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Uncertified diamonds -- Go or No Go?

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
Dreamer_D|1306518314|2931774 said:
Great!

As an aside for any future shoppers, I consider the JA stones to be an easy purchase too. In my opinion, with GIA Ex, a real life photo, and a good HCA score you do not need an IS image at all. So you can also pick, buy, and walk out with stones from JA within a short time and with no waiting.

In your case, since you wanted bezels, and JA does not have those, BGD or WF are the best options! But I don't want other consumers to be left with the impression that the process of buying from a vendor like JA need be complicated. It doesn't have to be!

Dreamer:
I totally agree.
I would imagine that JA would be just as easy to purchase from as any other respected PS vendor. I've purchased from both BGD and WF before so they are in my comfort zone and my first "go to" vendors, but I would have definitely considered JA if they had a yellow gold bezel setting, no question about that. They are definitely an option for any PSer as they have a great reputation here.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
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OK, here they are, bought and paid for, I'll have them in 8 to 10 days!

Brian has personally looked at them together and said they are a perfect match.

0.841 ctw
AGS000's
.407 I VS2
.434 J SI1

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051366071 PS WIRE $750.50
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051391028 PS WIRE $633.65

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/home/ring-details/?product_id=5409 $325 - 2% wire = $318.50

Total Wire $1702.35 - $100 repeat customer gift = $1602.35 out the door!!

> total carat weight < price + AGS Certs = happy me :bigsmile:

And I'm totally OK with I/J color for a first set of stud earrings and the cut on these is going to be awsome!

Thanks everyone for your input, I'll post pictures in SMTB when they arrive.
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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33,852
Suzy...job well done.. :love: :appl:
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
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Feb 20, 2006
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Thank YOU DF for finding the proverbial “needle in the haystack”.
Great specs, great price!
It was your link that sent me in their direction.
I had searched their inventory before and nothing like that came up.
You've got a knack for finding those beauties, that's for sure!
THANK YOU!!!
:appl:
PS is a great community. I appreciate all the support and advice.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
AND... I forgot to mention these diamonds are eligible for the Lifetime Upgrade Policy. So down the road if she, we, or her future hubby decide they want to upgrade, we've given her a start in the right direction ;))

In case you haven't figured it out by now, these studs are for my daughter. They are a belated college graduation gift (she graduated last week). These will be her first pair of diamond earrings ever. She has grown up seeing all my sparklies, and now she is getting a pair of her very own!
 

bridecat

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 6, 2011
Messages
28
I would be more concerned with the fact that you may be paying more than they are worth because you don't have a GIA report, etc. The verified grades on the report are what determine the value as other have said.

So if it is a reputable jeweler it is less about if they diamond is worth anything or bad quality, but more about are the grade levels a bit overinflated to fetch a better price.

Good luck. You are a very good gift giver ;-)
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
I'm so glad they found you stones that make you comfortable to buy!

I personally would be okay with uncerted stones for earrings as long as they were from a vendor, like BGD, that I know has very high internal standards. And the if the price was right. But there is a great deal of piece of mind in certed stones. Plus the upgrade policy is a huge selling point for certed stones-- especially with earrings!
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
bridecat|1306524470|2931855 said:
I would be more concerned with the fact that you may be paying more than they are worth because you don't have a GIA report, etc. The verified grades on the report are what determine the value as other have said.

So if it is a reputable jeweler it is less about if they diamond is worth anything or bad quality, but more about are the grade levels a bit overinflated to fetch a better price.

Good luck. You are a very good gift giver ;-)

For me, cut is king. So I'm perfectly happy, and actually prefer, AGS graded stones because I think they evaluate cut better than GIA does. This is my opinion, I am not an expert by any means, just a regular consumer, but that's how it seems to me.

I think both AGS and GIA are great certificates to rely on.
I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
 

Dreamer_D

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
25,251
SuzyQZ|1306525975|2931876 said:
bridecat|1306524470|2931855 said:
I would be more concerned with the fact that you may be paying more than they are worth because you don't have a GIA report, etc. The verified grades on the report are what determine the value as other have said.

So if it is a reputable jeweler it is less about if they diamond is worth anything or bad quality, but more about are the grade levels a bit overinflated to fetch a better price.

Good luck. You are a very good gift giver ;-)

For me, cut is king. So I'm perfectly happy, and actually prefer, AGS graded stones because I think they evaluate cut better than GIA does. This is my opinion, I am not an expert by any means, just a regular consumer, but that's how it seems to me.

I think both AGS and GIA are great certificates to rely on.
I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Suzy I think that bridecat was answering your original question about uncerted stones and had not read on to see the conclusion?
 

Dreamer_D

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
25,251
SuzyQZ|1306523808|2931846 said:
AND... I forgot to mention these diamonds are eligible for the Lifetime Upgrade Policy. So down the road if she, we, or her future hubby decide they want to upgrade, we've given her a start in the right direction ;))

In case you haven't figured it out by now, these studs are for my daughter. They are a belated college graduation gift (she graduated last week). These will be her first pair of diamond earrings ever. She has grown up seeing all my sparklies, and now she is getting a pair of her very own!

I think the ability to upgrade is a really nice feature for earring stones. Worth the extra effort you went through for sure.

Oh, and DO NOT complient DF or thank him! It will only encourage his shenanigans around here if we acknowledge him too much ;)) Though I suppose in this case he did help... hee hee
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
Gypsy|1306525487|2931867 said:
I'm so glad they found you stones that make you comfortable to buy!

I personally would be okay with uncerted stones for earrings as long as they were from a vendor, like BGD, that I know has very high internal standards. And the if the price was right. But there is a great deal of piece of mind in certed stones. Plus the upgrade policy is a huge selling point for certed stones-- especially with earrings!

Gypsy:
You make a very good point.
Hence my dilemma in deciding to "Go" or "No Go" with the uncertified diamonds from a very trusted and reputable vendor.

In the end, I was able to get BGD Signature AGS000's in a larger tcw for less than the uncertified diamonds. I did go down in color to get there but I think it was a good choice for me.

And you are right, the upgrade policy for the BGD Signature definitely was an added factor that pushed me over to the "no go" camp.
It was a hard choice, not easily made, but I'm ok with it now that I've decided.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
Dreamer_D|1306526505|2931882 said:
SuzyQZ|1306525975|2931876 said:
bridecat|1306524470|2931855 said:
I would be more concerned with the fact that you may be paying more than they are worth because you don't have a GIA report, etc. The verified grades on the report are what determine the value as other have said.

So if it is a reputable jeweler it is less about if they diamond is worth anything or bad quality, but more about are the grade levels a bit overinflated to fetch a better price.

Good luck. You are a very good gift giver ;-)

For me, cut is king. So I'm perfectly happy, and actually prefer, AGS graded stones because I think they evaluate cut better than GIA does. This is my opinion, I am not an expert by any means, just a regular consumer, but that's how it seems to me.

I think both AGS and GIA are great certificates to rely on.
I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Suzy I think that bridecat was answering your original question about uncerted stones and had not read on to see the conclusion?

Dreamer:
Now that I've re-read her reply, I think you are right.
I mistakenly assumed she had read through, but many people don't.
Thanks.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
Dreamer_D|1306526590|2931885 said:
SuzyQZ|1306523808|2931846 said:
AND... I forgot to mention these diamonds are eligible for the Lifetime Upgrade Policy. So down the road if she, we, or her future hubby decide they want to upgrade, we've given her a start in the right direction ;))

In case you haven't figured it out by now, these studs are for my daughter. They are a belated college graduation gift (she graduated last week). These will be her first pair of diamond earrings ever. She has grown up seeing all my sparklies, and now she is getting a pair of her very own!

I think the ability to upgrade is a really nice feature for earring stones. Worth the extra effort you went through for sure.

Oh, and DO NOT complient DF or thank him! It will only encourage his shenanigans around here if we acknowledge him too much ;)) Though I suppose in this case he did help... hee hee

Hee hee, yes I guess just this once we can give him kudos! :lol:
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
Excellent on the BGDs Suzy! The future owner should be beyond happy!
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
tyty333|1306530025|2931942 said:
Excellent on the BGDs Suzy! The future owner should be beyond happy!
Thanks tyty.
They are for my daughter who just graduated from college.
She is so excited waiting with me until they arrive.
It's a bonding experience, for sure.
Growing up she always would put on my rings and watch me clean them daily.
She's a diamond lover too! ;))
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
27,242
All these fabulous college graduation sparklies - I didn't get one! ;( :rodent:

She must be thrilled Suzy!!
 

iheartscience

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
12,111
Awesome, glad BGD came through with the certed stones! And what a great graduation gift-I bet she'll have them forever! They're going to be a perfect size for everyday wear, too. Please post pics once you get them!
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
Yssie|1306532306|2931977 said:
All these fabulous college graduation sparklies - I didn't get one! ;( :rodent:

She must be thrilled Suzy!!

Yssie, I didn't get a graduation gift either ;(
I'm glad we are able to do this for her.
She's a very good student (cum laude) and worked as a waitress all through college.
Hubby and I felt she was deserving of something special to reward her efforts.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
thing2of2|1306532706|2931980 said:
Awesome, glad BGD came through with the certed stones! And what a great graduation gift-I bet she'll have them forever! They're going to be a perfect size for everyday wear, too. Please post pics once you get them!
Thanks T2of2.
Congratulations on reaching 10K on PS! :appl:

I've got to go find that graduation gift thread in SMTB so I can post them there, what was it called? I'll also post on the Show me your studs thread.
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
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Messages
33,852
SuzyQZ|1306527158|2931896 said:
Dreamer_D|1306526590|2931885 said:
SuzyQZ|1306523808|2931846 said:
AND... I forgot to mention these diamonds are eligible for the Lifetime Upgrade Policy. So down the road if she, we, or her future hubby decide they want to upgrade, we've given her a start in the right direction ;))

In case you haven't figured it out by now, these studs are for my daughter. They are a belated college graduation gift (she graduated last week). These will be her first pair of diamond earrings ever. She has grown up seeing all my sparklies, and now she is getting a pair of her very own!

I think the ability to upgrade is a really nice feature for earring stones. Worth the extra effort you went through for sure.

Oh, and DO NOT complient DF or thank him! It will only encourage his shenanigans around here if we acknowledge him too much ;)) Though I suppose in this case he did help... hee hee

Hee hee, yes I guess just this once we can give him kudos! :lol:
thank you :!: .. :praise:
 

Dreamer_D

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
25,251
Dancing Fire|1306534461|2932007 said:
SuzyQZ|1306527158|2931896 said:
Dreamer_D|1306526590|2931885 said:
SuzyQZ|1306523808|2931846 said:
AND... I forgot to mention these diamonds are eligible for the Lifetime Upgrade Policy. So down the road if she, we, or her future hubby decide they want to upgrade, we've given her a start in the right direction ;))

In case you haven't figured it out by now, these studs are for my daughter. They are a belated college graduation gift (she graduated last week). These will be her first pair of diamond earrings ever. She has grown up seeing all my sparklies, and now she is getting a pair of her very own!

I think the ability to upgrade is a really nice feature for earring stones. Worth the extra effort you went through for sure.

Oh, and DO NOT complient DF or thank him! It will only encourage his shenanigans around here if we acknowledge him too much ;)) Though I suppose in this case he did help... hee hee

Hee hee, yes I guess just this once we can give him kudos! :lol:
thank you :!: .. :praise:

Don't let it go to your head, DF :tongue:
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
UPDATE:
I released the first two stones because Brian called me and said he found an even better match.
Both stones are still BGD Signature, AGS 000's. Color and measurements are more uniform.

Here's the link. Delivery is expected sometime next week.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051391036
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051391034

They are sending me a check with the earrings for the difference in price. :bigsmile:
Oh, and no worries about the crystal in AGS104051391036. Both Brian and Jamie have looked at it and assure me it is eye clean. :appl:
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
33,852
SuzyQZ|1306962706|2935643 said:
UPDATE:
I released the first two stones because Brian called me and said he found an even better match.
Both stones are still BGD Signature, AGS 000's. Color and measurements are more uniform.

Here's the link. Delivery is expected sometime next week.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051391036
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104051391034

They are sending me a check with the earrings for the difference in price. :bigsmile:
Oh, and no worries about the crystal in AGS104051391036. Both Brian and Jamie have looked at it and assure me it is eye clean. :appl:
yup!...the diameters are very close match to each other... :love: :appl:
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
1,420
Thanks DF. I knew Brian would not steer me wrong.

It's not every day that a vendor will call you and offer you a better option for less money.
Brian is a busy man and I appreciate that he took the time to get me on the phone.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
I'll have these beauties on Wednesday.
Dear dauughter is going to LOVE THEM!!

BrianGavin_YgBezelEar2b_060611.jpg

BrianGavin_YgBezelEar1b_060611.jpg
 

partgypsy

Ideal_Rock
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Nov 7, 2004
Messages
6,622
NIiiice. I love bezels. Great story. I'm sure your daughter is excited.

My oldest especially enjoys looking at my jewelry. One time in passing I told her she would get my anniversary ring when I passed. She totally remembers and when I am wearing will often point out and remind me that is the one she will get when I die. Which I find a little morbid so I say I'm not going anywhere yet! She is only 8. Unfortunately she has already developed expensive taste. I bought them fun cz rings for stocking stuffers but when she found out they were not real stones she wasn't interested in wearing them! So next time I'll get a white topaz or amethyst ring.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
part gypsy|1307393430|2939197 said:
NIiiice. I love bezels. Great story. I'm sure your daughter is excited.

My oldest especially enjoys looking at my jewelry. One time in passing I told her she would get my anniversary ring when I passed. She totally remembers and when I am wearing will often point out and remind me that is the one she will get when I die. Which I find a little morbid so I say I'm not going anywhere yet! She is only 8. Unfortunately she has already developed expensive taste. I bought them fun cz rings for stocking stuffers but when she found out they were not real stones she wasn't interested in wearing them! So next time I'll get a white topaz or amethyst ring.

We've gifted my daughter over the years with gemstone/birthstone jewelry, some real, some manmade. All set in 14K gold. Not high end, but certainly some pretty items. It gave me a chance to see how responsible she was with her stuff and how she took care of it (wearing, storing, cleaning, etc.). These are her first diamonds (other than tiny melee).
Growing up she would always ask to try on my rings and giggle in delight at the sparkles!

I'm trying to show her to be a responsible and discerning diamond owner. In order to have sparkly things, you need to take care of them so they always look their best. Dirty diamonds are a no no! :nono:
She's excited to get these and really is looking forward to it. I know she will take good care of them as she has observed me doing with my jewels over the years.

We've never discussed what I will leave her when I die. I don't even think about that yet as I'm just 53 years young!
We just focus on taking care of what you have and accumulating pieces over a lifetime as special events and milestones take place. It will be fun, starting with this pair of earrings.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
They are beautiful Suzy! I think I got a briefcase for college graduation :cheeky: !

I also have a 7 year old daughter that likes to try on my stuff...most of it will be hers someday since my other two are boys.
I'm also the only girl and I'll be getting all my Mom's stuff because I told her I didnt think I could stand to see her stuff on
some other girl...it would just make me cry.
 

SuzyQZ

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,420
tyty333|1307400496|2939286 said:
They are beautiful Suzy! I think I got a briefcase for college graduation :cheeky: !

I also have a 7 year old daughter that likes to try on my stuff...most of it will be hers someday since my other two are boys.
I'm also the only girl and I'll be getting all my Mom's stuff because I told her I didnt think I could stand to see her stuff on
some other girl...it would just make me cry.


Yes, our daughters do lean a lot from us, don't they? :bigsmile:

It was standard practice whenever we were someplace that had terrific lighting (movie theatre, church, museum, sport arena) my daughter would always say, "Whoa! Let me wear your rings for a while!" :love:

I hear ya about someone else wearing your mother's jewelry.
Who could possibly appreciate it more than you?
 

bethprov

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
109
Wow Suzy, what a wonderfull gift! They are beautiful and you and your husband have obviously done a good job to bring up such a hard working and responsilbe daughter :appl:
 
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