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Thoughts on diamond district diamond, setting & band

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kaibosh

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 12, 2013
Messages
4
All, thanks for maintaining this useful resource, it's been very helpful in our engagement ring search. I was hoping to gather some thoughts on a diamond/setting/band we are considering purchasing from one of the vendors in the NYC diamond district. I know most posters on here are pretty anti-diamond district. We avoided the touts on the street and tried a few different places, some of which were ridiculously pushy, and obviously avoided those. This store seemed much more legit than the others we went into.

The diamond is a cushion cut, G color, SI-1. Excellent polish, very good symmetry. I looked at it very closely with the jeweler's magnifying glass and found the inclusions - they are not visible to the naked eye. Also looked carefully for yellowish tint but didn't see any.
Diamond is GIA certified.
Setting is 18k white gold, halo, 2mm, with diamonds most of the way around, and matching wedding band.

They have an unlimited lifetime trade-up policy. 30 day return policy but only if we have it appraised (which we intend to) and it doesn't match the description given.

The price they're offering on the package deal is just south of $5000. they quoted us $1600 on the band and setting, so likely about $1400 of the "package deal" price is going towards that. Looking at similar diamonds on this website and Good old Gold, it seems like similar diamonds go anywhere from $3200-$4000.

My question is, does this sound generally reasonable? I'm not too concerned about actual fraud, given this is GIA certified and so forth, but want to make sure I'm not overpaying. I get the sense I could shave a few hundred bucks off the price if I was prepared to put money on the table, but this wasn't like the other stores that start out with a ridiculous price and then keep cutting it to try to make an immediate sale.

Appreciate your input, thanks!
 
kaibosh|1376332998|3501515 said:
All, thanks for maintaining this useful resource, it's been very helpful in our engagement ring search. I was hoping to gather some thoughts on a diamond/setting/band we are considering purchasing from one of the vendors in the NYC diamond district. I know most posters on here are pretty anti-diamond district. We avoided the touts on the street and tried a few different places, some of which were ridiculously pushy, and obviously avoided those. This store seemed much more legit than the others we went into.

The diamond is a cushion cut, G color, SI-1. Excellent polish, very good symmetry. I looked at it very closely with the jeweler's magnifying glass and found the inclusions - they are not visible to the naked eye. Also looked carefully for yellowish tint but didn't see any.
Diamond is GIA certified.
Setting is 18k white gold, halo, 2mm, with diamonds most of the way around, and matching wedding band.

They have an unlimited lifetime trade-up policy. 30 day return policy but only if we have it appraised (which we intend to) and it doesn't match the description given.

The price they're offering on the package deal is just south of $5000. they quoted us $1600 on the band and setting, so likely about $1400 of the "package deal" price is going towards that. Looking at similar diamonds on this website and Good old Gold, it seems like similar diamonds go anywhere from $3200-$4000.

My question is, does this sound generally reasonable? I'm not too concerned about actual fraud, given this is GIA certified and so forth, but want to make sure I'm not overpaying. I get the sense I could shave a few hundred bucks off the price if I was prepared to put money on the table, but this wasn't like the other stores that start out with a ridiculous price and then keep cutting it to try to make an immediate sale.

Appreciate your input, thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi kaibosh :wavey:

Cushions are a different animal than rounds. It is impossible to tell you anything about a cushion without seeing it. There is no way a fair and correct assessment can be made on specs alone.

That said, I would never buy a diamond from a place that offers returns only in the event that it's graded wrong. Who has to appraise this stone? I'm sure you could have it appraised by 10 different people and you may get 4 or 5 different spec combinations. If it's GIA, then the description is going to be correct. Why would a vendor only honor a return policy if the appraisal is off?? That's a big red flag to me. :nono:

What if you buy it, get it home, then decide you just don't like it after looking at it for a bit IRL?? To me, this isn't reasonable, and I would not want to deal with this vendor. How you feel about it can have absolutely nothing to do with the grading. Also, you didn't list the carat weight and dimensions...
 
...please don't take my post as being mean!! I just don't want you to get into something you can't get out of, if need be. :halo:
 
I fully agree with the previous poster that reputable jewelers have an unconditional return period. I would rule it out in this basis. I wouldn't even expect 30 days, but there needs to be 7-10 days to return for any reason.
 
Sorry, 1 carat. Not sure on the exact dimensions.

Agreed on the return policy, I would expect a week or two. Maybe that's reason enough to rule it out, but that aside, wanted to get some opinions on the reasonableness of the price. And no, not taken as mean at all - I am not wedded to this stone and ring (no pun intended) but at the same time, it looked really nice and seemed a better deal than anything else we've seen in looking around.
 
kaibosh|1376338719|3501582 said:
Sorry, 1 carat. Not sure on the exact dimensions.

Agreed on the return policy, I would expect a week or two. Maybe that's reason enough to rule it out, but that aside, wanted to get some opinions on the reasonableness of the price. And no, not taken as mean at all - I am not wedded to this stone and ring (no pun intended) :lol: :lol: :lol: but at the same time, it looked really nice and seemed a better deal than anything else we've seen in looking around.
Click to expand...

Cool... if you would just post your budget for it, the PS cushion aficionados will work their wonders!! ;))

Also, does your GF prefer the crushed ice, more organized faceting (four or eight main, etc...), or chunky?

Are you looking for a HW style halo or something different? What type metal (Pt, 14K, 18K, white gold or yellow)? Sorry for the seemingly endless questions, but it helps to know as many details as possible. :bigsmile:
 
kaibosh|1376332998|3501515 said:
...Setting is 18k white gold, halo, 2mm, with diamonds most of the way around, and matching wedding band.
Click to expand...

Sorry, OP... It's been a looooonnngggg day at work! :lol:

Would you be ok with 14K WG to lower the cost?
 
Sorry, not too familiar with the terminology (HW?). She likes a thin halo with slightly rounded edges. Some of the others we looked at were a bit chunky - this was definitely the nicest one we saw. Probably want to stay with 18k white gold, definitely not yellow.

She might prefer the more organized faceting but again, just a guess - probably no strong preference.
 
kaibosh|1376340416|3501602 said:
Sorry, not too familiar with the terminology (HW?). She likes a thin halo with slightly rounded edges. Some of the others we looked at were a bit chunky - this was definitely the nicest one we saw. Probably want to stay with 18k white gold, definitely not yellow.

She might prefer the more organized faceting but again, just a guess - probably no strong preference.
Click to expand...

Sorry, HW (Harry Winston) style... Be warned that 18K will turn "dingy" and will have to be rhodium plated a lot more often than 14K white gold. (I learned that the hard way, as my ering could really stand to be plated about every 3-4 months and my 14K bands maybe once every 2 years or so).

I don't know if this would allow enough left over for the exact setting she likes, but I thought it had really pretty faceting.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.80-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-36254 $3340

This one is more rectangular (which I think looks better in a halo ;)) ) and it's a little larger (dimension) - also pretty faceting.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.80-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-62729 $3730

Are you firm on a $5K budget? If so, would your GF be ok with a plain shank halo?

If it were me (and this is just me...), I would want the biggest best solitaire I could get with the understanding that I may upgrade to a blingier setting at some point. Or if I "had to have" a halo now, maybe compromise on a plain shank for a larger center stone. However, people are different. ::) :halo:
 
Understood, I've read about white gold, but that would be the same no matter where you buy the ring, right?

It seems from those prices like the diamond, setting and ring we've found is pretty reasonable - i.e. it seems like a pave halo setting with wedding band will run at least $15-1600 online, often more, and the diamond I'm looking at is around the $3500 price range?
 
kaibosh|1376343511|3501634 said:
Understood, I've read about white gold, but that would be the same no matter where you buy the ring, right?

It seems from those prices like the diamond, setting and ring we've found is pretty reasonable - i.e. it seems like a pave halo setting with wedding band will run at least $15-1600 online, often more, and the diamond I'm looking at is around the $3500 price range?
Click to expand...

Just remember that all halos (and pave work) are definitely not created equal. I've seen some really shoddy halos before... But, yes, you are correct, a well-made halo setting and matching band will cost a lot more than $1500. Since the price is for the setting and the band, it doesn't make me really confident that's it's a made well... it makes me think the opposite. A halo setting alone would be a bargain for $1500... and that may even be pushing it.

What is more important to your GF, larger center stone or specific setting style? This plays a big factor. If she wants a specific style setting, then the diamond will either have to be smaller or of lower quality. If she wants the largest diamond you can get, then the setting will need to be more plain.

Would you consider any of these? They are in your price range...
[urlhttp://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-and-shank-diamond-engagement-ring-cushion-center-item-17429][/url] $900 (maybe JA could make the halo a bit more rounded like you said she likes...)
with something like this...
http://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-r...e-set-diamond-eternity-wedding-ring-item-1481

This double halo would certainly give a lot of presence!
[urlhttp://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-split-shank-double-halo-pave-engagement-ring-item-17877][/url] $1300
with a plain thin gold band so the stone would POP! :bigsmile:

Just an idea, but has she considered the option of a round in a cushion halo? Rounds sparkle more and face up a lot larger than cushions. I personally think you should at least look into it -- you'll get more "look" for your money, for sure! At first glance, most people think its a cushion anyway. Everyone thinks mine is! ;))
 
kaibosh|1376343511|3501634 said:
Understood, I've read about white gold, but that would be the same no matter where you buy the ring, right?
Click to expand...

If you're referring to turning yellow... it depends on the alloy that is used. X-1 white hardly EVER has to be replated! It's awesome! I wish I'd gone with it...
 
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