Is this a good price for a dimond studs?

[diana]

I would like to purchase the diamond studs on line but not sure if I am getting a good deal. They want $3,300 for them. this is the description of the diamonds. please let me know your thoughts: :confused:

Gem Type: 100% Natural Diamonds
Carat Weight: 2.86 Total Carat Learn More
Cut: Round Brilliant
Color: White (GH)
Clarity: SI3 (and it sais clarity enhanced)
Ring Size: N/A
Measurements: 4 Prong Stud Earrings Screw Backs
Metal Type: Solid 14K White Gold
Gram Weight: 1.00 grams
E. Retail Price: $9,652.00

[Yosef]

I'm not a big fan of clarity enhanced diamonds.

The estimated retail price is bogus, don't use that number in any way as far as evaluating if the price is good or not.

SI3 clarity enhanced.... what's that mean? Well first of all, it means the diamonds were not gem-grade to begin with, like I2, I3 or worse. They are drilled to remove imperfections and filled with resin. So the diamond weight of 2.86cttw is also bogus since a lot of "diamond" has been removed and filled with a glass-resin compound. And this assumes they look good. Usually clarity enhanced will make the stone anywhere from SI1-I1. SI3 is not much better then I1, and could still look very included/unattractive. A GIA I1 clarity could be nice, but since GIA does not grade clarity enhanced, and they do not have an SI3 clarity grade (they go from SI2 to I1), and so I have to assume this stone may not be accurately graded.

Now the question, is it a good value? Well only you can answer that. I can tell you as a diamond buyer, I would not pay more then $500 for them if you wanted to sell them to me, and I generally don't ever buy clarity enhanced diamonds.

If you have a certain budget, I'd try to stick with natural I1 clarity diamonds graded by the GIA, some are very nice and can be had at a good price, and get up to whatever size your budget allows. Make sure they look nice in person with no major visible flaws and are very well cut... but I wouldn't get clarity enhanced personally, but that's up to you of course.

Best of luck!

[diana]

many thanks! very helpful! I think I will stay away from these earings then! what about 2.00 ct pair I color SI1 for $3999 6.20 MM and not enhanced.... instead?? do you think its a good value? since I want to have these earings as investment I would stay away from something that I would pay 3000 for and sell them for 500 (potentially). thanks again!

[candigirl78]

diana that price seems very low. i just searched on adylon, blue nile and they all sell for that quality in the $ 6,000-10,000 price range. where did you see these studs???? u peaked my curiosity now!!! lol

[diana]

thanks for your response. first of all I think bluenile is a great website but it seems VERY expensive. these earings are from a jeweler in NY called gem stone king. do you have any recomendations for online dealers? regards, D

[Yosef]

Diana,

Diamonds are just like everything in life, you always get what you pay for. I don't mean to discourage the other jeweler. I do not know them nor have I seen these diamonds. But you said they're 2cts, and they're 6.2mm. 1 Carat diamonds should be around 6.5mm, not 6.2mm. 0.90ct diamonds when properly cut are 6.2mm on average. This leads me to believe the diamonds are light in weight, or cut deep/poorly. Is this the same dealer that sells the clarity enhanced and says they're 100% natural with a super inflated price?

You have to be careful with diamond studs. A lot of sites advertise 2cttw diamonds, but you may end up with a 1.02 + 0.98ct. The 0.98ct is of course worth much less. Also some will give a range, like they will say they are 2cttw but in fine print it's really a range like 1.94-2.06cts, and you guessed it, normally they ship you a total weight < 2 cts because it's much cheaper. Our policy with diamond studs is our 2 carat total weight studs is minimum 2 carats, same for all our studs.

Now for the grading, SI1 - I ... Diamonds price is mostly based on the 4 c's of course, carat weight we've discussed, same with cut, a poor cut can drop price significantly, especially if it's cut to retain weight to meet a certain number like 1 carat. Clarity and Color are just opinions, thats why a grading report is helpful, and a quality grading report like GIA or AGS is a must for large valuable stones. I've seen "SI" quality described in the mall I would call I1 or even I2. Same goes for I color, I've seen jewelers describe something H-I that is really like L-M color if you ask me. Again opinions will vary, that's why it's important to have a jeweler you trust.... or a grading report you trust, or an independent appraiser you trust, or hopefully all 3. The more quality opinions you have the better.

Assuming these 2 diamonds were really 2 carats, really SI1 clarity, and really I color (if well cut), I would be a buyer of these diamonds ALL DAY at the price you quoted, infact I'd be loading up the truck because it's well below wholesale. Even if they were poorly cut assuming the carat/color/clarity were correct it is still under wholesale. The deal smells very fishy if you ask me.

Sites like ours and Blue Nile don't operate on large margins, our margins are similar to luxury cars. They do not build a $50,000 Lexus and sell it for $150,000, and neither do we :) Reputable online sellers operate at tight margins with less overhead, sell quality items and don't have gimmicks or silly 70% sales to trick buyers. The jewelers that pretend something is worth $9,000 and then offer to sell it for $3,000 is rather insulting if you ask me, and that's why people don't trust jewelers anymore. I'm not saying you shouldn't trust this jeweler. I would just be very skeptical.

If you do buy them, please make sure to get in writing that they guarantee the grading of their diamonds. We have a 100% Certified by Adylon Guarantee (http://www.adylon.com/content/policies/certified.shtml), you can read about it at that link. We also have a generous Lifetime Upgrade Policy (http://www.adylon.com/content/policies/upgrades.shtml) as well. We have a lot of confidence in our diamonds and stand behind the grading 100% and are always happy to take them back for a trade up because we don't try to pull a fast one on our customers and know the quality of our diamonds.

If your jeweler won't put the grading in writing that they guarantee the grading should it be appraised lower, then I think you know what to do I hope! Definitely have a local INDEPENDENT appraiser check them out during whatever grace period you have to return them incase they are graded inaccurately.

[diana]

Thanks again!! this is great help!!! very clear to me what to look for now!! I will definitely check your website!! Many thanks again!!!! D

[Yosef]

Diana, you're very welcome! :) Our website is getting some upgrades, I apologize if certain features are not working but let me know if I can be of any help!

[diana]

well, may be you could price up a pair of nice studs for me? somewhere in the regionof G H collor / 2 ct total (or more)/ SI1-SI2 clarity good cut? can you recomend me your best deal???many thanks!! thanks again!

[Mervyn L. Cohn ASA]

well, may be you could price up a pair of nice studs for me? somewhere in the regionof G H collor / 2 ct total (or more)/ SI1-SI2 clarity good cut? can you recomend me your best deal???many thanks!! thanks again!

Diana, unless you are going into the diamond business, do yourself a big favor and don't invest in diamonds, but rather in the pleasure they will give you. I suggest if you haven't already made your purchase that you contact Joe Schlussel at the Diamond Registry. Tell him what you want and he'll guide you to it.