What to look for when images are available

[temp_expert]

Hello all,
I recently started looking into lab grown diamonds and maybe I need a little guidance.

I initially thought selecting a round diamond would be simpler. I mean, nothing more than reading a little bit of info here and there and then choosing a stone that has the right numbers at the right price, right? Well, maybe not. I went and bought one on Aliexpress with an IGI certificate (LG649451466, confirmed by a local jeweler) and even if on paper it should be a very good looking stone, in person it lacks contrast and scinitllation - but has a lot of fire. The jeweler initially thought it was a moissanite because of the fire it throws, but confirmed it's a diamond after looking at it with more detail.

Now I would like to try my luck again, but this time I want to focus on stones that I can see on screen before the purchase. Here's where I need guidance: I have seen various comments on here, but I'm not really able to grasp the basics of what to look for. I thought that you want to see well defined black arrows and very little dark on any other area in the front view, but very often I see highly priced stones that do not seem to be so contrasted. Is there any tutorial for dummies that I can read?

Thank you all for your replies!

 

[DejaWiz]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, temp_expert!
The proportions and angles shake out just fine on the grading report, but that is never an indication or guarantee of great cut precision and optical performance.
We can definitely try and help provide some recommendations of diamonds.
What's your budget cap for just the loose diamond?
Min and max carat weight?
Color and clarity grades you want to stick with?
Any particular sellers that you've been looking at?

 

[temp_expert]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, temp_expert!
The proportions and angles shake out just fine on the grading report, but that is never an indication or guarantee of great cut precision and optical performance.
We can definitely try and help provide some recommendations of diamonds.
What's your budget cap for just the loose diamond?
Min and max carat weight?
Color and clarity grades you want to stick with?
Any particular sellers that you've been looking at?

Yeah, that's the problem. I suspect the stone I bought is not cut to very high standards of precision. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Small-ish stone, let's say between 0.7 and 0.8 ct that I want to set on a solitaire ring.
• Around 300$ budget. Should be a resonable price for a well-cut stone in this range, right?
• Possibly D-E-F color, but I'm OK also with G. My understanding is that well cut stones can still be pretty in lower grades.
• Clarity can be whatever, I just want to avoid cloudy stones or imperfections that are visible to the naked eye.
• Worldwide shipment. This is important, as I'm buying from Europe.

I am currently browsing https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/ and https://www.luvansh.com/

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[DejaWiz]

Yeah, that's the problem. I suspect the stone I bought is not cut to very high standards of precision. Here's what I'm looking for:

• Small-ish stone, let's say between 0.7 and 0.8 ct that I want to set on a solitaire ring.
• Around 300$ budget. Should be a resonable price for a well-cut stone in this range, right?
• Possibly D-E-F color, but I'm OK also with G. My understanding is that well cut stones can still be pretty in lower grades.
• Clarity can be whatever, I just want to avoid cloudy stones or imperfections that are visible to the naked eye.
• Worldwide shipment. This is important, as I'm buying from Europe.

I am currently browsing https://www.loosegrowndiamond.com/ and https://www.luvansh.com/

Thank you in advance for your help!

Yes, should be an easy task to find a great diamond in that carat range for that price cap!
Here are just some that I found at one of the sites that you mentioned. Since you are in Europe, you can check availability and ask for pre-VAT price match from one of the big sellers over there such as 77Diamonds and Novita.

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

You could punch up the carat weight/diameter for your budget:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

 

[Karl_K]

back tracking a little what does lack of contrast mean to you?
Can you post a pic of it?

 

[temp_expert]

back tracking a little what does lack of contrast mean to you?
Can you post a pic of it?

Lack of contrast = this diamond looks "uniform" when lit, in person you can see many little colored flashes, with no bright white reflections and no dark areas at all. It's actually really difficut to describe for someone with no experience like me.

I shot some pictures:



And here I have two videos:

• Video 1
• Video 2

 

[temp_expert]

Yes, should be an easy task to find a great diamond in that carat range for that price cap!
Here are just some that I found at one of the sites that you mentioned. Since you are in Europe, you can check availability and ask for pre-VAT price match from one of the big sellers over there such as 77Diamonds and Novita.

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

You could punch up the carat weight/diameter for your budget:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Thank you for these examples! I have some questions:

1. I have seen diamonds raging from 180$ to >500$ with the same parameters on paper. What is the factor that makes these diamonds you selected worth buying?
2. Would you be able to find good specimens on luvansh? They are currently offering a 25% off on everything, would be nice to have a nice discount
3. You say that I can "check availability and ask for pre-VAT price match from one of the big sellers over there such as 77Diamonds and Novita". I took a look at these sites, but I couldn't see any price match policy mentioned. Is this something that is common in the market for lab grown diamonds?

Thank you so much again!

 

[DejaWiz]

temp_expert sorry, but I will not go to the Luvansh site since reading reports of people having their diamond switched as a "complimentary upgrade" as the excuse and shoddy benchwork quality. I will kindly and humbly have to decline spending time on that site.

 

[temp_expert]

temp_expert sorry, but I will not go to the Luvansh site since reading reports of people having their diamond switched as a "complimentary upgrade" as the excuse and shoddy benchwork quality. I will kindly and humbly have to decline spending time on that site.

Oh, I didn't know that site has such a reputation. Sorry for hinting at that place and thank you for the heads up, I'll be avoiding it as well!

What about the other two points in my previous post? I'm still interested in understanding how to spot a good specimen when browsing

 

[DejaWiz]

Thank you for these examples! I have some questions:

1. I have seen diamonds raging from 180$ to >500$ with the same parameters on paper. What is the factor that makes these diamonds you selected worth buying?
2. You say that I can "check availability and ask for pre-VAT price match from one of the big sellers over there such as 77Diamonds and Novita". I took a look at these sites, but I couldn't see any price match policy mentioned. Is this something that is common in the market for lab grown diamonds?

Thank you so much again!

Sorry, forgot to comment on your other points!

Prices will vary since things major things vary:
The growth method.
The quality of the diamond rough grown.
The care, skill, and labor put into cutting and polishing the finished diamond.
The grading lab used.
The carrying costs for whichever distributor holds the diamond or the retailer that may have taken physical possession for their vault/showroom.
The profit margin targeted by all parties involved, from grower to cutter to transportation to grading lab to distributor to retailer.

Yes, price matching is common...best approach is to contact them via email or chat and ask if they'll price match a diamond, while providing links to their listing and their competitor's listing of the exact same diamond. Worst case is they say no and you buy from another retailer that either had the lowest price or will price match.

 

[temp_expert]

I'll use my existing post to check if I understood the rules I read. In theory this D VVS2 ~0.9ct round brilliant should be very good, right? Should I buy it?

Video

And proportions:

 

[DejaWiz]

I'll use my existing post to check if I understood the rules I read. In theory this D VVS2 ~0.9ct round brilliant should be very good, right? Should I buy it?

Video

And proportions:

It looks perfect - grab it up!