1.59, Round Shape, H Color, SI 2, GIA Certified....Am i getting a good deal????

[-Romeo-]

Good day folks,

I am probably the newest guy on the block as we speak...Looking to get the love of my life a special stone.

A friend of a friend offered to help out through his father''s store and presented me with a 1.59, Round Shape, H Color, SI 2, GIA Certified diamond for $5,900...I have been looking online for a while to match the price but i couldn''t. It is the cheapest i have seen, and i am a big believer of finding great deals online.

what do you guys think? Can i find something better online or should go ahead and take it?

Thanks

 

[JulieN]

Can we get some more details...a GIA number could be helpful.

Internet price is really cheap... the profit margin is definitely not more than 10% (closer to 5%.) If you're seeing discounts of 20, 30, or 40% less than wholesale, I would urge some caution in the proceedings, and a second opinion.

 

[Kelli]

You didn;t mention anything about the cut quality, which is definitely the most important aspect of a beautiful stone. See what you can find out and we''ll be glad to take a look.

 

[Dreamer1116]

$5,900 does seem quite a bit on the lower side for a 1.5, SI2, H, GIA certed diamond. But just as a repeat some specs would be really helpful to those who may wanna offer some more detailed advice. Be sure that the diamond you select has an excellent cut--because although you may be ''saving'' money--you might be sacraficing a whole lot more in terms of beauty.

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[-Romeo-]

wow....i didn''t expect to get a reply that quick...you guys are great.

I will try to get more details...i think it''s a very good cut, but i will ask the guy if he could give me more details.

Assuming i can''t get more info, should i see what my $6,000 could get me on a site like GoodOldGold.com or any other?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/20/2008 1:15:30 AM
Author: JulieN
Can we get some more details...a GIA number could be helpful.

Internet price is really cheap... the profit margin is definitely not more than 10% (closer to 5%.) If you''re seeing discounts of 20, 30, or 40% less than wholesale, I would urge some caution in the proceedings, and a second opinion.

Ditto!

 

[-Romeo-]

Okay folks...got a hold of the guy and he said it was an Excellent cut and asked me to look up report # 2105174932.

what do you guys think?

 

[stone-cold11]

It is a round modified brilliant cut, not standard cut, so cannot really compare, maybe it is a proprietary cut.

Link to report.

 

[:)]

Hmm. Not much info on the report. Have you seen the stone in person? Was it the shape you wanted?
I would be extremely concerned for durability's sake about the very thin portion of the girdle.

(ETA I would also prefer very good on the symmetry/polish)

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/20/2008 10:52:28 PM
Author:
Hmm. Not much info on the report. Have you seen the stone in person? Was it the shape you wanted?
I would be extremely concerned for durability''s sake about the very thin portion of the girdle.

(ETA I would also prefer very good on the symmetry/polish)

Ditto and you would want to have the girdle checked out by a pro to make sure it isn''t of durability concern.

 

[-Romeo-]

okay...so this is more confusing than when i first started learning about the 4 C''s.

I haven''t seen the stone yet. I am very hesitant now, and back to square one...life is good

So my $6,000 budget is still untouched. If you personally had that $6,000 for a ring, where would you go to look for what''s called a "great deal" ?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, I''d be looking for about a 1 carat ideal cut stone from either WhiteFlash or Good Old Gold.

Use this search tool and put in excellent-excellent for cut and check GIA and AGS only for labs.

Examples:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-906696.htm ($6091 with wire/pricescope discount)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4822/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1466968.htm ($6788 " " )

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/21/2008 8:57:54 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Well, I''d be looking for about a 1 carat ideal cut stone from either WhiteFlash or Good Old Gold.

Use this search tool and put in excellent-excellent for cut and check GIA and AGS only for labs.

Examples:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-906696.htm ($6091 with wire/pricescope discount)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4822/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1466968.htm ($6788 '' '' )

Good work DS!

 

[-Romeo-]

You guys are awesome...thank you so much for the help DS.

My only concern is that i won''t live up to my word as i promised my fiance that i will get her at least 1.5 carat. I know it''s all psychological, yet i would love to get her at least a 1.5 with that budget i have.... you guys think its doable?

i apologize for going back and forth with this.

 

[stone-cold11]

Probably, only if you are willing to go very low on colors.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/24/2008 5:21:52 PM
Author: -Romeo-
You guys are awesome...thank you so much for the help DS.

My only concern is that i won't live up to my word as i promised my fiance that i will get her at least 1.5 carat. I know it's all psychological, yet i would love to get her at least a 1.5 with that budget i have.... you guys think its doable?

i apologize for going back and forth with this.

I don't know if you can get 1.5 cts for 6k and with the resulting price jumps at that weight....But you may be able to get something in the 1.2 to 1.4 ct range if you look at lower colour and verified eyeclean clarity.

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-45150.htm

Apart from that then it would be a case of trying to find the better cut diamonds with maybe EGL reports or other GIA from the virtual listings and trying to get the important info by contacting the vendor who has the diamonds listed.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Date: 11/20/2008 6:55:29 PM
Author: -Romeo-
Okay folks...got a hold of the guy and he said it was an Excellent cut and asked me to look up report # 2105174932.

what do you guys think?

I just saw this thread, and I am somewhat intrigued by this offer.

Of course, the seller is incorrect in stating that it is an Excellent cut, since the stone has no cut-grade (because it is not a standard round-brilliant) and with polish and symmetry being good only, the highest possible cut-grade in a standard-round would be Very Good.

The additional inscription probably refers to a brand-logo, which increases the likelihood of this stone being a proprietary cut.

What is intriguing is the price. That seems extremely good. And of course, without having any more details, it is difficult to predict, but this stone could well be re-cut to a well-cut round brilliant of 1.25, maybe even higher weight. Even then, that price seems very attractive.

Now, I am not advising anyone to buy this stone for a re-cut. Re-cutting is a rather risky venture (especially for non-professionals), but this is an exceptional stone (or price) which might make re-cutting interesting.

Live long,

 

[-Romeo-]

thanks again for the help guys.

So Paul-Antwerp is saying that it seems like a very good offer, yet need more details. I have been looking around trying to match the same results i have with anything like it online, yet couldn''t find anything that''s even close to $7,000.

I can try to get more info from the seller, yet for that price, i don''t think i can go wrong with it, or can i?

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Romeo- If i'm understanding Paul correctly, he's saying that the stone would be an ideal candidate for a re-cut, which would bring it down from it's current weight to around 1.25.

It would not be a good buy to leave it as-is.

I say keep looking...

 

[stone-cold11]

Any chance of getting an IS for the stone and posting it here?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/25/2008 1:37:16 PM
Author: -Romeo-
thanks again for the help guys.

So Paul-Antwerp is saying that it seems like a very good offer, yet need more details. I have been looking around trying to match the same results i have with anything like it online, yet couldn''t find anything that''s even close to $7,000.

I can try to get more info from the seller, yet for that price, i don''t think i can go wrong with it, or can i?

This might be the best way to proceed if you like this diamond. Make the sale final on it checking out to your satisfaction in all aspects with an independant appraisal, that way you will get a professional opinion on this diamond. Here is a search tool you can use to find an appraiser in your area.

https://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.aspx

 

[:)]

Consider calling James Allen to inquire about this one
- find out the details about the cut and eyecleanliness (report and diamond pic not currently on line)
caveats to this are that it is an I1 stone, so it is important to clarify what the grade determining inclusion is and how visible (or prongable) it is, and it is a J color which I am not sure if that is ok with you.

$4710 1.53
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-I1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197598.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131


You could also inquire about This 1.66 G I1 - the report is not available. Asking about eyecleanliness, cut, etc is worth it prior to getting scared by the greatly magnified pic
$5960
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-I1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1183736.asp


1.57 G I1 -again need copy of report, eyecleanliness
$5640
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-I1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1184563.asp


1.56 G I1 - need copy of report, eyecleanliness
$ 5600
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-I1-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1183737.asp


This could be interesting if you could get an IS pic and see if the black goombah is visible or not
$5490
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-I1-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1184821.asp

 

[-Romeo-]

NICE

So i guess i have some phone calls to make. I like the first choice and third...maybe the 2nd.

for some reason i thought GoodOldGold.com and WhiteFlash.com are the 2 sites where you can get real bargains from. But, what do you know....thanks Smiley.


what is an IS pic by the way?

 

[Kelli]

Date: 11/25/2008 11:51:17 PM
Author: -Romeo-
NICE

So i guess i have some phone calls to make. I like the first choice and third...maybe the 2nd.

for some reason i thought GoodOldGold.com and WhiteFlash.com are the 2 sites where you can get real bargains from. But, what do you know....thanks Smiley.


what is an IS pic by the way?

You can get pretty good bargains from GOG and WF, but you are asking for a lot of size for your budget. Have you and your gf gone looking together? Does she know what diamond pricing is like? I''m wondering if she would rather have something of higher clarity/color than a 1.5+ stone with visible inclusions. I think you can safely drop to J in color, or maybe even K, if she isn''t too color sensitive. Many girls would gladly take the J or K, but there are also many that would not. Dropping in clarity is usually fine too as long as it meets your definition of eye-clean, which of course gets harder and harder the lower on the scale you go.
I bought my diamond from a different website that has really great prices, or at least it did, but they don''t provide as much cut info, which now I know is the most important of the four C''s. You have to be careful, because I trusted that the GIA excellent cut, polish, and symmetry stone I bought would be a really great diamond, and in reality it wasn''t. I ended up getting mine recut, but if you go there and request the certs of diamonds you''re interested in, you can run the numbers through the HCA and see how they do. The website is brilliance.com. I have to say, their customer service was great, and they shipped quickly. It just wasn''t until my thrity days were up that I decided I couldn''t deal with the cut of mine and wanted it recut. That wasn''t really their fault though, more of a GIA cut grading defect.

 

[Kelli]

http://brilliance.com/diamonds/search/ViewDetails.aspx?id=5981510&styleID=&SN=BSN0000528597

This is just one example. This website (brilliance.com) actually has LOTS of diamonds in the size and budget you are looking for. You just have to realize that the EGL certs can be a little misleading, as they are not as strict as the GIA and AGS on color and clarity. They do have GIA diamonds too, they''re just more pricey. Also, the cut, or "make" is listed as ideal on many of these, but you really need to look into it more than that if you want a great performing diamond. You can get the crown and pavilion angles on some from the certs, but not all of them. I''m not sure if they can easily get you those or not. If you''re willing to really do your homework, you may be able to find yourself a great bargain here. God luck!

 

[Mrs W]

personally if it were me i''d put one of these on her finger right away

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-48346.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-78273.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1445153.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1204643.htm

 

[-Romeo-]

hey folks, thanks for all those who offered their advice, you guys are awesome.

I went to the store to see the 1.59 CT stone, and it looked gorgeous. I had the guy make me a copy of the GIA certificate which i am attaching here. He also dropped the price to $5,400.

So you guys let me know what you think.


I uploaded the image to Photobucket and posted the URL yet i received an error, so i attached a smaller image.

 

[neatfreak]

Hmmmm it's a round modified brilliant, so there isn't much to tell without pictures of the stone unfortunately. You can't use the same cut grading system we'd use with a regular round...

Do you know the branded "cut" of this stone? because as others have mentioned this is not a standard round diamond.

 

[-Romeo-]

No, don''t know the branded cut. All i did, other than the forum feedback, was to take the certificate to another store and asked them if they could match the price on that particular stone and they said No. They said i was getting a good deal on it.

 

[stone-cold11]

Any chance of an IS pic? If the vendor do not have it or the equipment to do it, order the scope online yourself for about $25 and then take some pics. We would like to see what kind of light returns and symm that stone have first before we can really recommend it for it's performance.