To buy or not to buy - Need Your Opinion PLEASE HELP!

[Katsubuta]

Hi! This site is amazing!

My boyfriend and I are shopping for a diamond (for an engagement ring) for almost 4wks.... We are beginner but obsessed customer. After visiting numerous jewelers and websites, and throughly read the book "How to buy a diamond"

, we have come across this one at diamond.com. Please let me know what you think (it is too scary to buy a diamond online with no "lifetime" guarantee thing, but the price is irresistible, Arhhhh!!!) Also, is GIA certificate of 12/2003 too old? Here is the stat:

Round
1.07 ct.
H2
SI1
Table: 55%
Depth: 62.2%
Girdle: Med slightky thick
Culet: none
Fluo: none
Polish: Good
Polish: Good
$4,119

Item Link: http://www.diamond.com/diamond_details.asp?Sn=400288942&pf_id=105620
I will appreciate your help!!!

 

[Regular Guy]

Katsubuta,

Good luck in your search. That diamond may be lovely, but I'd suggest you read the tutorial here (see above under Knowledge) to get additional perspective. For example, although Diamonds.com may not categorize diamonds to my satisfaction, were I you, I'd consider keeping the same qualities (H, SI 1) and seeking ideal vs premium, and paying a couple of hundred more to get it (try their # 120546)...or perhaps lowering your demands for color (I), to put your emphasis on a well cut stone.

Alternately, if you come to prefer having more info about the diamond you're seeking (i.e., crown & pavilion angles), in addition to table & depth data, the shopping options I'd pursue (see below my signature) may cause you to modify your requirements a bit to get what you want.

Best of wishes, and happy shopping; it's a once in a lifetime adventure, and you should enjoy it.

 

[sweetnghtmr]

While I do not know alot about rounds, I do that my boyfriend purchased an engagment ring for me via Diamond.com, i have yet to recieve the ring, but I did get to see it (he wanted to make sure I loved it) All I can say is that we both were amazed with the stone! He told me he was nervous about not being able to see the diamond first, but it''s an amazing stone!!! He also took it to some local jewerly stores to have it looked at and to make sure he got what he paid for, and luckily everything was in order. My b/f and I highly recommend this site! Good luck!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Date: 4/26/2005 8:40:15 PM
Author:Katsubuta
it is too scary to buy a diamond online with no ''lifetime'' guarantee thing, but the price is irresistible, Arhhhh

There is one golden rule in diamonds: if the price is irresistible, something is wrong with the stone.

Our problem is that we only have limited info on this stone, and the only questionmark is raised by the ''Good'' grade on symmetry and polish, which should be better.

In order to give a founded comment on this stone, we need the data of a Sarin-measurement. This will give us at least some data to work with.

Live long,

 

[valeria101]

This might not be ideal or whatever, but given the GIA's signature on the cert it should not be any better or worse than any other H/SI1 round out there in the shops. How good or bad is that, it remains up to you to decide, of course.

What is the "lifetime guarantee" you mentioned ? Each seller around here has some sort guarantee, return periods and upgrade policies. If what you have in mind is an unlimited buy back policy, I would look very closely at the terms - it just sounds incredibly generous. At least for a small shop.

About the GIA paper... it does not sound old. These certs may become absolete only if the lab changes its practice (which they will shortly by adding cut grades, but have not since the issue date of that report) or something happens to the stone after it is certified - and this either the seller or an appraiser can tell you.

Unless "ideal cut" sounds appealing, you might as well go for it.

Now, what and where the inclusions are matters for SI1... and this one has a crystal smack under the table which better not be black ! There is no way to know if that is visible - most likely it is not. Can the seller give detail before the diamond is sent to you? I would like to see one IdealScope picture as well. This seller does not advertise any tools to demonstrate brilliance, but there might be some way for them to accomodate one request.

 

[Katsubuta]

Wow! Thank you all, so helpful!!! We will consider the ideal cut one also. We also got information about a local appraiser from pricescope, and so we will contact her and have her look at the stone once we buy from an online vendor. I know diamond.com requires some kind of return authorization number if we want to return it, but I wonder if it might be a major hassle.

By "Lifetime guarantee", I meant that local jewelers commonly offer upgrades, periodical check-ups, replacement in case of accident/loss, etc. What should I do if something happens to the stone I bought from online vendor after 30 days?

About the price, a reputable local jeweler offered us an "ideal cut, .91ct, I, SI2" for $4200 (not to mention after negotiation!), and this price seems to be pretty fair around our neighborhood (Southern Cal.). So, you know why we are impressed with this stone "premium cut, 1.07ct, H, SI1" for $4119!