Thoughts on local shop and diamond

[calbear81]

Hey guys,

So I''ve been shopping through the usual Pricescope vendors and also looking at the majors like BlueNile, etc... and I also did some in-store shopping this past week.

I found a local store that''s "the engagement ring specialist" that had a RB .93ct, J VS2 with GCAL ceritfication that looked like the right size and had no obvious flaws. I looked at the GCAL certificate and there were only minor specs and they weren''t near the center. The optical brilliance analysis was excellent as I looked at about 7-9 diamonds and this one had the least "dark" areas which supposedly shows the highest amount of reflection.

The price was $4,195. I looked online here and it looks like that''s a bit high especially given the J color rating. However, it looked good in person and the store offers full value towards trade-ups for life (new diamond must be at least $1 more) and I can get 12 months same as cash through the local credit union (on this note, I know a lot of you will say don''t buy it if I can''t pay cash.. I can pay cash but the stock market is too good to pass up right now so the no interest financing is a better deal IMO).

Thoughts? The GCAL certificate had the angles but it was on the diamond and I think they use different measurements so it was hard for me to punch things into the HCA analyzer. They are a local shop that has been in Seattle since the 50s.

 

[calbear81]

Ohh.. so I also went to Tiffany''s today just to see what they had. I must admit, the classic Tiffany setting looked gorgeous (lightning no doubt) but the diamonds themselves seemed to give off good fire. The salesperson (who''s probably done this a million times) puts her hand over the ring to shadow it and show me that in reflective light, it still sparkles.

Pricing-wize, it was roughly 1.75 - 2x what the local store (referenced above) is charging and I dont'' think there''s any type of trade up in the future or what not.

To give perspective, my girlfriend who I''m proposing to is in Pharmacy school and has 3 more years to go so we are going to be a bit more crunched for cash in the next few years. She''s down to earth but at the same time is a HUGE fan of all things fashion. I think to her, a "tiffany''s" ring would be extra bonus points even at a smaller carat size. I know there''s a lot of debate about this but maybe that''ll help explain why I even stopped in Tiffany''s in the first place.

 

[neatfreak]

Personally I would ask to be shown only GIA and AGS rated stones at the local store and ask them to be either Excellent or Ideal for cut and that's it, then plug into the HCA to narrow it down. Then compare with the PS search engine so you can really be comparing apples to apples here. And just FYI most of the PS vendors (not the drop shippers though) have tradeup policies too.

The stones at Tiffany's probably looked nicer because #1 their lighting is meant just for that, and #2 they were probably better cut than the stone you saw at your jewelers...but it's just a guess.

Only you can decide if it's worth it to purchase her ring at Tiffany's. You can certainly get more for your buck elsewhere, but like you said, if she'd appreciate the name sometimes that might be what she would prefer...

 

[stone-cold11]

Ask the local shop if he is willing to mount stones you bring in. If so, buying a H&A from one of the online vendors will be cheaper too.

If your girlfriend is interested in fashions, get her a whiteflash ring, they are worn by Hollywood celebrities too.http://www.whiteflash.com/whiteflash_articles/

 

[calbear81]

Hey NeatFreak,

They don''t carry any stones with GIA/AGS certification. Their buyer goes directly to the Israeli diamond exchange and I guess they ship them off to GCAL in NY which according to other threads I''ve read is a quality lab with stringent measures.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 11/2/2008 5:31:32 PM
Author:calbear81

Thoughts? The GCAL certificate had the angles but it was on the diamond and I think they use different measurements so it was hard for me to punch things into the HCA analyzer. They are a local shop that has been in Seattle since the 50s.

Hard or not possible?

You''re doing good work. What you''ve read about GCAL, I recall. But...although I would buy a GIA excellent...I wouldn''t do it without first knowing the available crown & pavilion data. I''d hold GCAL to no less, and could recommend the same.

That said...I think it''s reasonable to value a local shop.

Regards,

 

[stone-cold11]

Looking at the GCAL cert on BN, the crown and pavilion angles are there.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 11/2/2008 5:31:32 PM
Author:calbear81
Hey guys,

So I've been shopping through the usual Pricescope vendors and also looking at the majors like BlueNile, etc... and I also did some in-store shopping this past week.

I found a local store that's 'the engagement ring specialist' that had a RB .93ct, J VS2 with GCAL ceritfication that looked like the right size and had no obvious flaws. I looked at the GCAL certificate and there were only minor specs and they weren't near the center. The optical brilliance analysis was excellent as I looked at about 7-9 diamonds and this one had the least 'dark' areas which supposedly shows the highest amount of reflection.

The price was $4,195. I looked online here and it looks like that's a bit high especially given the J color rating. However, it looked good in person and the store offers full value towards trade-ups for life (new diamond must be at least $1 more) and I can get 12 months same as cash through the local credit union (on this note, I know a lot of you will say don't buy it if I can't pay cash.. I can pay cash but the stock market is too good to pass up right now so the no interest financing is a better deal IMO).

Thoughts? The GCAL certificate had the angles but it was on the diamond and I think they use different measurements so it was hard for me to punch things into the HCA analyzer. They are a local shop that has been in Seattle since the 50s.

Sorry, I don't understand this comment?

Regardless, GCAL is not the worst, but also not the best. As mentioned, if you want to shop locally insist on viewing only GIA excellent or AGS ideal cut grades, and make sure you take down the specs so we can help you later.

Can't say without more info, but I would be tempted to agree with Neat about why Tiffs looked nicer than the first one..

You said you have been looking at the PS vendors, is there a reason you have decided not to buy from one?
I can just not recommend Tiffs to someone working with a tighter budget, unless your girl was totally obsessed (which it doesn't sound like she necessarily is..)..

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/2/2008 6:28:58 PM
Author: calbear81
Hey NeatFreak,


They don''t carry any stones with GIA/AGS certification. Their buyer goes directly to the Israeli diamond exchange and I guess they ship them off to GCAL in NY which according to other threads I''ve read is a quality lab with stringent measures.

This sounds weird to me. From what I''ve heard, GCAL is good with color and clarity but just doesn''t give the kind of cut information that most of us here want. It just sounds odd to me that a jeweler won''t give you AGS/GIA stones if that is what you want. Fishy.

 

[nicktenny]

Calbear,

I have recently shopped with the exact vendor you are referring to. I was impressed with their customer service and policies. However, when it came right down to it, they couldn''t match the same quality of diamond for near the same price as the recommended pricescope dealers. I bought my diamond online (through ID jewelry, but emailed with Whiteflash, James Allen, and GOG), and bought the setting from the Seattle B&M store. They had no problem setting my diamond into the setting that I purchased from them. There was a $200 setting fee since I did not buy the diamond with them and they did an excellent job. Hope this helps.

 

[nicktenny]

also, their in-house stones are GCAL graded. they can get GIA/AGS stones, but have to call them in, which they are willing to do.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/3/2008 5:09:23 PM
Author: nicktenny
also, their in-house stones are GCAL graded. they can get GIA/AGS stones, but have to call them in, which they are willing to do.

That makes more sense. Thanks Nick for adding that!