1.51 Princess cut, bought it this morning at Bailey Banks and Biddle and they are sending it out to

[MP]

Well I went ahead and made the big purchase. I've been lurking here for several months and have been to countless B & M shops as well as online places. I really want to go with someone local so I decided on BB&B since they carried Tacori and were willing to work with me on the price. Now originally they wanted to charge me $9700 for this diamond, but I told them in no uncertain terms that I can get an equally beautiful diamond for much less from a third party. I kept negotiating over a couple of weeks and they finally settled on a final price of $8275 for the diamond. They are sending it out for mounting at Tacori later on this week.

I wanted to get your guys opinion on the diamond. I love the way it sparkled and return a lot of light, but I am no expert so I defer to the board. I've attached the GCAL certificate to this post. What do you guys think of this diamond and the price for it?

 

[mrssalvo]

sounds like you love it and it''s already on it''s way, so sit back and enjoy your purchase and soon to be new ring...

 

[MP]

I did like the look of it compared to the other diamonds I looked at. Likewise, it was far cheaper than other diamonds with similar brilliance. I just want to make sure that I'm not getting taken to the cleaners so to speak. Likewise, as I've stated previously I'm no expert so I'd like to get some opinions of the stone itself from people with more knowledge on the subject.

 

[March-8-2008]

Oh, MP, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I don't know whether you've read my reply on your earlier post re: Blue Nile Signature Ideal Princess cuts, but the Tacori setting for my carat-and-a-half Blue Nile Princess came from BB&B as well, but it was set in-store.

For what it's worth, my local BB&B in Dallas quoted us $12,995 for a stone MUCH lower in clarity (I, SI1 OR 2) than what my fiance got from Blue Nile for about 25% less. We knew we could do better and went with Blue Nile. (Might have gone with Good Old Gold or Whiteflash had we known about them at the time, but we still feel like we got a truly amazing ring, setting and stone, for an excellent price.)

And your stone and mine are quite close to each other, judging from the specs.

I hope your soon-to-be-fiancee is as dazzled by her ring as I am by mine.

Which setting did you choose? Pictures, please!!!

Surely you know - even with the short amount of time you've invested in the board - that you MUST post pictures.

And eventual handshots.

We'll leave it to your fiancee to post the eventual flower shots.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 1/25/2008 10:36:07 AM
Author: MP
I did like the look of it compared to the other diamonds I looked at. Likewise, it was far cheaper than other diamonds with similar brilliance. I just want to make sure that I''m not getting taken to the cleaners so to speak. Likewise, as I''ve stated previously I''m no expert so I''d like to get some opinions of the stone itself from people with more knowledge on the subject.

I understand. I''m just curious as to why you posted after you paid and it''s on it way, instead of before

can you even return/exchange it if the folks here gave it a thumbs down?

i''m no princess expert so I can''t help you there. Hopefully one will chime in though and give you the reassurance you''re looking for. I do know that most here will tell you that eyes trump paper when it comes to fancy''s so if your eyes loved it, that is what is important

you can also use the cut advisor on the home page to enter in your specs and find stones that are similar for similar pricing....

 

[MP]

Thanks March, I just need to confirm that I''m getting a decent price. What do you think of the price I paid for the diamond?

By the way, the setting I did choose, which I chose a month ago and was simply waiting for a good diamond to be selected is the one you have. I hope you don''t mind, but it was one of the few settings that I could find with diamonds surrounding the center stone that didn''t look to gawdy. I believe they call it micro pave, but it looks so delicate and really makes the center stone look huge. I customized the setting a little and had them order me one with only four prongs at the corners. Tacori is going to do all the work and set the stone for how.

 

[MP]

Mrsalvo, to answer your question I can definitely get my money back at this point. I have an order in with BB&B that is fully paid for, but I have up until 30 days after I get the ring to get a full refund. That's why I'm making sure that I hit a decent mark in terms of the price of the diamond.

 

[March-8-2008]

MP, I am not the diamond expert that so many are around here. But I think you got an EXTREMELY fair price from Bailey Banks and Biddle. I don''t know precisely what my fiance paid for my Blue Nile, but I''m pretty sure it was in that ballpark, give or take.

And I am so thrilled that someone else appreciates the setting. It''s blingy but delicate, too. The best of both worlds!

By the way, I love having the eight prongs. It keeps the diamond safe and secure, and even if one prong loosens, the seven others will keep the stone from moving in the setting. I''ve read that Princesses are prone to chipping on the corners (not common, but known to happen) so it puts my mind at ease knowing the diamond is cozy and safe.

You did very well....

Do you have a proposal date in mind yet? And do you know when your ring is going to be ready?

 

[MP]

I don''t have a date in mind as of right now. I was thinking about March. Her parents have a beach house at the Jersey shore so I was thinking about taking a long weekend, taking her up on the boardwalk and proposing. Keeping it when it''s still cold out so she won''t notice me carrying it around.

I see what you''re saying about the prongs. I had them call Tacori to ask if it was possible to do it with four prongs just on the corners and they said it was so I decided to go that way. I wanted it too look more delicate so that''s why I took some prongs out. I hope it will come out nice, Tacori said they''ve done it before and it looks great so we''ll see when it comes in. Hopefully by the 3rd week of February.

 

[MP]

Here is a pic of the victim of my dastardly plan. She was at her friends wedding shower and decided to show off the whatever that thing on her head is.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

She is stunning! And so will be the ring you give her!

cheers--Sharon

 

[EMPTorres]

Sounds beautiful... Congrats.

Which Tacori setting is it?

 

[MP]

It''s the same one as March''s with four prongs instead of 8.

Here is a repost of her ring, when I get mine I will post my own. Beautiful ring March.

 

[MP]

Do any of the so called experts have any opinions on the diamond and price?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Congratulations MP!

You got a fantastic deal on the stone IMO!!!

Cant wait to see lots and lots of pictures!!

 

[MP]

Thanks Italia, to be honest I''m just really nervous about spending a whole lot of money and I guess I need a little reassurance that I got a nice deal.

I vote of confidence from the board and some princess experts is much appreciated.

 

[iheartscience]

I''m not a princess expert, but if you go to the AGA rules for fancy shaped diamonds and check your numbers against the ideal numbers posted, that should give you a better idea. I can''t read the crown angle, depth and table %, etc. off the scanned certificate, so I can''t tell you where it falls in the cut chart. Here''s the web address:

http://www.gemappraisers.com/oldcutgraderules.asp

 

[Rhino]

Date: 1/25/2008 3:51:34 PM
Author: MP
Do any of the so called experts have any opinions on the diamond and price?

A good piece of advice would be for you to visually compare it to what some of the vendors personally hand select and see for yourself. I am very familiar with scope images akin to what''s on the report and could give you pretty accurate counsel as other experts can on this forum who are familiar with such princess cuts. I do however advocate what appeals most to a person''s eyes over technological results. With what you have posted I am confident that you would see a rather notable difference in the appearance and beauty of the diamond if you took the opportunity to further educate yourself on the subject. You may be very thankful you did MP.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 1/25/2008 10:51:18 AM
Author: March-8-2008
Oh, MP, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I don''t know whether you''ve read my reply on your earlier post re: Blue Nile Signature Ideal Princess cuts, but the Tacori setting for my carat-and-a-half Blue Nile Princess came from BB&B as well, but it was set in-store.

For what it''s worth, my local BB&B in Dallas quoted us $12,995 for a stone MUCH lower in clarity (I, SI1 OR 2) than what my fiance got from Blue Nile for about 25% less. We knew we could do better and went with Blue Nile. (Might have gone with Good Old Gold or Whiteflash had we known about them at the time, but we still feel like we got a truly amazing ring, setting and stone, for an excellent price.)

And your stone and mine are quite close to each other, judging from the specs.

I hope your soon-to-be-fiancee is as dazzled by her ring as I am by mine.

Which setting did you choose? Pictures, please!!!

Surely you know - even with the short amount of time you''ve invested in the board - that you MUST post pictures.

And eventual handshots.

We''ll leave it to your fiancee to post the eventual flower shots.

I hate to take this off topic March-8-2008, but just wanted to alert you to an upcoming Dallas PS Get Together at the Northpark Mall - would love to see your gorgeous princess if you can attend! https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/rescheduled-dfw-ps-gtg-choose-the-date.77131/

 

[MP]

Thanks thing2of2, I took your advice and looked at the AGA chart for fancy shapes(princess). As far as I can tell me diamond falls in the 2a category, which is International Fine Trade Cut. The table of my diamond is 73%, the depth is 64.6% on the right side and 75.8% on the left, and the crown height is 8.4%.

Am I reading it correctly?

 

[March-8-2008]

Thanks, LaurenThePartier!

I responded there in the other thread.

 

[MP]

Rhino,

I am studying up and have been doing research for the last couple of months on diamonds. The problem is that it seems so subjective. One person tells you this while another says something completely different. Even going off the charts I would say that from all the diamonds I looked at versus the one I purchased on paper several were better, but lacked that sparkled. I think would really stood out on the one I bought was the optical brilliance analysis of excellent.

What do you think of the diamond from the cert and the price I paid? Obviously I could have gotten it slightly cheaper from a wholesaler, but I really wanted to view the stone in person up against other stones.

 

[March-8-2008]

Also, MP, your fiancee is ADORABLE!! Great dimples!

The ring will look FABULOUS on her.

And thank you for the compliment on mine - you and I have EXCELLENT taste. Heh.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

MP, I totally agree with seeing the diamond before buying. I personally have been a diamond fanatic for years and still get caught up on the numbers such as depth, table, etc... And online all the "pictures" tend to look the same...

I''m happy you took the time to see your stone, and make a selection based upon what looked the best to you! That''s how I prefer to make big purchases too!

I know it can be slightly daughtening to plop down thousands and thousands of dollars for a ring...my Hub''s felt much the same way mixed with serious excitement! But, this is something she will wear everyday for the rest of her life, and something she will love and value. Just be thankful you got a great deal, and enjoy the experience!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think what matters is what you value the most. Does getting a good stone at a good price meet your expectations? Or do you want an excellent cut stone? I don''t know enough about pricess cut stones, other than AGS0 ideal cut pricess stones are considered the top of the line. I think Jon was trying to say that if you compared your stone to an ideal cut one, you probably would notice the difference. I will tell you in my own diamond search (for an anniversary, not an e-ring), I never saw ideal cut stones at even our nicest jewelers. What I saw looked beautiful, but I was not comparing them to the best. I did end up with an ideal cut round and I am really glad I did. But you do pay a little more for the best stones.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/25/2008 11:35:47 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I think what matters is what you value the most. Does getting a good stone at a good price meet your expectations? Or do you want an excellent cut stone? I don''t know enough about pricess cut stones, other than AGS0 ideal cut pricess stones are considered the top of the line. I think Jon was trying to say that if you compared your stone to an ideal cut one, you probably would notice the difference. I will tell you in my own diamond search (for an anniversary, not an e-ring), I never saw ideal cut stones at even our nicest jewelers. What I saw looked beautiful, but I was not comparing them to the best. I did end up with an ideal cut round and I am really glad I did. But you do pay a little more for the best stones.

Yes. I totally agree.

And MP, I''ll be honest, when I read that this one looked best, my first thought was, I wonder what exactly he was comparing it to. i.e. What kind of quality. "Good" can look great, until you see outstanding.

I would recommend heeding Jon''s advice. He does this for a living.

 

[MP]

Well I am open to some quotes on an ideal cut. I contacted God old Gold and they were very expensive with the quotes they threw back at me. Upwards of $11,000 on a 1.5 princess. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed, but maybe I was dealing with the wrong person down there. Likewise, maybe that's just the going price. Either way it was way over my budget of $12,000 for both the ring and setting.

Who should I be talking too?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/26/2008 11:03:01 AM
Author: MP
Well I am open to some quotes on an ideal cut. I contacted God old Gold and they were very expensive with the quotes they threw back at me. Upwards of $11,000 on a 1.5 princess. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed, but maybe I was dealing with the wrong person down there.

Who should I be talking too?

You should ask to speak to Jon, he's the guy who posted here. Tell him who you are (from here).

I will say, as I believe ds did, you will pay more for a very well cut stone, kinda the, you get what you pay for adage. But I can assure you, all of us would opt for a very well cut, slightly smaller stone. The cut really does make the difference MP. So you might have to go just a bit under a 1.5. Although, you don't say what color and clarity you were quoted, I see 3, G's and H, in the 1.2-1.3 ish range, and the most expensive is 7327.00.

I'm glad to see you're open to other stones. You have such a beautiful girl there, we just want to see her wearing the most beautiful stone you can afford.

 

[MP]

Hey Ellen,
The one thing that concerns me about going with someone online is the fact that I won''t see the stone until it''s bought and paid for. How do you get around that? I would hate to buy something, send it back, buy something else, send it back, and so on if I don''t like it.

 

[mrssalvo]

I''m not Ellen, but the nice thing about places like GOG is 1) they can make a video for you to actually see without having to ship stones anyplace. also, I''d trust Jon''s eyes over my own any day when picking a diamond. it would at least be worth a look with nothing to lose IMO.