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why so few RB in .44-.49 carats?

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Sayde64

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 9, 2014
Messages
40
Having studied the inventory of several PS vendors i have found that there are relatively few stones or pairs of stones in this range. Lots in the.30's and lots in the .50's, a few in the.40 to .42 and very few from .42 o .49 (I am looking at ideal cut certified RB only). After trying on studs at B&M stores it was clear that the size "7/8 carat" was what worked for me -- or, about .88 points TCW. Stones at the .5 level are a little too big for my ear lobes -- and cost a lot more.

Is the entire world of potential diamond stud earring buyers converging on this same territory of just below .5 per stone? If I am patient will more become available? Or should I just find a nice pair that is a lithe smaller and go for it . . .?
 
… because the cutter can make more profit by cutting it to reach the 0.50 carat milestone.

This results in lots of wonky-cut 0.50 carat diamonds … same with all the other carat milestones.
 
I am no expert, but I would guess that it has something to do with the half carat point being something that increases the price and usually also the buyers' interest. So there's more pressure for cutting the rough in a way that saves the weight as much as possible due to which there are more poorly cut stones just about 0.5 ct (as I've understood there are also at the 1 ct mark) than a bit under since the demand (and therefore pricing) is there.

edit: Oh, kenny got to it first (and more accurately). I'm a slooow writer. :lol:
 
Thank you for the information and pointer! I have a few contender pairs on my short list now.
 
These are a tiny little bit more expensive (make sure you see the wire price), but they're also a tad whiter:

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP&track=NavEngStartWithDia#diamonds_forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP|builder=BYOR|pid=LD04141632

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP&track=NavEngStartWithDia#diamonds_forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP|builder=BYOR|pid=LD04132096

ETA - Just to add - this pair are also an almost perfect match - both in diameter, table %, and lower girdle %, if such things are important to you. (and they are to me!)
 
I had the same problem when I went to purchase my studs a few months back. If you find any you like in your budget, be sure to get them ASAP! I had purchased a pair of .82 ctw for studs years ago and now the prices are A LOT higher. I ended up having to go down in size for the new ones I recently purchased because of lack of selection plus increases in prices.
 
Thank you all again for the input!

As I continued to research this I found a post somewhere where the author said that diamond cutters will try to get a .3 and a .5 out of a rough, rather than two .4's,consistent with what you were telling me here, so there seems to be an inherent constraint on the supply of the .4 to .5 range diamonds.

This morning , from BGD, I purchased a pair of .428 (they are both .428 and a great match -- very important to me too!) SI1 G and H H&A diamonds (to go into 8 prong settings). Both have HCA of 0.8. They are about 4.86 mm, which is just about what I wanted. A bit more than I had planned to spend but I am happy and looking forward to getting the earrings.

Blue Nile has a lot more to choose from than the other vendors, but buying online made me anxious and I just succumbed to the appeal of dealing with one of this Forum's favorite vendors. Plus, they had the 8 prong setting available.
Thanks again!
 
Sayde64|1398278440|3658650 said:
Thank you all again for the input!

As I continued to research this I found a post somewhere where the author said that diamond cutters will try to get a .3 and a .5 out of a rough, rather than two .4's,consistent with what you were telling me here, so there seems to be an inherent constraint on the supply of the .4 to .5 range diamonds.

This morning , from BGD, I purchased a pair of .428 (they are both .428 and a great match -- very important to me too!) SI1 G and H H&A diamonds (to go into 8 prong settings). Both have HCA of 0.8. They are about 4.86 mm, which is just about what I wanted. A bit more than I had planned to spend but I am happy and looking forward to getting the earrings.

Blue Nile has a lot more to choose from than the other vendors, but buying online made me anxious and I just succumbed to the appeal of dealing with one of this Forum's favorite vendors. Plus, they had the 8 prong setting available.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...

You're going to love that size! My go-to studs are within a point of yours, and I wear them almost every day. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/lookie-what-whiteflash-made-for-me.145527/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/lookie-what-whiteflash-made-for-me.145527/[/URL]

Show us which stone you picked, and promise us pics! :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl:
 
In response to the original question, one of the other factors is that with the various online vendors, you're looking at only a small stream of the diamonds produced and distributed globally, and you have better transparency than the well-known jewelers who advertise on TV. So although 0.5 is a magic number (for purely psychological reasons), a diamond that falls below is still be sold as a half-carat by certain dealers. In fact, there are quite a few who advertise half-carat stones with some very fine print saying that their half-carat can be as low as 0.43 and as high as 0.57. You can find them in any shopping center. I'd suggest checking them out if you want a 0.43 carat stone for a 0.5 carat price.
 
Also- remember the business demographics-the cost of a GIA report represents a higher percentage of smaller stones. Around a half carat is a point where the difference in price will cause cutters to offer a lot more of their .45-.49ct stones without GIA reports.
This is especially true in the more affordable qualities...for example GIA graded D/VS1 .45ct stones are far easier to find than .45ct J/SI1
 
GeorgeStevens|1398289644|3658731 said:
In response to the original question, one of the other factors is that with the various online vendors, you're looking at only a small stream of the diamonds produced and distributed globally, and you have better transparency than the well-known jewelers who advertise on TV.
Click to expand...
Agree 100%

So although 0.5 is a magic number (for purely psychological reasons), a diamond that falls below is still be sold as a half-carat by certain dealers. In fact, there are quite a few who advertise half-carat stones with some very fine print saying that their half-carat can be as low as 0.43 and as high as 0.57. You can find them in any shopping center. I'd suggest checking them out if you want a 0.43 carat stone for a 0.5 carat price.
Click to expand...
Also good input, but let the buyer beware: Grading is often inflated, markups are jaw-dropping and cut-quality is extremely pedestrian (my opinion) compared to the higher-standards typically called-for here.

In the spirit of GS and Rockdiamond's posts, this is a situation where a buyer may want to find a jeweler you trust 100% and let him/her source the diamonds, possibly without reports, if he/she has capability and standards in all of the Cs which suit your preferences - as Sayde64 has done with BGD.
 
Of course - there are a million things wrong with mall-based jewelers and the various chains, aside from the fine print. (Look at how some find the cleverest way to disclose but not really disclose clarity enhancement, HPHT, irradiation, etc.)

To David's point: a GIA report for a 0.5ct stone is $64. If a stone sells on BN for $900, it has a cost of perhaps $600 to $750, so the certification is about 10% of the total cost, in a price competitive corner of the market where most buyers can't tell the difference between GIA and EGL-IL or whoever "lab" is passed-off as a certification at the mall. And it ties-up the seller's inventory for 6 weeks while the thing sits in a drawer at GIA waiting to be evaluated - in a business where inventory turnover is critical. How much GIA's assurance worth to you as a buyer? Say your stone is off by a letter grade AND a clarity grade. That means you're "out" $200, but you wouldn't even know (or have reason to care.) I think David's right here. Only pay for a stone being eye-clean (don't pay for VVS), and compare the color to a few certified stones, and you're probably OK.
 
Hey, Andelain -- thanks for writing! I feel like i know you as I have read through all 32 pages of the "show me your studs" thread. Your posts (and a couple of others (like Stargurl) convinced me to go with the 8 prong. I so appreciate all the knowledge that has been shared by all the posters on Pricescope. Part of the fun of buying these earrings has been the opportunity to learn all about diamonds.

Your 82 pointers are so lovely and I hope mine will turn out as well!

I don't have photos of the diamonds yet but will post when I do.
 
Sayde64|1398301156|3658845 said:
Hey, Andelain -- thanks for writing! I feel like i know you as I have read through all 32 pages of the "show me your studs" thread. Your posts (and a couple of others (like Stargurl) convinced me to go with the 8 prong. I so appreciate all the knowledge that has been shared by all the posters on Pricescope. Part of the fun of buying these earrings has been the opportunity to learn all about diamonds.

Your 82 pointers are so lovely and I hope mine will turn out as well!

I don't have photos of the diamonds yet but will post when I do.
Click to expand...

I can guarantee they will, you chose well. :appl: :appl: :appl:

And if you think you know me from that thread, you should see some of my threads. ;) I'm nucking futs! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Andelain, thank you for that "unboxing" thread. It does "help." Your earrings were very instrumental in my decision to get the 8 prongs. Yours are gorgeous.

The glamour photos arrived and the earrings will be here Monday May 5. They look great in their photos. I can't figure out how to find the photos when I am trying to load them into this message.
 
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