10 replies to this topic

[Scottie]

Hi Folks

Ok I have been looking for a princess diamond for weeks now and I am really struggling to find myself the Ideal diamond. I think I know what I want but I don't know where to get it.

First of all I live in England but will be visiting a relative in California so I thought I may be able to get a much better diamond for my money by buying online and having it shipped there for me to collect on my visit.

I'm looking to spend about $3000 on the diamond and my research has led me to believe that a smaller diamond with a high cut grading is what would be best suited to me as my girlfriend is not fussed with a large diamond but would like it to look stunning.

Typically I have been looking a diamonds of similar spec to this one on the Abazias website [url="http://www.abazias.com/database/NewDiamondInfo.asp?stock=1679350828&src=builder"]Sample Diamond[/url] would this be a wise purchase?

Ultimately my main concerns are as follows:

- Which online merchants offer the best value diamonds
- Will the typical specs of the diamond above give me a great looking diamond
- If I buy a GIA cert diamond online from a site such as Abazias is there any chance I could receive a fake diamond, i'm confused that if they deliver a diamond which turns out to be fake how do I prove that they actually sent me a fake and I didn't just swap it for one? Am i being too cautious or is this a common concern?

I hope someone can help me work through this

Cheers - Scott

[jan]

.71ct.VS2 E princess




The only problem with the drop ship sites is that you won't actually know what the stone looks like as they use sample images and know what the light performance analysis is like on the individual diamond. Above is a really nice one in that grade and price range with a really great upgrade policy in the future are well.



One mistake that I'm seeing consumers making is using the finish grade ( polish, symmetry ) as the cut grade on the diamonds.

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Edited by jan, 17 June 2008 - 12:34 PM.

[denverappraiser]

Abazias is a legitimate company, as are all of the other advertisers and regular participants here. You can be confident that if you buy a diamond from them, what you will receive will indeed be a diamond. The tricky part is deciding if it’s the right diamond for you.

Burdens of proof are difficult but if you receive something that is importantly misrepresented, the first line of defense is to talk to the seller and rule out simple errors like sending you a box that should have gone to someone else. Next, complain to your credit card company. If you are nervous to return it and thereby lose control of the ‘evidence’, consider having it appraised before you return it. In this case, make sure to use an appraiser that can do all work while you wait and while you watch. In many cases, people will have the Internet company ship it directly to the appraiser. I video record all such shipments for just such an eventuality and the ones I know of record tha packing and shipping on their side. That said, I must add that, in 5 years of the Internet appraisal business and thousands of transactions, I have never had one of the major dealers send as a diamond anything other than a real diamond (sometimes I disagree with the grading, cutting, mounting craftsmanship or other issues but I’ve never received a fake)

Neil

[Scottie]

denverappraiser, on Tuesday, Jun 17 2008, 09:46 PM, said:

Abazias is a legitimate company, as are all of the other advertisers and regular participants here. You can be confident that if you buy a diamond from them, what you will receive will indeed be a diamond. The tricky part is deciding if it’s the right diamond for you.

Burdens of proof are difficult but if you receive something that is importantly misrepresented, the first line of defense is to talk to the seller and rule out simple errors like sending you a box that should have gone to someone else. Next, complain to your credit card company. If you are nervous to return it and thereby lose control of the ‘evidence’, consider having it appraised before you return it. In this case, make sure to use an appraiser that can do all work while you wait and while you watch. In many cases, people will have the Internet company ship it directly to the appraiser. I video record all such shipments for just such an eventuality and the ones I know of record tha packing and shipping on their side. That said, I must add that, in 5 years of the Internet appraisal business and thousands of transactions, I have never had one of the major dealers send as a diamond anything other than a real diamond (sometimes I disagree with the grading, cutting, mounting craftsmanship or other issues but I’ve never received a fake)

Neil

Hi Neil

Thanks very much for your reply, you have certainly doused my fears about buying diamonds online. I was mainly concerned because I won't actually get to see the diamond until i visit California in August but I guess I was just being overly cautious/
I don't normally make large purchases online but the difference in what i can get for my money compared to buying locally in England vast.

Do you feel the diamond in my original post was an acceptable example of my visual quality over size requirements? I have basically been searching for princess diamonds with the following specifications:
D-F Colour
IF-VS1 Clarity
Around 0.7cts
GIA or AGS Cert
Ideal Cut
65-75 Depth
62-68 Table
And preferably less than 0.1 mm difference in length and width.


Many Thanks

Scott

[denverappraiser]

Scott,

GIA doesn't cut grade princess cuts so ideal cutting isn't a choice if you go with GIA. Unlike rounds, it's not even largely a matter of nomenclature or the boundaries between the grades. They simply don't issue a grade at all.

Depth and table measurements are not sufficient to give much cut information on a princess cut. If your dealer has the stone in hand and can provide a Sarin model of it (the whole thing, not just the little report) I can make a decent estimate of how it will grade using the AGS scale and an ASET image taken in a standardized environment can be useful but a classic GIA report simply doesn't contain enough information to make even a useful estimate. For your situation, it really may be helpful to get a US based evaluation between the time you chose the stone and when you show up in California. You still have the ability to send it back and choose a different one as well as the time to get it set by the jeweler in the mounting before you pick it up.

Don't aim for the cheapest ones in your particular category when you do these big internet searches and get a list of 100 superficially similar stones to choose from. I GUARANTEE that these are not going to be the best cutting.

In comparing prices, don't forget the VAT included in the local prices. You will need to pay it when you bring the ring back home just like the local jewelers did.

Neil

[Bradley]

Hi Scott In your sample the vendor is listing that diamond as "Ideal". This is by no means an ideal cut princess, and GIA doesn`t even use that term in their grading.

Most people when shopping on line use numbers such as table and depth to try and determine how bright a diamond will be. Websites listing thousands of diamonds they never see or invest in do the same. Kind of like the blind leading the blind. Unfortunately this concept does not work in locating the most attractive and brilliant princess.

We have been selling diamonds since 1980`s and on line since 1999 and have an excellent system for picking out some of the top princess cuts available. First and number one rule is we always must "see" the diamond first. We can`t expect anyone to trust our judgement on a diamond we never seen in person and have no real physical data on.

Many consumers on line will buy diamonds this way though, with no professional guidance. The drop ship sites never see the diamond they are selling, and will represent its erroneous cut grade on a table and depth. No light return data, no physical examination, no gemological training, very little service. It`s bag your own diamond and see ya ! This will render your chances of getting a top princess cut, much like being in Vegas and spinning the wheel at the roulette wheel.

That being said there is a way to get the right diamond without all the hassle. Shop with someone that has the diamonds in hand and provides you with more real information on the diamond.

Edited by Bradley, 19 June 2008 - 04:06 PM.

[Scottie]

I'm really Confused

Ok from people's comments it seems that my plan to buy online before I visit america is much more complicated than just looking at a few figures.

When I did visit my local jeweler in england he showed me some diamonds that all looked good to my untrained eye but on paper were no where near the quality of what i could get online for my £1700 ($3300). An example of one he showed me priced at £1980 was .71cts F colour VS1 and 4.94x4.88x3.60 good polish very good symmetry.
Compared to a similar (on paper diamond) from Abazias priced at £1385 which in dollars is a ($1200 saving). Even if I add VAT it still seems that there is some considerable merit in taking advantage of my trip to California an possibly getting more for my money.

So the question still remains are there any sites that will allow me to see the Diamond before I order it and are there at least any basic outlines with regards to "cut" that will assist me narrowing my search?

Also I just noticed the diamond Jan posted. I completely missed it before, is that a good Diamond? Would buying from a smaller broker such as Jan who has online reports etc.. be a much simpler way of getting a quality diamond than from a larger "Drop Ship" site?

Thanks for your help folks

Edited by Scottie, 18 June 2008 - 01:04 AM.

[jan]

Yes Brad and I do that.

[Scottie]

jan, on Wednesday, Jun 18 2008, 11:45 AM, said:

Yes Brad and I do that.

Jan

I tried to email you just now but your email server is rejecting it. Are you having issues with your email today?

Edited by Scottie, 18 June 2008 - 04:20 AM.

[Scottie]

Jan & Brad

I looked at the one you recommended (0.71ct E VS2) but also the 0.78 D VS2 and the 0.75 D VVS2.

Please could you give me advice on what I should expect with these diamonds.

I'm starting to think this solution might be best for me as the drop seller websites are quite a minefield but I still am keen to get the better value by buying from the USA.

If I was to purchase through yourselves how would the process work? As mentioned in my post I live in England but will be visiting my Aunt in California in August. My plan was for her to take delivery of the diamond and have it appraised for me along with her personal views on it's beauty.

What is your returns policy and how much would I lose if wasn't happy with the diamond and I had to return it?

Many Thanks

Scott Chilton

Could any other members of this forum offer opinions on the Diamonds noted above from Jan & Brads website.

[jan]

Scottie, on Wednesday, Jun 18 2008, 08:19 AM, said:

jan, on Wednesday, Jun 18 2008, 11:45 AM, said:

Yes Brad and I do that.

Jan

I tried to email you just now but your email server is rejecting it. Are you having issues with your email today?

For some reason our website mail server is down. Try this one:
brokersj@bellsouth.net

I'll be happy to answer all your questions via e-mail.