What do you think of this Radiant?

[nycdye]

Hello everyone, I''m new to this forum and wanted to get everyone''s opinion on this radiant stone.

Click here to see the description

After reading quite a few post in the forum I now realize this is not an ideal cut for the radiant but I saw this in person and it looked very nice to me. The stone was apart of the inventory at a wholesaler in the diamond district in NYC (where I''m from). I looked at about 10 - 15 radiants and this one looked the most beautiful to me.

Anyway I paid a slightly lower price then the bluenile price. I don''t have the stone on hand to take a picture of - it''s on it''s way back to GIA in California to have the GIA ID laser inscribed. What do you guys think of it based on the bluenile spec and the GIA cert? Did I overpaid? I have a horrible feeling that I did.

 

[nycdye]

Also, although it''s hard to tell since bluenile only includes a bad photo copy of the GIA cert but the orginal cert shows very very slight inclusions only and all away from the table. In fact I wasn''t able to see any even with 10x but then again I don''t exactly have "trained" eyes.

Not sure if this matters since inclusions doesn''t seem to matter too much for radiant but figure I throw that in there. The clean cert is one of the reason I picked this stone. Thinking back I should have just went with the fire/brillance logic and not worry about how it looks on paper.

So am I going through the normal post purchase did-i-do-good-? worrying or did I simply over paid?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/9/2008 10:26:49 PM
Author: nycdye
Also, although it's hard to tell since bluenile only includes a bad photo copy of the GIA cert but the orginal cert shows very very slight inclusions only and all away from the table. In fact I wasn't able to see any even with 10x but then again I don't exactly have 'trained' eyes.

Not sure if this matters since inclusions doesn't seem to matter too much for radiant but figure I throw that in there. The clean cert is one of the reason I picked this stone. Thinking back I should have just went with the fire/brillance logic and not worry about how it looks on paper.

So am I going through the normal post purchase did-i-do-good-? worrying or did I simply over paid?

It isn't really possible to judge a radiant by the numbers, they need to be seen to be judged. So if you bought with your eyes, then you really did it the best way in my opinion, regarding these shapes! Especially as you looked at many others, that way you picked the one that appealed to you most! Also it sounds as if all is fine with the clarity of the diamond, you can't judge by the plotting diagram of the report, so again you made a good in person evaluation of this diamond, which is the best thing to do.

Prices, well, you can check for similar using the search tool above, enter your carat weight, colour, clarity and grading lab, to check the prices of similar. If you are concerned, then perhaps you could get an independant appraisal during any return period you may have, to put your mind at rest that this was a good purchase. In the NY area, it shouldn't be too difficult to find an appraiser conveniently located.

Here is a tool you can use to find an appraiser. http://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.aspx

 

[nycdye]

Thx Lorelei. I think I just need to see it again when it gets back from the GIA lab. It''s been a few days so I''m forgetting how it looks like. I''m definitely going to put it through another round of fire/brilliance check before the jeweler sets it.

Hopefully I''m just going through the typical post purchase doubts.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/10/2008 11:47:14 AM
Author: nycdye
Thx Lorelei. I think I just need to see it again when it gets back from the GIA lab. It's been a few days so I'm forgetting how it looks like. I'm definitely going to put it through another round of fire/brilliance check before the jeweler sets it.

Hopefully I'm just going through the typical post purchase doubts.

You are welcome! I think some of us do have a tendency to second guess ourselves, I know I do! But I suppose in a way it is helpful, as it means we invest more thought and research into our purchases in the end. Radiants can't be judged by the numbers so much, ordinarily I would have said to look around and compare some other radiants so you can be sure of what you like, but this you have done - so there is a good chance you have picked the right diamond! I think that is the best thing, check it over again when you get it back, take it outside, have a good look at the diamond and ' trot it up and put it through it's paces' so to speak, then you should know if it is the right stone or not!

 

[nycdye]

I guess what concerns me the most is that the table is 70% while the depth is only 67.4%. This doesn''t seem to be the ideal percentage for radiants but then again seeing it should have told me whether or not the stone had the right brilliance/fire despite the cut.

I think I wasn''t looking at the right things when I saw it the first 2 times but I remembered that it did look nice. What''s bothering me now is that a simple "Nice" doesn''t seem to justify the 20k price tag. I usually do much more homework before even spending 1k and I thought I did that here but now I''m having second thoughts. I''m going to schedule some time this week to go in and see it before the jeweler has it set and more importantly before the check is cashed. Argh...

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/12/2008 11:31:15 AM
Author: nycdye
I guess what concerns me the most is that the table is 70% while the depth is only 67.4%. This doesn't seem to be the ideal percentage for radiants but then again seeing it should have told me whether or not the stone had the right brilliance/fire despite the cut.

I think I wasn't looking at the right things when I saw it the first 2 times but I remembered that it did look nice. What's bothering me now is that a simple 'Nice' doesn't seem to justify the 20k price tag. I usually do much more homework before even spending 1k and I thought I did that here but now I'm having second thoughts. I'm going to schedule some time this week to go in and see it before the jeweler has it set and more importantly before the check is cashed. Argh...

Here is the thing. I have always gone by experts saying that you can't judge a radiant by the numbers so much, in doing so, you could miss out on some stunning diamonds - numbers can't tell you much about how the stone may look and perform, that they have to be seen to be evaluated. Now, if you are the sort of person who would feel more at ease buying by the numbers, then use the numbers as a guide only, and ask to see some radiants which fall into the suggested proportions. That way you can decide for yourself whether what the numbers say translates to beauty in reality, or if your eyes have given you an accurate picture.

Also if you still like this diamond, tell the vendor that you would like to have this diamond independantly appraised before making the sale final, as this might give you some peace of mind with an ' disinterested' expert checking out the diamond, that it is a good buy. You can use the tool I provided in an earlier post to find independant appraisers in the NY area. Also if you decide to look elsewhere, Jon at www.goodoldgold.com is in Long Island, you could always contact him to see what he might be able to find for you, and you could make an appointment to drive out and see him. Also Mark at www.engagementringsdirect.com is in the NY diamond district, so if you want you could see what he has available before pulling the trigger on this diamond, so there are some more options for you!

 

[nycdye]

Thx again Lorelei. I wish I had you by my side when I was picking out the stone. <-- not being facetious here

I guess I''ll just have to see the stone in person again to see whether I made the right choice or if I was buying on impulse.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/12/2008 11:54:42 AM
Author: nycdye
Thx again Lorelei. I wish I had you by my side when I was picking out the stone. <-- not being facetious here

I guess I'll just have to see the stone in person again to see whether I made the right choice or if I was buying on impulse.

You are so welcome, and many of us understand! It is a HUGE and emotional purchase, and it can be a bit nervewracking to say the least! I would say to take your time, and if you decide to go with this diamond, an appraisal might be well worthwhile to give you the reassurance of having an expert opinion on it before the sale is final. That way you can feel in the end, that you really ' shopped smart' and did everything you could to make sure you did your research to make an informed choice! Also I think at some point, especially with radiants, you need to try to trust your eyes. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and radiants can throw curve balls it seems! If you hadn't looked at any others, that is the first thing I would have suggested, was to check out as many radiants as you reasonably could, to get a feel for what you liked. But this you have done, so personally I think this diamond is well worth considering as you liked it.

 

[nycdye]

Ok, I'll definitely check them out as well.

I know it differs from retailer to retailer and wholeseller to wholeseller but as a general rule of thumb what percentage off should buyers expect from the sellers first price? Not sure if it makes a difference but the wholeseller I'm dealing with is located on one of the upper floors in the diamond district. Their starting price for the stone was 22k, which a few hundred more than the bluenile price.

Is there a general discount percentage I should aim for or is it so much of a case-by-case situation that it's hard to say?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/12/2008 2:18:36 PM
Author: nycdye
Ok, I'll definitely check them out as well.

I know it differs from retailer to retailer and wholeseller to wholeseller but as a general rule of thumb what percentage off should buyers expect from the sellers first price? Not sure if it makes a difference but the wholeseller I'm dealing with is located on one of the upper floors in the diamond district. Their starting price for the stone was 22k, which a few hundred more than the bluenile price.

Generally, it appears that with online vendors, that they are operating on fairly slim profit margins anyway, so any reduction might not be possible. With the Pricescope vendors, in some case you can get a discount for paying with a bank wire transfer, this is in the region of around 2.5 or 3% in some cases, it depends - but if you do end up purchasing from a PS vendor, mention you found them through Pricescope in case any discount is available. It doesn't hurt to ask, but you may be more successful with negotiating a lower price with a brick and mortar establishment, and/ or in the diamond district where the competing sellers may be open to a discount.

 

[nycdye]

In case anyone is interested, I just want to post my latest diamond shopping adventures.

I went back to the dealer and took another look at the stone (unset) and it''d looked really nice.

The dealer then had it set in a very plain 14k white gold "temp" setting and it looked absolutely stunning. The shine and fire was just ridiculous. Also there seem to be a few areas towards the center that had some light leakage but that all went away once it was in the setting. I guess the fact that there''s something at the base of the stone help the light reflect back to the top.

Anyway, I was suppose to take it back home yesterday but as I was giving it a final eye exam using the 10x scope I could see a small dark gray circle with a split down the middle. This is very odd. I didn''t see this before and it was not on the GIA cert. In fact even though it''s a VS1 and not a VVS or a IF, the stone is pretty much completely clean on the cert besides a few pinpoints and natural at the bottom of the stone. The dealer say it too and said that the pavillion is too close to the setting and it''s simply a reflection of the setting. I told him that I couldn''t accept it like this even though this is only a "temp" setting. Aside from that, I want to make sure it''s the setting and not the stone.

He''s going to take it back to the Jeweler who did the setting and have it fixed. Hopefully it''ll come back perfect. Fingers crossed...