search by cut db (which you didn't mention), including this one.

More thoughts below my signature.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 7/25/2007 9:21:14 AM
Author: Regular Guy
I see several you might want to consider, if you just shove left & right your criteria a little, using the search by cut db (which you didn''t mention), including this one.

More thoughts below my signature.

Which you may need to do, that''s a rather hard size to find.

This is a nice one Ira found.

 

[SpldRotten]

My fiancé (still feels weird to call him that) has contacted several diamond dealers with the specs that we''re looking for. That’s an option to consider... Everyone seems to favor purchasing the stones on line though.

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 7/25/2007 9:41:59 AM
Author: SpldRotten
My fiancé (still feels weird to call him that) has contacted several diamond dealers with the specs that we're looking for. That’s an option to consider... Everyone seems to favor purchasing the stones on line though.

The vast majority of jewelry purchases are still made from what would generally be called a jewelry store but their market share is shrining while there is major growth in the big box stores (like Walmart), the TV shopping networks and the online-only type dealers.

The online jewelers have a few distinct advantages. The most obvious is that they are incredibly competitive with each other and it’s hard hard hard to rise to the top of the pack amongst literally millions of competitors. The trick is to make sure you’ve identified one of those who is near the top of their league. Shoppers here have very strong opinions in support of their favorites and there is quite a bit of accumulated experience in working with them at your disposal that makes this process far easier. The online business model is pretty efficient in terms of the number of employees, the amount of space required, the necessary investment to set up shop and the like so they can offer comparatively attractive prices.

The storefront jewelers have their own advantages. It’s possible to personally inspect several stones quickly, compare them against one another and have a one-on-one conversation with someone about them while looking at the stone. They can often make faster delivery and there’s a certain romance associated with the process that sometimes gets lost in the Internet experience.. In most communities there are only a few to choose from and even is moderately large cities there’s usually only a few dozen so the competitive atmosphere is quite different.

In both cases, some of the dealers are a lot better than others and it doesn’t boil down to the means of advertising or the location of the store that makes the difference. It’s the character of the people behind the counter/keyboard that makes an ‘ideal’ dealer.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver

 

[Bry]

OK, I''m going to be answering my question a bit on this one.

First, do a search on PS and narrow your selection down to a reasonable number of diamonds for consideration (10-20). Then, look up the certificates for them. You''ll notice that most of the vendors are selling the same stones (same dimensions and stats), with only a slight variation in price. Most of the time, a vendor will have the certificate already posted (Mondera had a pretty high hit rate for me), and some vendors will even have pictures (JA in particular). If not, some vendors will have the GIA certificate number (USA Certed typically lists this) which you can use to lookup yourself at the GIA website. In other words, you do NOT need to contact the vendor to get the certificate!

Doing this, you have the "stats" and can go calculate the HCA scores. Between the two sets of data you should be able to weed your selection down to a small handful that you are really interested in. At that point, I''d recommend coming back to PS for opinions, and also to work with a vendor to call in the diamonds (so that they are on hold for you). I found that WF has the right mix of reputation, helpful people, presence on PS, elegant settings, and low price. They will also send you idealscope and photos, and finally, you can make your decision .

 

[Regular Guy]

Bry,

Don''t like the search by cut? For those you won''t find dups.

You might find savings on the virtual db...but especially if you work with a company like WF, wouldn''t you like to know that they think your plan b I a good value too...against their in-house options?

Plan B: A strategy you may consider to optimize your search would be to find a vendor who will help you to review diamonds from both (a) and (b)...both the "search by cut" and also, the "e-vendor" databases, so that you can choose the best fit between quality and value.

Regards,

 

[Bry]

Actually, I LOVE search by cut... but it only finds in-house diamonds, since they don''t post all the stats for the virtual ones =(. I''ve started working with WF and they''ve been very helpful, but there''s nobody who cares more about you finding the right diamond than yourself!

 

[maiyavel]

Try Good Old Gold... they are wonderful to work with... here''s a great value...
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/br131hvs1/