Need guidance with 1st time diamond purchase

[wbarnwell]

I wouldn't bother with this one.

First the person says he knows very little about diamonds, then says, "given my level of knowledge, I would NEVER buy a diamond online." Seems like there is something off about all this!

I am not trying to rustle feathers, but I believe he meant that because he knows so little, he would never buy a diamond online. I am new to this process as well, and like him feel weary of purchasing a diamond online because I know so little. For instance, I've been told by people on this site not to purchase a certain stone because of certain angles being "too steep" from a diamonds measurements, even when that diamond is rated excellent cut. Now, how would someone with my level of knowledge be able to tell that that particular stone might not reflect light as well as a similar one with EX cut? The only way that I might be able to tell is in person. I can't compare two EX cut diamonds and tell the difference, as it seems that some of you can. As for him being suspicious of some of you working for these online dealers, yeah the same thought has crossed my mind as well, but like everything on the internet, you have to take advice with a grain of salt, and for me it never hurts to get another opinion. I do believe that many if not most of you have other posters best interests in mind, so keep on doing what you are doing.

Let me just assure you as well, that none of us work for these vendors. If we did, we'd have TRADE designated and our company identified. It is strictly against the rules to do otherwise. Some of us are loyal to vendors who have given good service and sell outstanding diamonds. I certainly will recommend their stones when they have one that meets the buyers specs. I only recommend stones from vendors who provide pictures and idealscope images at minimum. That is the proof of whether the numbers are good enough or not because you will see leakage even in some "excellent" cut stones. Most of us that stick around just like diamonds and jewelry as a hobby. If we can help someone buy a great diamond at a reasonable price, that is just enjoyable to us.

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I hear you. And I definitely appreciate those of you who have already offered me good advice over the past couple of days. I am starting to get the hang of it, I think.

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I wouldn't bother with this one.

First the person says he knows very little about diamonds, then says, "given my level of knowledge, I would NEVER buy a diamond online." Seems like there is something off about all this!

I am not trying to rustle feathers, but I believe he meant that because he knows so little, he would never buy a diamond online. I am new to this process as well, and like him feel weary of purchasing a diamond online because I know so little. For instance, I've been told by people on this site not to purchase a certain stone because of certain angles being "too steep" from a diamonds measurements, even when that diamond is rated excellent cut. Now, how would someone with my level of knowledge be able to tell that that particular stone might not reflect light as well as a similar one with EX cut? The only way that I might be able to tell is in person. I can't compare two EX cut diamonds and tell the difference, as it seems that some of you can. As for him being suspicious of some of you working for these online dealers, yeah the same thought has crossed my mind as well, but like everything on the internet, you have to take advice with a grain of salt, and for me it never hurts to get another opinion. I do believe that many if not most of you have other posters best interests in mind, so keep on doing what you are doing.

How would you be able to tell the angle difference in person? Its a minute difference youre not going to see under jewelry store lights its only going to be seen in the certs. The reason we advise shopping online is its a pressure free environment with no tricks or pushy salesmen just cold hard facts about each stone amd its performance with stores that have a low overhead because they are online. Most of us are just enthusiasts who dont want to see someone's money get taken becuase they are charged too much for a sub par stone. I can say for certain we just like the feeling of someone getting what they want eith there eyes wide open- knowing it was quality and well priced

My point was that I can't tell the difference between the numbers when looking at a diamond online, all I know is what I can see with my own two eyes. So, I understand why he is weary of shopping online. So, I am trying to take the time to learn to learn about a stone's performance by looking at the numbers, and it has been a wonderful education. This site has been very helpful to me, whether or not I decide to buy a diamond online or not.

Well, my response, and I see what you're saying, is that I look at aset & ideal scope images when shopping for diamonds. The diamonds I've purchased have all been from the same vendor and that one has provided the images I needed to make a decision. I think the risk is mostly if a person buys a virtual diamond, rather than one the vendor has on-hand. Just to toss a recent experience I had...I went to a local B&M to try on amethyst earrings (not the same as diamonds, but this particular store has a large selection of diamond jewelry and has loose diamond shows, so their sales staff are responsible for selling the diamonds). In the store, there was a display of earrings of different types all together and I asked the gal if I could try on the amethyst pair. She reached in and grabbed a pair of earrings that were garnets. I told her, "no, the PURPLE pair." She then told me she didn't know the difference! She said she only knew her birthstone. This is a person who is also selling diamonds to people. Point being...just because someone works in a local B&M doesn't mean they have any qualifications to be selling diamonds. It doesn't guarantee you will walk out with the best cut. What if I told my DH to buy me a pair of amethyst earrings? He doesn't know the difference. If he had purchased from her, he would have come home and given me a pair of garnets

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

 

[wbarnwell]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

I see. Now, on some of these sites, I am having trouble deciphering which cut is better than another. For instance, on James Allen, they have Ideal, which I thought was what I was looking for, and then "True Hearts" which appears to be much more expensive? When purchasing online, should I try and stick with that particular vendors "True Hearts" so to speak? I know different vendors have different names for this, like Whiteflash has different "Selections", and BlueNile has "Signature Ideal". I know that I do not want to sacrifice on cut, I've just made that a priority, but are those gimmicks or what?

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

 

[JulieN]

Only someone who has spent a very long time around hearts and arrows diamonds would /maybe/ notice the difference between H&A and not with some level of accuracy. You will not notice any difference between a well-cut one and an H&A.

 

[bunnycat]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

I see. Now, on some of these sites, I am having trouble deciphering which cut is better than another. For instance, on James Allen, they have Ideal, which I thought was what I was looking for, and then "True Hearts" which appears to be much more expensive? When purchasing online, should I try and stick with that particular vendors "True Hearts" so to speak? I know different vendors have different names for this, like Whiteflash has different "Selections", and BlueNile has "Signature Ideal". I know that I do not want to sacrifice on cut, I've just made that a priority, but are those gimmicks or what?

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Each of the major vendors has their own house "heart and aroows" branded stone. H/A is a result of ideal symmetry in the facetting of a stone. JA calls it "True Hearts", Whiteflash is "A Cut Above", BN Signature ideal, etc. Each of the major vendors also keeps some stones (such as their branded stones) in house and they are also going to have access to a larger inventory that can be called in for someone (those are generally the "select" or other stones. Stick to the in house stones to ask about for the most ease if you can.

If you want a truly excellently cut stone, but aren't as concerned about the H/A symmetry, Brian Gavin is the only one I know of who cuts branded stones that are ideal cut, but aren't necessarily H/A. It's his "Blue" line (fluorescent).

AGS Ideal cut and GIA Excellent cut are the terms you want to look for on a cert.

At a place like ID jewelery, you are going to need to call the owner Yekutiel, tell him what you are looking for, your budget and that you want a Pricescope quality stone, then he knows what parameters to look for. They've pulled off some great stuff for people on a budget here.

ETA- oops- I just saw that Expert selection is whiteflash's version of a non or near H/A in house cut.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

I see. Now, on some of these sites, I am having trouble deciphering which cut is better than another. For instance, on James Allen, they have Ideal, which I thought was what I was looking for, and then "True Hearts" which appears to be much more expensive? When purchasing online, should I try and stick with that particular vendors "True Hearts" so to speak? I know different vendors have different names for this, like Whiteflash has different "Selections", and BlueNile has "Signature Ideal". I know that I do not want to sacrifice on cut, I've just made that a priority, but are those gimmicks or what?

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Some of the cuts are branded. If you go to Whiteflash's site, you will see the ACA branded cut which is their perfect cut H&A. Then they have Expert Selection, which are diamonds that almost made the ACA branding, but were slightly not exact H&A so they were put in the Expert Selection category and are slightly less expensive. If you see, both of those diamonds are ON HAND. The staff at WF can look at the stones and answer questions about these. I have an ideal cut diamond that I bought from a B&M years ago which looks amazing and I lucked out with that purchase. I have an ideal scope and with that, can tell the difference between my ideal cut and H&A stones, but it's not obvious with the naked eye. FWIW, I have owned both ACAs and an ES and they looked equally beautiful, so next I would look at prices to see, within my budget, what could I get.

 

[wbarnwell]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

I see. Now, on some of these sites, I am having trouble deciphering which cut is better than another. For instance, on James Allen, they have Ideal, which I thought was what I was looking for, and then "True Hearts" which appears to be much more expensive? When purchasing online, should I try and stick with that particular vendors "True Hearts" so to speak? I know different vendors have different names for this, like Whiteflash has different "Selections", and BlueNile has "Signature Ideal". I know that I do not want to sacrifice on cut, I've just made that a priority, but are those gimmicks or what?

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Each of the major vendors has their own house "heart and aroows" branded stone. H/A is a result of ideal symmetry in the facetting of a stone. JA calls it "True Hearts", Whiteflash is "A Cut Above", BN Signature ideal, etc. Each of the major vendors also keeps some stones (such as their branded stones) in house and they are also going to have access to a larger inventory that can be called in for someone (those are generally the "select" or other stones. Stick to the in house stones to ask about for the most ease if you can.

If you want a truly excellently cut stone, but aren't as concerned about the H/A symmetry, Brian Gavin is the only one I know of who cuts branded stones that are ideal cut, but aren't necessarily H/A. It's his "Blue" line (fluorescent).

At a place like ID jewelery, you are going to need to call the owner Yekutiel, tell him what you are looking for, your budget and that you want a Pricescope quality stone, then he knows what parameters to look for. They've pulled off some great stuff for people on a budget here.

Awesome. I'll be sure to make that phone call.

But yeah, so I've found this "Signature Ideal" Diamond on Blue Nile, but I just don't know if its worth the extra money. I mean do these H/A diamonds look better to the naked eye than an ideal cut?

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=btn1#diamonds_pid=LD03110598

This stone is right at the top of my budget, which is ~6800 for the whole package. It looks incredible, but I know that I could save money, heck even go up in size I'm sure if I went from their H/A to an ideal cut. I guess this really just comes down to preference?

 

[wbarnwell]

For instance, it doesn't appear that I would be sacrificing much to go down almost $800.00 for this stone. Difference between a VVS2 to a SI1, and a Signature Ideal to an Ideal cut.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=btn1#diamonds_pid=LD02749962

 

[bunnycat]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

I see. Now, on some of these sites, I am having trouble deciphering which cut is better than another. For instance, on James Allen, they have Ideal, which I thought was what I was looking for, and then "True Hearts" which appears to be much more expensive? When purchasing online, should I try and stick with that particular vendors "True Hearts" so to speak? I know different vendors have different names for this, like Whiteflash has different "Selections", and BlueNile has "Signature Ideal". I know that I do not want to sacrifice on cut, I've just made that a priority, but are those gimmicks or what?

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Each of the major vendors has their own house "heart and aroows" branded stone. H/A is a result of ideal symmetry in the facetting of a stone. JA calls it "True Hearts", Whiteflash is "A Cut Above", BN Signature ideal, etc. Each of the major vendors also keeps some stones (such as their branded stones) in house and they are also going to have access to a larger inventory that can be called in for someone (those are generally the "select" or other stones. Stick to the in house stones to ask about for the most ease if you can.

If you want a truly excellently cut stone, but aren't as concerned about the H/A symmetry, Brian Gavin is the only one I know of who cuts branded stones that are ideal cut, but aren't necessarily H/A. It's his "Blue" line (fluorescent).

At a place like ID jewelery, you are going to need to call the owner Yekutiel, tell him what you are looking for, your budget and that you want a Pricescope quality stone, then he knows what parameters to look for. They've pulled off some great stuff for people on a budget here.

Awesome. I'll be sure to make that phone call.

But yeah, so I've found this "Signature Ideal" Diamond on Blue Nile, but I just don't know if its worth the extra money. I mean do these H/A diamonds look better to the naked eye than an ideal cut?

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=btn1#diamonds_pid=LD03110598

This stone is right at the top of my budget, which is ~6800 for the whole package. It looks incredible, but I know that I could save money, heck even go up in size I'm sure if I went from their H/A to an ideal cut. I guess this really just comes down to preference?

Ideal cut is ideal cut. A H/A branded stone is going to be ideal cut, but there are plenty of ideal cut stones that are not H/A. You are going to have to search and crunch numbers for them though.

you may want to post the stone links in your other thread to try and drag this one back somewhere to the topic...

 

[wbarnwell]

Yeah, whoops, not trying to hijack, just figured since the OP apparently isn't coming back... But I'll start back there. Thanks.

 

[Gypsy]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Please make sure that when you are offering advice about a vendor that your advice is accurate. If you have not worked with the vendor before, or do not know how they operate from other threads, then your comments will just be confusing.

ID Jewelry DOES provide pictures. ON REQUEST. SO AFTER they have found you the diamonds they think are good choices for you. You call them. Say: I want this. They find it for you. Then they send you pictures and an idealscope of each of the stones. You pick one, you buy. Or you don't buy and ask them to keep looking. Or you go with another vendor.

As for 'gimmicks' and hearts and arrows: please read this thread (posted earlier): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/[/URL]

 

[wbarnwell]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Please make sure that when you are offering advice about a vendor that your advice is accurate. If you have not worked with the vendor before, or do not know how they operate from other threads, then your comments will just be confusing.

ID Jewelry DOES provide pictures. ON REQUEST. SO AFTER they have found you the diamonds they think are good choices for you. You call them. Say: I want this. They find it for you. Then they send you pictures and an idealscope of each of the stones. You pick one, you buy. Or you don't buy and ask them to keep looking. Or you go with another vendor.

As for 'gimmicks' and hearts and arrows: please read this thread (posted earlier): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/[/URL]

Well, I wasn't so much offering advice, as I was asking for it, but your point is well taken. I'll be more careful when speaking in absolutes. Thanks for the link.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Please make sure that when you are offering advice about a vendor that your advice is accurate. If you have not worked with the vendor before, or do not know how they operate from other threads, then your comments will just be confusing.

ID Jewelry DOES provide pictures. ON REQUEST. SO AFTER they have found you the diamonds they think are good choices for you. You call them. Say: I want this. They find it for you. Then they send you pictures and an idealscope of each of the stones. You pick one, you buy. Or you don't buy and ask them to keep looking. Or you go with another vendor.

As for 'gimmicks' and hearts and arrows: please read this thread (posted earlier): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/[/URL]

I pretty much stated what is right. I only would buy from vendors who have images available. I guess to be more specific: ones, who, when I go to their website and do a diamond search, diamonds they have on-hand include images I can view directly on my screen right away. Seems A LOT easier to me! Plenty of vendors have those, so I would gravitate toward one of those companies.

 

[wbarnwell]

I am on I.D. Jewelry right now, as recommended earlier in this thread. I've noticed that they do not provide pictures. Is this a trustworthy site? I've already picked a few diamonds out that interest me strongly.

I only purchase from vendors who show pictures of the diamonds. For *me*, that would me having to go down in size or color/clarity because I am always on a budget. (ETA - I've purchased from one vendor, but there is a second I would for sure consider and possibly a third.)

edit: Sorry for all the questions, I have alot, I know.

Please make sure that when you are offering advice about a vendor that your advice is accurate. If you have not worked with the vendor before, or do not know how they operate from other threads, then your comments will just be confusing.

ID Jewelry DOES provide pictures. ON REQUEST. SO AFTER they have found you the diamonds they think are good choices for you. You call them. Say: I want this. They find it for you. Then they send you pictures and an idealscope of each of the stones. You pick one, you buy. Or you don't buy and ask them to keep looking. Or you go with another vendor.

As for 'gimmicks' and hearts and arrows: please read this thread (posted earlier): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/[/URL]

I pretty much stated what is right. I only would buy from vendors who have images available. I guess to be more specific: ones, who, when I go to their website and do a diamond search, diamonds they have on-hand include images I can view directly on my screen right away. Seems A LOT easier to me! Plenty of vendors have those, so I would gravitate toward one of those companies.

we're on the same page, that is what I was getting at

 

[Gypsy]

wbarnwell,

My recommendation for BN, IDJ, and JA was specific to the OP who kept, repeatedly, asking for best pricing. ID J offers that. My recommendations for vendors were geared toward that: lowest price, without appreciable lose of quality.

Advice is not one size fits all. Mine certainly wasn't in this thread. It was tailored to the OP.

I do not share MC's opinion. It's too limiting. By following that advice you are limited only to diamonds in stock at vendors that post pictures of those diamonds. Sometimes those aren't the best value out there, or the best stones, especially with fancies. I think some of the best vendors on here do not have all their stones posted up front, especially with regard fancy diamonds. Many of our best values from vendors come from stones they call in on memo, then provide us information on. Actually ONLY JA has all their stones listed on line. Even GOG has to call in stones for people. WF and BGD do not have any stones other than their own signature lines in house and have to call everything else in. And ERD has very few images but access to a lot of stock, and connections, and has a great eye.

I think if you are talking about a basic round brilliant, you can shop on various sites with pictures posted.

But really, what does it matter when you get the picture of the stone, as long as the Customer service is good and so is the stone/transaction/policies of the store.

Still, to each their own. But if you are buying anything other than a round... you really should expand your search to include stones that vendors can call in, the provide you with images of.

 

[wbarnwell]

wbarnwell,

My recommendation for BN, IDJ, and JA was specific to the OP who kept, repeatedly, asking for best pricing. ID J offers that. My recommendations for vendors were geared toward that: lowest price, without appreciable lose of quality.

Advice is not one size fits all. Mine certainly wasn't in this thread. It was tailored to the OP.

I do not share MC's opinion. It's too limiting. By following that advice you are limited only to diamonds in stock at vendors that post pictures of those diamonds. Sometimes those aren't the best value out there, or the best stones, especially with fancies. I think some of the best vendors on here do not have all their stones posted up front, especially with regard fancy diamonds. Many of our best values from vendors come from stones they call in on memo, then provide us information on. Actually ONLY JA has all their stones listed on line. Even GOG has to call in stones for people. WF and BGD do not have any stones other than their own signature lines in house and have to call everything else in. And ERD has very few images but access to a lot of stock, and connections, and has a great eye.

I think if you are talking about a basic round brilliant, you can shop on various sites with pictures posted.

But really, what does it matter when you get the picture of the stone, as long as the Customer service is good and so is the stone/transaction/policies of the store.

Still, to each their own. But if you are buying anything other than a round... you really should expand your search to include stones that vendors can call in, the provide you with images of.

Which I have, and I appreciate you making that point. I talked to ID yesterday, and they are going to email me with some diamonds today. I thought Yeukitel was very up front, and I am excited to see what he can come up with, including the pictures and idealscopes he promised.

 

[cluelezz]

I find the ID Jewelry website harder to navigate than the other websites. Whenever I make a selection it takes forever to show up.