Ongoing Search for a 2 Ct. Radiant - Help Needed

[Ottowife]

Hi there,

Thanks for all you do as passionate PSer's. I've been lurking for a couple of years and now it's time to post.

I'm in the market for a +- 2 ct. rectangular radiant . I currently have a 1 ct. radiant and while it is beautiful and I love many things about it, I have always wished it were larger. I am in no hurry to buy ; my goal is to find a lovely performer with value within my budget. My search began about a month ago with a couple of B&M stores coupled with a pricescope education & extensive internet research. My new knowledge is certainly a good thing, however, there are moments when I wish I was still an uninformed consumer buying a stone just because it looks pretty!

I really wanted to buy locally through a B&M. I believe I have come to the realization that this would cost me a couple thousand dollars unnecessarily. While I have a very nice jeweler who has had some stones brought in for me, his pricing isn't close to WF, JA, BN, etc... Of course there is the benefit of seeing the stones - I know I can come close to this with the right online vendor though. My first question is: have any of you become involved with a local guy, only to tell him "sorry, I'm going to buy from the internet because I can get a better product for the same money"?

I travel a couple times a month to Houston, where WF is located. They have no stones of my specification in house according to their database - all are virtual. My second question: in your opinions, is there an advantage to dealing with them over other online vendors due to their proximity to me, considering they still have to ship stones in for me? Third question: How long will any of the vendors put up with me - what is their expectation with regard to the time they put in with a client vs. their return? The reason I ask this is more the great difference in radiants, not my being too terribly picky . It is so hard to tell from paper what the facet pattern may look like in person - to the point where I've been angry with myself for not being in love with a more standardized cut.

Lastly, should I buy an ASET scope, or is that something I can count on WF or a similar full-service online vendor to supply photos of prior to purchase? Is ideal-scope.com the only place you can buy them?

Of course, I have so many more questions, but these are a good start. Any help you could give would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Ottowife]

Anyone??? Thought maybe there would be a few opinions on B&M's vs. online vendors, Whiteflash, and possibly other vendors who are known for good quality fancy shapes...

 

[tyty333]

I would use someone like James Allen where you can see videos of the stones and sort of tell whether you like the faceting
pattern or not. They will also do an aset image on 3 stones for you when you find something you like. The fact that you
already have a radiant that you like should help you pick out a new one. If you give us some details on your color/clarity/budget
requirements we can throw out a few that we think are pretty.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/?CaratFrom=2.02&CaratTo=10.00&PriceFrom=400&PriceTo=999000&Sort=Carat%20asc,%20DefaultOrder

 

[Ottowife]

I would use someone like James Allen where you can see videos of the stones and sort of tell whether you like the faceting
pattern or not. They will also do an aset image on 3 stones for you when you find something you like. The fact that you
already have a radiant that you like should help you pick out a new one. If you give us some details on your color/clarity/budget
requirements we can throw out a few that we think are pretty.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/?CaratFrom=2.02&CaratTo=10.00&PriceFrom=400&PriceTo=999000&Sort=Carat%20asc,%20DefaultOrder

Sure, thanks so much for the reply. Good ideas. I have also been looking at James Allen to try to make a correlation between the facet pattern on the GIA and what I see on the stone. I didn't know that about the 3 stone ASET limit. Do other vendors limit you like that? I know some won't even provide ASET imagery. True, my current stone, of which I like the facet pattern - not fully crushed ice, should help a vendor find me something I like. Of course what I don't want is to buy a bigger stone that lacks the fire and beauty of the one I currently have just to get a bigger stone. My current stone is far from perfect, but has a few things going for it: G color, plenty of fire, SI1 eye clean, faces up nicely. And some negative: partial bowtie, size, an inclusion from the side that I can easily see which bugs me.

Specs I've been looking at:

Carat: 1.80-2.0x
Clarity: SI1 and better
Color: prefer G and better (my B&M showed a very nice H+ so I could gauge the difference and I didn't mind it - I seem to be color sensitive, though)
Cut Quality: I'd really like something with good light return, yet have become disheartened since learning more about radiant cuts and color loss on this forum.
Budget: I'd like to stay at 16k or below. I could go higher, but would like to control myself at 16k if possible

 

[tyty333]

Do you have any up close pictures of your stone where we can see the faceting pattern? You said you wanted rectangle?
Do you have a len/width ratio (like 1.3) that you like?

Edit - what do you think of this one?
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.89-carat-g-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-127351

another one...this has some nice facets but may have some mush too
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.81-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-244092

Diamonds by Lauren (DBL) might be another place to check out....ok...just checked. He doesnt have anything right now.

 

[iota15]

I would likely work with JA too, and maybe GOG.

There is a limit to how much a vendor will bring in for you - but I assume it will vary with each vendor, the willingness of the rep as well as the price of your potential purchase. With JA, I just found it easier to sort through what I liked and didn't like first because I could see it. They will only do three Asets at a time. It doesn't mean they won't do more after that - but select carefully the first round.

Choosing radiants is a bit of a shot in the dark. The facet patterns in the GIA can give you an idea, but really - the same on-paper pattern can look and act very differently in person.

Feel free to use WF if you feel more comfortable seeing them in person too.

I wouldn't contact your B&M jeweler about this anymore. Based on the price difference, you know you will not be purchasing from him. Don't waste his time - and money. It costs money to ship in these stones.

 

[Ottowife]

Do you have any up close pictures of your stone where we can see the faceting pattern? You said you wanted rectangle?
Do you have a len/width ratio (like 1.3) that you like?

Edit - what do you think of this one?
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.89-carat-g-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-127351

another one...this has some nice facets but may have some mush too
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.81-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-244092

Diamonds by Lauren (DBL) might be another place to check out....ok...just checked. He doesnt have anything right now.

I will try to take some photos of my current stone. Thanks for the help. I have both of those stones saved on the JA wishlist. May I ask what you mean when you say stone #2 has some "mush". What made this stone less desirable for me was the obvious bow tie I was seeing and the inclusion other than the cloud on the face, which is not identified as anything in particular on the GIA. Also, when the GIA states "Pinpoints are not shown...Surface graining is not show", does that mean they are definitely there? The facet pattern as shown on the GIA was interesting...I believe what is called an 8-Main vs. a 4 main?

I liked Stone 1 also; except for the dead cross in the center, I like the facet pattern quite a bit.

This one seemed to have less bowtie and more random deadness, if that makes sense: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.81-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-293364

I also saved this cushion: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.85-carat-g-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-197334
but am not at all sure how they face up compared to a radiant.

 

[Ottowife]

I would likely work with JA too, and maybe GOG.

There is a limit to how much a vendor will bring in for you - but I assume it will vary with each vendor, the willingness of the rep as well as the price of your potential purchase. With JA, I just found it easier to sort through what I liked and didn't like first because I could see it. They will only do three Asets at a time. It doesn't mean they won't do more after that - but select carefully the first round.

Choosing radiants is a bit of a shot in the dark. The facet patterns in the GIA can give you an idea, but really - the same on-paper pattern can look and act very differently in person.

Feel free to use WF if you feel more comfortable seeing them in person too.

I wouldn't contact your B&M jeweler about this anymore. Based on the price difference, you know you will not be purchasing from him. Don't waste his time - and money. It costs money to ship in these stones.

Thank you for this honest advice re: the B&M. I think I needed to hear what I already knew from a forum member. I don't want to inconvenience him or cause him to lose money; He does very nice custom work, is honest and I would like to use him in the future.

And for the advice about radiants being a shot in the dark...as I said, there are moments where I wish I didn't possess the knowledge I've gleaned from pricesope. Sure, I'd pay a stupid tax, but it would be easier.

May I ask, did you buy from JA? If so are you happy with your purchase? I find them a little more expensive than some of the other vendors, yet I guess seeing the stone in 360 is worth that for some of us and still provides a big savings over local.

Regarding WF, my comfort level seeing them through JA is about the same as seeing something in person. Sometimes I'm just as confused when looking at them in person!!!!! I was thinking that building a relationship with a rep in person may be helpful.