The Cost of an 8 Star

[peterchristopher]

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

 

[peterchristopher]

Can ANYONE out there shed some light on EightStar pricing and how Lazare diamonds stack up?

 

[Greentree]

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.

 

[BlueDevil]

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*.

 

[peterchristopher]

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.