Vrai diamonds in larger carat weights

[Kim N]

In the 3+ ct range, Vrai seems to be a lot lower-priced than their competitors for similar color/clarity/cut. Here's an example: https://numined.com/loose-diamonds/3.01-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-445046770/ versus a 3.12 J VS1 on Vrai for $6,194.

Is there a reason for this (i.e. do you get what you pay for)? Do a lot of their diamonds have a brownish tint? I did notice most of their diamonds, especially in larger sizes, are I and J color.

 

[sprinklesparkles]

Interesting, I know at smaller sizes up to maybe 2 carats they seemed higher priced.

I have an emerald cut from them, which is gorgeous and does have a brown-pink tint more than a yellow tint.

 

[Brittany__]

I have a 3 carat oval from Vrai that was graded in-house as an I, but I took it to a local jeweler and their GIA Certified Gemologist graded it a K-L. It does have a brownish-pink tint, but I have grown to love it. It also was $6,541 so a lot less than competitor pricing.

 

[Eeveepenny]

I have a diamond foundry diamond (vrai) 1.6 H but it looks whiter than my GIA certified G. It was $2100 however the price varied a lot from vender to vender for the exact same diamond. I got mine from 1215diamonds.com
Have a look on rare carat too then you can see options from multiple venders

 

[123ducklings]

Larger stones (lab and mined) tend to show their color more. MMD tend to tint brown rather than yellow, which is more common with mined. Vrai seems to have generous grading. Based on that info, I’d guess that the stones you’re talking about are probably going to be very warm colored and show pink/brown tint.

 

[love succulents]

Been looking at Vrai/DF stones and just pulled the trigger on a 2.36 ct oval H. My jeweler got some on memo and compared it with an I and the color difference was quite obvious. The I was much warmer, and had pink/brown hues (which I actually still liked — similar to Brittany’s stone above). With that said, I’ve corresponded with Vrai before and they are able to get more qualitative commentaries from their gemologists. I asked for a comparison between three stones and they were able to tell me about bow tie and which one was pinker vs yellower. They even told me one I was actually tending towards J, which I appreciated.

As for Vrai pricing, I know I saw at least one of the stones (2.27 oval H) listed at the same wholesale price that my jeweler was offering me without markup (I saw the same inventoried stone on Vrai). But I also previously remembered comparing Yadav (which also offers Diamond Foundry stones) and saw the Yadav price was lower. If you do that exercise now and find common inventory, I believe Vrai now is cheaper. So not sure if they’ve since updated their pricing practice and some are closer to wholesale pricing without (or with minimal) markup. Could be a matter of size though like you said — I was only looking at 2 ct+.

 

[AprilBaby]

Sounds lovely!

 

[Kim N]

Thanks, everyone. It sounds like their diamonds are beautiful, but will likely show tint. I'm looking for a whiter stone, so Vrai may not be for me. I will take a look on RareCarat and Yadav for more price comparisons.

 

[love succulents]

Keep checking their inventories for H stones — you might find a great deal if you’re not on a timeline.

 

[Kim N]

@love succulents I'm not on any timeline, so I'm definitely going to keep checking. Just wish they'd carry some G in their round diamonds.

 

[love succulents]

Yes! Hope their tech/processes improve. Would be great to have made in the USA quality diamonds that can reach a wider clientele (eg those who really want whiter stones).

 

[monipod]

I think it's been mentioned that Vrai/DF's machines are older and therefore the stones tend to have the brown tint? Quite a few other USA based labs that produce clearer stones though. I quite like brown tint so if I'm considering a 3ct purchase one day, I might go the Vrai path

 

[love succulents]

I think it's been mentioned that Vrai/DF's machines are older and therefore the stones tend to have the brown tint? Quite a few other USA based labs that produce clearer stones though. I quite like brown tint so if I'm considering a 3ct purchase one day, I might go the Vrai path

You’d get a good deal! And the warmer stones seem to look really great in yellow or rose gold. I’ve also seen some that are more pink than brown, so also a really cool option (which I mulled myself).

 

[love succulents]

PS. looks like there’s a new batch that just landed at Vrai (certificate dates of 10-26-2020), including more H’s in larger carats and some G’s!

 

[Kim N]

@love succulents thanks for the heads-up! Heading over there now. Was the G you found an asscher? That's the only larger G I see.

 

[love succulents]

I thought I saw a 3+ oval G but now only see a 2.81 ct one. (Though maybe my memory isn’t great lol.)

 

[Kim N]

It's very encouraging to see more larger stones from them. I hope this trend continues.

 

[love succulents]

Agreed, especially with the higher color grades! Makes me think that if you catch them when they are released, there probably are at least a few in the G-H range but once those are snatched up, the I-J stay longer in inventory (ie. for a while I thought they mostly had I-Js, but it was more probably because those stayed on the market longer).

 

[Kim N]

I hope you're right about that! I will probably refresh more often from now on, lol.