Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Went back to a B + M to see the Lazare...

jonas

jonas

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 6, 2012
Messages
78
Hi guys.. :twirl: :twirl: :twirl:

must say i am having a blast looking for my diamond.. its like my new hobby now.. my fishing poles are like :confused: :confused:

lol...

well about a month or so ago I went into a B + M and I saw this amazing Lazare .75 G VS1 AGS trip 0 HCA 1.1

so I had to go back today and give her a visit.. :)

she was still there... :appl: apparently she has been there for a while... I chatted with the owner and he has had 5 Lazares there forever and says he just hasn't had any luck moving em. Course his prices are really high IMO which probably doesn't help and he is more of a watch jewelry shop that has a small showcae for some setting and diamonds.

That Lazare looks like a 4th of July firework bottle rocket.. :ugeek: He was nice enough to let me take it all over the store.. outside.. in the dark.. sunlight.. you name it i put it in that environement.. and boy does it sparkle. I spent a few minutes looking at it under that big microscope thing and it really looks cut so well.. the dimension are great.. I wanted to take it home so bad... :mrgreen:

Its the only diamond I have seen out of I would say about 50 or so of em in the last month that completely blew me out of the water. Course those diamonds are from the mall stores and etc and most of them were just lifeless duds. I have not seen any of the online ones I look at every day in real life yet obviously.. lolololol

anyways.. this is getting kinda longwinded... its selling for $4700, probably a couple hundred more than the equivelant specs i would see on GOG, or James Allen.. etc.. and i think i might just go with it... nothing like seeing something and loving it and having no fear of any surprises... ;)) i might go visit her again next week and see if i can take some pics for you guys :):):):)

** funny how I have decided this diamond is a girl... :)

jonas
 
You sound pretty pumped about this stone!

Pictures would be lovely.... are you going to use this B&M for the setting as well? At least you are aware up front that you may be paying higher prices. AND... you sound okay with that, which is key - feeling great about your purchase!! That's good news Jonas! Maybe you can reconnect with your fishing poles soon! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Sounds gorgeous. I'd haggle with him some more. I'd say... it's out of budget. If you can work with me on the price I might be interested. Then let him wait on it. Suggest 4200. And settle for 4500, it were me.
 
HI:

Branded stones always "cost" more--glad you found something of interest to you.

P.S. I know you originally wanted D-E-F color...did you compare stones of these colors at your B & M, to the "G" you choose?

cheers--Sharon
 
well he wants $5200 for it and i told him $4200 and he ended up saying he wouldnt with it for anything less that $4700.. im like.. well its sat here in your store for the last 2 years and it hasnt moved... "wouldnt you like to move it kind sir?' lol.. he laughs at me and say good try kid... anyways.. he's a nice guy.. dont think he is trying to screw me... i did indeed look at it compared to some es and fs.. i feel this stone is cut so good that its colorless to my 37 year old eyes with my contacts in... i would venture to say that it was probably a borderline low F high G when AGS were grading it "if that even makes sense?"

he said he could throw in a simple 4 prong raised 18k gold tiffany type band for $200... so out the door i'm gonna be around $5000 or a lil more.. i can live with that i feel..

can't wait to send you guys some pics..
just gotta buy it first!!

:sun: :sun: :sun: :naughty: :naughty:
 
jonas|1335238537|3179123 said:
well he wants $5200 for it and i told him $4200 and he ended up saying he wouldnt with it for anything less that $4700.. im like.. well its sat here in your store for the last 2 years and it hasnt moved... "wouldnt you like to move it kind sir?' lol.. he laughs at me and say good try kid... anyways.. he's a nice guy.. dont think he is trying to screw me... i did indeed look at it compared to some es and fs.. i feel this stone is cut so good that its colorless to my 37 year old eyes with my contacts in... i would venture to say that it was probably a borderline low F high G when AGS were grading it "if that even makes sense?"

he said he could throw in a simple 4 prong raised 18k gold tiffany type band for $200... so out the door i'm gonna be around $5000 or a lil more.. i can live with that i feel..

can't wait to send you guys some pics..
just gotta buy it first!!

:sun: :sun: :sun: :naughty: :naughty:
Click to expand...


And we can't wait to see it! (p.s does your B & M guy have a good return policy?....trade up?)

cheers--Sharon
 
i asked him about that and he said he is a mom and pop store and doesnt have either... its old northeast jewelers in st pete, fl.

oldnortheastjewelers.com

he said he has been in business there for 33 years and i looked him up on the BBB and read all the online reviews.. etc.. He mentioned that he believes that Lazare itself might have some type of guarantees on their stones.. buyback.. etc.. is this true guys?

Its primarily a watch store.. in fact its probably like 80 % watches..

I have a good feeling though.. i really do.. about him.. his shop.. and most of all.. my own eyes looking at the diamond...
for you guys who have so much experience.. If in the end there trully is no return policy or buyback..

is that enough to say..

"dont buy it jonas?"
 
jonas|1335239858|3179141 said:
i asked him about that and he said he is a mom and pop store and doesnt have either... its old northeast jewelers in st pete, fl.

oldnortheastjewelers.com

he said he has been in business there for 33 years and i looked him up on the BBB and read all the online reviews.. etc.. He mentioned that he believes that Lazare itself might have some type of guarantees on their stones.. buyback.. etc.. is this true guys?

Its primarily a watch store.. in fact its probably like 80 % watches..

I have a good feeling though.. i really do.. about him.. his shop.. and most of all.. my own eyes looking at the diamond...
for you guys who have so much experience.. If in the end there trully is no return policy or buyback..

is that enough to say..

"dont buy it jonas?"
Click to expand...

do you plan on trading it in at some point? if so I would double check if there is a buyback through Lazare and get this in writing.

also, does it have a lab report?

FWIW I have a Lazare diamond and it is beautiful :) I don't think it is overpriced-and you have the advantage of having seen it in person.
 
Glad you were able to see how the excellent cut makes a G stone just fine! I don't have any problem with it as long as you are okay with paying a little more. I have done that (buying one that was not the lowest possible price) and I think it is fine. I don't like to see people drastically overpay, but a couple hundred isn't that much. It is good to buy from local jewelers when they have something worth buying! I am glad the jeweler came down some, because if he has had the stone a couple of years, he bought it for a much lower price. He is still making a lot at the price he is asking, so don't feel bad!

Edited to add....ugh, but sales tax is a big downside to a large purchase locally. You need to factor that into this decision.
 
hmm.. im wondering how upset the jeweler would be if i took one of your online options and then brought it into his store.. and sat there for half an hour comparing and contrasting the two.. lol.. :naughty: :naughty: :naughty:

i wonder if he would take kindly to that?
especially if I chose the online stone instead...

is this classless or just effective utilization of education?

jonas
 
the lab report is from ags its a triple 0
the gemex report was the highest in every category
the angles on the crown and pavilion i believe were 34.5 and 40.7
table was 55.4 and the depth was 61.5
hca was 1.1

i have to say the diamond sparkled like crazy in every light i could find...
 
jonas|1335245141|3179196 said:
the lab report is from ags its a triple 0
the gemex report was the highest in every category
the angles on the crown and pavilion i believe were 34.5 and 40.7
table was 55.4 and the depth was 61.5
hca was 1.1

i have to say the diamond sparkled like crazy in every light i could find...
Click to expand...

I agree with the recommendation DS gave you.

If I were you, I wouldn't be concerned about making your jeweler happy. You're in the market for a diamond and looking to get the best bang for your buck. Maximize your budget - economics 101.

If it's worth anything to you, I also visited a B&M store that sold Lazare diamonds. They were gorgeous. I ultimately ended up purchasing an ACA diamond from WF and brought it back to the same store to do a comparison with the Lazare. In every case, the ACA diamond performed equally as well in all lighting conditions. I paid significantly less and got and got the performance of a "perfectly cut" diamond.

The choice is up to you. One benefit is that you get to see all the diamond images you need from WF online - it proves it'll perform wonderfully.

Save money and take your future fiancee out for a nice dinner and a show. :loopy:
 
yeah...ultimately you have to decide whether or not it is worth saving some and going online, or spending a bit more and buying in person.
 
jonas|1335245141|3179196 said:
the lab report is from ags its a triple 0
the gemex report was the highest in every category
the angles on the crown and pavilion i believe were 34.5 and 40.7
table was 55.4 and the depth was 61.5
hca was 1.1

i have to say the diamond sparkled like crazy in every light i could find...
Click to expand...
no doubt about it LK diamonds are very well cut. the E SI2 1.07ct that i saw 10 yrs ago is still sparkling in my mind... :love:
 
jonas|1335244897|3179195 said:
hmm.. im wondering how upset the jeweler would be if i took one of your online options and then brought it into his store.. and sat there for half an hour comparing and contrasting the two.. lol.. :naughty: :naughty: :naughty:

i wonder if he would take kindly to that?
especially if I chose the online stone instead...

is this classless or just effective utilization of education?

jonas
Click to expand...

You aren't there to make friends. You are doing your due diligence, you are investigating, it is as Sinking FUn says- economics 101. If he wants to make a sale, he'll work with you. Sounds like others are saying by going on line, chosing the WF ACA's, for example, you are also getting a very comparable diamond.

I'd go in with the online info. It can't hurt your bargaining power!
 
No, I would not do that (take a stone you ordered into his store). Bottom line is that you can get an equally ideal cut stone in a larger size by ordering online. You don't need to compare them because they are basically going to look the same! WF's ACA's are going to equal that stone completely. At first I was thinking, okay, just buy local for a couple hundred extra dollars and then I realize the sales tax addition would basically allow you to go up to a .80. I absolutely would rather have the .80.
 
What I think I would do, is buy an online stone. Look at it in the same environment besides obviously his store, if it's not as amazing as you feel the LK stone is, return the online stone, wf or wherever, and go work on him. You can even tell him that you have been shopping around and found a stone almost identical for 1/3 less than this LK he's trying to sell and that includes the setting, and an AGS000 with the same specs (even go one better on color). I know LK branded stones are not cheap, but there's no way he paid anywhere near what he's trying to sell it to you for, and he CAN let it go for less, he just won't because he wants a massive profit. So if he knows you're literally going to walk away on a stone he's had for 2 years, then that's his loss.
 
Buy it. Walk in with cash.
 
HI:

Dealing with B & M's (vs. online) as well as branded stones cost more. If you like the stone--and feel it is worth it to you, then attempt to make another offer. Either he'll take or or won't! When you think about it--you are very close to your original parameters--.75ctw, F color, AGS000/ideal cut...so I don't see any trade off here.

Your story reminds me when we went to buy my son a car last fall: the car had been on the lot for 6 months and I had a budget. I offered much less and it was refused--the fella told me "just because you have had a budget--doesn't mean I am under any obligation to fit wihin it". He was right! So I had to make a decision! hahhaha We wanted the car and bought it.

cheers--Sharon
 
very well said Sharon.. and thanks to everyone as usual for the amazing insight.. i think the points are extremely valid on both sides...

on one hand

i know i can get something a little bit bigger online for the same price cuz of that stupid "tax" rule :read: and the fact the jeweler wants to pay his bills.. probably go up to like a .80 or so from my .75 lazare

on the other hand

i know there is something so soothing and calming about looking at this diamond right now in real life and realizing I am so happy with how beautiful she is...

hmmm.. :cheeky: :cheeky: :cheeky:

decisions.. decisions..

ok.. another quesiton to fill my education... Would it be ok if i end up choosing the local guy, to go in and put a down payment and then pay it off monthly? is that a common thing? obvisouly he would keep the stone and I wouldnt get it untill it was paid off.. but could this be an advantage to localy buying it as i wouldnt have to part with my $5000 immediately? i can get the $$ together but it would ease the blow for jonas if i could put like $2000 down and pay $500 a month...

could this be an alternative?
thanks

i plan on proposing in august or so when we go to barbados :mrgreen:
 
jonas|1335294267|3179587 said:
very well said Sharon.. and thanks to everyone as usual for the amazing insight.. i think the points are extremely valid on both sides...

on one hand

i know i can get something a little bit bigger online for the same price cuz of that stupid "tax" rule :read: and the fact the jeweler wants to pay his bills.. probably go up to like a .80 or so from my .75 lazare

on the other hand

i know there is something so soothing and calming about looking at this diamond right now in real life and realizing I am so happy with how beautiful she is...

hmmm.. :cheeky: :cheeky: :cheeky:

decisions.. decisions..

ok.. another quesiton to fill my education... Would it be ok if i end up choosing the local guy, to go in and put a down payment and then pay it off monthly? is that a common thing? obvisouly he would keep the stone and I wouldnt get it untill it was paid off.. but could this be an advantage to localy buying it as i wouldnt have to part with my $5000 immediately? i can get the $$ together but it would ease the blow for jonas if i could put like $2000 down and pay $500 a month...

could this be an alternative?
thanks

i plan on proposing in august or so when we go to barbados :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Many of the online dealers will let you do this, too...
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top