Blackie

Well it's nearing that time in one's life where the cost of matrimony is not only upon one's emotional and mental self but also on the wallet. After taking a good sit down when hearing a decent sized rock could cost as much as a turbo kit, I became enlightened (thanks to a friend) on all the grades, clarity and carat, etc.

So here's the crunch. Apparently through an overseas source of a friend an F colour, 1.02 Carat, VVS-2 rock can be had for around A$9000. I have no idea on pricing so I just wanted a 2nd or 3rd opinion. I could go into a few jewellers and suss that out but I need to make a decision fairly quickly as the aforementioned rock is meant to be quite a good deal. What is the % difference between a comparable stone from Joe Bloe's jewellers (e.g. Prouds) and something from Tiffanys?

For the same money, would you say a bigger stone from your average retailer be preferable or a smaller stone from a reputable jeweller (e.g. Tiffanys) be a better bet?

RedRover

Hey Blackie, what have you done?

I didn't understand what you meant by "Married men voice out".That could be taken two ways, 1) Married men bugger off & keep outta here OR 2) Married men, speak up now & help me out.

Assuming that it's a plea for help, I can only offer the following general advice.....

The world of gemstones generally and diamonds in particular, is full of fraud, trickery, deception and dishonest practices. If you're going to make a once-in-a-lifetime purchase I suggest you do it from an established business here in Victoria. That is, someone you can take legal action against if your purchase turns out to be not what it was puported to be.

If you buy from a friend-of-a-friend overseas source you could end up with a 30c piece of glass and nobody to sue to recover your $9000. Never trust anyone who has less to lose than yourself.

Some of the fake diamonds are so good now they can even fool the experts until they can put it into some scientific instruments to measure the light conclusively.

Austblue

Could you use an escrow service and have an assessor accompany you to confirm you are getting what you paid for before the money is released?

Fangio

Having recently taken the plunge I think I understand what your going through.

I sourced a diamond via a wholesaler in Melbourne, and was reasonably pleased with the pricing and result. Comparing to you, and not understanding what is important to you in a diamond, I would say that quote sounds expensive.

You might regret it if you rush it.

I found tiffiany's to be way overpriced.... way...wayyyyyover

RS4will

buy from a broker who has all the accreditations
tiffany is simply the brand attachment, although they do have some great stuff.
buy what she likes, not what you want, like or can afford. she's the one wearing and looking at it every second of the day.
don't buy over the internet
if you are buying from prouds, or any other retailer in general your paying too much, no matter how much they discount off it.

Random

mmmmm
since i have just recently finished all my research and ended up with a much thinner wallet, here is how it goes.

The most important thing to a lady about a diamond is how it looks.

One would often hear from dealers that the most important of all the 4 C's is the cut. The so called ideal cut is a mathematically defined shape of the diamond that is designed to give the most brilliant reflections (hence to dazzle the intended recipient). The get something that is cut well, you can only do the following things...

buy from reputable company. Tiffany's is THE place to get diamonds because they are very strict on the stones they buy from the wholesalers. You do have to pay through your nose.
Once you have inspected a diamond, ask to look at the certificate. (GIA, DCLA etc) Look at the dimension (all quoted in % of crown width) and compare to any table you can find online that defines the "idea proportion'. That way, you can't get too wrong.
get an independent certificate if you want to be sure.

In terms of the other C's.
Carat- obviously size matters.
Color - anything from H up is meant to be white. I could not very easily tell the difference between an E and a H when they are next to each other. (pro's do it with a microscope). Therefore the best value for money is a G or H diamond.
Clarity - anything above SI2 is meant to be eye clean, and one is only meant to see the imperfections with a 10x loupe. VVS1 sounds great but is it worth it?



Overall, you should buy a rock with a good company,or wholesaler. not from a friend.
See the certificate. check out the dimensions.
aim for a G-H, VVS2-SI2 for best value.

Check out www.diamondexchange.com.au
they give you an idea of prices (very cheap). Expect to pay a lot more if you buy it in a shop. I think the guys are based in Melb, and you have the option of seeing the diamonds physically rather than just online. A good research tool anyhow.


Good luck.

2kturkey

Diamonds are a waste of money and have no intrinsic value. Luckily for me my wife feels the same and neither of us wear a ring of any sort.

As far as we are concerned, jewellery is for those who want to look like Mr T - just ask Austblue.

Hobbyholic

Whess what business I am into?. Diamonds.. My advise get a Si-1 or Vs-2 color g or h. I can get them cheat. 1/2 of the value is in the proportion of the cut. DO NOT GO TO TIFFANY'S. If you do take some vaseline with you..they will stick it to you. If you want I can send you a diamond then you get it checked out at a laboratory by a certified gemologist. I WILL SAVE YOU THOUSANDS..

cashout

I SECOND THAT!

My wife and I feel the same way. No engagement ring, furnished our first place with less than blackie is thinking to pay for his.

We got wedding rings but only wore them for our honeymoon. After that they went straight to the safety deposit box. A bit of overkill for $200 rings but it was to avoid the temptation to sell them and get the $200 back!

wilch

You don't even wear plain white gold rings? Just to let others know you are married and off the market?