Where should I look?

[clementine]

I have always posted/lurked in the diamond section of Pricescope and wandered over here the other day after returning from a cruise where I bought a lovely amethyst necklace in St. Martin.

My 40th birthday is arriving next month and I was thinking about getting some kind of gemstone to have custom set in a halo style setting. My question is how do you know if you are getting a good quality stone? I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of some reputable dealers.

I haven''t even thought about what kind of stone to buy, but thought it would be a good idea to do some research before buying.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!

Clem

 

[stermag]

If you're looking for high quality gems, www.cherrypicked.com is a great place to start.

 

[movie zombie]

here are more resources

eta: i have also purchased from www.rwwise but this is very very high end....however, you can get some good info re quality stones at his website as well as many of the others listed.

2nd eta: i did not compile this list but it was posted on pricescope by a pricescoper [who it was i don't remember] and i saved it.

movie zombie

 

[bar01]

Date: 3/22/2006 5:30:46 PM
Author:clementine
My question is how do you know if you are getting a good quality stone?

I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of some reputable dealers.





Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!



Clem

There are two main questions here

1) There is only one way to be sure you got what you paid for - you need to use an good independent appraiser as part of the pre-purchase process from any seller.

2) Quality can be a little tricky to define for some folks - but if you mean fine or excellent colored gem stones (high end) there are only a few places I would recommend you concentrate on - cherrypicked, rwise, wink, naturalsapphire company, wildfishgems, palagems, nationalgemstone, and maybe one or two others.

I think that list was compiled by "colored gemstone nut" as I remember ......


Keep us updated on your search !

 

[clementine]

Thanks everyone for your lists! I would like something pretty good quality, but I don''t want to break the bank either. I''m hoping to put something pretty together, including the setting for between $2500-$3000.

I don''t want to spend a lot on a beautiful setting and then put a poor quality stone in it, so thanks again everyone! I have lots to look at now!

Clem

 

[movie zombie]

yes, i believe credit goes to Color Gem Stone Nut!

personally, i''d invest in the best stone i could afford and do a simple setting to show case it. great stones don''t need lots of diamonds or fancy settings because they speak for themselves. do take the time to gather information as to what constitutes the ''ideal'' for the particular stone, and then decide if you can afford the ideal or are willing to step down in quality. you might find you can''t afford a fabulous ruby but you might be able to afford a fabulous garnet or other color stone. also, just because there is an ''ideal'' doesn''t mean that your eye will find it pleasing. there is something for every budget in the world of color.

movie zombie