Hey all...I am new to this board and would appriciate some help. I just started my search for an engagement ring yesterday. I went out to a few stores to see what was out there for my options. Being that I don't know much about rings or diamonds any help you could give me would be great. I found a ring that I really like and think she would love, however I don't know if its a good deal. I went to Helzberg diamonds and found a 1 1/2 tcw set. Its part of there masterpiece collection. It had a .5 ct center stone that is G/SI1. It was GIA certified. And they are selling it for 4,699. I really like this ring and was wondering if you thought it was a good deal. Also whats the difference between GIA and IGI? There was another ring I liked which I don't have the specifics on but it was IGI rated? Any help would be appriciated.
Randy
P.S. I also forget to add that the polish and symmetry are both excelent
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Pricing question
Started by Mr_Meanor, Feb 07 2006 10:54 AM
2 replies to this topic
#2
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- Member
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Newbie
Posted 09 February 2006 - 10:47 AM
Randy, good luck with your searches.
I don't claim to be an expert, but rather a person who just went through the same process and did a great deal of research in buying a diamond.
Is the diamond a round ideal cut? The cut is very important as it adversely affects the refraction of light in the diamond. It’s good that the polish and symmetry is excellent. You want to stay away from anything less than very good, in my opinion.
I took the approach of buying the diamond and putting the ring together from there, it gives you a better understanding of the components of the price, but I’ll try to see if this will work for you.
Looking at the Helzberg website, it appeared the band had two diamonds on each side of the middle diamond and smaller diamonds in the band. The band appeared to be 18k white gold. If I were you, I'd try to find that same band on sites like bluenile.com, mondera.com & uniondiamond.com.
From there, you can get an idea of how much the band costs separately from the center stone [$X]. Subtract that amount from the price [$4,699 - $X = $Y]. Once you determine that price, look at the above websites for similar loose diamonds [.5 carat] and compare those prices to $Y.
From what I’ve read, there is different pricing for loose diamonds from 0 to 0.49 carats, so I would advise to look at loose diamonds online in the range of .50 - .59 ish. To determine if the price is comparable, look at the price as price per carat.
As for GIA vs. IGI, again from what I’ve read, GIA is one of the most reputable, however some professionals are beginning to accept AGL certificates more and more because their analysis is directly related to the proportions of the diamond [remember above, cut adversely affects light refraction] and getting the coveted 0 rating is great for the jeweler and their ability to get a higher price. You can read up on both GIA & AGL online, but I’d stay away from IGI, EGL or any others. There are plenty of GIA & AGL certified diamonds out there, as a novice, just stay with those two.
Hope this information helps, good luck. Finally, remember to try to make this process fun, no matter what you get her, she will love.
Anyone who can add or contradict, please do, like I said I am just an educated novice, not a professional.
I don't claim to be an expert, but rather a person who just went through the same process and did a great deal of research in buying a diamond.
Is the diamond a round ideal cut? The cut is very important as it adversely affects the refraction of light in the diamond. It’s good that the polish and symmetry is excellent. You want to stay away from anything less than very good, in my opinion.
I took the approach of buying the diamond and putting the ring together from there, it gives you a better understanding of the components of the price, but I’ll try to see if this will work for you.
Looking at the Helzberg website, it appeared the band had two diamonds on each side of the middle diamond and smaller diamonds in the band. The band appeared to be 18k white gold. If I were you, I'd try to find that same band on sites like bluenile.com, mondera.com & uniondiamond.com.
From there, you can get an idea of how much the band costs separately from the center stone [$X]. Subtract that amount from the price [$4,699 - $X = $Y]. Once you determine that price, look at the above websites for similar loose diamonds [.5 carat] and compare those prices to $Y.
From what I’ve read, there is different pricing for loose diamonds from 0 to 0.49 carats, so I would advise to look at loose diamonds online in the range of .50 - .59 ish. To determine if the price is comparable, look at the price as price per carat.
As for GIA vs. IGI, again from what I’ve read, GIA is one of the most reputable, however some professionals are beginning to accept AGL certificates more and more because their analysis is directly related to the proportions of the diamond [remember above, cut adversely affects light refraction] and getting the coveted 0 rating is great for the jeweler and their ability to get a higher price. You can read up on both GIA & AGL online, but I’d stay away from IGI, EGL or any others. There are plenty of GIA & AGL certified diamonds out there, as a novice, just stay with those two.
Hope this information helps, good luck. Finally, remember to try to make this process fun, no matter what you get her, she will love.
Anyone who can add or contradict, please do, like I said I am just an educated novice, not a professional.
#3
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- A-List Jeweler
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- 120 posts
Ruby
Posted 09 February 2006 - 11:43 AM
AGL = AGS or AGSL.
The AGS is a very reputable lab who led the industry in cut grading for round brilliant diamonds for some time. Many of the best cut round brilliant diamonds are graded by the AGS. This isn't to say that there aren't well cut diamonds graded by other labs.
You can also use the "find online jeweler" feature at the top of the page to price compare similar stones from many different online sources.
The AGS is a very reputable lab who led the industry in cut grading for round brilliant diamonds for some time. Many of the best cut round brilliant diamonds are graded by the AGS. This isn't to say that there aren't well cut diamonds graded by other labs.
You can also use the "find online jeweler" feature at the top of the page to price compare similar stones from many different online sources.
