Your opinion on this diamond please? What do you think?

[Bling it on]

Hi Pricescopers,

What is your opinion on this diamond, specifically your thoughts on its cut and colour?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjiWV0U54iU

Its looks like it has a pretty cut, and though the video says its c3-c4 (champagne) - I can see yellow?

There is no cert and was priced as such.

I want to know what you think!

 

[MissGotRocks]

I would want a GIA or AGS cert in order to buy it. Looks like a nicely cut stone but I'd want some paper - particularly with that color grade. It will show yellow - is that a good or bad thing for you?

A one carat stone doesn't add that much extra to have graded by a reputable lab - couple of hundred dollars - so I would definitely want that.

 

[Gypsy]

Do you have a SARIN at least? I agree with MSOP require a lab report or send it to Neil Beaty before buying.

 

[Bling it on]

Hi MissGotRocks and Gypsy,

Thanks for chiming in - as always sound advice.

The price for this particular diamond, was a lower than I was expecting (probably due to the fact that brown/yellow is not as desirable to the masses as white diamonds) and therefore I was thinking I want to see it with my own eyes anyway even without a cert.

The diamond is from a vendor I trust and found through Prciescope and from whom I have bought several pieces from before. I have the opportunity to purchase it and view it with my own eyes and return it if the colour is not right. Would you take the chance given what is shown in the video? I can see nice arrows in the video and the colour to me appears to a soft champagne with undertones of yellow.

No SARIN, no cert, just some still photos and video and the opinion of a vendor I trust.

In what circumstances would you buy something uncerted? I cant stop thinking about this diamond!

And sending it to an appraiser like Neil would be cheaper than sending it off to the GIA right?

 

[MissGotRocks]

I don't know what Neil Beatty charges - and he is a well respected vendor - but his appraisal won't give you what a GIA or AGS cert will give you in terms of pricing or resale. GIA or AGS cert will be acknowledged by most in the business whereas an appraisal could be looked at as strictly a professional opinion. However, if you hire Mr. Beatty yourself, he will be able to give you a good idea of the attributes of the stone.

The choice is yours in terms of whether to send the stone to be graded, have it appraised or buy it with no guarantee of what it truly grades. If you want to take the chance and I assume you would have an iron clad, in writing, guarantee of return with no penalty or restocking fee, then you can see what you think about the stone in person. As a consumer, I doubt you will be able to accurately assess color and for that reason alone, you really won't know what the value of the stone truly is.

The choice is yours - I am not trying to tell you what to do. I am merely trying to point out things that you need to consider in order to make an informed purchase - much the same as it would be with any stone. We are so fortunate in this day and age to have lots of information and education regarding diamonds BEFORE we make an expensive purchase.

 

[Gypsy]

I require a SARIN for any uncertified round over 25 points. Even from the best vendor ever.

 

[WinkHPD]

Hi MissGotRocks and Gypsy,

Thanks for chiming in - as always sound advice.

The price for this particular diamond, was a lower than I was expecting (probably due to the fact that brown/yellow is not as desirable to the masses as white diamonds) and therefore I was thinking I want to see it with my own eyes anyway even without a cert.

The diamond is from a vendor I trust and found through Prciescope and from whom I have bought several pieces from before. I have the opportunity to purchase it and view it with my own eyes and return it if the colour is not right. Would you take the chance given what is shown in the video? I can see nice arrows in the video and the colour to me appears to a soft champagne with undertones of yellow.

No SARIN, no cert, just some still photos and video and the opinion of a vendor I trust.

In what circumstances would you buy something uncerted? I cant stop thinking about this diamond!

And sending it to an appraiser like Neil would be cheaper than sending it off to the GIA right?

As a vendor I will not commentate on this particular diamond.

I will however say the the benefit of having a vendor that you know, like and trust trumps the lack of a diamond grading report, especially when you may inspect and return if you are not happy. You say your vendor has earned your trust. To me, this means that you owe him the respect of being willing to look at his diamond with YOUR eyes to see if it makes YOUR eyes happy. If not, or if when you receive it you think it is perhaps not the deal that you thought it was, then there will be no issue with your returning it.

With colored diamonds it is rare to find one that is super well cut, as they are most often cut both for weight and color retention. To find one that makes YOUR eyes happy is the quest. Cutting and clarity are often secondary with colored diamonds. If you find one that has the color that you like and the sparkle that you like and the price that you like, it is not for any of us to say yea or nay for you. That is a question for YOUR EYES only.

Wink

 

[soxfan]

I believe Ilya has a return policy if you don't like it, so there's no real risk. I trust his opinion. I bought a gorgeous stone from him- his prices are VERY good.

 

[Bling it on]

Wink - I concur with everything you said in your reply to my post and again thank you for the reminder about the importance of colour. In this case, I am really looking for a balance of beautiful, soft champagne colour with a nice sparkle and yes I now believe I will need to see it before deciding if it is the right one for me.

I have purchased colourless diamonds before just from the numbers alone and those transactions have been fine but describing colour with adjectives when trying to buy/sell an FCD is another thing altogether!

I do not believe Ilya would sell me an ugly diamond as I have purchased a few things in the past and have been very happy (my last project was a Marquise diamond in a custom settting) but I did post the video to see what other PSErs thought of the colour. It is supposed to be champagne but I can see fancy yellow. Does it look to be 'champagne' to them or does it look fancy yellow is really what I was asking.
I guess I will wait and see when it arrives in my hot little hands and I will report back.

Soxfan - yes his prices are really great and I have returned items to him before so I am not worried about that (although I do have to pay International shipping which is a pain). This one is such a good price, especially for a one carat stone that though I would normally purchase a reliable cert with a stone, I am tempted to forego precaution just to see if it has as nice a colour IRL as the video would seem to imply.
I'm excited about seeing it!

 

[Bling it on]

I require a SARIN for any uncertified round over 25 points. Even from the best vendor ever.

The SARIN would tell me about dimensions, proportions and light return for the diamond is that correct? I wonder how the darkness of colour at c3-c4 would impact light return - does it in fact impact light return at all? I wouldnt want a lifeless diamond, but the colour would need to be warm and amber like a honey colour as well as still showing life and sparkle, but I would not expect the brilliance with lots of white flashes like a colourless diamond

 

[WinkHPD]

Wink - I concur with everything you said in your reply to my post and again thank you for the reminder about the importance of colour. In this case, I am really looking for a balance of beautiful, soft champagne colour with a nice sparkle and yes I now believe I will need to see it before deciding if it is the right one for me.

I have purchased colourless diamonds before just from the numbers alone and those transactions have been fine but describing colour with adjectives when trying to buy/sell an FCD is another thing altogether!

I do not believe Ilya would sell me an ugly diamond as I have purchased a few things in the past and have been very happy (my last project was a Marquise diamond in a custom settting) but I did post the video to see what other PSErs thought of the colour. It is supposed to be champagne but I can see fancy yellow. Does it look to be 'champagne' to them or does it look fancy yellow is really what I was asking.
I guess I will wait and see when it arrives in my hot little hands and I will report back.

Soxfan - yes his prices are really great and I have returned items to him before so I am not worried about that (although I do have to pay International shipping which is a pain). This one is such a good price, especially for a one carat stone that though I would normally purchase a reliable cert with a stone, I am tempted to forego precaution just to see if it has as nice a colour IRL as the video would seem to imply.
I'm excited about seeing it!

Herein lies the crux of your dilemma. Is it champagne, is it lemonade or is it something else entirely? Jewelers have been searching for an accurate way to describe color since before the dawn of recorded history. If you ask me in Idaho to describe the greenness of grass I will do it entirely differently than someone in Kentucky where I hear that the grass is blue. (But is it really?)

Just last month I took a photograph of a beautiful sapphire for a client. I explained verbally in a video and also in written word with the photographs that the color was NOT as saturated and dark as in the photographs and video, at least on my computer screen. I could not make it look on the screen as it appeared to my eye, and I certainly could not begin to adequately describe the color.

Her eyes agreed with mine. "It does not look at all the same color as your photographs, but you are right, it is a magnificent gem."

Whew!

Now, when you receive the gem, be sure to look at it in many lighting situations. Go into the kitchen, go into the bathroom where the lighting will be different usually than in the kitchen. Go outside, but be careful not to stare at a diamond lit by the sun, it will damage your eyes. While there, find a broad leaved tree to stand in the shade of and enjoy a light show as the leaves break up the light into tens of thousands of sources, each fighting to find a spot to reflect from in your diamond.

Ask your vendor to send you a secure stone holder, not a pair of tweezers, you do not want to spend the day looking in the grass or bushes for a diamond that took leave from your tweezers just when you had decided to return to the house...

It may take you a split second, or as much as a day or two to be certain, but when you have examined the gem, you will know for whether or not it is for you.

Still, will you know and be able to tell us, "What is Champagne?"

Wink

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I absolutely agree that one has to see the color of any colored diamond or gemstone to know if they like the color or not. So if the return period is long enough, I suppose you could have it sent to you, and if you love the color, you can then send to Neil and get his opinion. If you want, he will send to GIA to get graded for you. I would definitely do that. Actually, I have had Neil appraise and send a diamond for a new report before.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Too late to edit, but I wanted to add that I totally trust the vendor, too. It's just that it's nice to have grading for insurance and to verify cut.

 

[Bling it on]

[quote="Wink|

Still, will you know and be able to tell us, "What is Champagne?"

Wink[/quote]

Wink - this diamond is on its way to me and I can't wait to experience my first colored diamond. Apart from pink, champagne/light brown is the next most desired colour for me so I feel the diamond is going to be favorably looked upon!

Yes "what is champagne?" What am I expecting? Here in Australia, we drink sparkling white wine, only very often champagne so my description of what I see may be odd for some haha
I think I won't even try to explain the colour, I just hope I'm ecstatic with it when it arrives!
I asked for a temporary ring holder to be sent with it and I'll be examining in all lighting conditions namely indoors in office lighting and outdoors in the shade which is where I spend the majority of my time. Thank you for your posts, I thoroughly appreciated the thoughtful comments you provided

 

[Bling it on]

Too late to edit, but I wanted to add that I totally trust the vendor, too. It's just that it's nice to have grading for insurance and to verify cut.

Good point Diamondseeker! I forgot all about insurance. I will need to get an appraisal in order to add it to my insurance policy. I am in Australia though so I don't know if I will send it to Neil or have soneone here appraise it (though I don't know anyone locally who would even have a clue about colored diamonds)

 

[WinkHPD]

Too late to edit, but I wanted to add that I totally trust the vendor, too. It's just that it's nice to have grading for insurance and to verify cut.

Good point Diamondseeker! I forgot all about insurance. I will need to get an appraisal in order to add it to my insurance policy. I am in Australia though so I don't know if I will send it to Neil or have soneone here appraise it (though I don't know anyone locally who would even have a clue about colored diamonds)

Diamond Seeker gives great advice about getting a good appraisal for your insurance. The better the appraisal, the more likely you are to get an acceptable replacement in case of loss or damage. You may want to check with your insurance company about their requirements though. They may require an Australian appraiser do the work for them to issue the insurance in Australia. I have had several of my Australian clients tell me that their insurance company wanted the appraisal done in Australia.

You could try contacting Garry Holloway who has a nice business in Australia. If he does not do appraisals himself, he will be able to direct you to someone who does. Garry is active here on Pricescope and is very knowledgeable about diamonds.

First though, I am waiting to hear what you think when you receive the diamond and have a chance to play with it.

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

P. S. I thought you might like a link to Garry's Melbourne location: http://www.hollowaydiamonds.com.au/holloway-diamonds

110-114 Canterbury Road. Canterbury.
Tel:03 9880 9011
Opening hours:
Mon - Fri 9am to 5pm
Sat 9am to 4pm

Wink