3 replies to this topic

[vadim]

HI, need some advise.

I have been shopping for a rock online, and ended up on 47th street NY (i work 3 blocks away). NO matter how much i wanted to avoid going there, i ended up finding the best deals there... Found a rock 1.7 with color: F clarity: SI1 triple E, no florescent, no culet, medium girdle. All proportion punch out "excellent" on pricescope diamond tool. The diamond also has a small cloud. Now the thing that really bothers me is the "feather". There are 2 and they are about 1/8 if not 1/10 of the diamond, but they seem to start from the girldle.

My question is: any and all advise on feather.

The rock costs 15000, (yes i negotiate and very aware of the raptor sheet pricing and 10% room. THis diamond wsa bought in 2008, so he had room)

Any and all other advise are much appreciated.

[davidelevi]

It's very difficult to comment without seeing the diamond, preferably under a good loupe. If the feathers are "open" (that is, they get to the surface of the stone) and they are on or very near the girdle this may spell trouble. On the other hand, it could be perfectly OK, and in fact chances are that it is - an open feather near the girdle has been subjected to huge pressure and heat when the diamond was being cut; the stress of setting and normal usage is many times lower. The only way of knowing for sure is to get a trusted expert to see it in person: do you trust the dealer?

Incidentally - 15k is a reasonable price for a stone with those characteristics, assuming it is GIA graded. A lot of the price variation is in how visible the inclusions are and in how truly "excellent" the cut is (GIA's cut grades are rather broad).

[vadim]

davidelevi, on Friday, May 14 2010, 01:10 PM, said:

It's very difficult to comment without seeing the diamond, preferably under a good loupe. If the feathers are "open" (that is, they get to the surface of the stone) and they are on or very near the girdle this may spell trouble. On the other hand, it could be perfectly OK, and in fact chances are that it is - an open feather near the girdle has been subjected to huge pressure and heat when the diamond was being cut; the stress of setting and normal usage is many times lower. The only way of knowing for sure is to get a trusted expert to see it in person: do you trust the dealer?

Incidentally - 15k is a reasonable price for a stone with those characteristics, assuming it is GIA graded. A lot of the price variation is in how visible the inclusions are and in how truly "excellent" the cut is (GIA's cut grades are rather broad).

I cant say i trust the dealer, but at the same time i have no reason not 2. It is GIA graded. What should i do next? I want to make sure this "feather" will not cause problems.

As for price, you think i can go lower?

[davidelevi]

If you don't feel the dealer is to be trusted, or you are of the Reagan school of "trust but verify", hire an appraiser. Alternatively, get the dealer to set the stone in the ring, and then get an appraiser to look at the final result; this way any responsibility for damage will sit clearly with the dealer.

As for price, I don't know. I haven't seen the stone, I don't know the dealer, their current situation or the price at which they bought. Heck, I don't even know if you are paying cash upfront or on a credit card. Again, if you have reservations, a skilled appraiser should be able to help you figure out if what you are paying is a fair price. All I can point at is that similar stones are priced here ("Find Online Jeweler") between $17k and $11k, much of the difference being accounted for by the quality of the cut and the visibility or otherwise of the SI1 inclusion(s).