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Which stone would you choose?

C

Colsha

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
8
Hi PS,

I've been looking for an engagement ring for a month or so now. I had originally set a budget of $10k AUD but saw a ring at an independent jewelers in Brisbane and kind of got sucked in for around $14k. I ended up putting a deposit down on a .92ct (GIA triple ex, F, SI1) stone in a white gold setting for 10.5K including 7 days accommodation in Fiji.

I couldn't help feel that I wasn't getting good value for money so I've been looking online and found these two diamonds via PS.

1.075 ct G VS2 Expert Selection Round Cut Loose Diamond

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2968186.htm

OR

1.25ct H SI1 Premium Ideal Cut Round Diamond (H&A)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11126/

Both are similarly priced (just over $8000 USD) and with a $1000 setting would probably come out after currency conversion fairly similar to the $10,500 setting I put a deposit on. So the question is do I go with the bigger diamond with H&A or the smaller diamond with better colour and clarity. Essentially I just don't want to be disappointed with the brilliance of the diamond.

Any opinions? Thanks.
 
Which stones are you considering? The $14k and $10.5k? Curious as to why diamond is tied in with a trip. The whiteflash and good old gold ones are only for price reference after you placed 2 deposits on the first 2 stones, or are you considering the WF and gog ones as well?
 
Sorry for the confusion. I placed a deposit on a .92ct stone and setting for $10.5k but less than a day later told my jeweler I wasn't satisfied with my choice and am now waiting to find out my options as to whether I can get a refund or store credit etc. I figure even if I was yo just cut my losses and lose the deposit on the local diamond I'd still end up with much better quality and value for money with one of these stones.

So the two stones linked above are stones that seem, to my limited knowledge of diamonds, to be well cut and good enough colour and clarity for the naked eye it's just a matter of making sure I'm not missing something. For example the local jeweler told me 1ct stones below 10k have something really wrong with them to be so cheap. Now of course he is going to say that to sell his own stock but it does make me nervous about buying something so much cheaper.
 
Yeah the ring and trip is just a month long promotion and is what attracted us to the store. It's valued at $2000 but if I don't take the holiday the best discount they would give was $900 off the ticketed price. It worked in making me make a hasty decision before the end of the month so I didn't miss out.
 
Both diamonds are fine. If your girlfriend doesn't have eagle eyes and love size, go for the larger one. Actually you should ask both vendors at what distance the diamond is eye clean. I read that some can see inclusion at VS 2 but I can't see any in my VS 2. Not all VS 2 are equal. I personally prefer the smaller one as I like fat arrows over thin ones.
 
Ok glad they look fine to you. The local jeweler offered me a new diamond today at the cheapest price they've offered a 1ct so far. $11, 995 AUD for setting and:

www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?reportno=1149832457&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&pagename=GIA%2FDispatcher&c=Page&cid=1355954554547

They can't do the holiday at that price but offered a $300 gift certificate. I'm thinking I should just tell them I'm looking at these e-diamonds and see what they say. Maybe they'd be happy to set one for me as I do like their setting.

Thanks for taking a look for me!
 
Firstly, 36 deg crown shouldn't pair with 41 deg pavilion if you want a performer. Slightly too deep.
 
Yeah I just punched it into the HCA and it came back with 5.4. A similarly spec'd stone from Jogia Diamonds comes back at 0.9 on the HCA and is over $2500 cheaper in the setting. The cheaper diamond is:

https://myapps.gia.edu/ReportCheckPortal/getReportData.do?&reportno=2156487393&weight=1.00

I just spoke to the owner/manager of the local store who was very quick to tell me that his stone is $2500 more expensive for a reason. That reason he can't tell me because he can't see the cheaper diamond but he is certain there will be one. It makes sense providing that the reason for the price difference isn't his markup.
 
I like both of the diamonds you posted, but I would personally go with the larger size. Both you and your girlfriend wont be able to tell the difference in the clarity. Just curious as to why you picked two AGS diamonds. That's really the only thing I didn't like about them, but maybe that's just my preference towards GIA 3x.

As to your local jeweler, it really sounds like he's trying to take advantage of you. If he can't give you exact reasons for his remarks and back it up with facts, he is probably just trying to sell you. I actually finally purchased my diamond after 2 months of searching. I really liked my local jeweler and purchased my setting from him, but I bought the diamond from JA. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how nice or professional someone is. All that matters is the stone quality and price. From everything you've posted so far, I would get my money back from this local jeweler and stay away.

Good luck!
 
I like the Jogia diamond - its numbers are ok. Go and see it for yourself if you like it. I recalled some PSers had positive experience with Jogia years ago. You might want to google feedback. I'm not familiar with Jogia since the vendors mentioned on this board are mostly in US with the exception of Garry (the person who came up with HCA) who is in Austrailia.

I wouldn't buy from someone who needs to sell his diamonds with gimmicks, like the trip tied in with diamond.

ETA: the numbers on the Jogia diamond are good. It might be an in house diamond hence the gimmick vendor can't access it.
 
roundandwhite1|1377742084|3511642 said:
I like both of the diamonds you posted, but I would personally go with the larger size. Both you and your girlfriend wont be able to tell the difference in the clarity. Just curious as to why you picked two AGS diamonds. That's really the only thing I didn't like about them, but maybe that's just my preference towards GIA 3x.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

No reason, that's just what they happened to be... I wasn't bothered by that as I had read that AGS's grading was a little bit stricter in cut and clarity. Then I've got the local vendor reading me a text message from his supplier that says "GIA are going to the dogs" and saying the grades (of all labs) are all becoming a lot softer and that he only sells diamonds that would earn their given grades 15 years ago.

By the way, he also said that these online vendors have great return policies etc but it will be almost impossible to return it as no postal companies will touch diamonds. Now maybe it is difficult in Australia but FedEx have branches here I'm sure of it.

Thanks both of you for your help. The hardest part is saying no to the local guy.
 
You could go to the local guy and suggest you are looking for a stone approx. 1 carat in size around F or G color and VS2 if possible. Maybe GIA 3X with an HCA between 1.0 and 2.0... And you are willing to spend $______ AU (say, the equivalent to $8,000-9,000 US). Stress that cut quality your primary concern.

This gives him a chance to "deliver"; if he can then you get to see a really nice (hopefully) diamond before you buy it. If not, you've given him a chance to sell you what you "really" want; and you can go on with a clean conscience.
 
I wouldn't go for anything smaller than 1ct, colour DE or F, cut the best available, clarity get vvs1 or vvs2. Don't get it set in white gold its not as durable as platnium. You pay for what you get and if you have the money, get her the ring of her dreams. She does have to wear it forever. I personally think you should call the jeweller change your preferences. If she is the girl for you think about what she deserves and how happy she will be when you pop the question if the perfect ring is included with the perfect man.
 
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