12 replies to this topic

[scabbed_knee]

1.51ct J SI2 Round Cut... Ideal or Premium Cut (can't remember)


$7,400.


Good or not?

[JohnQuixote]

scabbed_knee, on Monday, Jul 30 2007, 02:23 PM, said:

1.51ct J SI2 Round Cut... Ideal or Premium Cut (can't remember)

$7,400.

Good or not?

Do you know more about it? Which lab graded it? Table/depth? Dimensions in mm, crown/pavilion angles, star & lower halves, girdle details & finish grades? Those will help us somewhat, but even better would be photos/proof of light performance. Have you seen the diamond yourself?

1.50 ct J SI2 diamonds are currently priced from about $5500-$7500 from online sellers, depending on particulars: A deep, thick girdled or heavily included stone with finish < VG can fall at the low side. A diamond with an AGS Ideal or GIA EX cut which is a rare 'eye-clean' SI2 might be priced at the high side.

We might be able to give more info if we get more info.

Edited by JohnQuixote, 30 July 2007 - 11:42 AM.

[scabbed_knee]

Thanks John for the quick response.

Yes I did look at the diamond. I went to a retailer here in Charlotte, Diamonds Direct South Park. It is GIA certified.

As for the other characteristics you asked.... I do not know.

[JohnQuixote]

scabbed_knee, on Monday, Jul 30 2007, 02:45 PM, said:

Thanks John for the quick response.

Yes I did look at the diamond. I went to a retailer here in Charlotte, Diamonds Direct South Park. It is GIA certified.

As for the other characteristics you asked.... I do not know.

You can make a couple of the determinations for yourself then. Examine it in several lighting conditions (not just under the jewelry store lights) to be sure it faces up as clean as you like. J is the bottom of near-colorless so you can examine it for tint to be sure it faces up as colorless as you hope. Diffused light (like fluorescent tubes) are the best condition in which to make these judgments. Wear a neutral colored shirt; white/grey or black.

You will likely see tint viewing the diamond from the side, and SI2 is graded that way for a reason - so don't expect clarity 'miracles' but it's in your best interest to view it in several conditions. Sometimes people buy a diamond, get it home under soft or indirect lighting and it looks much different than it did in the store.

The GIA report will have proportions on it (a drawing of the diamond with % and angles) if it was graded Jan 2006 or later. If it was graded prior to that you can take the GIA report # and the carat weight and get the proportions yourself from GIA report check.

http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/

This will help with regard to understanding the pedigree compared to others rounds from a design/make standpoint. Based on the price you gave you should expect it to have good cut & finish, but what is most important is how the diamond looks to your eyes.

[scabbed_knee]

Here's the diamond... in the setting.

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[JohnQuixote]

scabbed_knee, on Wednesday, Aug 1 2007, 03:42 PM, said:

Here's the diamond... in the setting.

It looks beautiful. How does it appear to your eyes? I like your setting choice.

Edited by JohnQuixote, 04 August 2007 - 08:53 AM.

[JohnQuixote]

Trying some Saturday software shenanigans here.

Scabbed_knee, if you return here and do have the GIA or AGS report - how close is the guesstimate? It's a lot easier to do with known mm dimensions (depth especially), but the stone appears to be near-Tolk so I thought I'd try my wireframe skillz for fun. T 56, C 35.0, P 40.8, LH 80, ST 55

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[scabbed_knee]

JohnQuixote, on Saturday, Aug 4 2007, 01:24 PM, said:

Trying some Saturday software shenanigans here.

Scabbed_knee, if you return here and do have the GIA or AGS report - how close is the guesstimate? It's a lot easier to do with known mm dimensions (depth especially), but the stone appears to be near-Tolk so I thought I'd try my wireframe skillz for fun. T 56, C 35.0, P 40.8, LH 80, ST 55

John,

I'm sorry, but I'm not following you... what are you asking?

[JohnQuixote]

scabbed_knee, on Sunday, Aug 5 2007, 09:17 PM, said:

John,

I'm sorry, but I'm not following you... what are you asking?

No worries. Being a cut geek, I was just seeing if I could get close to your diamond's measurements by matching a wire-frame to the photo you provided. It's not important.

What I was asking - if you have the diamond's grading report - was what the measurements are. If it's an AGS or GIA report it will have a drawing of the diamond with these listed (unless it's an older GIA report, in which case you can use the lab report # and its carat weight to look up the measurements at this link...but only if you wanna). 'Tis no big deal. How does the diamond look to you by the way?

Edited by JohnQuixote, 05 August 2007 - 07:19 PM.

[scabbed_knee]

I'm picking it up at the store in two weeks... Of course it looked fabulous at the store with all the lighting. I asked if I could take it to the front and look at it with natural light from the windows.... still looked great.


It's GIA certified. When I get that info, I will post it.



PS- when I get this insured, do I use my home owners insurance? It's USAA. Do they appraise it or should I also go to an appraiser?

[JohnQuixote]

scabbed_knee, on Monday, Aug 6 2007, 11:45 AM, said:

I'm picking it up at the store in two weeks... Of course it looked fabulous at the store with all the lighting. I asked if I could take it to the front and look at it with natural light from the windows.... still looked great.

It's GIA certified. When I get that info, I will post it.

PS- when I get this insured, do I use my home owners insurance? It's USAA. Do they appraise it or should I also go to an appraiser?

Ok, I look forward to seeing the info - but not as much as you're looking forward to having the ring in your hands.

You can insure jewelry through your homeowners insurance, but I would also take a few minutes to get quotes from some top jewelry insurers. In the event of loss it's preferable that you're allowed to work with a jeweler of your choice on replacement. Some insurers don't allow this and replace with what they consider to be 'like kind & quality.' This may be different than your idea of it.

Jewelers Mutual, Touchstone and Chubb are all popular jewelry insurers. Chubb is more expensive b/c it's a cash-out policy. JM typically allows you to work with your jeweler of choice (if the agent denies this ask for another agent). Touchstone writes both Chubb and Gemshield policies, so they can provide options and 2 quotes.

Sometimes the invoice will be all you need, but it never hurts to have an appraisal or a verification from someone independent. Ask the insurance agent what's required.

Edited by JohnQuixote, 06 August 2007 - 09:07 AM.

[denverappraiser]

I’m a big fan of doing a proper appraisal in order to get maximum value out of both your jewelry shopping exercise and out of your insurance. Meeting your insurance company’s minimum requirements is usually pretty easy and most selling jewelers are happy to do it although it’s not your insurance company who should be picky about your appraisal, it’s you. The problem comes at claims time. If you ever file a claim, the duty of the insurance company is generally to replace with ‘like kind and quality’. The definition of ‘like kind and quality’ will be contained within your appraisal and it’s critical, especially if you’ve shopped hard for a particular look.

I remember once seeing an unsigned appraisal that read: “Ladies diamond ring, about the size of a pea --- $7,000”.

That’s it. The customer was thrilled because it had only cost him $3000 and he went home happy and confident that he had a bargain. He probably never read anything other than the value conclusion anyway. An insurer had accepted this, bound a policy on it and collected premiums for years. I actually saw it for a reappraisal before a loss but how would they replace this? What kind of pea? Was the ring 10k or 18k? The cheapest diamond in the cheapest ring that is the size of the smallest pea available would be tops $100 so would this be sufficient? Why not?

It’s definitely better to show a GIA report but is that really sufficient? We’re still missing all of the cutting information, all of the craftsmanship issues on the mounting and the setting job, the condition as of the start of the policy, the manufacturer and many other details that can turn out to be critical for proper replacement. USAA is a pretty good outfit but they handle jewelry insurance a little different than most of the companies. They own a jewelry store and they will send you something from their store that meets the minimum specs you provide in the appraisal. This makes it doubly important that those specs include everything that you want to be considered at the time of replacement.

Neil

[JohnQuixote]

denverappraiser, on Monday, Aug 6 2007, 12:47 PM, said:

Meeting your insurance company’s minimum requirements is usually pretty easy and most selling jewelers are happy to do it although it’s not your insurance company who should be picky about your appraisal, it’s you. The problem comes at claims time. If you ever file a claim, the duty of the insurance company is generally to replace with ‘like kind and quality’. The definition of ‘like kind and quality’ will be contained within your appraisal and it’s critical, especially if you’ve shopped hard for a particular look.

Neil did a better job of explaining this than I did.

Edited by JohnQuixote, 06 August 2007 - 12:06 PM.