Just Engaged and Proposals

Cheapest reputable site for a diamond?

what are some good sites for real diamond pics - 360 imaging etc - been looking for a while and can't find too many sites - we are looking for a decent 2 ct and every time we find one it gets sold super fast - most sites I have sifted through a lot of diamonds w huge black imperfections 

Re: Cheapest reputable site for a diamond?

  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited October 2017
    How much money are you talking about?  Maybe your price point isn't realistic?  You are describing a diamond that might easily cost more than $20,000.  I just found one on line at $50,000 - perfect.

    First, you need to educate yourself about diamonds.  You need to learn about grading, cut, color, clarity.   GIA certificates reveal this information about any specific stone.

    You will get what you pay for.  If you want a top quality diamond, you will pay top prices.  There will be NOTHING CHEAP about it.  Find a reputable jeweler who is AGS certified and have him explain the facts of life to you.  Not a chain store jeweler!  Most cities will have reputable people who will talk to you.   They will have contacts that can find you the stone and send it to them for your inspection.  This will take time.

    There are many online sites that sell unset stones.  Usually, the actual stone is not in their possession, but is available to many sellers until the deal is actually closed.  Blue Nile is reputable, but there are others.  Keep in mind that you are seeking something very special that you might have to wait for until one is found.  It depends on what you want.  Ask the jeweler to show you different stones of different qualities so that you can see the differences.  While there is a huge difference between an "Imperfect 2" diamond and a flawless stone of perfect cut and color, there isn't as much between a flawless stone and a VVS1, but there will be a price difference.

    Don't buy diamonds in the Caribbean!  New York is the USA center of the diamond trade.  I wouldn't buy a stones that wasn't GIA certified.  I have also shopped in Belgium and Amsterdam.

    PS.  I helped my son-in-law find the 1 carat marquise diamond he gave to my daughter.  It was at an online site that was based in NYC.  They had what he wanted, and they negotiated the right price.  GIA certified, of course!
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  • For a diamond that size and price (yes, for a quality stone you should be expecting to pay at least $20k and quite possibly closer to $30k, just for the diamond and not including a mounting other than a plain solitaire. You should also be looking at diamonds IN PERSON with a trusted jeweler.

    With this kind of purchase, you will get star treatment. Ask friends/family who they go to for their jewelry. A reputable jeweler (and don't go to a chain store!) will listen to what you want in terms of size, budget, and quality, and get in at least 2-3 different diamonds for you to examine in person so you can choose.
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  • NowIAmSypNowIAmSyp member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited October 2017
    OP- you can check your local board here on TK, too.... they may be able to help you with jeweler recommendations.

    Where are you?  On the off chance that you're in NJ, I have someone wonderful and trustworthy to recommend, lol! 
  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited October 2017
    OP, why are you focusing on carat weight?  If you want a quality diamond and you are on a budget, you should be focusing on quality, not size.  I recommend you tell your jeweler what your price point is and let him find you a quality stone.  Better a good 1 carat diamond than a low quality 2 carat one.  You can get a beautiful 1 carat diamond in the $5,000 range.
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  • edited October 2017
    Of the 4 C's, it sounds like you're putting the highest priority on carat (size). You will pay A LOT more for a 2ct stone than a 1.99ct stone because prices are often set based on weight categories. So consider a smidge smaller than 2.0 and save yourself some money.

    If you're open to different settings, I actually know 2 people who got their rings at Costco (paid wayyy below appraisal value) and love them. 

    HERE's a very informative (pretty detailed, but worth the read) guide to diamond buying. You seem really focused on carat weight, but this will help you find sweet spots and navigate around that pigeon hole. 
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  • Of the 4 C's, it sounds like you're putting the highest priority on carat (size). You will pay A LOT more for a 2ct stone than a 1.99ct stone because prices are often set based on weight categories. So consider a smidge smaller than 2.0 and save yourself some money.

    If you're open to different settings, I actually know 2 people who got their rings at Costco (paid wayyy below appraisal value) and love them. 

    HERE's a very informative (pretty detailed, but worth the read) guide to diamond buying. You seem really focused on carat weight, but this will help you find sweet spots and navigate around that pigeon hole. 
    Generally a 1.99 is going to be priced basically the same as a 2.00 because the margin for being able to call a diamond a certain 'desirable' size is legally .03ct below the size. So for example I could talk about a 1.97ct stone being "2 carats" legally, as long as I disclose the exact weight. But I can't call a 1.96 or below "2 carats," so that's where you'll start to see a drop in price-per-carat to something like what you'd pay per-carat for a smaller stone, like say, 1.8 cts.

    I wish OP would come back and tell us what her budget is. That would give me a much better idea of the best compromise between carat/color/clarity/cut. In general though, I'd advise looking at what size meets one's budget in a G color, SI1 clarity, Very Good or Excellent cut diamond. And of course I'm assuming round here, but the color and clarity still apply if you go fancy; GIA doesn't grade cut quality on shapes other than round brilliant.
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  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited October 2017
    Maybe I scared her off when I told her what a good 2 carat stone would cost?
    Wait!  This is the Knottie who is worried because her boyfriend doesn't want to buy her a ring and "officially" propose.  Now I am really confused.
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  • If you're still looking.... check out Brilliant Earth. Reputable. Ethically sourced. Good to deal with. They are a bit cheaper than many other stores/companies because they only retail online (though they do have a physical company in California), so less overhead. They don't sell loose diamonds, if that is what you are looking for, but you can pick the setting and then choose the diamond you want based on the 4Cs. There are various reasons why two 2ct diamonds may be vastly different prices based on the 4Cs. They also sell the "artisan created" (aka. lab created) diamonds, which are cheaper.
  • Just watch out for diamonds with fluorescence if you continue to shop online. It's natural, and diamonds with it are considerably cheaper, but medium and stronger amounts of it tend to make them look milky in certain lights.
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