So I know some vendors here offer "pricescope quality" if requested .... what would you expect from your diamond(s) ? Would you "assume" that pricescope quality meant no black spots or would you expect H&A? Curious what everyone
s thoughts are?
"Pricescope Quality" must combine highly competitive on-line pricing with very good to excellent descriptions of the diamond that one is offered for purchase. Most of such stones will be at least well cut, but probably the majority will grade excellent to ideal cut. Informed consumers create "Pricescope Quality". It is the public's perception of what they readily can find here that is the secret ingredient.
A "Pricescope Quality" diamond is any weight, color and clarity so long as it is offered a complete description and fairly competes in price with other similar stones.
ask!!! Each vendor can define that differently.
Usually that applies to melee and often means eyeclean, h or g or better and good looking IS, ASET image. The scopes in person are really the quickest way to qc small diamonds as long as your not doing pictures.
Some will add good looking arrows.
This was brought up today because I am currently in the process of trading up a tennis bracelet. This is the second trade I am doing with the bracelet. The first one I bought I requested pricescope quality and it was just beautiful no carbon spots. I traded it in for a larger one again requesting pricescope quality and although beautiful has carbon spots on some diamonds. In the trade process to go again larger I requested pricescope quality and asked for diamonds without the carbon. This time I was told the original price quoted would increase xx$ for carbon free.
This led me to ponder the question what exactly IS pricescope quality and were my expectations unrealistic which led me to ask here what others expected
Thanks again for your replies!
I cannot answer for others, but all of our 0.30 cts and up have AGSL Proprietary Light Performance Diamond Quality Documents with AGS Ideal 0 cut grades, which are of course at the top of the food chain in diamond cutting quality reports.
Our HPD Lux melee diamonds do not carry grading reports but as Karl_K says you can see the arrows images easily with the use of a hand held Ideal-Scope or ASET scope. If you had them loose, you could also check the hearts images, but these images are not visible when mounted.
Karl_K is also correct in saying that different sellers may describe their "Pricescope Quality" differently. There is no agreed upon definition that I am aware of. And, although I am in complete agreement that it must mean superior cutting, there is nothing that says you can not have superior cutting at a lower color or clarity in order to match your center stone, or maintain your budget. Those choices are between you and your seller.
I always wondered what that meant when people said to call IDJ for ps quality diamonds for a lower price. There is no way the could be as good as WF for a much less price.
In my book, a PS quality stone has at least GIA ex proportions with AGS light performance. It may or may not score below 2.0 in HCA. It cannot have blatant leakage or significant painting and digging.
All these must be confirmed with a reputable 3rd party lab report and light performance images.
A PS quality stone is at least WF Premier/Expect Select or GOG Platinum Select level.
That's for larger stones.
I am curious as well when people say "PS quality" stones when describing melees from IDJ.
Never in a million years would I request "Pricescope Quality" diamonds!!! To me, that is a very generic term that could mean anything. It's essential to be very specific!!!
Example:
AGS Ideal cut or top GIA Excellent with ASET showing the stone is indeed equal to ideal cut. Color and clarity: G-H, VS1-VS2.
Someone else above said it well, comparing a Whiteflash piece with ideal cut melee in F-G color VS clarity to another vendor's sxcellent cut melee G-I color and SI clarity is not a fair price comparison. You get what you pay for most of the time! Be specific!
I'm in the process of looking for a tennis bracelet and have asked IDJ for Pricescope quality stones and if they could please clarify what they actually are and I've been told F/G melee, excellent cut and SI clarity. I did ask if there was any black carbon spots and was advised that there could be, but they wouldn't be visible. I hope that helps others that might be interested
that last little bit from good is/aset and maybe some kind of arrows to h&a good is/aset brings a large premium.
Then you add a premium for f/vs min. which takes more time for selection and it increases the cost more.
This is a mild beef I have had with wf for years is in small sizes single grade melee in small sizes does not exist(at a price anyone would gladly pay). The time to sort it that way is cost prohibitive. However its a minor beef because they list the min. level.
At the highest end is precision matched sets, your paying for someone to go though the best cuts and match them into sets which is very time consuming and expensive. Even they will most likely be sold as colorless rather than a grade.
The cost of melee is in the cutting and selection.
Higher tolerance cutting and close inspection costs a lot of money.
Then when you have something special you can charge a premium for it also plays a part.
That is why someone can sell well cut melee at a discount over the h&a stuff.
Does it make a difference?
That is up to you to decide after listening to people who own some of a vendors premium melee.