5 replies to this topic

[camo54]

Or






Are either of these considered a pretty good diamond? The price they were asking at Kay Jewelers is $13500.00, however I have a couple of trade in diamonds that will bring the price on the first one down to $6500.00. I was able to buy the trade in diamonds at a really good price, so I only have about $2000.00 into them.
I would not be able to afford to buy a diamond ring for the $13500.00 price, but the $6500.00 is probably a good deal for the money I have to spend. I would like some opinions on these diamonds and Leo diamonds in general.

[camo54]

Made a mistake on the first one and put the second one in by mistake. This is the correct one that should replace the first:

[davidelevi]

They are both excellent rip-offs.

Price for a solitaire setting in 14k gold is about $300. So let's say you are giving them $13000 for the centre stone.

The diamond is not graded by a reliable lab, which calls into question both the colour and the clarity grades. On the other hand, assuming I/VS1 is correct (big assumption), a competitive price for this type of stone, assuming a top-of-the range cut is somewhere around $6-7000. I think you can do better... unless you are totally in love with the looks of the Leo cut, in which case you haven't too many other choices. In any case, I would encourage you to look at well cut traditional/non-branded princesses - for example the "Peerless" line at Kay/Jared - and decide which look you like best, bearing in mind that well cut "traditional" princesses are not exclusively retailed at high street jewellers.

[camo54]

So how do we find something better that we can afford? We looked at Peerless diamonds at Jared. They were very nice, but the lowest one in this size was $16000.00 just for the stone. As for the LEO diamonds I listed, which is the better choice, the one that has the better clarity or the one with the lower clarity, but the better perfect square ratio? We have looked at a lot of stores and it is getting very confusing. We prefer to actually see what we are buying so buying online would be more difficult.

[LaurieH]

Is there any particular reason that you're looking at branded cut square diamonds? You can get more bang for your buck out of going for a certified (GIA or AGS) that is cut well, and you'll likely get something with better Clarity and Color for the size and budget that you're looking to stay within. A lot of times, those branded diamonds are lower quality diamond, and they put extra facets on them to give them more "sparkle" or cut them shallow and wide to make them look bigger, when in fact, what makes a diamond good are the basic 4 C's, but the CUT--which means that the light performance in a standard Modified Square Radiant aka "Princess Cut" that is well cut is going to look better not only on the surface, but through-and-through, than those with some trademark name.

"Ideal" ratios for Princess cuts are UP TO 1:1.04 (which, esp if set N-S, will still appear square to the human eye most all the time) but the closer you get to 1:1, obviously, the better. Once you're past 1.06, you definitely start to get the impression of the stone being more rectangular. Not that there's anything WRONG with that...it's still a Radiant, but you're getting further from where it can more legitimately be called a "Princess" (IMHO)

I say this as "expert advice", but whatever any of us tell you, it really comes down to what you like and what you're comfortable with buying and from whom. It's nearly impossible to price shop the branded cuts, so we couldn't tell you as far as fair price or value for money with any REAL certainty, because most of those branded cuts are owned by a particular chain, so there's no one else to price shop against. BUT, use the diamond finder tool at the top, plug in your basic specs, and just look at what ballpark of prices come up. If you see that it's REALLY out of line (either in your favor or in theirs) with what they're asking, then stop and consider further what direction to take. Otherwise, all other advice aside, you've just gotta go with your gut!

Good luck!

[davidelevi]

camo54, on 30 September 2011 - 09:32 AM, said:

So how do we find something better that we can afford? We looked at Peerless diamonds at Jared. They were very nice, but the lowest one in this size was $16000.00 just for the stone. As for the LEO diamonds I listed, which is the better choice, the one that has the better clarity or the one with the lower clarity, but the better perfect square ratio? We have looked at a lot of stores and it is getting very confusing. We prefer to actually see what we are buying so buying online would be more difficult.

The reason why I recommended that you look at the "peerless" collection was simply to get you to take a look at traditional cut diamonds. As I said above, if you are not "married" to the Leo cut, you have many more options. In all conscience, I could not recommend to shop at Kay or Jared - not when they charge you a price that is double the competition.

I think you should look at online retailers with the understanding that you are NOT buying; you are paying a (very modest) shipping fee to inspect the stone and return it within 15, 30 (or even 60) days if you don't like it. This is what most dealers offer anyway, so it's not like you are asking to be treated differently from anyone else.