13 replies to this topic

[maxim730]

Hi all,

I looked at a few loose diamonds at Jareds and the price for a particular stone is very cheap compared to BlueNile,WhiteFlash, even Jareds.com

Stone details:

Ct: 2.5
Color: I
Clarity: SI
THis was not a Leo or Peerless. I guess it is their regular selection.
Price: ~$13,000

(That's all the status i have, sorry). The 2.0 ct is around $11K and the 1.5ct is around $9

Other sites have the same stone around $25K!!

Should I question why the stone is so much cheaper? It looks like a great deal but I feel like I am missing something.. something big!
Is there some other stats I should be looking at?

I really want to get feedback from the folks here before I purchase this.

Thanks

[LaurieH]

The biggest thing to help answer that question is: Is it a certified diamond (and by which lab? GIA, AGS, EGL, MysteryLabX?) or just what one of their' "experts" calls it?

[maxim730]

LaurieH, on 15 September 2011 - 04:48 PM, said:

The biggest thing to help answer that question is: Is it a certified diamond (and by which lab? GIA, AGS, EGL, MysteryLabX?) or just what one of their' "experts" calls it?

Hey, thanks for the reply.

It is certified by AGS.

I also went to a different Jared's nearby and looked at the same stones (1.5,2, 2.5) and the prices were the same.

My next stop is to get the SKU# and see what the price is online (and get more stats for the stones so I can do more research)

Edited by maxim730, 15 September 2011 - 04:58 PM.

[LaurieH]

So you saw the stone in person? SI1 or SI2? That can make a big difference. And if you want to get a basic comparison, check out the Diamond Finder tool at the top of the page, and plug in the basic specs and see what comes up. You should be able to find a handful of AGS graded stones, but if not, go ahead and use GIA certed stones for a price guideline. If you're in the right ballpark on asking price, then you know you're good. If it's outside of that range that you're seeing (don't pay attn to pricing of "equal" Color/Clarity EGL stones, because they're not equal) either too much higher OR too much lower, then something is out of sorts. Perhaps that SI is very visible or it's something that can potentially compromise the integrity of the stone or something else just somehow out of whack. Certainly if you are being offered much less than a fair range that you come up with, it's time to ask more questions at the store.

[maxim730]

LaurieH, on 15 September 2011 - 05:16 PM, said:

So you saw the stone in person? SI1 or SI2? That can make a big difference. And if you want to get a basic comparison, check out the Diamond Finder tool at the top of the page, and plug in the basic specs and see what comes up. You should be able to find a handful of AGS graded stones, but if not, go ahead and use GIA certed stones for a price guideline. If you're in the right ballpark on asking price, then you know you're good. If it's outside of that range that you're seeing (don't pay attn to pricing of "equal" Color/Clarity EGL stones, because they're not equal) either too much higher OR too much lower, then something is out of sorts. Perhaps that SI is very visible or it's something that can potentially compromise the integrity of the stone or something else just somehow out of whack. Certainly if you are being offered much less than a fair range that you come up with, it's time to ask more questions at the store.

Hey,

It is SI and AGS-graded.

I did plug in the specs I know - 2.5, SI, I, and all the results are in the 25K range except for a couple that are under 25K - 19K (EGL) and one that is 11K (no lab) listed.

I will get the AGS report and do more research. Maybe I am missing something here. So glad I am able to post here and express my doubts

THanks

[davidelevi]

Well - there is a question that is completely unanswered: how well is it cut?

AGS grading is a good sign, but AGS has two cut grading systems, so it's also important to get a copy of the report itself and see what it is...

[denverappraiser]

You didn't mention the shape. Is this round, princess or something else entirely?

As mentioned above, the devil in diamonds is ALWAYS in the details. It's certainly possible that you've found a bargain but it's also highly possible that something is going on and the lack of real information is deliberately obscuring it. This possibility is a red flag. Jareds is a good enough store but they're not known for especially cheap prices and if they're seriously undercutting their own website, that's yet another red flag.

What do I mean by 'real' information?

1) Scan or link to the original AGS report on specific stones being offered for sale. (We can look it up using the report number and the weight if you don't have a scan. So can you at www.ags.org). You mentioned that you went to other Jareds and got the same deal. Was this the same exact stones or others with the same specs? You're missing some ccritical details and some of what you provided isn't done in the way AGSL describes thing (ex: 'SI' is not an AGS grade and they quote weights to 4 significant digits, not the 2 that you've listed). That's a 3rd red flag.

2) Details on the deal. Are there any 'terms and conditions' sorts of issues where you have to by a particular mounting with it or some other such thing? Jareds isn't so bad on this sort of thing but it's always one of the things to look for with jewelers so I wanted to put it out there.

Edited by denverappraiser, 16 September 2011 - 12:24 PM.

[maxim730]

Hi all

Ok, so the Lab-certification for the 2.0 and the 2.58 is from IGI, NOT AGS as I initially thought



Not only that, both of the clarities are I(1), not SI1 as Jareds is marketing it as... WOW!

Here are the IGI report #s:

[url]http://igionline.com/igiweb/onlinereport/[/url]


2.0 ct:

IGI# - 33282562


Date : 07/15/2008
I.G.I Certificate # : 33282562
Description of Article : ONE NATURAL DIAMOND, DETAILED DESCRIPTION BELOW:
Shape and Cutting Style : ROUND BRILL. CUT
Measurements : 8.13 - 8.17 x 5.06 MM.
Weight : 2.08 CARATS
Finish
Polish : V.GOOD
Symmetry : V.GOOD
Clarity Grade : I(1)
Color Grade : NEAR COLORLESS(G)
Fluorescence : NONE
Comments : GIRDLE LASERSCRIBED: "IGI 33282562" ,SURFACE GRAIN LINES PRESENT


2.58ct

IGI# - 3038347B


Date : 05/17/2011
I.G.I Certificate # : 3038347B
Description of Article : ONE NATURAL DIAMOND, DETAILED DESCRIPTION BELOW:
Shape and Cutting Style : ROUND BRILLIANT CUT
Measurements : 8.54 - 8.58 x 5.63 MM.
Weight : 2.58 CARAT(S)
Finish
Polish : VERY GOOD
Symmetry : GOOD
Clarity Grade : I(1)
Color Grade : NEAR COLORLESS(I)
Fluorescence : NONE
Comments : GIRDLE LASERSCRIBED "IGI 3038347B"
THIS DATA IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN ORIGINAL REPORT. FOR DETAIL CALL I.G.I.(212)753-7100.
STONE#: 9-20-3781

Edited by maxim730, 16 September 2011 - 03:30 PM.

[davidelevi]

Ignore
Gross
Idiots

Skip and restart. I don't know if Jared's is being deliberately devious about it, or if it is an honest mistake, but IGI and AGS are very different credentials, and in any case the difference in price between an SI1 and I1 (all else being equal) is a factor of 2.

You can find GIA-graded 2.5x I/I1 for $13k online - and I'd be ready to bet they are significantly whiter and less included (and possibly better cut) than the IGI stones.

[LaurieH]

WOW. Talk about apples to pineapples! Well, now you have the answer for why it was so cheap. Good on you for making sure to do the homework!

[maxim730]

Thanks for the help all. I def. learned my lesson. I'm glad my doubts forced me to find an answer.

I also learned about Holloway Cut Advisor and def using it for my purchase

[davidelevi]

Just remember to use it appropriately - it is not a good tool to pick a stone, and it never was intended for that. It is not a bad tool to create a shortlist, but frankly if you stick to GIA and AGS-graded diamonds, the cut grade provided by either lab is a significantly better measure.

[LaurieH]

Agreed! I have never been a big fan of Holloway or, frankly, any of the other things (besides maybe a H&A scope thing) that are supposed to tell you how "good" a diamond is. I find a grading report to be more than sufficient because it is not a computer or program or random other thing telling you about the diamond--it is a real human being who looks at it, measures it and assesses it. I've seen Holloway give diamonds with an Excellent Cut Grade a "Good" and a Poor a "Very Good", so I tend to kinda scrap the whole thing if it can be that inconsistent with what human eyes tell professional graders. But that's just me. Other experts have their own opinions (Which is another reason why this is such a great forum! )

[denverappraiser]

Laurie,

I"m not a big fan of the HCA as a shopping tool either, although I do rather like Garry Holloway. That said, I would point out that the GIA system for cut evaluation is 100% computer based modeling using automated scanners as well unless you count the potential downgrade for insufficient polish and/or symmetry scores. In reality, this very rarely seems to happen. I think GIA has a better model than the HCA, and I like the AGS approach even better, but computers rule the game for all of them.