Lazare Kaplan...worth it?

[RutherfordBrave]

Like many people posting here, I''m a noob to all of this diamond stuff. I have the strange situation to be with an amazing girl that does NOT want a big diamond and would be perfectly happy with a twist tie on her finger. This is something I definitely see as a lifetime investment, however, and I want the best I can afford. I just started shopping for rings recently, and it''s apparent that my C''s are a little convoluted because of my situation: very petite gf who wants a smaller stone, my high standards, and that my profession puts me in contact with microscopes on a daily basis (biologist) so if anyone will think of/see those small imperfections down the road it''s me...

On to my dilema -- I just put money down at my hometown jeweler on a 0.5ct Lazare Kaplan stone with D color and a very stingy SI1 for clarity. I say stingy because I can''t see any imperfections, dark or light, anywhere in the diamond. The grader at the store said that if she were to grade it, it would be a VS2 or possibly even VS1. All that said, it''s clear that seeing hearts and arrows and the fire that this diamond has comes at a price... I put money down on it at $3,595 without a setting (looking at either a simple Tiffany or a Lazare semi-bezel that looks similar to this, quoted $725: http://www.vonbargens.com/catalog/detail.php?product=3865&category=1386).

I''m quite aware that this is a LOT of money for a smallish stone, but I am certain that I would be happy putting this on my soon-to-be fiancee''s finger. How much is that peace of mind worth to people? I want to do business at my home town jeweler, but I have an issue in that I live on the east coast and they are in the midwest where I grew up. Should I be looking much harder at other ideal cut diamonds online? I know I found a great diamond that I would be happy with for the rest of my/our lives, but should I be more comfortable about the price ($4,600 after taxes once it''s set...)? I went in hoping to find something somewhere between $3,500 and $4,000, but the extra $5-600 isn''t the end of the world. I just don''t want to have the feeling that I could have done the same for 1/3rd less...

I know that the diamond on her finger is probably going to mean more to me than it will to her, and I want it to outshine anything out there. Should I stop while I''m satisfied with what I''ve found, or should I keep looking to find a better price for the quality?? Also, any opinions on a semi-bezel like the one I''m thinking of? She''s the type that would appreciate having a setting that won''t get caught on everything for the rest of her life (and I don''t think she''ll want to put it in another setting once I give it to her).

Thanks!!

 

[Regular Guy]

Rutherford,

Welcome to Pricescope.

I write this as a fan of Lazare Kaplan diamonds...but will need to confirm your fear, having taken a quick look. Lazare Kaplans are branded options. So are "A Cut Above" diamonds from White Flash. This one seems to be a comparable.

Sorry...I think you wrote in to get perspective. If you stayed the course, you would have a lovely diamond. Probably, though, you could do it cheaper, by a considerable measure. Research ACA and White Flash on this board to satisfy yourself, if you''re interested enough.

 

[Dancing Fire]

IMO LK....well cut ,yes !! worth it ? you''ll need to decide for yourself.

 

[tyty333]

You can use the HCA tool to determine whether a diamond is within TIC (Tolkowsky Ideall cut) which I believe Lazare Kaplan bases
their diamonds on (they are cousins, no?)

Tolk information
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/tolk.asp

Here is the HCA tool
https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

Diamonds must fall within certain (fairly strict) guidelines to be an Whiteflash ACA branded stone. Basically what I am trying to say is that
for a significanly lower price than a lazare you can get a beautiful stone with strict criteria (like Lazarre). It will take a little more digging
around to find it but it would be worth the savings to me.

For example if you run the stone Regular Guy found above it scores the following on the HCA tool...

Factor Grade

Light Return Excellent
Fire Excellent
Scintillation Excellent
Spread or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 1.1 - Excellent within TIC range

I hope this all makes sense? Its really up to you to decide if you want to spend the extra money on a Lazare or not. It will no
doubt be a beautiful stone. But you can get an ACA with pretty much the same numbers as a Lazare at a much lower cost.

 

[RutherfordBrave]

Thanks for your advice everyone! I''m certainly rethinking the price vs. quality issue... The LK really is 2x the price, and I''m pretty sure I can convince myself to go with another jeweler if that''s the best my current one can do. Does anyone have recommendations on places in Boston? James Allen has a location here, and I''m not 100% about buying online yet... How do people go about comparing stones when they get them from an online dealer?

Any thoughts on semi-bezel settings vs Tiffany, or is that something only I will be able to answer?

 

[tyty333]

Date: 1/4/2010 12:18:43 PM
Author: RutherfordBrave
Thanks for your advice everyone! I''m certainly rethinking the price vs. quality issue... The LK really is 2x the price, and I''m pretty sure I can convince myself to go with another jeweler if that''s the best my current one can do. Does anyone have recommendations on places in Boston? James Allen has a location here, and I''m not 100% about buying online yet... How do people go about comparing stones when they get them from an online dealer?

Any thoughts on semi-bezel settings vs Tiffany, or is that something only I will be able to answer?

Do you know what your girlfriend likes? There are some beautiful semi-bezels on PS.

Here is my favorite: elle_chris''s

When looking for a diamond you want stones that fall into the following guidelines

(this will all be on the AGS or GIA report)
depth 60-62%
table 54-57%
crown angle 34-35 degrees
pavilion angle 40.6 - 41 degrees

if pav angle 40.6 - lean toward 34.5- 35 crowns
if pav angle 41 - lean toward 34- 34.5 crowns

polish and symmetry - very good and above
girdle - avoid extremes (like very thin to very thick)

James Allen will also provide you with an idealscope image so you can see if the diamond is loosing light...read about how to
interpret and idealscope image here:
http://www.pricescope.com/idealscope_indx.asp

James Allen also has heart images if the diamond is an H&A - read here:
http://diamonds.pricescope.com/hna.asp

Really you should go under the Knowledge menu and absorb as much as you can before you go to your next diamond
appointment. James Allen is very reputable and I''m sure will be happy to educate you but its best to learn what you need
to know before you go.

PS users can help you find a beautiful stone on line. A lot of members here are very passionate about diamonds (I''m sure you''ve
noticed) and are very knowledgable with first hand experience. Just ask for help.

Also, if you find a stone (not on line). Post the numbers from the cert and we will give you advice/opinions on the stone. Also
post any pictures/ideal scope or ASET images you get.

Good luck!

 

[swingirl]

Date: 1/4/2010 12:18:43 PM
Author: RutherfordBrave
Does anyone have recommendations on places in Boston? James Allen has a location here, and I''m not 100% about buying online yet... How do people go about comparing stones when they get them from an online dealer?

James Allen has an internet presence but their website says they don''t accept visitors at the Maryland location.

Personally I prefer shopping for diamonds on the internet as long as the vendor has images and a good return policy. Most of the preferred PS vendors offer great customer service with real people (sometimes even the owner) to talk with. I like being able to compare far more stones than any one vendor has in their vault.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I have a Lazare Kaplan stone. I found my e-ring in my pre-PS days, however I'd done enough research to know that cut trumped all the other c's. I had no real way of knowing the quality of the cut, but figured I'd be getting a top-notch cut if we bought the LK stone. I wasn't willing to pay a premium for it, though. I was lucky that my LK stone happened to be the most economical I could find.

I think that a LK stone is great for people who are looking to buy a top-notch stone without having to do a lot of homework. I don't think it's worth it to pay a premium just for peace of mind when you can find a stone for half the cost that performs just as well. It sounds like you've already educated yourself about diamond performance, so I'd probably start my search over and save a couple thousand bucks!

ETA: Have you gone to the diamond building at Downtown Crossing? I'd recommend the online vendors over any jeweller in that building, but it's good for looking around since there are so many jewellers in one place. We got my ring at Shreve, Crump and Low (Back Bay), but I just happened to get an amazing deal there when they were switching owners a few years ago. Normally their prices are so inflated I'd never recommend them, but if you're looking to compare LK stones with AGS or GIA stones, it would be a good place to compare since they have all of them.

 

[RutherfordBrave]

Thanks for your advice, everyone. I''m going to keep shopping around knowing I''ve already got something good on hold. Unless I find something that I really love, I''ll wait until I get back to the midwest to look at the other diamonds they have in stock. Being I know the owners of the store, I''m confident they will treat me right and show me the best that they have. They do have a very good stock, especially for a small-ish town store. For some reason I''m not bothered by the extra cost at the moment, but that might change when I look more closely at my finances over the next few weeks... I''ll give the overpriced places in Boston a look sometime soon, and report back if I have more questions -- you''ve all been a great help!