To me the RAP doesn''t matter. It''s the cut. A dud 1ct D SI1 will look hideous compared to a well cut 1 ct S SI1 and be priced accordingly. If you check the diamond database, you''ll see the range of prices: they cost anywhere from $5K to $7K. Ugly ones are about $5K and the sparklers are at the higher end.
The jeweler can base his prices on whatever he wants but, if he chooses to use Rap as evidence that it’s a ‘good deal’, it’s only appropriate that he tell you what he’s doing, including provide you with the figure he’s using and an explanation of why it should be relevant to your decision.
You, of course, need to make a decision based on the stone and the deal at hand, which no longer related to Rap. His offer is what it is. As was pointed out above, Rap overlooks a fair amount of information that’s terribly important for shoppers and can make as much as a factor of 2 difference in the asking prices. Cutting being #1 on the list. All stones with the same shape/weight/clarity/color simply do not share the same price, which is what is being suggested to you by quoting a price as a function of Rap. It’s pretty easy to use the database here to collect offers of superficially similar stones and to then to ask the various dealers with things that are interesting to you to justify why their’s is the one you should buy instead of their competitors. You then need to compare the jeweler’s offer to similar offers from other dealers and decide which one is the best for you. What Mr. Rapaport thinks has nothing to do with it.