buying online - is getting an apraisl neccessary?

[TechSales]

I''m very close to ordering a ring online. I have done my research - thanks to everyone here for their advice. I''m now getting a bigger center stone (.43 vs. 34) stone by going to I color, SI1 clarity, Ideal cut vs. H, VS2, and H&A. So the ring is now just over 1ct vs. just under. It''s a small diff. I agree but now she can say it''s just OVER 1 ct vs. saying it''s just UNDER 1ct.

In any case I''m a little slow to "pull the trigger" because this is such an important decision and allot of $$ (to me anyway). The stone and setting is GIA certified and they have a 30-day return policy so that makes me feel a little better but having an independent jeweler appraise it would make me feel much better.

Questions:
1) do you think I could get an appraisal done in 30 days?
2) is it necessary to do so or is the GIA enough?
3) how much is an appraisal?
3) Anyone dealt with www.adiamor.com?
4) thoughts on online purchase''s? - I have read some good and bad experiences here but more input is welcome...
5) the ring will be about $1500 - do you think i need to insure it? if so how do I do that?

Thanks in advance!
Your very nervous about to be engaged guy...

 

[esguy27]

Congratulations TechSales. I just went through what you''re going through right now, so I know the feeling. It''s scarey, but exciting at the same time. I''m sure your gf will love what you''ve picked out. Now, to answer your questions:

1) do you think I could get an appraisal done in 30 days? I would absolutely recommend this. You''ll want to get the stone appraised for insurance purposes anyways, so you may as well do it during the 30 day window. That way you have the peace of mind that you received exactly what the vendor told you.

2) is it necessary to do so or is the GIA enough? I took my stone to an independent GIA appraiser even though I had an AGS certificate with my stone.

3) how much is an appraisal? I paid $100.

3) Anyone dealt with www.adiamor.com? I personally have not.

4) thoughts on online purchase''s? - I have read some good and bad experiences here but more input is welcome... I was completely skeptical about purchasing online, but the more I read here and the more reasearch I did, I came to the conclusion that buying online was the way I wanted to go. I was able to buy my gf a bigger and better stone than I would have been able to at a B&M, I had more stones to choose from, and the customer service I got from Whiteflash was top notch.

5) the ring will be about $1500 - do you think i need to insure it? if so how do I do that? I would at least look into the cost of insuring it, it shouldn''t be much. Personally, I think it''s an expense that is well worth it. As far as how to do so, I''m just now looking into that myself. What I''ve found so far is you can go through your home owner''s insurance. Chubb and Jewelers Mutal Insurance Co are also frequenty mentioned on this board.

Hope this helps and congrats.

 

[TechSales]

Thanks esguy - and congrats on your very smart purchase!!! Holly cow - $3K!?!??!

Good luck and I will be following your post on insurance...

 

[jcrow]

congrats on your purchase!! my BF and i are going through this too right now. Here''s what we are doing so far.

- purchased the diamond
- had WF send the diamond to an ind. appraiser that BF and I picked out
- our appraisal was less than $100
- the ind. appraiser shipped the diamond back to WhiteFlash for it to be set
- we are currently trying to get all info together to get the ring insured


as i am sure you already know, i would recommend appraising just the diamond unmounted. info is more accurate that way. for me- they got the setting info from WhiteFlash and are putting it in the documents for insurance purposes. (can''t insure a loose diamond)

i found my appraiser on this site. i did a little research and compared prices. i didn''t worry about the appraier being in my area because whitefalsh shipped it to them and they shipped it back.

for insurance, we are looking into going with Chubb for various reasons. do a little search on this site about insurance. for us the chubb seems like the best choice.

good luck! hope all goes well!!

 

[TechSales]

Thanks for the input jcrow - and can''t wait to see yours when it is done. Hint hint, post a pic...

I am getting the setting and diamond from the same place (http://www.adiamor.com) and having it shipped to me. So I wont get a chance to get it appraised outside the ring but honestly it''s not that expensive (considering) so I''m not that worried about the value. I''m more worried they don’t ship me something completely diff. then what they have told me it is. i.e.: get a smaller stone and worse color clarity etc. I have done my checking and for the cut, color, ct, etc the price is about right so...

I should be ok having it appraised in the setting for this purpose right?

 

[Waited2Long]

Is it wise to appraise the setting and stone together? I understand a loose stone is easier to evaluate, but I''d have peace of mind knowing the finished product was good too.

 

[TechSales]

good point W2L - I hadn''t thought of that but I would want to know what I paid for the entire ring was a fair price - not just the stone...

I have heard you can loose value in the stone by having it appraised in the setting - anyone heard of this?

 

[belle]

Date: 11/16/2005 6:49:38 PM
Author: TechSales

good point W2L - I hadn''t thought of that but I would want to know what I paid for the entire ring was a fair price - not just the stone...

I have heard you can loose value in the stone by having it appraised in the setting - anyone heard of this?

since loose stones are graded face down, there is a margin of error that applies when mounted stones are graded. i think the acceptable margin is something like within 2 color/clarity grades. that means if you have a ''d'' color stone, it could be graded as a ''f'' mounted.

 

[Waited2Long]

I was more concerned about the few horror stories I''ve read about on PS about stones being chipped while setting them. Seems like if you don''t have the set stone shipped to an independent appraiser, you would be SOL if the setter didn''t catch the damage before they shipped it.