Diamond Trivia

Plato wrote about diamonds as living beings, embodying celestial spirits.

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Archive for 0.50 ct

Q: I am looking for an engagement ring and happened to come across your site. Here is what I’m looking for:

* Is your goal cheapest price for given parameters, or best diamond for fixed budget:

Well, I’m looking for the best diamond that I need without overpaying for things that are not needed.

* Shape:

Round

* Desired Color Range:

F, G, H

* Desired Clarity:

VS1, VVS2

* Budget:

$5000

* Anything else you might feel is relevant:

The above parameters are flexible.

After reading your homepage, it seems like a VS2 will be acceptable if the blemish is not visible. Basically, I’m somewhat fortunate as my girlfriend does not really want a big ring as she doesn’t want it to look too gaudy. She saw a friends ring which was 1.25 carats and thought it looked nice, BUT she said she could never wear a ring like that. (note, it wasn’t round so I don’t know if that made it look bigger than the carat weight) She has relatively small, petite fingers. At a store, she saw 0.5 and 0.75 carats and she said that would be enough (but she didn’t try it on, just looking through the case). However, financially, I can afford a bit more than that. So I’m thinking of about a 0.9 carat ring. The ‘guy’ side of me wants to go even bigger since I can afford it. I don’t want to regret buying a too small ring when I could afford a larger one. Yet, I want to respect her wishes. Anyway, I’m looking for any advice or maybe the best value diamond at around 0.9 carats or something else if you recommend a bigger ring.

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Q: I was recently at a jewelry store that carried the hearts on fire diamond. What are your thoughts on this diamond, and for $2,500 could i get a better deal on a diamond that still had the same sparkle? the largest i can afford of the hearts on fire is a half carat or maybe a 5/8. it would be nice to get a 3/4 carat without sacrificing on the quality of the cut. thanks for your time

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Q: I’ve been researching diamond buying for a while as I’m looking to buy an engagement ring in the next month or so. One of the avenues I’ve been considering is to fly over (from UK) to and visit the Gold Souk and Gold & Diamond centre.

Having read good and bad things about (Good: Tax free, can get real bargains…Bad: Can get ripped off, diamonds inferior quality, Buy diamond in sealed bag with cert, they don’t have good cut), can you please give your thoughts on for diamond or ring buying.

I have around £2k to spend as a total and want a princess cut, .5 to .75 crt diamond with a Gold ring (not platinum or white gold).

A: Unless you have another reason to be in , I think the idea is just going to end up costing you more money.  There’s a few reasons:
1) While it’s true, in , most diamonds are sold sealed — there’s a reason for this.  Nobody trusts anybody else.  That’s fine, but the problem is that only IGI, HRD, and a local lab or two (that nobody really uses) offer the service.  GIA and don’t.  See my article about the different gem labs.  IGI and HRD aren’t very reliable, so that combined with the unscrupulousness of the market would make me very wary of buying there.
2) if you’re budget is 2000 Sterling, the airfare and hotel is definitely going to be more than any VAT you’ll pay in the UK.
3) While it’s true margins in are very low due to the fierce competition, they’re not much higher, if at all, on a site like Blue Nile.
4) There is very little princess cut selection in .  Demand for Princess cuts is much less in than the UK or the US, so stores stock very little of them.

What I recommend is buying a diamond on Blue Nile UK.  You can have the diamond set in a simple gold setting on the site.  I will go look for a stone that I recommend and send you a link via email.

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The following exchange took place in April 2009.

Q: I was wondering if i wanted to buy diamonds in , how and who can i contact?

A: If you are untrained in buying diamonds, you can really get fleeced.  Why don’t you tell me where you are located, and I’ll see if I have any trustworthy contacts in the area I could send you to.  Is there a specific quality/size you had in mind?  This way I could give you a rough price estimate to shoot for before you try to buy.

Q: I’m located in between JB Malaysia and Singapore. I’m looking at Sizes like 0.40-0.80cts with Very Good- Excellent makes.

A: A former colleague of mine is one of the largest diamond dealers in Bangkok.  I also have a great contact in .  I am afraid that is as close as I can get in terms of people I know personally you could trust.  If you would be interested, I could search a directory of diamond dealers to see if I could find someone closer, but I wouldn’t be able to vouch for them.

Q: I dun [sic] mind contacting your colleague in Bangkok. Thanks alot. =)

I then proceeded to privately send her my contact’s name, email, and phone number.   I’m not sure how it turned out in the end.

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