Prices Buying Diamonds From a contact

[83NC]

Hello All,

First i would like to say hello to all and i would apperciate some help with a matter.

I am looking to buy a diamond for an engagement ring. I wish to buy a stone and set it myself.

i have a contact that is in the diamond business in a very big way, large company. I wouldnt want to comment on name. He has always said that i should come to him for a diamond. but as i do not know the price commanded it is hard for me to know whether he is giving me a good price or not. Is it better to go for a ring made or see if i can do it myself..

I know there are many variations, and theres no "set" pricing etc.... but can someone give me a guidence. Basically, if i ask him for say a:

a stone with "x" carat/ Colour clear/ "x" Clarity shape either a round or emerald diamond.

Or any recomendations of what is seen as a typical diamond and its expected price... Anyone able to say that a diamond like this.....etc should cost in the region of £/$ xxx..... i would really be grateful.

83NC

 

[diamondseeker2006]

We can certainly give you price comparisons, but you need to get copies of the grading reports and prices from him first. Then we can show you comparable stones and their prices. One big red flag is if he pressures you to buy on your first look. Just don't do it. We have seen countless people who had a family friend who was in the business who did them no favors in the end, and many ended up overpaying for a poorly cut stone.

Ask for GIA Excellent cut for round stones. You won't be able to choose an emerald cut without pictures of the stone as well as the cert. You need to narrow down your specs such as color, clarity, and size for him. Once he locates the stones, tell him you want pictures of the stones and a copy of the grading certificate. Then we can definitely help you know whether you're getting a good stone and if the price is a good deal or not.

Good luck and remember to not let anyone pressure you into a sale before you do your homework! I'd say 95% of those deals turn out badly judging from people who have come here after the fact. You're smart to be checking prices!

 

[83NC]

DS'06 - Thank you for your message and taking the time to provide a detailed response.

My contact isnt presurrising me at all, thank you for the words, i wount be pushed to make any decision.

I believe i am kinda in a catch 22 position. As i do not know exactly what diamond i want or even can get for my budget.

Basically, i want to spend between say £10,000 to £20,000 for a ring. What this gets me i have NO idea. If i tell me contact the budget price, i have no idea if he will simply provide a diamond stating it lies between my budget or actually give me a "good" deal etc....

Thats why i think it would be better for me to say to him something like...." Can you quote me your best price for a "x" carat, x shape and x clarity etc...." then i can compare his price to what say you guys "in the known" think its worth....?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, okay. We can suggest a range of specs for you to ask for that should target your budget. But please still come back with grading reports and check before buying!

Can you tell me your price range for the diamond in American dollars? And do you have any thoughts to the color and clarity you prefer? I have suggestions that I can give, but I need to know whether you are color sensitive, etc.

 

[CharmyPoo]

What shape are you looking for?

For the ring, what design do you have in mind? Settings alone can be under $1000 to over $10,000. I would say a high quality setting with pave will be around $3000 - $5000. So realistically .. I think you have around $10,000 - $15,000 to play with for your diamond.

 

[CharmyPoo]

This is a top quality cut Hearts and Arrow round diamond: 1.230 G SI1 for $11,626
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.230-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104052883016

 

[83NC]

DS 06:

In usa dollars: say between $20,000 to $30,000.

Or another way would be for anyone to give me the details of a diamond they bought or had valued recently (confidential of course) and i can ask my contact to tell me the price of that?

 

[83NC]

My contact has also offered me the below (hasnt sent a price yet, hes just getting confirmation), it is not a designer name, simply from a jewler.

Diamond claw Set line Neckless
Brilliant Cut Diamonds in 18 carat white gold
total weight of all 3 carats
Clarity vs -2
Diamond Colour H

any idea how much this would be worth?

 

[CharmyPoo]

1. We need a photo of the "Diamond claw Set line Neckless"? Is Neckless .. a necklace? Are you getting a necklace versus a ring?

2. What is the size of the center stone if this is a ring?

3. Who graded / certed these diamonds? We need to see the report to determine cut quality.

 

[83NC]

1. We need a photo of the "Diamond claw Set line Neckless"? Is Neckless .. a necklace? Are you getting a necklace versus a ring?

2. What is the size of the center stone if this is a ring?

3. Who graded / certed these diamonds? We need to see the report to determine cut quality.

Hi Charmypoo.

Sorry fat finger syndrome, yup i mean Necklace.

No the ring is seperate.

Err... how do i post a picture?

 

[CharmyPoo]

Why is he sending necklace info if you are buying a ring?

 

[83NC]

Why is he sending necklace info if you are buying a ring?

Ring is for engagement in new year.

Necklace is for present for xmas for now. thought it would be a nice thing.

how to post a picture? anyone can help?

 

[83NC]

http://tinypic.com/r/r8tclz/5

http://tinypic.com/r/nb3evr/5

 

[NervousBuyer]

Under the text/typing area there are blue tabs: the one showing by default is "options", the other is "upload attachment".

For the diamonds, it really really depends on the number and size of them. As you hopefully know, 3x1ct diamonds is worth so so so much more than a necklace with 100x3pt diamonds. Does the necklace feature a center stone with the other weight coming from lots of small diamonds or what?

Edit/ETA: just saw you linked pics. Side note: is this an appropriate time to say "ETA"? What does ETA mean? Not thread jacking I swear haha.

 

[denverappraiser]

Start by going shopping. In person. Look at some real diamonds and some real rings. You don't need to buy anything but you do need to get a feel for what you like. Shapes, sizes, claritys, colors, styles etc. Tiny details make a big difference in this business and you're specs are all over the map. It's easy to get a lovely stone for $20k, or $1k for that matter. The difference isn't as obvious as you think and a good price on the wrong thing is no bargain. Before you aim at what's a good 'deal' and whether or not your friend is providing that, you need to get a better idea of what you want. When you know what you want, ask your friend for specific recomendations and post those recommendations here along with your original specs and you'll be able to get some advice on whether the pricing is in line.

 

[CharmyPoo]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think a diamond solitaire pendant is vastly more wearable than a line necklace. You really only wear a necklace like that for more formal occasions, whereas a 1 ct. solitaire pendant could be worn with blue jeans or an evening gown. I just wouldn't even want that necklace to be honest because I would get so little wear out of it.

When you get into the $20-30k range, you can get a higher color such as a G VS1 1.6 ct., top cut quality Hearts and Arrows Ideal cut stone in the mid $20k's.

If you'd like to go down in color and clarity to say H SI1 or I VS2, you may be able to get to the 2 ct. mark in an ideal cut stone in the mid $20k.

It all depends on preferences. My personal choice is the smaller stone with higher color and clarity, but others would value size more and choose a lower color 2+ ct. diamond. So you will need to decide which direction you want him to look.

F-G color, VS1-VS2 1.5-1.9 cts. or H-I color VS2-SI1 clarity over 2 cts., all need to be AGS Ideal cut or GIA Excellent cut

GIA Excellent is a broad category and some of the stones are much better than others, and that is why I said to not buy immediately but come back here with all the numbers off the grading report and we can help you determine if the stone is one of the better ones or not.

 

[83NC]

I would like to thank the ppl who are responding as I do feel you guys are genuinely there to help. I will take your advice and see the martekt. Get an idea what I am looking for and see what you guys think. Only problem living in London Uk is that 99% of the jewllery shops cater for about that 1% of population where they buy rings starting about £100k!



From looking at this site, I like the design where there are tiny diamonds around the circumfrence of the actual ring. So atleast that's a start!!


Regarding the stone, I am lost with all the different variations of the 4 c's. But I need to learn.
Can anyone point me in the direction of what I should be looking for within my budget?

Necklace: thanks for your views. I was going for the formal wear use, your right on the single pendent diamond. More universal.
Can anyone steer me on price of such a thing? (I need to get a copy of the report (??correct word?)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There would be no way for anyone to give you a good estimate on the necklace with not knowing anything about the quality of the stones, type of metal, etc.

The info I gave you above was for round brilliants. Are you interested in a stone under 2 cts. with higher color and clarity or a stone 2 cts. or over with lower color and claity? I have read here that diamond engagement rings are often smaller in the UK than here, so perhaps you might want to go with the higher color and clarity in the 1.5-1.8 range?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You can really do this as well, but here are some 3 ct. diamond necklaces:

http://www.ross-simons.com/products/546996.html?sku=JDN65469961704W&utm_source=GMC&utm_medium=Feeds&utm_campaign=Trinity&cm_mmc=Feeds-_-GMC-_-Trinity-_-null&gdftrk=gdfV21952_a_7c931_a_7c4575_a_7cJDN6%20546996%20170%204W $2995.

http://www.amazon.com/3-50ct-Diamond-Tennis-Necklace-Graduated/dp/B002NLUH8E $3159

I am not recommending either of these because there is not enough known about their quality, either.

If I wanted one, I would want a really excellent quality one such as this one (which is a greater ct. weight):

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-pendants/line-of-fire-diamond-necklace-417.htm

 

[83NC]

Hi all,

I got an email on the diamonds and the prices:

British Pound US Dollar
1 GBP = 1.56440 USD 1 USD = 0.639222 GBP


SIZE COLOUR QUALITY

1.51 I SI2 £9500 / $14,861.81

1.77 I VS1 £11,500/ $17,990.61 USD


2.01 I VS2 £11,500

Can any provide some light on the above and the prices?

Thanks.