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What do you think of this OEC?

tigerhearted

tigerhearted

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
151
Hi Folks! :wavey: My hubby's and my 10-years-together and 5-years-married anniversaries are coming up next year and we've been thinking of getting me a new ring in celebration (lucky me!). I was considering GOG's AVC, but hubby says an OEC is more "me," haha. Now I adore OECs, but was rather dreading the search for a good OEC. I've been keeping my eye open and have been thinking of going to GOG to source one for me.

Today this diamond popped up and I'd appreciate hearing from those of you more experienced than I am (which is probably most of you lol):

0.9ct
VS1
J
6.1mmx6.15mmx3.99mm
Very small culet
Very thin to thin girdle
No fluorescence
~64% depth
High crown
Small table
No chips
video: vzaar.com/videos/1201090

$4k OBO
Caveat: NO return option as the owner is in financial straits and needs the funds. I do not know the owner personally, and they are not local.

The owner inherited this stone from her great-grandmother. She and her boyfriend had intended to use it for her e-ring in the future, but have run into financial problems, necessitating the sale. The stone has not been certified or officially appraised, the above stats were obtained through her jeweler. I've messaged with her a few times today (I asked for a video and whether the stone was certified/appraised), and she has been prompt, helpful, and polite.


To me, this looks like a lovely stone, and hits all of my personal sweet spots (J, VS, symmetrical facets, small culet, etc). But the no-return caveat makes my husband and I nervous, especially given our inexperience in buying OECs.

Does this look like a stone that will perform well in most situations? Do you see any dead/lazy areas? Is $4k a fair price? Is this purchase a risk you'd be willing to take?

I poked around at oldworlddiamonds and found a comparable stone here, though the facets don't look as attractive to me: http://www.oldworlddiamonds.com/detail.php?ID=770&SHAPE=EU

Let's see if I can attach some pics.

_t2ec16rhjhge9n0yfljrbrj_oin3iw__60_1.jpg
_t2ec16d__y8e9s2fk3o0brj_btlko___60_1.jpg
_t2ec16nhjgqe9nomzgoibrj_l0mc____60_1.jpg
__kgrhqf__jufdmsrsgwbbrj_blfn1w__60_1.jpg
 
Tough call.. but I would hesitate to buy with no cert, and no return. Even if the seller is really nice and needs the money :blackeye:

I would not say the table on this stone is small. It's rather big for an OEC actually, closer to transitional. I also thought it was kind of hard to figure out the faceting from the video, through the pics look nice.

Have you looked around PS Pre-Loved?
 
Also, congrats on your anniversaries :))

And lastly -- the video links directly the ebay listing. Just FYI in case of lurkers.
 
GemFever|1363052349|3402530 said:
Tough call.. but I would hesitate to buy with no cert, and no return. Even if the seller is really nice and needs the money :blackeye:

I would not say the table on this stone is small. It's rather big for an OEC actually, closer to transitional. I also thought it was kind of hard to figure out the faceting from the video, through the pics look nice.

Have you looked around PS Pre-Loved?
Click to expand...

Exactly. :/ The combination of no cert plus no return. Makes me nervous. If there was even just a 5 day return I could get it down to be appraised and observe its performance in person. I understand why she's offering those terms, but it makes the purchase really risky for a buyer like me.

And yeah, the fact that it looks like a late OEC or early transitional....that's hitting my personal sweet spot too. :mrgreen: It's exactly what I would want in a diamond....except for the seller's terms!

No I haven't checked that out! I think that is new since the last time I was active around here. Will check it out.

GemFever said:
Also, congrats on your anniversaries

And lastly -- the video links directly the ebay listing. Just FYI in case of lurkers.
Click to expand...

Thank you! And dammit! I don't know why that happened. And I was so careful to re-word the stats so that it hopefully wouldn't pop up in a search. :mrgreen:

Oh well. If it gets sniped then I'll just take that as a sign that this wasn't the stone for me anyway!
 
There are some comparable diamonds (size and price) on the JbEG site and they have a return policy. Have you checked there to see if they might have something you like?

liz
 
athenaworth|1363058508|3402604 said:
Have you seen this one on JbEG?? http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Loose-Diamonds/96ct-Loose-Transitional-Cut/24448854_n3s3wt#!i=1994225485&k=j9G4RB3 it's only $3395(!!!)
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that one is pretty leaky. 6.6mm spread for a .93ct stone is extreme. Something's gotta give, I think it's over shallow.

Tigerhearted -- if you are not in a rush, I think you could probably do better if you wait and watch the Pre-Loved section and ebay. That said... it does look like a nice stone (though I hope our old-cut experts give their opinion too!). The price would be decent ***IF*** it's actually a J-color. You can't come to an understanding with the seller that you'd buy the stone if the specs check out with an independent appraiser? Why is she hesitant to allow returns? I know some sellers are afraid their stone will get switched or something like that. But should you risk your money for the seller's convenience?

Oh btw, that said, a lot of the sales in Pre-Loved are final also. But I think for more expensive items you can usually come to an agreement with PSers. That's my guess.
 
LibbyLA|1363055954|3402569 said:
There are some comparable diamonds (size and price) on the JbEG site and they have a return policy. Have you checked there to see if they might have something you like?

liz
Click to expand...

I was just poking around that website over the weekend, but nothing had really jumped out at me. Most of the photos and videos on that site make the diamonds look so dark and gray that I have a hard time judging. :/ I think it's the lighting and maybe camera reflection, but it doesn't make the diamonds look very appealing to me. I'm probably missing something and showing my ignorance here. XD;

For instance, my .6 oec seems to glow white in most lighting, in addition to the oec rainbow sparkliness, and it's one of the things I love best about it.
4379367907_7f430c2119_z.jpg
It's set in a bezel now, and it still does this lovely glowy thing. (btw is there a term for that? I always think of it as brightness, but maybe that's wrong) This is definitely a characteristic that I would want in the OEC we buy for our anniversary.
 
tigerhearted|1363060792|3402624 said:
This is definitely a characteristic that I would want in the OEC we buy for our anniversary.
Click to expand...

If you have some specific characteristics you want from your new stone, and will be comparing it to a stone you already love, then I'd say you definitely need to see before you buy. No-return sounds like a no go in this case.

I have to agree with you on JbEG's photography and videos. I hate to say it, but somehow it makes stones look confusing to my eye. But you could try contacting them and asking them for extra info -- they are lovely and very helpful. Maybe they could provide some additional shots of a stone you're interested in, maybe in more diffused lighting conditions.
 
GemFever|1363060281|3402621 said:
athenaworth|1363058508|3402604 said:
Have you seen this one on JbEG?? http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Loose-Diamonds/96ct-Loose-Transitional-Cut/24448854_n3s3wt#!i=1994225485&k=j9G4RB3 it's only $3395(!!!)
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that one is pretty leaky. 6.6mm spread for a .93ct stone is extreme. Something's gotta give, I think it's over shallow.

Tigerhearted -- if you are not in a rush, I think you could probably do better if you wait and watch the Pre-Loved section and ebay. That said... it does look like a nice stone (though I hope our old-cut experts give their opinion too!). The price would be decent ***IF*** it's actually a J-color. You can't come to an understanding with the seller that you'd buy the stone if the specs check out with an independent appraiser? Why is she hesitant to allow returns? I know some sellers are afraid their stone will get switched or something like that. But should you risk your money for the seller's convenience?

Oh btw, that said, a lot of the sales in Pre-Loved are final also. But I think for more expensive items you can usually come to an agreement with PSers. That's my guess.
Click to expand...

Definitely not in a rush, we've got a little over a year to work with, so time is on our side. I'm thinking more and more of asking Jonathan at GOG to source one and do all the legwork for me. XD Iirc people have had good luck going that route haven't they?

Thank you for the feedback on the ebay diamond. You all are just confirming my reservations. It's just tempting enough to make me hesitate to rule it out, but it is such a risk. If the diamond is misrepresented or doesn't perform well in person, we'd have to sell it at a loss. Which would take a chunk out of my ring budget. :/

I'm assuming the seller doesn't have the funds for certification/appraisal in her current financial situation (giving the benefit of the doubt that she's telling the truth). She said they hadn't bothered to do it previously because they'd always intended to keep it. I got the impression that she's on the young side, early 20's maybe. She may not comprehend the risk she's asking buyers to take.
 
I personally had a great experience with GOG sourcing me an OEC :))

If the seller is flexible, you could try saying -- I will take it to appraiser X, if the specs check out, I will not return it, otherwise it's too much of a risk. But that doesn't cover you in case the specs are OK but performance just isn't quite there...
 
GemFever|1363061602|3402636 said:
tigerhearted|1363060792|3402624 said:
This is definitely a characteristic that I would want in the OEC we buy for our anniversary.
Click to expand...

If you have some specific characteristics you want from your new stone, and will be comparing it to a stone you already love, then I'd say you definitely need to see before you buy. No-return sounds like a no go in this case.

I have to agree with you on JbEG's photography and videos. I hate to say it, but somehow it makes stones look confusing to my eye. But you could try contacting them and asking them for extra info -- they are lovely and very helpful. Maybe they could provide some additional shots of a stone you're interested in, maybe in more diffused lighting conditions.
Click to expand...

Is the glowy whiteness an unusual characteristic in OECs/transitionals? The number of antique diamonds I've seen in person is very limited.
 
GemFever|1363061931|3402640 said:
I personally had a great experience with GOG sourcing me an OEC :))

If the seller is flexible, you could try saying -- I will take it to appraiser X, if the specs check out, I will not return it, otherwise it's too much of a risk. But that doesn't cover you in case the specs are OK but performance just isn't quite there...
Click to expand...

That's awesome :D Does he charge a fee for that?

I think I will just tell her that without a cert or return period it's too big of a risk for us. Even if she offers a return period, if I don't like it for some fussy reason, I will feel bad sending it back because of her situation. It would just be a lot of extra stress. Better to go through GOG or similar where everything is professional. :bigsmile:
 
In terms of glowy whiteness... not enough of an expert to really say definitively, but I'd say it's more likely in a well-cut OEC. I myself am pretty confused about the different terminology -- fire, brilliance, scintillation, white light return, colored light return... :confused: Gotta do some research.

I'm not sure if GOG charges an outright fee, since I upgraded from another stone of theirs (my journey has been AVC > MRB > OEC sourced by GOG > bigger OEC from ebay). Their prices are a little higher in general, I think all the extra work they do (tests, analysis, videos) gets figured into that. Worth it for the peace of mind! Unless you love the Wild West of eBay deals & steals :naughty: There are ebay stones out there with return policies, which may be cheaper than GOG. But you do have to take on the stress of searching, shipping, analyzing, agonizing, deciding...
 
Thanks so much guys! I am definitely not up for the Wild West (haha love that!) of Ebay this time around unless it is nearly a sure thing. The upcoming year will hopefully be full of lots of positive change (moving out of state, career change, back to school, starting a family), and I'd like to keep unnecessary stress to a minimum! Usually I would enjoy putting in the sweat and effort of finding one myself, but right now just the thought of it makes me tired. XD

Looks like I'll be dropping Jonathan a line.... I'd already asked him to look out for an AVC that meets my criteria, but then I made the dubious "mistake" of asking my husband which cut is more "me." Haha! I must agree with him deep down because that's all it took to make me start looking at OECs again. I hope Jonathan won't be too annoyed at my change of heart. :oops:
 
That IS gorgeous! $4k is our absolute max though. $2-3k would be more comfortable.
 
I saw that one on ebay previously. It was on my watch list but it said it sold so maybe it got relisted? Haven't kept a close eye on it. Love the pattern though, but since it is on the top of your budget and the returns are iffy, I would pass. I think the color may be accurate, but I think you should be 100% on it if you were to purchase it with those conditions.
 
You might want to check this one out. It says it is an OMB but it is very round. Very Large and under budget.

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/Diamonds-1/EGL-USA-Graded-Old-Miner-Diamond-1-46-Carat-J-Color-VS2-Clarity-253238.html

Here is the thread with pictures, but excel stated it faces up very white like a G color. The person in this thread was looking for a cushion but did go and look at the stone and took pictures of it. The faceting looks nice but the lighting in the pictures were not good. (pg 3)

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-style-cushion.185565/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/antique-style-cushion.185565/[/URL]
 
Hmm, I wonder why she upped the price so dramatically?? It's a strange listing all around. I'm beginning to wonder at how difficult her financial situation really is, because she doesn't seem motivated to sell.

Dreamer, after poking around at your past topics, I think yours is an eye to be given consideration. ;)) I sent Jbeg an inquiry last night, hope to hear from them this morning.

Ariel, thank you for the link. I had been completely unaware of that vendor. That particular diamond doesn't have a facet pattern to my liking, but I did ask them for photos of a couple other stones.
 
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