11 replies to this topic

[priya]

Another diamond being considered is a brilliant round cut, 1.20 carat, VVS2, flourescence nil, colour I, meaures 6.70-6.75 mmX 4.28 mm, proportions very good, girdle- medium 4.5 % faceted, culet pointed, table width 58 %, cr height 15 %, pv depth 44 %, finish grade very good. Asking price $ 6000
Could you please advise if this is a good diamond and a good price ?

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi Priva,
No one can tell you if a diamond is desirable from some numbers.
Have you seen these diamonds?

[priya]

I have seen the diamonds and they look OK. However I would appreciate advise on if based on these numbers it is a good diamond and whether it is a good price.

[denverappraiser]

Priva,

There are lovely diamonds that a dealer might describe that way and some of them would be a good deal at that price.

[diamondsbylauren]

priva- the exact point is that no expert can assess a diamond simply by numbers.

Re- price: Who issued the report on this diamond- does it have a GIA report?

[priya]

It's issued by HRD

[denverappraiser]

priya, on Monday, Dec 12 2005, 06:18 AM, said:

It's issued by HRD

There are lovely diamonds that HRD might have described that way and some of them would be a good deal at that price.

I'm not trying to be rude, and I know this isn't the answer you were looking for but, as David points out, it's not possible to be more specific without making up important details.

[diamondsbylauren]

Thanks Neil,
In my experience HRD is nowhere near the level of GIA in terms of consistency.

[denverappraiser]

David,

It's a little hard to tell, but I suspect that HRD is getting a bit of an undeserved bad reputation in the US for sloppy work. The problem is that they are pretty big in Europe and Asia and their paper is well accepted. They’re involved in kind of a vicious cycle. A bad reputation means HRD graded stones sell at a discount here. If cutters know that they will have to sell at a discount, they will only send to the US the stones where this is expected anyway (ie. Misgraded or otherwise defective goods). The fact that cutters choose to send bad goods causes a bad reputation and the whole cycle repeats. For a US customer, the effect is the same and I agree that HRD paper is a bad sign but I don’t think it’s coming from the lab being especially sloppy. They make the occasional mistake, just like everyone else, but I think we see more than our share of those mistakes. For overseas customer, they’re a much better choice than they are in the US.

[priya]

"it's not possible to be more specific without making up important details."

Could you advise what additional details should one look for to make a proper assessment ?

[barry]

Cut specs provided by either the Megascope or Sarin and a light performance analysis.

[denverappraiser]

priya, on Monday, Dec 12 2005, 11:22 PM, said:

"it's not possible to be more specific without making up important details."

Could you advise what additional details should one look for to make a proper assessment ?

Where are you? Where is the diamond? What are the terms of sale?

Do you trust the dealer involved?

Have you seen it? If so, did you have an opportunity to compare it to other superficially similar stones? Did you like it? Has anyone whose opinion you trust seen it?

What are your major requirements? (Price? Certain gemological properties of the stone? Size? Brand? Convenience?)

Are there other attributes of this deal that are important to you? (Often people have special reasons for buying from or avoiding particular dealers. This includes like trade-in privileges, warranties, financing, terms of sale, history, personal relationships, local convenience, access to certain designers or setters, branding, resale potential, etc.)

Is it accurately graded?

Are there other attributes of the stone not listed on the HRD report that are important to you? This can include the light behavior mentioned by Barry, possible damage since the report was prepared, country or even mine of origin, specialized optical effects like the ‘hearts & arrows’ or a stone that meets a particular definition of ‘ideal’. There are a lot of choices here and not everyone chooses the same things.

Are there any requirements being imposed by your chosen mounting that may be important in this decision? (not all stone/mounting combinations work well)