Would it be worth selling this diamond? (specs included)

[niki-lou]

Hello all,

I''m new to these forums and actually found them as I was trying to find out the possible worth of a diamond that I have. I inherited it back in 2006 as part of an engagement ring but was unlikely to wear it (I already had a ruby engagement ring which I still love). I used the gold as part of my wedding band (for sentimental reasons) and was left with the smallish, but still very pretty, diamond. I had it certified by the Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia (DCLA grade according to IDC Rules) in 2006 and the details are as follows: (all ratings are what they specified after the measurements)

Stone: Natural Diamond
Shape: Round Brilliant
Weight: 0.416
Colour: G
Clarity: SI2
Diameter: 4.87 - 4.96mm
Depth: 2.85mm

Roundness: 1.8% (Excellent)
Total Depth: 57.9% (Very Good)
Table Size: 61.1% (Very Good)
Crown Angle: 25.4 degrees (Poor)
Crown Height: 9.6% (Good)
Girdle Thickness: 4.1% (Very Good)
Pavillion Angle: 41.5 degrees (nothing specified)
Pavillion Depth: 43.7% (Excellent)
Culet: 1.2% Small (Excellent)

Proportion Grade: Poor
Finish Grade: Good
Fluorescence: Nil
Hue: Nil
Characteristics: Natural Cloud

I was a bit sad to read that it had a poor proportion grade because I always thought it looked so amazingly sparkly (shows what I know!) but I guess that is probably due to the Crown Angle. I think it was bought in the early 60s so the cutting technology probably wasn''t what it is today.

Sorry for the essay but I would really appreciate any help figuring out what this stone might be worth. It seems a waste for it to have been sitting in its certification packet for the last 4 years and I''m sure my husband and I could put its value to better use.

Many thanks,
Niki

 

[kenny]

You are not going to be able to retire on the proceeds, but it's still worth something since it is a real diamond.

You could try to sell it on Craigslist, which is free.

 

[niki-lou]

Date: 4/19/2010 12:17:56 PM
Author: kenny
You are not going to be able to retire on the proceeds

Haha - I didn''t think it would be worth much given its size but it could perhaps cover some little extravagance, like a weekend away, that might otherwise be hard to justify...

I''m in Perth, Western Australia btw so will have to use a local equivalent of Craigslist. Thanks!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/19/2010 12:25:31 PM
Author: niki-lou

Date: 4/19/2010 12:17:56 PM
Author: kenny
You are not going to be able to retire on the proceeds

Haha - I didn''t think it would be worth much given its size but it could perhaps cover some little extravagance, like a weekend away, that might otherwise be hard to justify...

I''m in Perth, Western Australia btw so will have to use a local equivalent of Craigslist. Thanks!

Hi Niki

It might be a bright stone in some lighting conditions but the cut isn''t great as you know, you could get an appraisal done to see what you could get for it but it wouldn''t be much unfortunately.

 

[stone-cold11]

probably not even worth going to an appraiser.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/19/2010 12:46:16 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
probably not even worth going to an appraiser.

Might not be but if they charge per carat or a flat fee for a simple valuation rather than a full appraisal it might not be much and would give her some idea.

 

[HopeDream]

It sounds like a nice start on a pair of studs, have you considered tracking down another stone to match it and making a pair of earrings?

 

[kenny]

Yeah, an appraiser's fee will cut into what you'll get for the stone and you already had to pay for that lab report.

One free way to approximate value is to look for what comparable stones sell for.
You'll never find a precise match since diamonds are unique but you can get an rough idea. (not a polished one

)
Here is a 0.41 ct G SI1 which scores 2.6 on the HCA (Not bad cut but not ideal) which sells for $690. link
This diamond has a lab report from the highly respected AGS, which improves its value since the specs are all very believable.

Used diamonds sold by the public go for around half of retail.

The cut and clarity of your stone is likely lower, and the lab is not GIA or AGS.
All this suggests a value of maybe around $250 or $300 USD in the USA.
I think diamonds in Australia sell higher but that gives you some idea.

If it is any consolation people are frequently surprised and disappointed at the low value they can get when selling their diamonds.

 

[niki-lou]

Date: 4/19/2010 12:50:49 PM
Author: HopeDream
It sounds like a nice start on a pair of studs, have you considered tracking down another stone to match it and making a pair of earrings?

Oh the shame, the shame, given the nature of this forum I'm horrified to be posting this. I have a pretty pair of diamond simulant studs that hubby bought me some time ago. I told him, and still think, that we would be better off saving for a house than buying the real thing so I'm not really keen to go hunting for another real one now.

(all the stones and gold in my wedding and engagement rings are ones I inherited from family so we didn't spend much on jewellery - I console myself that he will splash out one day when we are "established"

)

 

[HopeDream]

Buying a place to live is definately top priority! Even though this is a diamond forum we take good finances very seriously.

I just thought I''d mention it since not everyone thinks of earrings.

Do you have a local jeweller who would be willing to sell it on consignment?

 

[Black Jade]

Date: 4/19/2010 12:58:20 PM
Author: niki-lou

Date: 4/19/2010 12:50:49 PM

Author: HopeDream

It sounds like a nice start on a pair of studs, have you considered tracking down another stone to match it and making a pair of earrings?

Oh the shame, the shame, given the nature of this forum I''m horrified to be posting this. I have a pretty pair of diamond simulant studs that hubby bought me some time ago. I told him, and still think, that we would be better off saving for a house than buying the real thing so I''m not really keen to go hunting for another real one now.


(all the stones and gold in my wedding and engagement rings are ones I inherited from family so we didn''t spend much on jewellery - I console myself that he will splash out one day when we are ''established''

)

What is shameful about this? I think you are a lady who has her head screwed on straight. the fact that you can''t sell the diamonds that you have for much money (and people never can get back anything like what they paid) seems to me to be a good reason not to buy MORE diamonds, when you could actually use the money for uh, somewhere to live.
Good luck with the sale. Maybe another family member might want to buy the stone from you, if it has some sentimental family value (is grandma''s diamond or something. I wish my family members had offered such things to ME before selling outside).

 

[niki-lou]

Date: 4/19/2010 12:55:11 PM
Author: kenny
Yeah, an appraiser''s fee will cut into what you''ll get for the stone and you already had to pay for that lab report.


One free way to approximate value is to look for what comparable stones sell for.

You''ll never find a precise match since diamonds are unique but you can get an rough idea. (not a polished one

)

Here is a 0.41 ct G SI1 which scores 2.6 on the HCA (Not bad cut but not ideal) which sells for $690. link

This diamond has a lab report from the highly respected AGS, which improves its value since the specs are all very believable.


Used diamonds sold by the public go for around half of retail.


The cut and clarity of your stone is likely lower, and the lab is not GIA or AGS.

All this suggests a value of maybe around $250 or $300 USD in the USA.

I think diamonds in Australia sell higher but that gives you some idea.


If it is any consolation people are frequently surprised and disappointed at the low value they can get when selling their diamonds.

Thank you for the above - I will look at others. Just a little clarification though - you listed an HCA value of 2.6 but I couldn''t see this on the page that you linked. What is HCA and can you use it as a search variable? Is it the higher the HCA, the better the diamond?

 

[kenny]

Well-cut diamonds look better than poorly-cut ones.
HCA is a tool that helps evaluates cut of round brilliant diamonds based on 4 measurements.
The party line here is we reject rounds scoring over 2 and further investigate those scoring under 2 using Idealscope pics.

These cut-evaluation tools are so groovy today because many of us are buying diamonds online, which means we can't see them in person.
Some people argue that it is possible that a round that scores over 2 may appeal to some people if they could see in in person.
However, since I'm not able to view it in person (and sellers understandably want to sell all their stones) I'm going to stick with the more sure thing of picking a round that scores under 2 and has good Idealscope pics.

Sellers that sell diamonds that do not score well do not like these tools and whine loudly about them.

Here is a link about HCA. Click

Here is the tool itself. Click

Here is info on the Idealscope. Click

The way I found that comp was at the top of this page click on PRICES, then click on Search by Cut.
Then enter the specs of your diamond.
It will find similar ones for sale.