10 replies to this topic

[mellings]

I am in the Chicago area and have located a diamond which I think I may get. I am looking for opinions and reasons for or against the purchase.

Cut: Round Brilliant (Ideal)
Color: F
Clarity: SI1-2
Carat: 0.924

AGS Rated: Light Peformance: 0
Proportion Factors: 0
Finish: 0
Sym: Ideal
Polish: Ideal

Measurements are 6.15-6.23 x 3.91 mm

Depth is 63%, Table is 54.7%, Pavilion depth is 43.4%, and the culet is pointed.


What I would like is a recommendation on whether to buy or not, simply based on QUALITY or LACK thereof, with a suggested price. I am looking for the most ideal, colorless, eye clean diamond I can find at the lowest price and this may be it. The size is fine with me; I am sure they get as big as you like, but I think this will work. I would like a price estimate and what YOU would buy or hope for, what you think a good deal would be, etc.

Thanks, and regards.

Mike

[denverappraiser]

Mike,

What's the source of this grading information? AGS won't assign a SI1-2 clarity grade. Grading details can be terribly important for this sort of question. Light performance is considerably more difficult to measure than most dealers are prepared to do and I would be very curious about how they made these grading decisions. The difference in price between a super-ideal SI1-F and a pretty good SI2-G can be considerable.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA

[jan]

The stone looks deep to me and would look more like a stone in the .80 ct. range versus a .94 ct. size. Also not sure what AGS means by 0 light performance. I've seen some of their new princess cuts that were ideal and was not impressed.

The AGS ideal round stones vary greatly in actual light performance analysis that we have tested.

[mellings]

The colour is F, and the clarity is SI2 on the diamond quality document.

AGS graded.

You think the 63% is too deep?

[denverappraiser]

I think it's likely that this will be a lovely stone. Have you seen it and had an opportunity to compare to others that are superficially similar?

63% is a tad deep and you will have a slightly smaller face up area than some other AGS0 stones. I don't really care much for the steep/deep combination for this reason but it does produce a nice prismatic affect that many people like. AGS recently changed their definitions of ideal and there is quite a bit of discussion in the trade about how to interperet the results. Not everyone agrees. I've seen a fair number of the new AGS stones and I think the system is an improvement over their previous approach but it's far more difficult to explain and it involves a lot of information that they don't include on their reports so it's very difficult to cross check them.

There's a list of online dealers at the top of the page with a search engine to allow you to shop for comparable stones. Even if you aren't interested in buying online, this can be a handy way to check prices.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA

[mellings]

Mr. Beatty,

Could you recommend a price to me? Furthermore, the dealer had it listed at SI 1, but the certificate said SI 2, and I pointed this out...is it appropriate to request a lower price?

Any suggestion is appreciated; you seem more than knowledgable on the subject.
Plus, Denver is just a nice city.

Thanks,

Mike

[mellings]

* that's BEATY, sorry.

-Mike

[Beginner]

What do you mean by the culet is pointed? AGS only grade the culet as 0, 1 and 2 .

[mellings]

I mean exactly that; the culet is pointed. I am looking at a copy of the cert and I see nothing beyond, 'pointed' at the bottom. There is no section on the report besides that that addresses the culet.

It is listed as 000 in the Cut category; I assume that includes the culet.

Any suggestion on pricing?

[denverappraiser]

mellings, on Thursday, Dec 1 2005, 05:28 AM, said:

Could you recommend a price to me?

Mike,

Thanks.

I could, but I won't. The problem is that we haven’t listed all of the value characteristics, nor can we. Each dealer offers their own approach that adds value for their own customers. This value-added can range from the Gemex reports that Jan is pushing to financing to prestigious packaging. They may offer access to their own special designer or have a trade in program that you like. There are lots of other issues.

If the cheapest price were from a dealer whose sales terms involved wiring your money to a numbered account in Switzerland and a package will arrive in 4-6 weeks containing your diamond, would you do it? I wouldn’t, even if it was the same stone being offered and even if the savings were considerable. The difference is in things that are outside the gemological properties of the stone. Not everyone is looking for the same things and finding the right bundle is different for each customer. I’m a big fan of picking the dealer first and then picking the diamond for exactly these sorts of reasons. It would be a doing you a disservice for me as an appraiser to tell you what my preferences for a dealer would be if I were shopping because what I like probably won’t be the same as what you like.

I, of course, understand that the root of your question is that diamonds are a blind and expensive item and that you are trying to make sure that you’re not getting skinned here. The way to do that is to compare the deal you are being offered to similar deals that you can get elsewhere. That’s why I told you to look at the online advertisements above. Google is a handy tool for this as well. If you want to buy from a hometown store, or one that is conveniently close to the border, you can use the information from the online advertisers to gauge their prices. Most local stores are a little more expensive than the online dealers but they can get into the same ballpark if they really want. This is a way of deciding what those ‘other’ benefits cost. If the dealer is adding nothing and is just moving an envelope from their inbox to outbox, they better be close in price to the online guys or you should walk away. If they are going to hold your hand through the whole process and the whole experience has the feel of a fine restaurant, expect to pay more. Is it worth it? That’s up to you.

Go Broncos.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA

[mellings]

Thanks,

I bougt the diamond and should get to see it in a day or two; I'll let you know what I think. Thanks for the advice.

Mike