I know.. precious metals forum.. but anyone here know about diamonds?
fc
Posts: 12,793 ✭✭✭
I am shopping around for a 1 to 2 carat diamond. Lets say a round, excellent cut, G Color, IF clarity diamond.
I have been doing my basic research and I thought, hey, why can't I buy at auction or closer to wholesale for a loose diamond with a GIA cert?
Perhaps a precious metals forum member can give some tips to this slightly related topic on how does one get a quality diamond without paying full retail?
Are their trusted websites like Heritage or what not with auctions? (Yes, Heritage has jewelry but something dedicated to jewelry). Perhaps a website that a person buys from the public and instead of flipping to a jeweler he sells to the public?
Thanks in advance!
I have been doing my basic research and I thought, hey, why can't I buy at auction or closer to wholesale for a loose diamond with a GIA cert?
Perhaps a precious metals forum member can give some tips to this slightly related topic on how does one get a quality diamond without paying full retail?
Are their trusted websites like Heritage or what not with auctions? (Yes, Heritage has jewelry but something dedicated to jewelry). Perhaps a website that a person buys from the public and instead of flipping to a jeweler he sells to the public?
Thanks in advance!
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Comments
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serial number etched into the girdle from GIA that matches the number on the cert. form GIA. You can also have GIA map out the imperfections in the stone. You can also just keep an eye on the bay.
Nick
Always a bad investment.
JMHO.
Men : We need to raise our standards.
<< <i>My wife buys a lot of stones directly from a pawnshop. He cuts so much jewelry just for the metal and saves the stones. Check with a local place and see what they have. She has made good money doing it. >>
I have done the pawn shop route. It is all low end chain store junk. The guy wants a 1 carat GIA certified stone. I haven't encountered any thing larger than the odd size third. Course I am not in Beverly Hills. I did get a 3/4 carat certified stone from a coin shop.
To the OP, check bluestone.com.
Got quoins?
<< <i>
<< <i>My wife buys a lot of stones directly from a pawnshop. He cuts so much jewelry just for the metal and saves the stones. Check with a local place and see what they have. She has made good money doing it. >>
I have done the pawn shop route. It is all low end chain store junk. The guy wants a 1 carat GIA certified stone. I haven't encountered any thing larger than the odd size third. Course I am not in Beverly Hills. I did get a 3/4 carat certified stone from a coin shop.
To the OP, check bluestone.com. >>
There is a bluestone.com but you probably mean bluenile.com
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>My wife buys a lot of stones directly from a pawnshop. He cuts so much jewelry just for the metal and saves the stones. Check with a local place and see what they have. She has made good money doing it. >>
I have done the pawn shop route. It is all low end chain store junk. The guy wants a 1 carat GIA certified stone. I haven't encountered any thing larger than the odd size third. Course I am not in Beverly Hills. I did get a 3/4 carat certified stone from a coin shop.
To the OP, check bluestone.com. >>
There is a bluestone.com but you probably mean bluenile.com >>
No I didn't. My wife has an account with bluestone and they used to send her a fixed price list for dianonds.
It looks like bluenile is a good source also.
Got quoins?
I got my wife's engagement ring stone there. They have huge lists of diamonds you can sort by price, color, cut, etc.
that's a very nice stone, starting to get into investment quality, particularly if closer to 2 carats and truly internally flawless.
You might get a better deal on a VVSI stone, if for a ring, if chosen right, will look exactly the same as a flawless stone, the tiny speck or feather will be well hidden
I very much like the GHI color range for a ring, still very white, I went for one with a little blue rather than yellow, pink, or one of the other fancy colors.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
My B&M gets a ton of scrap and gets diamonds all the time. I was looking at getting a new diamond for my wife and after passing on a few that passed thought the shop, I was allowed to take one and shop it around town and ask questions...I have a working relationship with a gemologist in town and asked her for a favor to check out a stone and she said she liked the stone and that it would actually be worth more if recut smaller! Said if she could buy 10 of them at my offer price she would buy all 10... Said my buddy must really like me. Anyway I got the stone for 3k and it would retail for 7. She mounted it in my wife's ring for 150 bucks. I think the shop I bought it from made a few bucks said it came in a bezel set men's ring. Anyway, the person selling it prob got a better price than selling it to a pawn shop or a jeweler. Good deal all around although I admit it took a few steps. We still have her old stone to put in something someday.
The diamond market has gotten a bit softer just recently on avg to okay stones
GrandAm
<< <i>You should be able to get a 1 ct of that quality (not gia) wholesale for less than 500 bucks
The diamond market has gotten a bit softer just recently on avg to okay stones >>
Please share your source for 1 carat G color IF clarity diamonds for $500.
<< <i>
<< <i>You should be able to get a 1 ct of that quality (not gia) wholesale for less than 500 bucks
The diamond market has gotten a bit softer just recently on avg to okay stones >>
Please share your source for 1 carat G color IF clarity diamonds for $500. >>
Yes, I'd like to start by ordering two at this price. Don't forget, "excellent cut"
You sure they won't be kinda brown (uh, we call that "champagne" color now, and it's desirable
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Diamond Comparison Shopping
<< <i>From my life's experiences I've discovered : Diamonds are a girls best friend and a dog is man's.
Men : We need to raise our standards. >>
I heard this too
Steve
and proofcollection, great page, very interesting
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
<< <i>fc, btw, congratulations on the reason you're shopping for a diamond, I hope you find a nice one at a good price that you can both be proud to have and hold.
and proofcollection, great page, very interesting
Thank you.
I found the same website as proof as well as others.
I have found out that getting a diamond that is cut to a very beautiful standard.. there is a large premium and they are rare. Hearts and arrows is a common term for them.
Now that I have educated myself a bit I found this diamond quite interesting but after talking to the person on the phone with the diamond and others in hand.. the color grade
of F was on the lower end of the spectrum.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3567820.htm
Take a close look at those images (red ones) and you will see a diamond that has an actual excellent/ideal cut. And let me tell you... many diamonds fall into excellent/ideal but in reality are blah.
This is a really tricky market to purchase in. No different then coins. Not all AU58 coins are the same right? Same with diamonds. Exactly the same.
And we have not even opened up the can of worms that are the actual dimensions of the diamond, how light reflects, girdle size which can waste a lot of precious carat, oy vey
Compare it to this one please:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3567817.htm
Take a close look and you will see how these two pics using a special camera setup.. you can see how one is cut tight/more perfect/less sloppy while the other is just not as nice. But they are both really nice though! Trade offs, so many trade offs.
Same price for each.. but you get more carat for one but a lesser cut. Most people would not know the difference though.. just one diamond is bigger then another and one may sparkle a bit less.
Knowledge is the enemy of fear
In the end I think cut means everything and then clarity and color tie for second. The size is sorta irrelevant until you figure out your budget for the first three. I have very good vision and the lower clarities do not work for me even though I know I am being anal.
Brian Gavin's website of his diamonds and the focus on cut is a great example of splurging a bit but realizing you get something nice without all the research I do.
I simply want the best diamond for my money and patience and education is the key to buying right.
This post has been written 2 martinis deep.
<< <i>Diamonds are a market commodity (if you want to call it that) created be the DeBeers Corporation.
Always a bad investment.
JMHO. >>
This
In God We Trust.... all others pay in Gold and Silver!
<< <i>
<< <i>Diamonds are a market commodity (if you want to call it that) created be the DeBeers Corporation.
Always a bad investment.
JMHO. >>
This >>
I think the whole debeers controls diamonds is flawed and out of date information. While they are a big player there are other players who sell directly to buyers. Their influence has wained.
http://www.kitco.com/ind/Zimnisky/2013-06-06-A-Diamond-Market-No-Longer-Controlled-By-De-Beers.html
And I need a diamond for a ring. A nice one. Not an investment. I wish my girl friend would prefer 15,000 in XOM stock to hold for the long term but alas... that ain't going to cut it.