6 replies to this topic

[stboy]

I'm looking for a diamond to go with a Martin flyer engagement ring.

I was looking for one that would be around 1ct Princess cut and my budget is a max of 5k.
The one I am currently looking at is

.96Ct
Clarity: VVS2
Color: G
Cut: Very Good
Price: 4,745

GIA #: 110609896473

Here is a direct link as well.
[url="http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?filter_id=0&track=bbt#diamonds_pid=LD02094542"][url]http://www.bluenile...._pid=LD02094542[/url][/url]

What are you're thoughts on this? I am a novice in this area but have been looking around for quite some time.

Edited by stboy, 17 June 2011 - 05:00 AM.

[denverappraiser]

If you're trying to maximize size for a particular budget, VVS2 is perhaps not the right choice but I'll let others talk about that. I'm concerned about your comment about the mounting.

Do you have the mounting already? If so, make sure you understand the limitations of what will fit in it. '1 carat' can cover a lot of different sizes and shapes, some of which may not work. Talk with the person you've chosen to do the setting job about your parameters and include them as part of your shopping decision.

[stboy]

I'm sorry for being vague with that. The setting will actually be made. Martin Flyer has never made specifically what my future fiance is looking for so it will be made to accomodate the rock that we settle on.

As far as VVS2 not being the right choice are you implying going with a lower clarity might allow for improvements in other areas that "might" be more meaningful?

[denverappraiser]

Yes, that's what I'm implying. Diamond shopping is largely a matter of tradeoffs. Everybody wants a 2 carat D/IF/ideal because she's worth it. The problem is the price. That sets off a series of compromises on one or more of those attributes, each of which drives down the price in exchange for something that you want. You have to pick what's most important to YOU. I'm not opposed ot VVS but it comes at a significant premium over, say VS2. The same thing happens with size. 1.0+. This comes at a significant premium over 0.8x for example. Color and cutting have simular situations. G is substantially more expensive than I and substantially cheaper than E. Whether or not it's 'better' is going to depend on you. At the end of the day, you're going to pay a premium for some things, and not for others, and the end is going to be a price that you can live with. I don't claim to know what are the best choices for you and not everyone makes the same selections but the path is basically the same for everybody. The two things you mentioned in your post that were important to you were size and price but the stone you chose has a premium for clarity. You chose one that is less expensive than similarly described competitors by a fair amount and you KNOW that something has been traded off to get there. It's good to figure out what it was so you can decide if it's worth it to you.

If the ring is going tobe custom made to fit the stone then I wouldn't be so worried although I would STILL stay in contact with the jeweler that's putting this deal together. Make sure they have the opportunity to evaluate your choice during your return period.

Watch out for claims of cut grading on princess cuts. There is a wild difference in the way this is done and some approaches are way more meaningful than others. I've no idea what these guys mean by 'very good' but if you're going to rely on it, you should try and understand if it says anything useful. Not all of them do, in fact most of them don't.

Edited by denverappraiser, 17 June 2011 - 07:22 AM.

[stboy]

[url="http://www.diamondreview.com/forum/user/109418-denverappraiser/"]denverappraiser[/url] thanks for your fast and detailed responses. I feel like even though I have been casually looking for the last year and started to take a closer look into details and actual stones lately I still don't have the information needed to make a good decision. I feel as though I still have a ways to go with making this decision.

After remembering when I viewed stones in person, in conjunction with your response, makes my decision on this diamond just wrong. I am much more concerned with the color of the stone then I am with the clarity. So if the VVS2 clarity would go for a premium that would not benefit me in the best way and I would be perfectly fine going with something like a VS2

I shopped first for the ring and went to many different local stores, even driving to some in other parts of Florida. This store came out to be the most helpful with a good price for the ring. When it came to selecting the diamond, I felt like they started pushing me into a few diamonds that they had. They were nice and understanding when I asked if I could shop around for the diamond and keep the same price for the ring if found elsewhere. So I will certainly be keeping in touch with them.

I have read up on the cut for the Princess. This stone has the GIA rating. I see the main debate is between GIA and AGS as far as cut is concerned. With AGS using 11 different variable and GIA using 9. From my understanding GIA leaves a little more room for personal taste where AGS is more cut and dry with their ratings.

I was also reading some dealers were open to sending pictures with whatever diamond you would like placed under a specific light, or some sort of scan and send you something like the picture or specs on that. This was not a Sarin scan. I was not 100% clear on what this meant but it gave me a better feeling towards them since it seemed like they were willing to go the extra distance. Is there anything worth while with these offers and anything that I would be able to benefit from and help decipher between diamonds with this service? If there is a benefit would it be more helpful with the GIA opposed to AGS since the "personal taste" comes into play?

[denverappraiser]

I'm a big fan of shopping for the dealer first and then picking the diamond rather than the reverse. The dealer is your ally in this process, not the opponent.

Cut grading on princesses is a complicated soup and you're mixing advice from different sources. GIA doesn't assign a cut grade on princesses at all. AGS has an 11 step scale but there are cnsiderably more variables than that. Realistically in the marketplace you'll never see an AGSL stone graded below a 1 (2-10). It's not that there are no such stones, there's a ton of them, it's just that they don't get submitted to AGS for grading. If you're not aiming for AGS-0, I would stick with GIA and then rely on the dealer for cut grading (which is part of why I think it's important to pick the right dealer).

There are lots of gizmos used by varous dealers to try and promote their stones including ASET, Idealscopes, Brilliancescopes, Firescopes and an assortment of proprietary things. My favorite is the ASET although it does have it's weaknesses and there are some difficulties in interpreting what you see that make it difficult for a consumer to use effectively.

edited to correct spelling and clarify grammar.

Edited by denverappraiser, 17 June 2011 - 11:17 AM.

[davidelevi]

1. The Diamond Finder at the top of the page is rather useful for making price comparisons and understanding how various characteristics impact price (and availability), even if you have no intention of shopping online or with the vendors advertising there.

2. GIA does not issue a cut grade for princess cut diamonds. Nor do they use 11 variables in assessing cut (and AGS does not use 9). So, Neil's question on cut remains open. You have no information other than the vendor's assessment, and it's not necessarily clear how they reached that conclusion.