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Aww

Aww

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
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12
Good Morning from Australia!
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Just recently discovered your forums from my search for Hearts and Arrows.
I haven''t seen more diamond experts and passionate knowledgeable people in one place before! I hope there might be some advice that can be shared :)

My girlfriend and I have been window-shopping diamonds for a few months now and we''ve settled on purchasing a loose stone and getting it setted at an independent jeweler.

The diamond we are looking for:

Cut: Round (Hearts & Arrows)
We fell in love with these the first time we looked at one through the viewer. We assume these are the best available cut?

Color: Must be D
As we''ve compared diamonds from D all the way down to G and can distinctly tell the color gradients.

Clarity: IF - VS2
We didn''t want to be too picky here as these details can only be seen under the loupe.

Carat: 0.9ct - 1ct
This is the biggest dilemma we have right now, as the 1ct is instantly doubled in price over the 0.9ct. Does anyone have thoughts on this? From experience would the size difference be very noticeable (.3mm~ difference)?

Thanks

I have also been told that H&A diamond hold their price value for life (no depreciation and if you want to upgrade to a bigger stone in the future, you just pay the difference). But that doesn''t sound possible?

Also the current prices in Australia for comparison! Would be prepared to travel overseas to source one if it''s going to be a substantial saving/higher quality!
0.9ct USD$8.6k
1.0ct USD$16.5k


Thanks again for your time to read through this post hehe...
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Which city are you based in? There maybe some Aussie vendors around your neighborhood that other Aussies might be able to recommend.

H&A is just a measure of optical symm, not optical performance (light return). A true H&A will have both.

Which lab graded the stones that you use as a comparison of the color gradient? Most lay person are not able to tell the difference between D-G, if the color are reliably graded.

Ya, there is a big jump at the 1c mark, usually there is also many dud stones at the 1c mark because cutters want to maximize their profit.

He is smoking you, all diamond depreciate once it is sold. Unless the jeweler has a good buy back policy, you will be luck to get back 50% of what he sold you for.
 
Date: 2/5/2010 5:52:15 PM
Author:Aww
Good Morning from Australia!
35.gif


Just recently discovered your forums from my search for Hearts and Arrows.
I haven''t seen more diamond experts and passionate knowledgeable people in one place before! I hope there might be some advice that can be shared :)

My girlfriend and I have been window-shopping diamonds for a few months now and we''ve settled on purchasing a loose stone and getting it setted at an independent jeweler.

The diamond we are looking for:

Cut: Round (Hearts & Arrows)
We fell in love with these the first time we looked at one through the viewer. We assume these are the best available cut?

Color: Must be D
As we''ve compared diamonds from D all the way down to G and can distinctly tell the color gradients.

Clarity: IF - VS2
We didn''t want to be too picky here as these details can only be seen under the loupe.

Carat: 0.9ct - 1ct
This is the biggest dilemma we have right now, as the 1ct is instantly doubled in price over the 0.9ct. Does anyone have thoughts on this? From experience would the size difference be very noticeable (.3mm~ difference)?

Thanks

I have also been told that H&A diamond hold their price value for life (no depreciation and if you want to upgrade to a bigger stone in the future, you just pay the difference). But that doesn''t sound possible?

Also the current prices in Australia for comparison! Would be prepared to travel overseas to source one if it''s going to be a substantial saving/higher quality!
0.9ct USD$8.6k
1.0ct USD$16.5k


Thanks again for your time to read through this post hehe...
24.gif
Click to expand...
$16,500 Australian is about $14,277 US if my calculations are correct, so you should be able to get a very nice stone for that. (You do not mention the actual grades and by whom they are given in your example above.)

You should probably be able to save money here in the States, but how much is what you would need to know, and you could certainly call in a diamond without having to travel to the US to see it. I am not sure of the ins and outs of customs and whether or not you get the customs back if you return the diamond, you would need to check that out before calling in a diamond.

As far as holding value, that depends on the dealer.

Some do offer lifetime trade ups at full value of what you have paid, and others do not. Some offer buy backs for a short time, others offer up to 80% for the lifetime of the buyer of the diamond. These are all issues that you will need to discuss with your vendor before sending any of your hard earned money.

Wink
 
Date: 2/5/2010 5:52:15 PM
Author:Aww
I have also been told that H&A diamond hold their price value for life (no depreciation and if you want to upgrade to a bigger stone in the future, you just pay the difference). But that doesn''t sound possible?
Click to expand...
Right, as Stone said, this is a service of some jewelers but it''s not an intrinsic feature of any diamond. If upgrading is important to you, purchase through a dealer that has a generous upgrade policy.

Are you anywhere near Melbourne? If so, I''d visit one of Holloway Diamond''s stores, which are in the area.
www.hollowaydiamonds.com.au/

Garry Holloway, the owner, is the creator of both the Holloway Cut Advisor (HCA), which you''ll see referenced a lot here, and the Ideal-Scope, a simple assessment tool you''ll also see referenced here.
 
Thanks for the quick replies, much appreciated!
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Yes I am based in Melbourne.
We looked at stock mostly from DiamondExchange.com.au
They were the one''s who also made that offer.

The stones were GIA graded, we could really see how white the D was and as it went up in color we could see it tinting yellow.

A really big thanks for pointing out that H&A is symmetrically perfect but not optically... I never knew that, and a quick call to Holloway also confirmed that!

Sorry for leaving out the actual items, I used these as examples for the price:
0.93ct
1.04ct
 
Still not enough info to have a rough estimate on the cut as the GIA report is not available online.
 
Date: 2/5/2010 6:26:09 PM
Author: Wink

Date: 2/5/2010 5:52:15 PM
Author:Aww
Good Morning from Australia!
35.gif


Just recently discovered your forums from my search for Hearts and Arrows.
I haven''t seen more diamond experts and passionate knowledgeable people in one place before! I hope there might be some advice that can be shared :)

My girlfriend and I have been window-shopping diamonds for a few months now and we''ve settled on purchasing a loose stone and getting it setted at an independent jeweler.

The diamond we are looking for:

Cut: Round (Hearts & Arrows)
We fell in love with these the first time we looked at one through the viewer. We assume these are the best available cut?

Color: Must be D
As we''ve compared diamonds from D all the way down to G and can distinctly tell the color gradients.

Clarity: IF - VS2
We didn''t want to be too picky here as these details can only be seen under the loupe.

Carat: 0.9ct - 1ct
This is the biggest dilemma we have right now, as the 1ct is instantly doubled in price over the 0.9ct. Does anyone have thoughts on this? From experience would the size difference be very noticeable (.3mm~ difference)?

Thanks

I have also been told that H&A diamond hold their price value for life (no depreciation and if you want to upgrade to a bigger stone in the future, you just pay the difference). But that doesn''t sound possible?

Also the current prices in Australia for comparison! Would be prepared to travel overseas to source one if it''s going to be a substantial saving/higher quality!
0.9ct USD$8.6k
1.0ct USD$16.5k


Thanks again for your time to read through this post hehe...
24.gif
Click to expand...
$16,500 Australian is about $14,277 US if my calculations are correct, so you should be able to get a very nice stone for that. (You do not mention the actual grades and by whom they are given in your example above.)

You should probably be able to save money here in the States, but how much is what you would need to know, and you could certainly call in a diamond without having to travel to the US to see it. I am not sure of the ins and outs of customs and whether or not you get the customs back if you return the diamond, you would need to check that out before calling in a diamond.

As far as holding value, that depends on the dealer.

Some do offer lifetime trade ups at full value of what you have paid, and others do not. Some offer buy backs for a short time, others offer up to 80% for the lifetime of the buyer of the diamond. These are all issues that you will need to discuss with your vendor before sending any of your hard earned money.

Wink
Click to expand...
Good post! Just to add that unless you work with a dealer with a guaranteed upgrade policy, ALL diamonds lose value rather like new cars, it is usual to only recoup around 30 - 50% of what you originally paid if you tried to resell. Hence working with a vendor that offers an upgrade policy is your best bet.
 
Thanks again for the help, I''ve found two more and they are sending through more documentation on this to me soon.

0.91 ct

1.01 ct

Any thoughts on these? I''ll post the documentation up as soon as I get them =)
 
Don''t like the 0.91 - c/p are deep for each other.


The other has ncie numbers, IS to confirm
 
Ditto.
 
Date: 2/7/2010 9:37:29 PM
Author: Aww
Thanks again for the help, I''ve found two more and they are sending through more documentation on this to me soon.

0.91 ct

1.01 ct

Any thoughts on these? I''ll post the documentation up as soon as I get them =)
Click to expand...
The first has what we call steep deep crown and pavilion angles which can lead to light leakage, I would pass on this one personally. The second diamond looks better and is the one to concentrate on.
 
Thanks! Is there an approximate percentage/figure for the Crown/Pavilion Angles that I should try to look out for?
1.gif
 
Thanks for all the great advice and tips so far. That HCA tool has helped a lot in narrowing down some selections.

I've only been able to find 3 stones which come up with great results using the HCA tool.
Anymore advice on picking the best out of the 3 would me greatly appreciated!

0.93ct D/VVS1 - USD$10,896
View AGS Cert and more images here

0.92 ct D/VS1 - AUD$9,160. Cert# 5106501652
View GIA Report Here

1.01ct D/VS2 - AUD$10,520. Cert# 1109618900
View GIA Report Here

**Edited by moderator. No outside hosted photos allowed**


Thanks a lot for the help!
 
Date: 2/12/2010 8:55:58 AM
Author: Aww
Thanks for all the great advice and tips so far. That HCA tool has helped a lot in narrowing down some selections.

I''ve only been able to find 3 stones which come up with great results using the HCA tool.
Anymore advice on picking the best out of the 3 would me greatly appreciated!

0.93ct D/VVS1 - USD$10,896
View AGS Cert and more images here




Thanks a lot for the help!
Click to expand...
The Infinity is a beauty. With the others, do they have AGS or GIA reports please?
 
Ditto, craftedbyinifinty looks good. Numbers look promising for the other 2, can you get idealscope image for them?
 
Ahh that sounds reassuring!!! =)

I''ve noticed the Infinity Diamond has a Medium Blue fluorescence, do you think this will have a transparency issue?

I''ll try get the IdealScope images tomorrow if they are available. It''s almost 2AM in the morning now!!!
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Thanks again Lorelei and Stone-cold11
 
Date: 2/12/2010 9:39:21 AM
Author: Aww
Ahh that sounds reassuring!!! =)

I've noticed the Infinity Diamond has a Medium Blue fluorescence, do you think this will have a transparency issue?

I'll try get the IdealScope images tomorrow if they are available. It's almost 2AM in the morning now!!!
24.gif


Thanks again Lorelei and Stone-cold11
Click to expand...
No. There won't be an issue with that diamond, in fact you might not even notice the fluorescence much, read more from the Pricescope tutorial on fluorescence here.
 
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