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The Cost of an 8 Star

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peterchristopher

Rough_Rock
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Sep 25, 2002
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I paid a visit to an EightStar dealer in my area (Boston, MA) this past weekend. After reading so much about these perfectly cut diamonds, I had to see them for myself. Needless to say I was impressed. What I was not impressed with, however, was the price!

I came in expecting to pay 25% more than a Hearts & Arrows stone from Whiteflash. Boy was I wrong. I didn't have a direct comparison, but the most similar one he could get for me was almost twice as much as an H&A I had seen on WhiteFlash! Is this normal for an EightStar and are Bricks and Mortars stores always so expensive or was the jeweler trying to rip me off?

Also, a curious thing happened when I asked to see a Hearts & Arrows. He basically told me they were junk and recommended I get a Lazar diamond instead. He did show one of each to me in the FireScope along with the EightStar. The H&A showed a lot of leakage while the Lazar only leaked a little....

But since neither of these cuts were produced with the aid of a FireScope, could it be that he happened to show me a poor H&A and a good Lazar? I wish I'd thought to ask for the measurements of all three stones so I could see how they fare on the HCA.

I'd be interested to hear what you veterans make of my experience.

Pete
 
Can ANYONE out there shed some light on EightStar pricing and how Lazare diamonds stack up?
 
Why don't you contact Richard von Sternberg, president of EightStar? He can advise you if your quote is out of line with that of other EightStar dealers. Bring up

http://www.eightstar.com/HowTo/CustomerForm.htm

on your browser, and give him the particulars in the comments section. He ordinarily responds within a day.
 
I too looked at an 8* at the nearest Boston dealer (likely the same one) and also found the prices to be absolutely absurd. Approx. $15k for a 1.0 carat, H color, VS2. However, the dealer said he'd "be flexible" on the price, whatever that means. Regardless, it seemed way out of line even as a starting point for negotiations given other price quotes I've seen, both on Pricescope and elsewhere. But it did make me ask the question: would I pay THAT much more for a minute increase in cut quality, or would I rather go for size and better color on a slightly inferior cut? I'm choosing the slightly inferior cut and going with a bigger size. For me at least, that tradoff wasn't worth it to go with an 8*.
 
I'm glad I'm not alone, Blue Devil, that price is similar to what I was quoted for a comparable stone. I think I will check back with Richard von Sternberg since he originally referred me to the jeweler, but at this point I doubt I can be sold on the EightStar.

It seems like a much better idea to find an Ideal Cut or Hearts & Arrows stone that has good light return properties by using the HCA and/or IdealScope. In order to afford an 8 star I would have to get a .75 carat--I think my future fiancee would appreciate an extra .25-.35 carats much more than what to her would probably be an imperceptible increase in brilliance. After all, I am buying this for her, not myself.


Incidentally, I found a few good Hearts & Arrows stones (one of which has a Sarin report) in my price range at WhiteFlash that score between 0.9-1.3 on the HCA. Since they will cost me half of what the Eight Star would, I think this is the best way to go. As Blue Devil said, negotiation is a possibility, but if the starting price is nearly 100% more than an H&A I don’t think it’s even worth trying.
 
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