Walmart Diamond Ring...Recommend?

[thenerd]

I don''t know much about diamonds, but I found a ring at Walmart I think is cheap for a 1ct diamond http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5707510 . What do you guys think? Is it worth it? Or is it a really cheap quality diamond? Would you buy it?

Thanks

 

[neatfreak]

Ever heard the old saying that if it looks too good to be true it probably is? Well this is.

It may be 1 carat, but I am willing to bet the cut is extremely poor and THAT is where the sparkle will come from. In addition, it is an I1 AND not graded by a reputable lab, so it might actually be a worse clarity and color than it says.

In addition, it might be 1 carat WEIGHT but it won''t look as big as a really good 1 carat. I bet that it will only be as big as a good .75 carat or so.

If it were me, I would NEVER buy that diamond. If you instead put that same amount of $ toward a really excellently cut diamond, you will get so much more sparkle even if it isn''t a carat. Try looking at Whiteflash''s A Cut Above diamonds. Those babies will REALLY throw off a ton of light and will look amazing. The one from WalMart will probably look a bit like frozen spit, sorry to be harsh.

The GOOD news is that you have come to the right place to get educated about diamonds. Read some of the diamond knowledge links above, watch some of the videos, and read some past posts. You''ll quickly see why this is NOT a good use of $2,000.

 

[Gypsy]

You get what you pay for.

I would not want that and wouldn't buy it. Its sure to be covered with inclusions given its clairity and lab.

I would go for a smaller better cut diamond from a vendor, like whiteflash, with an upgrade policy in a really inexpensive setting.

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-231193.htm Is the largest I could find with a goal of a complete ring under 2500. Ask if its eyeclean... and even if its not completely eye clean its going to have less inclusions than I from some lesser lab. ETA: 1.2 from Cut Advisor

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/6-Prong--Tiffany--Style_993.htm $180 in 14K WG.

 

[neatfreak]

Here is a link to Whiteflash''s ACA diamonds. http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/SearchResult.aspx?isStatic=false

For the same price, you can get a really gorgeous .5 carat there, which will sparkle like crazy. AND since it will be an excellently cut diamond, it won''t look too much smaller than that WalMart "1 carat".

Best of luck with the shopping. And if you find a stone you really like from Whiteflash, post it on here and see what others say about it. People here will always tell you if you are getting a good deal or not.

 

[thenerd]

Ah, thanks so much guys!!! I''m glad I found this site! It is quite informative and I appreciate you guys being so patient with me.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi,

Welcome to Pricescope!

Here'' s the info. on the diamond ring you''re looking at:

1 car 1 carat T. W.* (this is listed as an estimate. Hmmm...)

Color : G-H
Clarity : I1
Metal Type : 14kt white gold
Setting: Prong
Available Sizes: 4-11
Certificate: International Gemological Institute (IGI)
Shipping Weight (in pounds): 0.5
Assembled in Country of Origin: USA and/or Imported
Origin of Components: USA and/or Imported


I wouldn''t buy a diamond at Wal-mart. You can do MUCH better. I wouldn''t go further than SI 1 but I''ve heard here that quality SI 2s can be found. Whichever you go with (if you do stick with SI), make sure it''s eyeclean.

Also, the color would be either a G or an H. The IGI certifies this diamond, but the ones that are have the greatest reputation are the AGS and the GIA. Stick with a diamond that comes with a grading report from AGS or GIA.

I know others will chime in too.

I''d suggest reading the tutorial here (under the knowledge tab above) and the one at www.goodoldgold.com

I''ll look around and see what I can find.

 

[InlovewithJHK]

This diamond may be a K color but the specs are amazing (AGS000)
- it also $1630 but there is also a pricescope discount- and it is almost 3/4 carat!

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=945297

 

[RockDoc]

NOTE on the Walmart site that they say the 1.00 carat weight is APPROXIMATE.

A diamond that weighs 0.01 carat less than 1.00 is worth a lot less. You can bet whatever amount you like that virtually 100% of these diamonds graded by IGI will weigh less than 1.00 - and rest assured it is a very safe bet. This grading also is not for an individual stone, but a lumped up quoting of what to expect for many of the diamonds represented on their site.


IGI also grades stones that are mounted assuming the carat weight supplied is correct. GIA and AGS will NOT grade mounted diamonds. Mountings CAN cover up too many flaws under prongs or are hidden from the grader''s eye. There escape clause is usually has a written statement that says " diamonds graded insofar as mounting permits". That gets them off the liability hook for making errors, but it leave the person relying on the accuracy of the grading extremely vulnerable, many times without any recourse.

Walmart also states that it is "IGI CERTIFIED". One needs to ask WHO CERTIFIED IGI, and to what standard? Most major labs say their reports ARE NOT A CERTIFICATION, WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE. It''s probably on the IGI report, but the report copy is not shown on the Walmart site.

Additionally, WHO at Walmart is doing the buying of the diamonds offered by them? What is the expertise of the buyer working for Walmart? Are they gemologists themselves, or just relying on whomever is supplying their diamonds for this data?

Typically, those not really in the industry selling diamonds in this fashion..... i.e Costco, credit card companies, walmart, kmart at that marketing level seldom employ experts to check what they are re-selling. Additionally, these companies do not have labs to verify what they are buying and merely "trust" and rely on the information provided by their suppliers.


In one of the legal cases against a company that I was involved in, where the company claimed it had "experts" reviewing the diamonds they were offering, it as discovered that their buyer had NO diamond industry experience, gemological education credentials, and was hired because they were a buyer of toys previously. In that case, IGI was also the grading lab used in an attempt to influence consumer purchasing decisions. Most of the gradings for those stones were 1-3 grades less than represented.

This SHOULD hopefully open everyone''s eyes that they should not rely on representations of bargain priced diamonds. If you do you are being WILLFULLY blind in most instances, and the headaches from doing this will leave you with a horrid taste for our industry.

Note that Pricescope has industry members that are not the "Walmart" types that have diamonds listed for sale in their database. Pricescope is to be commended for that. Merchants selling diamonds that participate here are a far safer bet than the sellers that are offering supposed bargains for consumers.

Rockdoc

 

[denverappraiser]

Walmart is a pretty up and up company. They have their critics to be sure but usually it’s not about misrepresenting the quality of the merchandise. They won’t deliberately lie to you and they have a wonderful return program if you decide you are unhappy. If price is your #1 issue you could do a lot worse than to shop there. That said, let’s look at the offer.

Carat: Approx. 1.0cts T.W. This means Total weight, which is an interesting way to describe a single stone but in the fine print they say it means 0.96-1.10cts. I’m going to take a guess that the nice folks in Bentonville understand about the price break that happens at 1.00 and these stones are mostly in the 0.96 category.

Clarity: IGI – I1. OK. There’s a decent chance that this would translate to a GIA grade of the same grade but it’s not a shoe in. There is no possibility of SI2 so the choices are I1 or I2. Let’s go ahead and believe I1.

Color: GH. Because they did a split grade, along with the approximate weight, we read the IGI statement that this color grade is only accurate to within 1 grade. Meaning they really think it''s an I. IGI-I, when translated to GIA grading terminology could very likely be a J or even K but as with the above, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and call it I.

Cut: silence. This is a bad sign. Well cut stones cost at least 50% more than otherwise similar poorly cut ones and I think it’s fair to say that Walmart is unlikely to pay the premium for the good stuff from their suppliers unless they can sell it using the same premium. They didn''t become the biggest retailer on the planet by absorbing increased costs that don''t translate into higher sales prices. Based on the advertising, I think it''s fair to expect that the stones in this particular program are, at best, mediocre cutting.

Go to the top of the page to the box titled ‘pricescope your diamond’ and fill in some specs. Try 0.96-0.99, I, I1. Ignore GIA and AGS results since we''re talking about IGI stones. I see a half dozen or so offers ranging from $1740 - $2000, right around the $1,878 Walmart offer.

So, is it a good deal? Yeah, it’s probably decent enough. It’s probably approximately what they say it approximately is. No surprises here, that''s what made Walmart rich. Personally, I’m a pretty picky customer and I hold my suppliers to higher standards than that.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Regarding diamond size "variances" used by large corporations when selling diamond engagement rings...

Many years ago, once upon a time, when I was a retail store manager for a very well known large chain....

Our 1/2 ct. diamond solitaire rings were all priced at $999.00. The range in actual weight was 0.45 to 0.57 ct.

That''s a pretty large range. As a manager, I would request from the corporate office, all the 1/2 ct. rings that

were 0.57 ct. (actual weights were stamped inside the shank). I would sell them at $999.00 as advertised.

The consumer was thrilled to be getting a 5/8 ct. size at a 1/2 ct. price. My competitors hated this. Oh, well.

And, yes, most were I-J, SI2-I1, "cut" was a non-issue back then.

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[FireGoddess]

I couldn''t have said it better than Neil. All I can add is to reiterate that you do get what you pay for, and while we''re all looking for the deal of the century, most of us don''t end up finding it. I suspect that you could do much better than this ring. It might cost a little more, but it''s likely well worth it.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 3/31/2007 10:30:22 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I couldn''t have said it better than Neil. All I can add is to reiterate that you do get what you pay for, and while we''re all looking for the deal of the century, most of us don''t end up finding it. I suspect that you could do much better than this ring. It might cost a little more, but it''s likely well worth it.

Agree!