bling for the money
- Thread starter joeyny
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- Aug 18, 2013
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Hi Joey 
Those details don't really tell us a lot about the diamond. Firstly, who graded it? If it wasn't graded by GIA or AGS, it might not be representative of the specs you've relayed. A lot of other grading systems grade much higher than the GIA or the AGS do; ie a D in EGL might only be an F on GIA. So firstly, where did those stats come from?
Secondly, we need to know a lot more about the stats. Do you have a Sarin report? This will give you a bunch of useful statistical information on the stone's measurements. Alternately, can you find the table, depth, crown and pavilion angles? If not, can you get them? They're on any GIA or AGS grading certificate.
Do you have an enlarged photo (10 x magnification is ok, but 30 x is better and 100 x is better still) of your stone? If not, ask whoever has this stone if they can provide one.
Have you seen the stone in the flesh, or is this coming from an online dealer?
And lastly, some info re light return would be helpful (actually, mandatory). Does the vendor have ASET images for the stone? If not, can they get them? They will show you the quality of the light return from the stone (ie how much it's going to twinkle!), particularly at different angles. Does your jeweler have an ideal-scope? This will show you how much light return you can expect. If not, take a look around *this* web site (http://www.ideal-scope.com) and have a look at the different forms of light return you'll see on diamonds (look specifically under 'Using Ideal-Scope and see 'Reference Chart - IS' and 'Reference Chart - ASET').
*This* is also a very useful page on Pricescope, explaining how the two work together to give you maximum info on your diamond.
https://www.pricescope.com/journal/aset-–-diamond-evaluation-tool
Come back with any info you can find, and we'll help you sift through it. It's impossible to tell whether you're getting a good deal or not otherwise, and these tools and this info will determine exactly what caliber or stone you're considering. Stats without any surrounding information are basically useless.
ETA Joey, I see not all of the above PriceScope link highlighted, so c&p all of it into an address bar to get to the correct page.
Those details don't really tell us a lot about the diamond. Firstly, who graded it? If it wasn't graded by GIA or AGS, it might not be representative of the specs you've relayed. A lot of other grading systems grade much higher than the GIA or the AGS do; ie a D in EGL might only be an F on GIA. So firstly, where did those stats come from?
Secondly, we need to know a lot more about the stats. Do you have a Sarin report? This will give you a bunch of useful statistical information on the stone's measurements. Alternately, can you find the table, depth, crown and pavilion angles? If not, can you get them? They're on any GIA or AGS grading certificate.
Do you have an enlarged photo (10 x magnification is ok, but 30 x is better and 100 x is better still) of your stone? If not, ask whoever has this stone if they can provide one.
Have you seen the stone in the flesh, or is this coming from an online dealer?
And lastly, some info re light return would be helpful (actually, mandatory). Does the vendor have ASET images for the stone? If not, can they get them? They will show you the quality of the light return from the stone (ie how much it's going to twinkle!), particularly at different angles. Does your jeweler have an ideal-scope? This will show you how much light return you can expect. If not, take a look around *this* web site (http://www.ideal-scope.com) and have a look at the different forms of light return you'll see on diamonds (look specifically under 'Using Ideal-Scope and see 'Reference Chart - IS' and 'Reference Chart - ASET').
*This* is also a very useful page on Pricescope, explaining how the two work together to give you maximum info on your diamond.
https://www.pricescope.com/journal/aset-–-diamond-evaluation-tool
Come back with any info you can find, and we'll help you sift through it. It's impossible to tell whether you're getting a good deal or not otherwise, and these tools and this info will determine exactly what caliber or stone you're considering. Stats without any surrounding information are basically useless.
ETA Joey, I see not all of the above PriceScope link highlighted, so c&p all of it into an address bar to get to the correct page.
mrs-blop,
Thank you for your response. The stone I am looking at would be coming from blue nile. It is GIA certified. I also upload the pdf attachment with a lot more info on the stone. Hope this gives more guidance. Really looking forward to hearing from everyone.
Thanks
Thank you for your response. The stone I am looking at would be coming from blue nile. It is GIA certified. I also upload the pdf attachment with a lot more info on the stone. Hope this gives more guidance. Really looking forward to hearing from everyone.
Thanks
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2013
- Messages
- 11,661
Hi Joe
So you're looking for a princess cut? You didn't mention it in your first post, and shape of stone effects the price a great deal.
First things first, do you want it to be square, or are you looking for a rectangle shape? I ask because the stone you've chosen isn't square and you'll be able to see that in the flesh. So if square is what you want, you might want to consider a different stone.
I am a big fan of Blue Nile and normally recommend their round brilliants (round) stones as a starting point for most people. There are some good prices to be had if you know what to look for. However, having said that....
My first port of call for princess cut stones would be Good Old Gold on Long Island in NY. They're a very respected PriceScope vendor and many, many PS members have worked with Jon and his team. I have a number of princess cut stones from BN, and, while nice, they don't even begin to compare to a Signature Princess cut from Good Old Gold (GOG). The Signature Princess from GOG sparkles more than any princess cut I've ever seen, and a badly cut princess cut can be a very dull stone indeed. Also, with princess cuts, you really do need to see a photo, at least, of the stone. There are so many more stats you can check for round diamonds to make sure you're getting something good. But princess cuts really, in my opinion, need to be seen.
So, I'd call Good Old Gold in NY, ask to speak to Jon, tell him your budget, tell him you want the sparkiest stone he can find you, and let him source something special for you. Despite being a big fan of BN, I had to say that they simply don't give you enough info when it comes to princess cuts, so I wouldn't go that route. I've bought their princess cuts for earrings; I wouldn't go that way for an engagement ring.
For what this is worth, in my opinion, princess cuts are very forgiving for inclusions, so if it were me, I'd definitely be looking for an SI1 to maximize your budget. Also, is D a non-negotiable for you? Opening up your color grading a bit would help you find a stone that hits all bases. A lot of people get a D colored stone because they think it's the only really white stone. Not true! G/H/I can all give you a lovely stone while maximizing your budget. For myself, H SI1 is my sweet spot and gives me the most bang for my buck.
If you were willing to go to an I, here's a stone from GOG, Signature princess cut, also 20% larger than the stone you started with. It's nice and clean (VS1). It's $8662 (wired price), so a bit more than the one you were looking at but, having seen these stones in person, I think they're worth the extra bucks.
Let me know if there's anything else we can do for you, but I think GOG might be the right place for you.
ETA Oops! Forgot to add the link! Be aware - the stone in the photo is the actual stone for sale.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11943/
So you're looking for a princess cut? You didn't mention it in your first post, and shape of stone effects the price a great deal.
First things first, do you want it to be square, or are you looking for a rectangle shape? I ask because the stone you've chosen isn't square and you'll be able to see that in the flesh. So if square is what you want, you might want to consider a different stone.
I am a big fan of Blue Nile and normally recommend their round brilliants (round) stones as a starting point for most people. There are some good prices to be had if you know what to look for. However, having said that....
My first port of call for princess cut stones would be Good Old Gold on Long Island in NY. They're a very respected PriceScope vendor and many, many PS members have worked with Jon and his team. I have a number of princess cut stones from BN, and, while nice, they don't even begin to compare to a Signature Princess cut from Good Old Gold (GOG). The Signature Princess from GOG sparkles more than any princess cut I've ever seen, and a badly cut princess cut can be a very dull stone indeed. Also, with princess cuts, you really do need to see a photo, at least, of the stone. There are so many more stats you can check for round diamonds to make sure you're getting something good. But princess cuts really, in my opinion, need to be seen.
So, I'd call Good Old Gold in NY, ask to speak to Jon, tell him your budget, tell him you want the sparkiest stone he can find you, and let him source something special for you. Despite being a big fan of BN, I had to say that they simply don't give you enough info when it comes to princess cuts, so I wouldn't go that route. I've bought their princess cuts for earrings; I wouldn't go that way for an engagement ring.
For what this is worth, in my opinion, princess cuts are very forgiving for inclusions, so if it were me, I'd definitely be looking for an SI1 to maximize your budget. Also, is D a non-negotiable for you? Opening up your color grading a bit would help you find a stone that hits all bases. A lot of people get a D colored stone because they think it's the only really white stone. Not true! G/H/I can all give you a lovely stone while maximizing your budget. For myself, H SI1 is my sweet spot and gives me the most bang for my buck.
If you were willing to go to an I, here's a stone from GOG, Signature princess cut, also 20% larger than the stone you started with. It's nice and clean (VS1). It's $8662 (wired price), so a bit more than the one you were looking at but, having seen these stones in person, I think they're worth the extra bucks.
Let me know if there's anything else we can do for you, but I think GOG might be the right place for you.
ETA Oops! Forgot to add the link! Be aware - the stone in the photo is the actual stone for sale.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/11943/
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2013
- Messages
- 11,661
Joey -
I also had a look on James Allen's website and found these two that I liked:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.33-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-299581
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.29-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-310555
I also had a look on James Allen's website and found these two that I liked:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.33-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-299581
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.29-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-310555
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