Help evaluate a 7.5 carat stone

[whitewave]

I think for up to 100k you need to go see several in person with a vendor who will gather a few especially for you: especially if you are willing to sacrifice cut. There will be so many different personalities in the stones that you need to see which one speaks to you.

 

[whitewave]

This one might not be bad: 8.07 carat K si1 $97k with 1% off with a code for pre Black Friday sale Code Dealday

B2C Jewels | Brilliant Round Cut Certified Natural Diamonds

www.b2cjewels.com

 

[Lookinagain]

Beautiful stone! Yes I’ve tried on many in the 7-10 carat range and 7.5 is where I’m most comfortable.

Maybe I missed it, but have you stated what mm size you are looking for? 7.5 carat stones can have different spreads depending on the cut, so if you say the mm size, then the weight can be secondary.

 

[laviejenrose]

This one might not be bad: 8.07 carat K si1 $97k with 1% off with a code for pre Black Friday sale Code Dealday

B2C Jewels | Brilliant Round Cut Certified Natural Diamonds

www.b2cjewels.com

It does look promising - only issue is the IGI grading as opposed to GIA. I was under impression GIA has highest/most consistent standards

 

[lulu_ma]

Just picking these out for carat/ color/ clarity-cut would need to be further evaluated...

6.85 Carat round diamond

This 6.85 carat round diamond L color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

7.74 Carat round diamond

This 7.74 carat round diamond M color vs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

6.85 Carat round diamond

This 6.85 carat round diamond L color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[whitewave]

It does look promising - only issue is the IGI grading as opposed to GIA. I was under impression GIA has highest/most consistent standards

That is true but if it’s the one it’s the one. It might be more like an L. It’s been a while since I looked at IGI. The measurements are going to be correct and likely the clarity... it’s the color that might be a little loose IIRC.

You can always see if they will send to GIA and get it double graded so to speak.

 

[laviejenrose]

Maybe I missed it, but have you stated what mm size you are looking for? 7.5 carat stones can have different spreads depending on the cut, so if you say the mm size, then the weight can be secondary.

Ideally north of 12.5mm in diameter

 

[laviejenrose]

That is true but if it’s the one it’s the one. It might be more like an L. It’s been a while since I looked at IGI. The measurements are going to be correct and likely the clarity... it’s the color that might be a little loose IIRC.

You can always see if they will send to GIA and get it double graded so to speak.

I will reach out!

Also curious what the overall sentiment is re: fluorescence

 

[whitewave]

I will reach out!

Also curious what the overall sentiment is re: fluorescence

I personally love Fluor and think it’s a neat party trick. It gives you a slight price break and some say make the stone appear a tiny bit whiter/brighter. Some cultures don’t desire Fluor in a stone. It’s really a personal preference.

You can also ask one of their gemologists to pull the stone and tell you what they think and how what they see compares to the report. Etc.

 

[whitewave]

Just to point out: that 7.74 M James Allen stone is larger than the 8.05 B2C stone— just to illustrate how you need to look at measurements…

 

[lulu_ma]

I personally love Fluor and think it’s a neat party trick. It gives you a slight price break and some say make the stone appear a tiny bit whiter/brighter. Some cultures don’t desire Fluor in a stone. It’s really a personal preference.

You can also ask one of their gemologists to pull the stone and tell you what they think and how what they see compares to the report. Etc.

+1 I love fluoro especially for colors J and warmer. Just be careful with Strong Fluoro. I saw a gorgeous 7 ct N color with SBF-it seems a tad milky to me.

 

[laviejenrose]

+1 I love fluoro especially for colors J and warmer. Just be careful with Strong Fluoro. I saw a gorgeous 7 ct N color with SBF-it seems a tad milky to me.

I was under impression Fluoro showed up as hazy in UV / natural light

 

[whitewave]

+1 I love fluoro especially for colors J and warmer. Just be careful with Strong Fluoro. I saw a gorgeous 7 ct N color with SBF-it seems a tad milky to me.

Yes. Slight fluro if you don’t mind it is probably fine (again, ask gemologist)

 

[whitewave]

I was under impression Fluoro showed up as hazy in UV / natural light

It can but it’s usually for strong Fluor and then not always. Sometimes.

 

[lulu_ma]

I was under impression Fluoro showed up as hazy in UV / natural light

Nope. Here's my 4 ct that is consigned with Grace-M color with medium fluoro. I think fluoro has to evaluated on an individual basis-strong fluoro can be an issue-especially with colorless stones. I am only going on the stones I have seen irl.

PB on Instagram: "personal collection release coming soon. Feeling nostalgic. p.s. the song I really wanted to use was ‘Please Don’t Go’ by Haddaway but it’s not available on IG#jewelryreels #diamondreels #ringselfie #4carat #engagementring #bigdi

159 likes, 22 comments - bejewelledbliss on June 13, 2022: "personal collection release coming soon. Feeling nostalgic. p.s. the song I really wanted to use was ‘Please Don’t Go’ by Haddaway but it’s not available on IG#jewelryreels #diamondreels #ringselfie #4carat #engagementring...

www.instagram.com

 

[laviejenrose]

Just picking these out for carat/ color/ clarity-cut would need to be further evaluated...

6.85 Carat round diamond

This 6.85 carat round diamond L color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

7.74 Carat round diamond

This 7.74 carat round diamond M color vs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

6.85 Carat round diamond

This 6.85 carat round diamond L color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Do you have any experience with this retailer? They are not helpful and refuse to provide any additional photos or videos.

They can’t expect to sell a 100k stone without sharing real photos

 

[lulu_ma]

Do you have any experience with this retailer? They are not helpful and refuse to provide any additional photos or videos.

They can’t expect to sell a 100k stone without sharing real photos

I don't personally but lots of people do. Lots of people have purchased from them with varying degrees of success-I think they are now owned by a huge conglomerate. They have physical locations in NYC and Washington DC.

At least get cert number if you can. Perhaps, another jeweler can provide better service.

 

[whitewave]

James Allen can be easy to work with and also the worst experience of your life lol. We have had horror stories. Many of these vendors are drop shippers, so you can also see if someone else can find that stone. It’s likely not in house and is probably overseas.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

I can’t provide much guidance in terms of buying a modern cut stone, but there are clearly tons of really reliable experts here with no personal agenda attached to the advice you’re getting.

It seems that you are hesitant to purchase online, which makes total sense and this all boils down to personal preference and comfort level. I’m not sure I would give upwards of 100k to an online vendor without an opportunity to meet them first. With that said, I don’t think you could go wrong contacting Whiteflash, ID Jewelry, or Good Old Gold, to name a few that have already been mentioned, and set up a meeting with them. I think you’d be very surprised at their high caliber of customer service and quality stone selection. Not only will they show you high quality stones, they can teach you a lot about what to look for in a modern cut diamond so you can walk out feeling more empowered and educated when looking for the best diamond for your budget and preferences.

 

[laviejenrose]

Can they get you the cert at least?

cert for the 7.19 attached

 

[Tanzie]

Anyone have any data /charts that show “resale value/investment potential”
Of different quality levels of diamonds over the years?
Not retail value over the years - that’s not applicable.

Won’t be exact science
And I bet it’s depressing

Attaching grading and photos of stone

Here’s my thinking: it seems likely to me that if you’re spending that kind of money on that size diamond, you likely have others in your social/family circle with similar sized stones. Far better, IMO, to buy a spectacular 5-6 carat stone than a not-great larger stone. People *will* notice and your ring won’t have the impact I suspect you’re hoping for. That said, in NYC I use David S. Diamonds in the district on 5th Ave.

 

[lulu_ma]

Comparing with super ideal parameters, the table on this 1% larger than the recommended range. This still seems worth investigating-perhaps through a concierge-like Jon at Distinctive Gems or Dave Atlas (I don't know what their fees are)

 

[denverappraiser]

I didn't slog through all 4 pages but there were a couple of items you said in the first 2 that I feel I should respond to.

1) An L that faces up like an H is a ridiculous claim. An L is an L. Some are prettier than others and by all means buy one if you like, but it's not an H. At best this is puffery.

2) Diamonds are not a financial instrument. Don't expect to ever see any of your money again. You might, and you can be happy about it if the need comes up, but you are extraordinarily unlikely to make a profit on this or any other diamond deal. If you are being sold this as an investment, run away.

3) Deposits are a trap and intended to be that way. If it's token it's reasonable, they have some costs associated with negotiating this deal with you but it shouldn't be significant money. A few hundred dollars is fine, but don't let them trap you into buying something you don't want.

4) No, there is not a resale pricing guide. There isn't even a retail pricing guide, or at least not one that makes much sense. There are too many variables like how many stones they have in inventory, how much money they have on hand, how well they do with stones like this and so on. These are not gemological properties but they have a lot to do with what they will bid. If you're selling to a private party, it has a lot to do with how good YOU are at selling things. I will say that I would expect current resale bids on a 7.5-/I2/L/ggg to be significantly less than $65k. No one knows what the future will bring.

5) A 7 carat stone for under $100k is going to have some issues. Probably several. You may be ok with that, I would, but it's good to understand what those issues are. If the jeweler isn't prepared to explain it, find another jeweler.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

This one might not be bad: 8.07 carat K si1 $97k with 1% off with a code for pre Black Friday sale Code Dealday

B2C Jewels | Brilliant Round Cut Certified Natural Diamonds

www.b2cjewels.com

That's B2C. I've bought from Brilliance but would trust B2C way more.

 

[whitewave]

Whatever you do, don’t leave us hanging! Stay until we get a hand shot!

 

[whitewave]

That's B2C. I've bought from Brilliance but would trust B2C way more.

I have had good luck with B2C. They do hand you off to a different person for each stage: one helps with the stone, one takes you through the payment process, one helps you set it, etc (well IIRC and I think that is how it went last time) and they have a person we can call on and tag here if there are any issues.

 

[Strauberrychick]

So my engagement ring is from Jonathan Weingarden at distinctive gem. He is not only great to work with, but will find you exactly what your looking for and if he can’t find it he will cut it for you! Then he’ll take the time to custom design your perfect setting. Takes time so patience needed since he’s busy, but is worth it. I haven’t read every response in this thread, but I can almost guarantee you will be much happier with a well cut diamond that has beautiful light performance. I did a custom cut with Jonathan (Weingarden mixed cut - emerald with brillianteered crown). But he does a modern hearts and arrows custom cut for rounds with a perfect Aset scope (light performance) that no GIA report will give you. You’ll know every time you look at your diamond that it couldn’t possibly be any prettier, brighter or well cut. As a bonus they look bigger! My 5 carat is so bright everyone thinks it’s way larger (12.15 by 8.52)…. Makes me incredibly happy every time I look down at my hand . He even shoots his videos with the same diamond in all types of lighting so no BS trying to hide anything like people are talking about here by manipulating perception with jewelry lighting. His business is getting (and is known for) finding the most beautiful diamonds. You will not find any retailer that will maximize light performance and cut over compromising with a much larger diamond they can get more money for…. It’s a hunt and peck and ending up with something less than ideal. Like other people said, resale is dead. Buy for beauty and you will have no regrets. A friend bought a round with visible inclusions she thought wouldn’t bother her and she said that’s all she sees. Every one of them. Every time she looks down at her hand because big diamonds show everything. I echo others concerns and am glad you got your deposit back! Good luck!!

Your Custom Cut Distinctive H&A Round Brilliant Private Reserve Lab Grown Diamond

Commence au festiva!!! Distinctive Gem is introducing what we know to be the rarest cut round brilliants in way of LG diamonds *bar none*. These diamonds are the result of testing diamonds under the most scrutinizing conditions of my over 3 decades as a research gemologist. What makes the...

www.distinctivegem.com

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

OP, you're getting great advice from people who know so much about diamond quality that they frighten me regularly. I would just add, buy from someone who won't lie to you. Several were recommended on this thread.

 

[Strauberrychick]

I should say too I am just a regular person and pricescope stalker who took everyone’s great advice and ended up over the moon excited about my ring so I definitely want others to feel the same . Like the previous person said everyone on here knows SO much it’s freaking great!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Excellent post @denverappraiser ( as normal
I agree with all his points

I've noted that folks are warning against I1 diamonds for durability issues.
While I totally get the thought process behind eliminating all I1 diamonds...it's not really practical in cases where the diamond in question is an "exceptional" sort of stone, and if the seller actually has the stone in hand.
Looking for a G/SI1 1ct? There are a gazillion of them. There's no downside to being super particular.
Looking for a pink elephant? Whether it's a pink diamond, or a "budget" priced 7ct diamond, my advice is to widen the parameters.
The chances of a 7ct round diamond having durability issues due to a GIA graded I1 imperfection(s) is just about nil.
It's not that easy to damage a diamond.
Please don't take this as any sort of "endorsement" of I1 diamonds. It's just my perspective.
I know that if I have ten diamonds in front of me, sometimes a stone that has "paper issues" is nicer, more desirable- and even a better investment, than a stone with a sterling pedigree.
If a consumer is shopping sites that never touch the stone, it makes good sense to eliminate all I1's ....but that's a downside of that sort of purchase in my opinion.