7 replies to this topic

[JonathanU]

I am going to purchase a certified diamond for my girl friend. It is a I1 but is definatly on the high sid of the scale. There is no visable flaws even though it falls into an I1. It is 3/4ct that sets in 14 yellow gold. They are selling for 2499.00 Is this a reasonable price for this ring?

Thank you for your time,

-Almost married-

[James Allen]

JonathanU,

I don't think anyone can tell you for sure whether the stone is good price based on the limited amount of information you've been provided. The fact that the diamond is an "I1" is not a problem. I've seen and sold many "I1" diamonds that were breathtaking.

What you do need to find out, however, is more about a) the lab that did the grading the color of the stone and c) as much specific information about the quality of the cut as possible.

If and when you have these other three bits of information then I think someone can give you a "ballpark" as to the deal. Otherwise it's just not gonna happen.

With all that said, however, if the diamond turns out to be "D" color with a GIA report and Ideal proportions the price is still going to be on the "high" side compared to what might be available online...

[Certified]

I have discovered a new trick in buying jewelry! (at least new for me)
Buy a diamond online - [url="http://froogle.google.com/froogle?scoring=p&q=0.75ct+Round+SI1+loose+diamond"]shop with Froogle[/url], buy an empty ring designed exactly as you would like ($50-150), mount the diamond ($20-50) and you will still have enough cash for the best restaurant in your town where you can give your sparkling gift to your friend

[jan]

I would say make sure you get a GIA lab report with the diamond. I think for the $2500 range you should be able to get a better clarity and an ideal cut diamond for that range set in gold. For instance a .56 ct. VS2 G ideal cut that mounted in a 14kt gold solitaire only runs $2498. Even if the carat weight is a little smaller it's better to get a better quality than a stone of poor clarity that you would have trouble getting rid of it, if need be. There is always a 100% upgrade policy in the future if you want something larger down the road.
Although a .56 ct. ideal cut could look about the same as a deeply cut 3/4 ct. anyway.

[denverappraiser]

Certified, on Wednesday, Oct 12 2005, 01:16 PM, said:

I have discovered a new trick in buying jewelry! (at least new for me)
Buy a diamond online - shop with Froogle, buy an empty ring designed exactly as you would like ($50-150), mount the diamond ($20-50) and you will still have enough cash for the best restaurant in your town where you can give your sparkling gift to your friend

I have to disagree with the tactic of using Froogle. It has built into it several assumptions that strike me as both false and dangerous:

#1. All dealers are the same. Wisely choosing your dealer is one of the most important steps for avoiding the pitfalls in diamond shopping. It’s not like buying items where there’s a model number that you can match and then be confident that you are getting what you expect. There are varying levels of support both before and after the sale that can be extremely important. Return periods, payment terms, warranties and helpful presale information are, among other things, important factors to consider.

#2. All dealers will describe the same stone the same way. One dealer may call a stone an Ideal cut SI1 with a lab report to ‘prove’ it while another may call the same stone an SI2 because they’ve examined the stone and in their expert opinion, they think it’s an SI2 and they don't like the light performance. They then offer an alternative that may suit your requirements better. Who would you rather buy from? Diamonds are not commodities, as much as some people wish they were. Pretending they are, just because you wish it were so is a way to get skinned.

#3. Froogle shows everything available. Froogle is an advertising medium and not every dealer chooses to advertise there. This may be a bad decision, I don’t really know, but it doesn’t make them a bad dealer and it doesn’t mean they have bad products. In some ways, the opposite is true. The dealers that spend big money to be everywhere that you might possibly spot their ads have to get that money from somewhere. Any guesses where?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA

[Certified]

Yes, Neil, you're absolutely right.

denverappraiser, on Wednesday, Oct 12 2005, 03:05 PM, said:

#1.  All dealers are the same.  Wisely choosing your dealer is one of the most important steps for avoiding the pitfalls in diamond shopping.

Exactly! That's why I said 'Shop with Froogle' not 'Buy with Froogle'.

denverappraiser, on Wednesday, Oct 12 2005, 03:05 PM, said:

#2. All dealers will describe the same stone the same way.

Dealers won't. GIA will.

denverappraiser, on Wednesday, Oct 12 2005, 03:05 PM, said:

#3. Froogle shows everything available.  Froogle is an advertising medium and not every dealer chooses to advertise there.

Nobody can show everything. However Froogle uses a powerful search engine of Google. If you don't like Froogle - use Yahoo, MSN, whatever. My point is you can find many good deals online. I don't care how much they spend on advertising if they can offer me a good price for a good stone. Anyway, with $2500 budget you can have much better deal then 3/4ct I1, even though it's a colorless ideal cut diamond.

[hermann]

Certified,

The first item that appears under the froogle link you posted on this thread and in another thread happen to be offered by diamondgifts.com. We've discussed this privately before. For the benefit of our readership, can you publicly settle, once and for all, whether you have a commercial association with this website?

As you see by the others that post here, we greatly encourage participation by members of the trade!! -- with the caveat that you properly identify yourself and any commercial associations. There's more useful info about this policy here:

http://www.diamond.i...?act=boardrules

Thank you for your participation and cooperation.

[denverappraiser]

Certified, on Wednesday, Oct 12 2005, 07:28 PM, said:

denverappraiser, on Wednesday, Oct 12 2005, 03:05 PM, said:

#2. All dealers will describe the same stone the same way.

Dealers won't. GIA will.

GIA describes some of the attributes of a stone and they are reasonably consistent in applying their grading scales but they do not provide all of the relevant information required to make an informed shopping decision, nor do they claim to. Not all GIA graded 1.00ct, VS2-F round diamonds are the same and those ‘other’ characteristics can account for as much as 50% or more of the price. Even within a particular clarity grade are important differences. Some GIA I1 stones are considerably more desirable than others.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA