which would you prefer?

[under_dog_25]

So I''m looking for a diamond heart pendant for my wife. I''ve never used the internet for buying diamonds. I''ve searched all over and have stumbled on these two:

1. 2.8 cttw 24 round stones "F-G" and "SV2-SI1" with good cut and good polish, non-treated

(http://cgi.ebay.com/2-80CT-ROUND-CUT-DIAMOND-HEART-SHAPED-PENDANT_W0QQitemZ190282025852QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116)

price is 2099,


2. 2.48 ct 20 round stones F and SI1 non-enhanced

(http://cgi.ebay.com/2-48-CTS-ROUND-DIAMOND-HEART-PENDANT-WHITE-GOLD_W0QQitemZ390032562552QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116)

price is 1850

Any thoughts. Are both of them bad? I was thinking of making an offer of 1500 for the 2.8 ct heart pendant.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

 

[Ellen]

Hi Tim,

I''d love to offer my thoughts, but when I copy and paste your link it doesn''t work.

 

[under_dog_25]

I've attached new links which should work

1. http://cgi.ebay.com/2-80CT-ROUND-CUT-DIAMOND-HEART-SHAPED-PENDANT_W0QQitemZ190293417320QQihZ009QQcategoryZ110943QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262


2. http://cgi.ebay.com/2-48-CTS-ROUND-DIAMOND-HEART-PENDANT-WHITE-GOLD_W0QQitemZ390032562552QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

again appreciate the help

 

[under_dog_25]

bump, pictures have been fixed

 

[Ellen]

They still won''t work for me. It may be my computer, sometimes it just won''t work with copied links. Sorry!

 

[under_dog_25]

I've tried to attach images from ebay but the after altering them to fit file size limits they were too small

if you just cut and past he phrase that is in parenthesis into the search in ebay you should only get that one exact product.


1. (2-80CT-ROUND-CUT-DIAMOND-HEART-SHAPED-PENDANT)



1. (2-48-CTS-ROUND-DIAMOND-HEART-PENDANT-WHITE-GOLD)

 

[Ellen]

Ok, I managed to find the first one, second came up empty. However, if the second is much like the first, I would recommend a pass. The stones are only good cut, and that''s not good!

They won''t be sparkly and pretty like a diamond that''s cut well will be. Cut is key. Plus, I''m leary of Ebay anyway, it''s hard to get lucky on there.

I would recommend this place, I know for a fact how well cut the diamonds are, as I own a pendant with very tiny diamonds from them, yet it sparkles to beat the band. And this is a reputable company.

Here''s a couple styles in your price range. See if anything strikes your fancy.

Very pretty.

http://www.whiteflash.com/Fine-jewelry/Pendants/Diamond-Heart-Pendant_1234.htm


This would be extra blingy, and not quite as classic as the first. Not bad, just different!

http://www.whiteflash.com/Fine-jewelry/Pendants/Pave-Heart-Diamond-Pendant_773.htm

 

[under_dog_25]

Thanks Ellen... thankfully I didn''t bid or place an offer. Thanks for recommending whiteflash. I didn''t think that CUT rating was going to make that big of an impact. I had thought that getting something at SI1 or better and colorless/near colorless was all that mattered. What should be a cut off point for cut rating in your opinion? Premium or Very Good?

Is there a dramatic difference between good cut and very good or premium?


I would like to purchase a great diamond jewelery/pendant while still keeping the price in check. Example, I know that G is not exactly colorless but will preform almost as well as the more expensive colorless (DEF). I also thought that SI1 was the limit for inclusions that were not visible w/out magnification. Therefore it wouldn''t noticeably affect the diamond''s shine or appearance if I chose that over a VS or VVS.

Basically I''m trying to pick the best sparkle without being idealistic about getting the best flawless/colorless piece and spending 10 times as I would need in order to buy a diamond that''s only 5-10% more brilliant. (diminishing returns)

thanks again

 

[Ellen]

You're welcome! I'm glad you didn't bid either.

Ok, what I can gather from some things you've said, is that you are under the impression that color and clarity are the main "C's" in a diamond. And this is not surprising, it's what many of us have been told, but in reality it's simply not true. Some jewelers are starting to "get" it, that Cut is what actually makes the diamond beautiful and sparkly, color and clarity really have little to do with it. Many of the vendors on here understand cuts importance.

Just to elaborate on this , here is the link to a gorgeous diamond one of our posters on here owns. It's a 2+ ct., J SI2, but you would never know if I didn't tell you. It is cut extremely well, and therefore masks some of the warmth a J might give, and also helps hide the inclusions. I love to show people this diamond, just because it says it all about cut being most important.

So, to answer your questions, on the cut of the diamonds, I would stick with Very Good to Excellent. And if they are very well cut, H-I would be perfectly acceptable (they vary from jeweler to jeweler)). Yes, there can be difference between even Very Good and Excellent (though much less), and certainly with Good to Excellent. (and you have to be careful, some jewelers label stones as "Ideal" or "Premium" cut, and they're not) You will pay for the cut though, and that's why the necklaces you were looking at had a higher ct. weight than what I showed you, for the same price. They weren't cut well, so they were less. In this case though, less is more, trust me. Those necklaces I showed you would be extremely sparkly!

Anyway, I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, just ask!

 

[Lorelei]

Just fixing the links so El can see what you were originally looking at -

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-48-CTS-ROUND-DIAMOND-HEART-PENDANT-WHITE-GOLD_W0QQitemZ390032562552QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116


http://cgi.ebay.com/2-48-CTS-ROUND-DIAMOND-HEART-PENDANT-WHITE-GOLD_W0QQitemZ390032562552QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

 

[Ellen]

Thanks pal!

Under dog, in looking at the price of this other, I see your budget might be able to go a bit higher. You could always ask WF about making a necklace with a higher ct. weight, they do custom pieces. Not sure if it would work, but you could ask.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/19/2009 8:51:05 AM
Author: Ellen
Thanks pal!

Under dog, in looking at the price of this other, I see your budget might be able to go a bit higher. You could always ask WF about making a necklace with a higher ct. weight, they do custom pieces. Not sure if it would work, but you could ask.

Most welcome!