15 replies to this topic

[kcjonz]

I'm looking at buying this platinum solitaire ring.

Classic estate diamond solitaire engagement ring features one round brilliant diamond weighing 1.02 carats, GIA certified E color, VVS2 clarity. This gorgeous diamond solitaire ring measures 6.5mm in width at the top of the ring and tapers to 1.7mm at the base of the shank. 4.3 grams. Retail value $17500.00




They have it listed @ $8590.00

I negotiated around 10% off to $7800,00

I don't really deal much in diamonds a was wondering if it's a good deal or not.

Thanks in advance.

[denverappraiser]

The key details are on the GIA lab report. You can look up a fair amount of the information online if you've got the report number at www.reportcheck.gia.edu.

I"m curious. Is E/VVS2 a spec you started with or did you end up there because you found a 'deal'?

[kcjonz]

denverappraiser, on 01 October 2010 - 10:00 AM, said:

The key details are on the GIA lab report. You can look up a fair amount of the information online if you've got the report number at www.reportcheck.gia.edu.

I"m curious. Is E/VVS2 a spec you started with or did you end up there because you found a 'deal'?

I just stumbled across this at a local estate dealer. I'm gonna call and see if I can get the report number.

Why do you ask if those are the specs I was looking for? Would I be throwing money away on unneeded color or clarity?

Edited by kcjonz, 01 October 2010 - 10:23 AM.

[kcjonz]

denverappraiser, on 01 October 2010 - 10:00 AM, said:

The key details are on the GIA lab report. You can look up a fair amount of the information online if you've got the report number at www.reportcheck.gia.edu.

I"m curious. Is E/VVS2 a spec you started with or did you end up there because you found a 'deal'?

OK from GIA Report data from online

Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.50 - 6.55 x 3.89 mm
Carat Weight: 1.02 carat Color Grade: E Clarity Grade: VVS2 Cut Grade: Very Good
Proportions:
Depth: 59.6% Table: 61% Crown Angle: 33.0° Crown Height: 12.5% Pavilion Angle: 41.2° Pavilion Depth: 43.0% Star length: 55% Lower Half: 85% Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Culet: Small
Finish:
Polish: Good Symmetry: Good Fluorescence: None

[denverappraiser]

You can now take those specs and compare with similar items offered for sale through the 'diamond finder' link at the top of the page. Even if you have no intention of ever shopping with these folks it can be a very useful tool for getting a feel for prices.

'Good' polish and symmetry is actually pretty low, especially for such a high end stone. Any idea what the problem is?

Again I ask, how did you decide on those specs?

Edited by denverappraiser, 01 October 2010 - 10:26 AM.

[kcjonz]

denverappraiser, on 01 October 2010 - 10:25 AM, said:

You can now take those specs and compare with similar items offered for sale through the 'diamond finder' link at the top of the page. Even if you have no intention of ever shopping with these folks it can be a very useful tool for getting a feel for prices.

Again I ask, how did you come by those specs?

I didn't have those specs in mind. I just came across this diamond. I was actually looking at lesser quality diamonds.

Using the Diamond Finder at the top the diamond alone is $10,000+ so I'm guessing $7800 set in platinum is not a bad deal?

[kcjonz]

denverappraiser, on 01 October 2010 - 10:25 AM, said:

Again I ask, how did you decide on those specs?

I get the felling you feel I could get more bang for my buck with a lesser quality stone. I was looking in the $5000 range and I'm hesitant to bite the bullet at $8000, which is kinda why I'm here. I don't want to buy a diamond for more than it's worth.

What specs would you recommend? Thanks for your time.

Edited by kcjonz, 01 October 2010 - 10:42 AM.

[Britani17]

I think you can do better than the stone you posted. The Clarity and Color are high but hows the cut? The cut is the first thing your eyes notice besides the size. You want that diamond to sparkle and explode with bursts of fire. The more time a cutter spends perfecting the placement of the facets and angles the better cut the diamond will be. The way YOU are going to evaluate the cut is really seeing the diamond in person or at least a good photo. Also, you could play with the color and clarity a bit to get a better cut stone and maybe even a bigger one Your eyes probably can't see the difference in a VVS2 and VS2 or a E versus a G, after all they do grade these diamonds with 10X magnification and the color is actually graded table down. Here is a diamond in the price range as the one ring you posted. With the platinum solitaire there would be hardly any difference in price. The stone is bigger and an excellent cut stone. If you have any further questions you can contact Jan at info@dbof.com. She is quick at answering your emails and great at finding the perfect ring for anyone's budget and specifications.

http://www.dbof.com/...-1-14-ct-vs2-g/

[kcjonz]

Britani17, on 01 October 2010 - 11:06 AM, said:

I think you can do better than the stone you posted. The Clarity and Color are high but hows the cut? The cut is the first thing your eyes notice besides the size. You want that diamond to sparkle and explode with bursts of fire. The more time a cutter spends perfecting the placement of the facets and angles the better cut the diamond will be. The way YOU are going to evaluate the cut is really seeing the diamond in person or at least a good photo. Also, you could play with the color and clarity a bit to get a better cut stone and maybe even a bigger one Your eyes probably can't see the difference in a VVS2 and VS2 or a E versus a G, after all they do grade these diamonds with 10X magnification and the color is actually graded table down. Here is a diamond in the price range as the one ring you posted. With the platinum solitaire there would be hardly any difference in price. The stone is bigger and an excellent cut stone. If you have any further questions you can contact Jan at info@dbof.com. She is quick at answering your emails and great at finding the perfect ring for anyone's budget and specifications.

[url="http://www.dbof.com/jewelry/round-1-14-ct-vs2-g/"][url]http://www.dbof.com/...-1-14-ct-vs2-g/[/url][/url]

OK so it's not that good of a deal. As I mentioned earlier my original budget was really closer to $5000, the $8000 would be cutting into honeymoon money some.

So I should be looking more in at diamonds like this color and clarity [url="http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1284526.asp"][url]http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1284526.asp[/url][/url]

So I need to look at Cut, Size, Color, Clarity??

[denverappraiser]

kcjonz, on 01 October 2010 - 10:41 AM, said:

denverappraiser, on 01 October 2010 - 10:25 AM, said:

Again I ask, how did you decide on those specs?

I get the felling you feel I could get more bang for my buck with a lesser quality stone. I was looking in the $5000 range and I'm hesitant to bite the bullet at $8000, which is kinda why I'm here. I don't want to buy a diamond for more than it's worth.

What specs would you recommend? Thanks for your time.

No, I"m not lobbying for a 'lesser' stone, I'm lobbying for the idea that it should be your choice, not the dealers. You have at your disposal through nearly every dealer something like 80,000 stones that they can order in. Perhaps half of these are represented in the database of this site. there's a pretty good chance that your favorite dealer can get most of the stones you see advertised here. You're paying a considerable premium for both color and clarity and then taking a discount for cutting. That's ok, but it's an unusual choice and if it wasn't being made consciously then I would delve into it with you. A more common spec for a US buyer is color F-H, clarity VS2-SI1, cut excellent. I'm not saying that's better nor am I recommending it but it's what 90% of the people are looking for and those who want to pay a premium for clarity/color upgrades are usually unwilling to back down on cut.

Edited by denverappraiser, 01 October 2010 - 02:29 PM.

[LaurieH]

Personally, I think you can do better for your money. To the unaided eye, once set, an E doesn't look a whole lot brighter than a G (which is why diamonds are only graded un-set), and a VVS2 no cleaner than a VS1. Now, not to say that there's anything wrong with going that high in Color and Clarity--it's fab if you can--but as you said, you were looking at spending considerably less, so you can definitely get something great, about the same size, dropping down Color and Clarity--to maybe an F or G color, and in the VS range (which will still be guaranteed eye clean, by definition), but step up your Cut Grade, Polish and Symmetry, and have something that has a lot more life and sparkle to it. And if you love the setting, a classic "Tiffany style" 6 prong Platinum setting can be found pretty much anywhere, so don't feel "married" to working with the same place for the stone and setting, necessarily. However, sometimes you can get good deals on settings if you do.

So not to push you away from what you've found so far, but hopefully the little bit more info we've been able to give you will help you find something great that you'll be comfortable with, both in appearance and budget


Good luck and congrats in advance!

[jan]

kcjonz, on 01 October 2010 - 10:14 AM, said:

denverappraiser, on 01 October 2010 - 10:00 AM, said:

The key details are on the GIA lab report. You can look up a fair amount of the information online if you've got the report number at www.reportcheck.gia.edu.

I"m curious. Is E/VVS2 a spec you started with or did you end up there because you found a 'deal'?

OK from GIA Report data from online

Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.50 - 6.55 x 3.89 mm
Carat Weight: 1.02 carat Color Grade: E Clarity Grade: VVS2 Cut Grade: Very Good
Proportions:
Depth: 59.6% Table: 61% Crown Angle: 33.0° Crown Height: 12.5% Pavilion Angle: 41.2° Pavilion Depth: 43.0% Star length: 55% Lower Half: 85% Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick Culet: Small
Finish:
Polish: Good Symmetry: Good Fluorescence: None

I don't get that good of light return from the shallower stones. It appears the crown is shallow and the pavilion is deeper. You do know that the $17500 retail price it totally bunk right? The price you paid is fair for the cut grade.
But for $7800 I would opt for a better cut grade and go down in color and clarity slightly. I think you would have a better value if you did.
I think that the stone that you purchased would be a hard sell in the future if you wanted to get rid of it.

Edited by jan, 02 October 2010 - 10:18 AM.

[kcjonz]

OK I have found this in diamond in around the price range I'm looking at.

I'm about to pull the trigger on it and just can't make up my mind. Also any input on their return policy if I get it and it's not the one.

I'm looking for any opinions good or bad on this one.

Thanks in advance for your time.

[url="http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1314308.asp"][url]http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1314308.asp[/url][/url]

[denverappraiser]

kcjonz, on 08 October 2010 - 09:04 AM, said:

I'm about to pull the trigger on it and just can't make up my mind. Also any input on their return policy if I get it and it's not the one.

JA has a pretty reasonable return policy. The only caveat is to watch the calendar and pay attention to the 30 days. It starts when they post it to you and it ends when they get it back and if you're far away this shipping process can suck up a significant amount of your time. Even with that, 30 days is sufficient if you don't dawdle too much in making your decision but can be a little tight if you decide near the end that you want an appraisal from a popular appraiser. Some are a week or more out in setting appointments so, if you're going to do one as part of your shopping process, set the appointment early.

[kcjonz]

Any opinions on the diamond. Do you think this one would show better than the original one I found being and AGS Ideal 0 cut.

[denverappraiser]

I don't give opinions on diamonds I haven't seen but others here a bit less reserved on that. Give it a while and someone will probably post some thoughts.