Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Larger OEC search--help needed from the deal gurus!

I know you are in good hands here with the EBay experts helping you find your dream diamond! :)

I've been searching for a 3-4 carat diamond on Ebay and elsewhere and I do know what you mean about being impatient. It's hard to wait for that perfect diamond to come along and pass on others which "may" work and then if I don't jump on them someone else does. Then I wonder if anything that good will come along again....sigh.

In my extensive Internet search I've come across a few 2 carat diamond you might be interested in--I agree with the others that say that sometimes you have to search for an odd word or two to hit on the deals. Why, oh why, doesn't this forum have a PM???? I don't want to post the links to the rings here and have someone else snatch them up before you see them.

Anyway, here's the info on the rings (minus the links)--let me know if you are interested and if someone knows how to get the links to the OP without the lurkers seeing it do let me know. :wink2:

Oops--forgot the one is an old mine cut--but it does look nice and round and not wonky like some of the OMC: 2.03 carat diamond ring K Si $8300. The diamond looks lovely in the photo--I can't see any inclusions, but there is only one photo so you'd need to ask for more and find out if it is EGL and what the exact measurements of the diamond are as they are not listed. Also your gonna need a new setting with this one!

And another: The center diamond measures 8.41 x 8.39 x 4.90mm. I am really bad at math so this might be a shallow diamond? Math experts please chime in as it looks kind of spready in the photos. The photos make it look nice--there's even a magnified photo but it is a bit blurry. The ring is vintage and pretty too--you might not want to reset it.
Actual weight is 2.20 carats.
This is a VERY clean, and VERY, VERY beautiful stone.
Were it not for a single clear inclusion, effectively invisible to the naked eye, it could have easily have been graded VS1. This is an absolutely exquisite ring.
Independent GIA Gemologist Appraiser has graded it SI2, with top white, I-J color and no fluorescence. Priced at $15,500 BUT the states the consignment seller is motivated!

I thought I had a few more--one has a visible inclusion though so I assume you don't want that and I am looking through my bookmarks for another one.
 
MyDiamondSparkles, thank you for posting about these diamonds! I really appreciate your help. I was able to find the second diamond (the 2.20) but not the first. Maybe the first one sold already? I'll definitely find out more about the 2.20 and see how much the seller will budge on the price. The depth is around 58%, which is not too shallow, I believe. Thanks again!

The only other way I can think of to be contacted is through DB. I'm the first listing under the "WTB rings" category.
 
Hey Kim! Okay, I'm not a member of DB but give me a few minutes and I will join just to send you a PM. :twirl:
 
I don't think the first one sold--it's well hidden. ;)
 
Sorry, I don't mean to be an OWD pusher but unless the seller comes way, way down on that 2.2, your paying much more per carat than I did for a 2.64 - and a seriously great 2.64 at that. Plus you have a 10 day return policy and the eyes of an old cut veteran with OWD. Another thing about the 2.20, I would consider 4.90 depth a bit short for that spread.

Just my thoughts, and I'm certainly nowhere near being an expert. But I have a retail "comp" as a point of consideration.
 
fridays_child, I agree, the price would have to decrease significantly. I'm waiting for a response from the seller. Price is certainly one of my biggest considerations in this purchase, and if I buy from a non-retailer, it will have to be a "deal." Otherwise, I might as well have just started with OWD or someone similar. :))
 
I agree the seller needs to come down on the 2.20. In the listing they say "Motivated Seller" (which is the only reason I would look at the listing) so we'll just have to see exactly how motivated he or she is. I do like the original setting! ;)

The other thing to think about is that you are going to pay MORE for a diamond in an original setting, so you have to factor that in with the loose diamond + custom setting cost when looking at the price of a diamond. If you know you aren't going to use that original setting you may not want to pay for it. I suppose you could always resell it though--if it's in good condition--and perhaps recoop some of your investment. ;)

I know some of you love to look on Ebay and you have it down to a fine science--I'm jealous! HA! :) For me, I "sometimes" think I would be better off going the OWD or JBEG route because the larger diamonds are really a needle in a haystack out in EBay land--but that being said it is still fun to look and try to find a deal--the thrill of the hunt so to speak! :)
 
Kim and MyDiamondSparkles,

I completely understand about the thrill of the hunt and I love a great ebay deal as much as the next person! I am totally rooting for you both to find your ebay diamonds! So I am sorry if I seemed like I was trying to burst your ebay bubble - totally not trying :) My original suggestion was to try OWD after a while, if you haven't found your diamond via ebay.

It was just that some of the numbers I'm seeing out there are quite high. I saw the thread in the preloved jewels regarding a sale of an old cut diamond, and a price per carat figure thrown out there by a tradesperson as a "good value" would be nowhere near it, if I'm using my sale as a basis for comparison. Sorry, I'm rambling, here's my point - I did not pay "list price", and I paid nowhere near the per carat figure I'm referencing above. So that means for an ebay sale, I would want to pay significantly less than nowhere near :)
 
MDS, good point about paying more for a diamond in a setting. I'm hoping that if I can find a good enough deal, the cost of an original setting that I don't need/want will not be too much. I too am very jealous of all those ebay mavens who've found such great deals! Thank you so much again for all your help! The links were very much appreciated! (DB kept logging me out unexpectedly, so I hope the second message I sent went through.)

And fridays_child, given that I'm usually pretty impatient, I see myself giving up after a few more weeks of this if I don't find something by then, and OWD will be first place I go to once that happens. :))
 
Okay, it's a no go on the 2.2. The price will not change more than $500.
 
I haven't received a second email--but I've got about 300 emails sitting in my inbox this morning (acckkk!) so I may just not have gotten to it yet. ;)

Geesh, only $500--well now we know why the ring is still listed for sale, don't we???? ;)

Any news on the other link I gave you?--that one seems like an awesome deal. ;)
 
Yeah, bummer about the 2.2 because the size was nice and the cut seemed pretty good.

It does seem like an awesome deal. :) I'm waiting for more vendor info on that one and the others.
 
Kim I have been trolling ebay OECs for a long time and can honestly tell you I have seen so few good deals! It could take a year or more to find the stone you want. Are you willing to wait? I am getting the feeling that the over 1ct, and especially the over 2ct, market is sooooo different than the under 1ct market.


Are there any auction houses local to you? You need to get closer to the goods, buy from the people the dealers buy from.
 
I hadn't thought about looking for local auction houses, but will look into that today. Thanks, Dreamer! Before today, I would have said I'm too impatient to wait, but due to some unforeseen circumstances that just came up today, my budget has actually been reduced by a bit, so it looks like I'll need to wait. I know the search is more difficult because my specs are so picky, but I also subscribe to mrssalvo's tagline, A deal is only a deal if you get exactly what you want. And if I get something that's not really what I want, I would end up wanting to replace it down the road.

Couple questions for Dreamer or any other OEC expert: Can a 2.04 face up 8.5mm and still be well-cut? Two different vendors have told me that their 2.04s face up 8.5mm, but these were estimates. I've attached photos (cropped to prevent lurkers from finding them). Are these any good? These are two different diamonds.

oec_1.jpg

oec_2.jpg
 
fridays_child|1332254108|3152743 said:
Kim and MyDiamondSparkles,

I completely understand about the thrill of the hunt and I love a great ebay deal as much as the next person! I am totally rooting for you both to find your ebay diamonds! So I am sorry if I seemed like I was trying to burst your ebay bubble - totally not trying :) My original suggestion was to try OWD after a while, if you haven't found your diamond via ebay.

It was just that some of the numbers I'm seeing out there are quite high. I saw the thread in the preloved jewels regarding a sale of an old cut diamond, and a price per carat figure thrown out there by a tradesperson as a "good value" would be nowhere near it, if I'm using my sale as a basis for comparison. Sorry, I'm rambling, here's my point - I did not pay "list price", and I paid nowhere near the per carat figure I'm referencing above. So that means for an ebay sale, I would want to pay significantly less than nowhere near :)
Click to expand...

Oh gosh, no worries! My EBay bubble was burst long ago...lol. For me, I know I'd be better off going with a dealer--the time I've wasted on this computer looking for a 3-4 carat on EBay is totally ridiculous. I still think one just might luck into a good 2 carat though. I'm going to pencil in a date on my own calendar next week and make a few phone calls. :wink2:

For what it's worth, I just posted my thoughts on that old cut in the preloved section--if we are talking about the same one. That being said there does seem to be a premium on 3 carats, then another jump at 3.5 and 4.0 as far as pricing goes. In this economy the only thing that is going to get me to buy is a great deal. I'm in no hurry...so I am sure the right diamond at the right price will come along. :D anyway, if you don't mind posting it, what do you think is a good price on that diamond?
 
Hey Kim those look familiar. HA! Okay, that second photo on the left hand side--are those carbon spots? I never noticed them before now. :(

Dreamer is the expert so I will refer to her advice on good cut/ size. Hmmmm.... but it does seems to me than an OEC should be smaller in mm than what you posted. Do you know the depth on these? I can't wait to see what Dreamer thinks.
 
MDS, haha, I figured you would recognize them! You know, those do look like carbon spots. Don't know why I didn't notice them before either. I'll ask the vendor about those spots. And yeah, I don't think I trust the vendors' estimates on the mm, unless the diamonds are very shallow, in which case I'd be worried about the cut quality. One of those estimates was from a dealer (the vendor didn't have it in-house), so I've asked the vendor to get more accurate measurements once it's in-house.
 
OEC can work when they are shallow if they have a very small table among other things. My 0.70ct OEC has only a 60% depth and it is a great little spakler. Kelpie's OEC is about 54% depth and also works well.

The danger is fish eye and table much (blah looking indistinct faceting) with shallow stones. I would not consider the first one at all, the table is larger and it is mushy. The second one looks promising.

I have learned that about 80% of ebay vendors do not know how to estimate millimeters ;-) If you don't see it in writing on an appraisal, take it with a greain of salt.
 
Thanks for the explanation, Dreamer, and for your input on the stones. What do you mean by "mushy"? Good to know the second one has potential, but I'm going to ask about the clarity regarding those black spots. Also, it could be the photography, but it looks pretty tinted even though it's supposed to be a K. What would be considered a "deal" for a 2.04 K SI2 if the color/clarity is pretty accurate?

ETA: Just saw you had explained what "mush" was. :)
 
Hey Dreamer and Kim--I put the photo Kim posted onto Photoshop so I could enlarge it see it better. I posted the photo below--maybe Dreamer could give her your expert opinion on what I "think" I see, which would be:

1. Carbon spots.
2. Feather (aka crack).
3. Chip.
4. Carbon spot? I can't tell whether that is on the bottom of the diamond or maybe it's just the ring reflection?

Also, do you think the mushy look in diamond 1 "could" be the angle it is photographed at? It doesn't look quite as mushy in the first photo of it on the left hand side?

Oh and Kim, I forgot to mention how sorry I was to hear about the unforeseen circumstances. Ughh! We must be on the same wavelength because yesterday I took my daughter to the dentist (she knocked out her two front teeth several years ago) so now she is older and can get crowns instead of veneers. Hello, like $8K is the estimate he gave us! I swear if I didn't have kids I would be dripping in BIG diamonds.....lol! Oh well, I guess they are worth it--most of the time anyway. ;)

And I gotta give a shout out to the people here on PS that share their knowledge with us less knowledgeable folks. It's really a nice thing to do. :)

oec_carbon chip2.jpg

oec_carbon chip1.jpg
 
This guy has a bunch of antique rings. Here are some that are in your budget. Most of his diamonds are higher color range and clarity for old stones so he obviously picks the nicest. He doesn't list the measurements of the center stones. These are under your budget, but I would call him and see what he has or can find you.

http://www.antiquejewelryforsale.com/viewProduct-548-PLATINUM_1920_ENGAGEMENT_RING.html $9,500 2.10 K vs

http://www.antiquejewelryforsale.com/viewProduct-586-PLATINUM_1920_ENGAGEMENT_RING.html# $9,500 1.7c I vs

http://www.antiquejewelryforsale.com/viewProduct-521-PLATINUM_2_CT_ENGAGEMENT_RING.html# $9,500 2.0c J vs1

I would also definitely consider this 1.5c August Vintage OEC M vvs I bet it is gorgeous and will most likely out dazzle a larger stone!

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8851/
 
This company will send these diamonds to an appraiser and you can pick. Here are 3 OEC's in your budget that face up very large and not too shallow. Just another option. If you really want large you will probably have to sacrifice the higher color. (remember EGLUSA is more than likely one color grade off, so an L is probably an M.)

http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/usagia/polygon_live_feed.html

This is a Old European, L color and VS2 clarity diamond.

Total Price 10177.44 USD
Shape Old European
Carat Weight 2.33 ct
Lab / Cert ID EGLUSA / 903043402

Cut Grade --
Depth % 59 %
Table % 54 %
Symmetry Good
Polish Good
Girdle Thickness Very Thin to Medium
Culet Size Small
Fluorescence None
Dimensions 8.69x8.76x5.15 mm
L/W Ratio 0.99
http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/usagia/polygon_live_feed.html
This is a Old European, L color and SI1 clarity diamond.

Total Price 9065.16 USD
Shape Old European
Carat Weight 2.34 ct
Lab / Cert ID EGLUSA / US59672702D

Cut Grade --
Depth % 58.4 %
Table % 52 %
Symmetry Good
Polish Very Good
Girdle Thickness Thin to Medium
Culet Size Large
Fluorescence Faint Blue
Dimensions 8.63x8.53x5.02 mm
L/W Ratio 1.01
Stock Number OE-51800

http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/usagia/polygon_live_feed.html

This is a Old Miner, H color and SI2 clarity diamond.

Total Price 9734.40 USD
Shape Old Miner
Carat Weight 2.08 ct
Lab / Cert ID EGLUSA / US50097103D
Color: H - Near Colorless

H
Clarity: SI2 - Slightly included

SI2

Cut Grade --
Depth % 64.9 %
Table % 60 %
Symmetry Very Good
Polish Very Good
Girdle Thickness Thick --
Culet Size None
Fluorescence None
Dimensions 7.95x7.87x5.13 mm
L/W Ratio 1.01
 
ariel, thanks for all these links! I actually only just found out that antiquejewelryforsale existed a couple days ago. I've sent in an inquiry with no response yet, but I'll try again and ask about these, and also if he can find anything else for me. I wonder if he's willing to sell the center diamonds alone without the setting, because all of his items are already set. And I didn't even think of usacerted before now. I know OECs are chosen with your eyes, but I like that their diamonds are all certed. But yeah, I know EGL is going to be looser with the grading. I'll check those out--the first two especially look promising. Thanks again, ariel! I really appreciate it!

libbyLA, I bet that one would light up a room!
 
MDS, totally agree with your shout out. None of my diamond purchases would have been as good without the help of other, more knowledgeable PSers. And thanks for the commiseration on the unforeseen circumstances. Sorry to hear about the dental work costing so much--we had one of those last year, so I totally get how that is. :|
 
Kim N|1332459539|3154673 said:
ariel, thanks for all these links! I actually only just found out that antiquejewelryforsale existed a couple days ago. I've sent in an inquiry with no response yet, but I'll try again and ask about these, and also if he can find anything else for me. I wonder if he's willing to sell the center diamonds alone without the setting, because all of his items are already set. And I didn't even think of usacerted before now. I know OECs are chosen with your eyes, but I like that their diamonds are all certed. But yeah, I know EGL is going to be looser with the grading. I'll check those out--the first two especially look promising. Thanks again, ariel! I really appreciate it!

libbyLA, I bet that one would light up a room!
Click to expand...

YW...Those two "matching" L OEC's would make a great pair of earrings. Another idea to find the best performing OEC would be to get Jonathan at GOG to call some of these in and test them for performance and compare to some of his OEC's. He has some that are not his signature AV's, but no 2c. Love his video's on youtube and vimeo showing their OEC's and comparing the lower colors and the sizes. I only wish in all his videos he would then place the stones on a hand to see what they look like on "skin" in regular lighting. Sometimes they do, but not as often as I would like.

Here are some great OEC videos:
Comparing August Vintage OEC to Cushion and also H&A Rounds
http://vimeo.com/9868723
recut from OMC to hearts and arrows round to an OEC (M IF)
http://vimeo.com/10755866
3 OEC's K, M, UV (?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaD9l0ynDaY

I remember several years ago I started a diamond search and saw a GIA "K" colored princess cut in jewelry store. It was really beautiful and I was so surprised that I loved that warm look in a diamond. I thought the "whiter" the better, but after my education on GOG, I am only concerned with cut and performance, eye cleanness (and size...LOL) over the high colors. These old cut diamonds have so much personality and half the fun of owning them is in the search.

You can also search on Polygon yourself but it won't have prices. don't know why USAcerted doesn't pull them all up on their site. A pain to search there because you just have to put in "other". On polygon they list OEC and OMC's separately at the bottom.

Good luck...
 
MyDiamondSparkles|1332378685|3153918 said:
fridays_child|1332254108|3152743 said:
Kim and MyDiamondSparkles,

I completely understand about the thrill of the hunt and I love a great ebay deal as much as the next person! I am totally rooting for you both to find your ebay diamonds! So I am sorry if I seemed like I was trying to burst your ebay bubble - totally not trying :) My original suggestion was to try OWD after a while, if you haven't found your diamond via ebay.

It was just that some of the numbers I'm seeing out there are quite high. I saw the thread in the preloved jewels regarding a sale of an old cut diamond, and a price per carat figure thrown out there by a tradesperson as a "good value" would be nowhere near it, if I'm using my sale as a basis for comparison. Sorry, I'm rambling, here's my point - I did not pay "list price", and I paid nowhere near the per carat figure I'm referencing above. So that means for an ebay sale, I would want to pay significantly less than nowhere near :)
Click to expand...

Oh gosh, no worries! My EBay bubble was burst long ago...lol. For me, I know I'd be better off going with a dealer--the time I've wasted on this computer looking for a 3-4 carat on EBay is totally ridiculous. I still think one just might luck into a good 2 carat though. I'm going to pencil in a date on my own calendar next week and make a few phone calls. :wink2:

For what it's worth, I just posted my thoughts on that old cut in the preloved section--if we are talking about the same one. That being said there does seem to be a premium on 3 carats, then another jump at 3.5 and 4.0 as far as pricing goes. In this economy the only thing that is going to get me to buy is a great deal. I'm in no hurry...so I am sure the right diamond at the right price will come along. :D anyway, if you don't mind posting it, what do you think is a good price on that diamond?
Click to expand...

Hi MyDiamondSparkles - I'll go back and read that thread, I understand about the 1/2 carat marks commanding a price jump, that is a good point to remember. I'm not sure which stone you are asking me to comment on, the gog or the ebay :) If it's the ebay 2.20, it's hard for me to say what a good price is. I guess if I'm working backwards from my stone, and I am shopping on ebay for a 2ct - I wouldn't consider even looking at anything priced over 8 or 9k. At that point I'd be too close to the retail price point, I'd rather pay a bit more for the security, return and upgrade policies :)

Again, my experience in these matters is very little, especially in comparison to others here! I worked with 2 vendors looking for my diamond and I got a GREAT deal from the one I went with. My original urge to post in this thread came from Kim's 11k figure. My immediate thought was - with that budget and with her desired size, she's in the retail range.

Okay, I hope that helps. Hang in there, on your stone hunt. I am looking forward to seeing what you and Kim choose!
 
Ariel, that's a great idea for testing the performance of several OECs. If I end up choosing one from usacerted, I just might do that. :) I did see that you have to put in "other" to search on their website. Thanks again for your help!

fridays_child, I'm not sure that 11K is in retail range. Looking on OWD's website now, in order to get something with at least 8.5mm spread (which is what I want), I'm seeing prices $14K and up. But I agree with you, on eBay, I'm hoping to spend even less than my budget. There just haven't been any available with 8.5-8.6mm spread.
 
Kim,

I found the 2.2 on ebay and don't like it at all. It looks to have a very large table and flattish crown, and in the photos I see some suggestion of fish eye (a mush circle just inside the perimeter of the table).

The second one might have the flaws that MDS points out. The photos are very poor. But to my eye the cut looks a little better.

Kim if you want a deal in a diamond this size you need to restrict your search to private sellers ("I am selling grandma's old diamond!") or operations that do not specialize in diamonds. Click on the "seller's other items" like of any OEC you like. If they sell furs and one diamond ring, you may be on to somthing. If they sell only jewelery, they you can bet your bottom dollar they are charging market value and something priced low is likely that way for a reason. There are some exceptions to this rule, but not many. This is why it could take a year or more of daily ebay hunting to find what you want. Are you willing to do that?

I suggest you get to know all the local pawn shops and auction houses. I only just got onto this and there is a local auction house to me that has a jewelery auction every three months or so and has at least 2 old cuts each time. Estate pieces. THe prices are bananas low. And you cut out the dealers. The only thing is, you much be very educated yourself to buy that way because there are no returns! But it might pay off.

Or cough up retail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top