Went to the jeweler Friday... advice?

[TimUaD]

OK... overview:

I am searching for an Emerald Cut e-ring. I have a jeweler that I would like to do the work. We are trying to decide between a setting from Whitehouse Brothers and a custom design by him (oversight by me

). It will more than likely involve some sapphire baggets or something. My budget is around $7k max.

ANYWAY, he has been very helpful, and has ordered a number of stones that he (obviously) would like me to choose from. I spoke to him about getting the stone myself online, and he is, of course, trying to convince me not to. He sites a number of shortcomings with online dealers (no face to face advice, no guarantees of quality, no personalized service, etc, etc) none of which I give any value to, except ability to see the stone in front of you, and speed of getting the stone set.

He has one stone I am particularly interested in, and has dropped the price considerably for me (has now reached what he says is the "best he can do"). It seems like a decent price, but I need advice on whether I can do considerably better online.

Carat: 1.18
Color: H
Clarity: VS1
Table: 58%
Depth 53%
Polish Ex
Symmetry: Vg
Dem: 7.41 x 5.40 x 3.10
Price: $5600

This stone is very eyeclean and looks just about as big as the 1.3ct he had.

Additionally, he says he will charge $400-$500 more for the setting if I don’t buy the stone from him (sounds reasonable to give a discount for both), and I value the ability to see it in person, have him do everything (including financing), and not feel guilty about cutting him out, at about $500-700 more.

That leaves us with whether I can get a comparable or better stone for more than about $1k less? Whatcha think?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Tim,

Well although you can't judge an EC properly by the numbers ( same with all fancy shapes) this diamond looks to be shallow depthed. This will likely make it look large for the weight, but the question is - does this negatively affect how it performs? You might be able to find a stunning diamond online from one of the trusted PS vendors, they offer an incredible amount of info with in house diamonds to prove cut quality and light return, so that you can make an informed choice. It is cut which gives a diamond its beauty and it is more challenging to find a better cut EC than a round - but not impossible. If you like this diamond then I would advise checking it out in as many different lights as you can away from the store lights, as these make anything look good.

 

[denverappraiser]

To answer your question, yes, you can probably find something comparable online for less money.

There are certainly some advantages to buying from someone with a showroom and physical inventory and the tradeoff that sends people to the online dealers anyway usually has to do with prices and selection. Equally importantly, there are differences in the quality of dealers, both online and on the street. The difference here has to do with grading reliability, useful and accurate information, craftsmanship, tradein and return policies, etc. These things have less to do with the location of the store than they do with the quality of character of the people behind the counter/keyboard. I don’t know the first thing about your jeweler and I’m certainly not trying to talk you out of patronizing him in favor of someone else but I am recommending that jewelers and internet dealers are not all the same and you can save yourself a lot of heartache by making sure to choose one that deserves your business.

By the way, you didn’t mention who graded the stone you’re considering.

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

 

[TimUaD]

Date: 10/20/2008 9:20:58 AM
Author: denverappraiser

By the way, you didn’t mention who graded the stone you’re considering.

Sorry... I believe they were all GIA (is that what youre looking for?)

Thanks for the responses. The jeweler seems like he runs a kind of a high end custom shop (which is why I was surprised he was willing to work with me and drop the price of his stones). It is a family business (his sibling is his stone supplier). I deal personally with the owner/CEO/designer and his wife, who seem like stand up people. He did mention that he wanted me to get the most for my $$, and that if I decided to get the stone online, he would like to see the specs first, and advise me further. He claims he will give me non-biased advice on how to get the best price (although he puts much more weight behind the value of his B&M store that I do).

I was a little concerned about the depth too, but it seemed just as brilliant as the other stones he had available to view (and looked much bigger than a 1.2ct he had).

Thanks.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/20/2008 9:07:01 AM
Author: Lorelei
Hi Tim,


Well although you can''t judge an EC properly by the numbers ( same with all fancy shapes) this diamond looks to be shallow depthed. This will likely make it look large for the weight, but the question is - does this negatively affect how it performs? You might be able to find a stunning diamond online from one of the trusted PS vendors, they offer an incredible amount of info with in house diamonds to prove cut quality and light return, so that you can make an informed choice. It is cut which gives a diamond its beauty and it is more challenging to find a better cut EC than a round - but not impossible. If you like this diamond then I would advise checking it out in as many different lights as you can away from the store lights, as these make anything look good.

Agreed. To add to this, how many EC''s have you actually SEEN in person? Before buying this one I suggest you spend some time going around anywhere you can and try to see a number of them in person. You''ll soon be able to eyeball the difference between a well cut one and a poorly cut one. Which is very important perspective if buying a fancy cut, and perspective that many people just don''t have if you''ve only seen a few EC''s up close.