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Joe Escobar's Uncertified Diamonds

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SearchingForAGoodRing

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
3
Hi everyone, I've been visiting this website for quite some time, and now I have joined.

As per the reviews on this forum, I visited Joe Escobar (after visiting tons of other places and either coming across rings that are of sub-par quality, or are too expensive), and found a ring (loose stone and a setting) that I really liked. They offered me the stone for $950, and (after a discount), the setting for $250. The setting is a cathedral, 18k yellow gold ring with 4 prongs (in white gold). The stone was appraised as a VS2, E color, .33 CT, Excellent Cut. I inspected the stone, and to me, it did indeed look like it had a color in the range of D-F, and an excellent cut. In regards to the Clarity, it looked to me like a VS1, and the person helping me (I think it was Mark Escobar) said that he believed it was a VS1, as well.

Now here's the problem: the stone is not certified. David and Mark Escobar assured me that they are gemologists and that they have a machine similar to the one that GIA uses for grading diamonds. They told me they can send it to GIA for a certificate, but that will cost another $150 (including the shipping costs). They also told me they can get another similar stone certified by GIA, but that it will not be the same quality or will be more expensive. Is it a good idea to buy an uncertified diamond that is less that .40 Carat, and from a company with a good reputation like Joe Escobar? Has anyone bought uncertified diamonds from Joe Escobar? I do not make a lot of money, and am shocked that it is so hard to find a 1/3 carat (the smallest diamond that gets certified?) with good clarity, cut, and color for under $1,500 (including the setting). I have checked out online vendors, and while they offer GIA certified stones from $700 and up, I won't see what I'm getting, and getting the stone cleaned and resized will be a hassle.

And advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.
 
SearchingForAGoodRing|1373775836|3482664 said:
Hi everyone, I've been visiting this website for quite some time, and now I have joined.

As per the reviews on this forum, I visited Joe Escobar (after visiting tons of other places and either coming across rings that are of sub-par quality, or are too expensive), and found a ring (loose stone and a setting) that I really liked. They offered me the stone for $950, and (after a discount), the setting for $250. The setting is a cathedral, 18k yellow gold ring with 4 prongs (in white gold). The stone was appraised as a VS2, E color, .33 CT, Excellent Cut. I inspected the stone, and to me, it did indeed look like it had a color in the range of D-F, and an excellent cut. In regards to the Clarity, it looked to me like a VS1, and the person helping me (I think it was Mark Escobar) said that he believed it was a VS1, as well.

Now here's the problem: the stone is not certified. David and Mark Escobar assured me that they are gemologists and that they have a machine similar to the one that GIA uses for grading diamonds. They told me they can send it to GIA for a certificate, but that will cost another $150 (including the shipping costs). They also told me they can get another similar stone certified by GIA, but that it will not be the same quality or will be more expensive. Is it a good idea to buy an uncertified diamond that is less that .40 Carat, and from a company with a good reputation like Joe Escobar? Has anyone bought uncertified diamonds from Joe Escobar? I do not make a lot of money, and am shocked that it is so hard to find a 1/3 carat (the smallest diamond that gets certified?) with good clarity, cut, and color for under $1,500 (including the setting). I have checked out online vendors, and while they offer GIA certified stones from $700 and up, I won't see what I'm getting, and getting the stone cleaned and resized will be a hassle.

And advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.
Click to expand...

You won't KNOW what you are getting if you purchase the stone you are currently considering!! It's true that some online vendors such as BN don't have actual photos or videos of the stones, but many other reputable vendors do. James Allen for instance offers video of their stones, WF, BGD GOG, all offer photos of their in house stones and will call others in to be photographed and assessed for you. Ritani offers video for much of their inventory, and B2C will provide images if requested. More than that, these vendors can offer you IS and ASET images which helps determine a stones performance, which can alleviate much worry when purchasing online.
 
For comparison, WhiteFlash has a 0.322ct D-VS1 A Cut Above diamond listed for $780 (PS price) - http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2230997.htm. WF has various 18kt yellow gold solitaire settings starting from $450, but for a basic cathedral style, there are two, both listed at $795 - the Cathedral, http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/cathedral-solitaire-engagement-ring-479.htm, and the Sleekline, http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/sleek-line-solitaire-engagement-ring-836.htm. Paying the PS price for the WF set would be $1,575, but if you're able to pay via wire, then the total would be $1,527.

Your set at Joe Escobar would be $1,200 plus tax, say 8%, would total $1,296.

For me personally, 0.25ct is where I would require a grading report, so for something 0.33ct or so I would definitely want to see one. You can see from the WF 0.322ct D-VS1 ACA comparison diamond that a top of the line, ideal-cut, hearts and arrows diamond with grading report is currently priced at apx $780 - less than even your ungraded 0.33ct E-VS2 diamond, and the WF diamond has better color and clarity... I also am unaware whether Joe Escobar offers similar upgrade and buy-back policies as provided by WF.

I would consider Joe Escobar a highly reputable vendor, but in this specific instance, I think you can find better pricing and a better graded diamond elsewhere. His pricing on the cathedral setting seems quite good however. If you prefer the convenience of buying locally, then I would suggest you either pay for the grading report for the Joe Escobar diamond, or request ideal-cut graded stones be called in. Even if you pay a bit more for the diamond, with the setting price so low, your overall out-of-pocket will probably be comparable to WF (though without a photo of the setting, I'm not certain I'm comparing apples to apples there).
 
GIA publishes their fee schedule.

http://www.gia.edu/gem-lab-service/diamond

It is $59 for the full report, $40 for the less comprehensive Diamond Dossier which is sometimes used for small stones. Note that $40 is less than the discount savvy buyers apply to ungraded stones. So if this stone is accurately graded, they are leaving money on the table by not sending it to GIA.

In this case, the money is yours. Pick it up off the table and walk away.
 
Thank you everyone for your replies. I'm going to go to Joe Escobar and have them order some stones that are already graded and see if I can get a good deal. If not, I might consider the online vendors (for the stone, only).
 
All ACA's have a girdle inscription with the report number and Whiteflash logo.

You don't /need/ a video, it will be stunning.
 
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