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tosh · Jan 14th, 2009, 12:41 AM

I am thinking of upgrading my diamond stud earrings to 3 carats- SI2- I color.
We have gotten 2 prices of 19700 and 16800.
Does anyone have any idea if these prices are fair?
Any advice on anything else to look for or ask?
We will be going on a Caribbean cruise next month and I know that there are jewelry stores on the islands, but can you trust them?
Thanks!

Japster · Jan 14th, 2009, 02:02 AM

Tosh, are they certified? The price is okay for Certified diamonds but I personally would price closer to the 12-15k range for ideal cut diamonds SI2-3 with an EGL/GIA/PGS cert.

I would be cautious purchasing on a cruise because the laws are different and I've seen a lot of scams- glued together stones, enhanced/laser drilled diamonds passed off as natural.

Best of luck to you!

Swanky Mama Of Three · Jan 14th, 2009, 10:14 AM

^ITA! I was going to make almost the exact same comment as Jap's 2nd one. Too high IMO really.
That's 1.5 crt/ear. . . that's on the high side, I think you can do better.

tosh · Jan 14th, 2009, 04:56 PM

Thanks for the advice!
I'll keep shopping for them.

ronsdiva · Jan 14th, 2009, 05:34 PM

Have you looked at bluenile.com. They have alot of good information about diamonds in general and you can "build your own" earrings and play around with different weights and clarities. I have done that serveral times to get an idea if a price at a brick and mortar site is good or high for the quality.

I have no personal interest in this site. I found out about them because our company has this company called Xylo where we can find links to various retailers and estores where we can get discounts. They were one of the companies a few years ago.

shells · Jan 14th, 2009, 11:20 PM

i'd be very careful buying in the caribbean - a lot of the stones there are just cr**. and its very difficult to get ur money back if something goes wrong. i've met appraisers who say they've seen horrible things come back from the islands...good luck in ur search!

floridagal23 · Jan 14th, 2009, 11:58 PM

I would feel comfortable purchasing only at a few places in the caribbean - and none of them sell loose stones (it's all branded jewelery). If you were looking at a specific brand and not studs, I would send you to:
Jewels by AH Rise (St Thomas) - they have a concierge services for shopping from home and will meet you at the store with your items set aside, or mail to you..I did this with my watch.
The Art of Time (watches) or Artistic Jewelers in St Martin (Dutch side, but also artistic on french side)..penny preville, mikimoto, luxury watches..owned by the same people who NO LONGER own artistic in St Thomas.
Expect the discounts on branded items to be approx 20 percent and no tax.

I know other stores have "cruise line guarantees" but I've never shopped there. Jewels is a huge store and we have known the owners of artistic/art of time for 15+ years. I would trust one of those places to recommend a shop to you for loose stones - but try to find someplace with a cruise line guarantee (usually if something appraises for less or gets damaged, they will help you deal with it). Definitely be careful - I am just so skeptical of the random jewelery stores out there. Do you have any friends who have someone in the NY diamond district?

And no, I am not affiliated with any of the listed places..I just really like to shop!!

GnomeNisse · Jan 15th, 2009, 03:48 PM

A- I would only buy with an EGL or GIA report and/or a GG appraisal that was dated to within 12 months ago

B- I think those prices are rather high for the color, clarity and size. I would not pay that much for SI2/I. That's an average diamond and those are above-average prices.

C- I would not buy online simply because I know that holding out and shopping with smalller independant dealers gets you better prices the majority of the time.

D- I have no experience buying in the Carribean so I have no opinion on the matter. Buying diamonds is like doing really basic math- color + cut + clarity + carat = price. It really doesn't matter if you buy in St. Thomas or New York or The Ozarks. You either know what you're buying or you don't.

If you are willing to spend in the $18k ballpark, you can surely upgrade in size or color/clarity.

GnomeNisse · Jan 15th, 2009, 04:14 PM

Based my rap sheet, I would expect to pay a total of about $14,000-$14,700 AGS/GIA cert (for 3ctw pair of SI2/I color, well matched & good cuts (not ideal)).

chanel-girl · Jan 16th, 2009, 11:16 PM

You can definitely find a lower price for that quality, I would say that those are pretty average prices for those stones if you were looking in a high end jewelry store. I have seen similar quality 3 ctw stones in local high end jewelers for over 25000! I have seen the same size and quality stones in the diamond district for around $9500-10000.

yobellee · Jan 16th, 2009, 11:29 PM

is it safe to buy jewelry online? have you heard of Gemstone King online store which sells diamonds?

Swanky Mama Of Three · Jan 16th, 2009, 11:30 PM

^sure, just do a search or start a new thread

black jade · Jan 17th, 2009, 01:56 PM

They rip you off on cruises from what I hear.

Go online.

I got a wonderful diamond ring from bluenile.com and they are very safe and reputable. I got my earrings (about 2 cttw) from whiteflash.com and you can get a wonderful deal there. Look at their website and call them and ask to talk to Katie Homuth. I got H VS2 for $10,000 --in your price range you can get something even more spectacular.

A good place to get advice is Pricescope.com, you can ask for advice or just research 'diamond stud earrings' there.

tosh · Jan 18th, 2009, 02:26 PM

Thanks for all of your advice, I really appreciate it.
I have decided to keep on saving until I can upgrade the earrings alittle.

Jan 14th, 2009, 12:41 AM	#1
tosh OP Member Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 981	Diamond Stud Earrring Price Advice I am thinking of upgrading my diamond stud earrings to 3 carats- SI2- I color. We have gotten 2 prices of 19700 and 16800. Does anyone have any idea if these prices are fair? Any advice on anything else to look for or ask? We will be going on a Caribbean cruise next month and I know that there are jewelry stores on the islands, but can you trust them? Thanks!
tosh OP Member Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 981

Jan 14th, 2009, 02:02 AM	#2
Japster Plays with Balls Joined: May 2006 Location: WI Posts: 7,328	Tosh, are they certified? The price is okay for Certified diamonds but I personally would price closer to the 12-15k range for ideal cut diamonds SI2-3 with an EGL/GIA/PGS cert. I would be cautious purchasing on a cruise because the laws are different and I've seen a lot of scams- glued together stones, enhanced/laser drilled diamonds passed off as natural. Best of luck to you!
	__________________ HUGE SALE, 50% off or more: FutureFashionista.com SALE Click here to join our facebook page and enter our bi-monthly drawing to win some sex-i-mous jewels.

Jan 14th, 2009, 10:14 AM	#3
Swanky Mama Of Three Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas Area Posts: 42,718	^ITA! I was going to make almost the exact same comment as Jap's 2nd one. Too high IMO really. That's 1.5 crt/ear. . . that's on the high side, I think you can do better.
	__________________ Tweet http://twitter.com/PBSwanky

Jan 14th, 2009, 04:56 PM	#4
tosh OP Member Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 981	Thanks for the advice! I'll keep shopping for them.
tosh OP Member Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 981

Jan 14th, 2009, 05:34 PM	#5
ronsdiva NE Born OH Bred Joined: Jul 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,798	Have you looked at bluenile.com. They have alot of good information about diamonds in general and you can "build your own" earrings and play around with different weights and clarities. I have done that serveral times to get an idea if a price at a brick and mortar site is good or high for the quality. I have no personal interest in this site. I found out about them because our company has this company called Xylo where we can find links to various retailers and estores where we can get discounts. They were one of the companies a few years ago.
	__________________ My Wishlist Chanel Matte black reissue 227 Chanel white J12 33 with diamond markers CL 100mm yoyos in marine and rouge or black-size 40 CL python Rolandos-size 40.5 CL python imperio vp's or teal watersnake vp's-size 40 A girl can dream

Jan 14th, 2009, 11:20 PM	#6
shells will work for bags! Joined: Nov 2007 Location: nj Posts: 915	i'd be very careful buying in the caribbean - a lot of the stones there are just cr**. and its very difficult to get ur money back if something goes wrong. i've met appraisers who say they've seen horrible things come back from the islands...good luck in ur search!
	__________________ dreaming of more chanel....

Jan 14th, 2009, 11:58 PM	#7
floridagal23 Member Joined: Oct 2007 Location: New York, New York Posts: 859	I would feel comfortable purchasing only at a few places in the caribbean - and none of them sell loose stones (it's all branded jewelery). If you were looking at a specific brand and not studs, I would send you to: Jewels by AH Rise (St Thomas) - they have a concierge services for shopping from home and will meet you at the store with your items set aside, or mail to you..I did this with my watch. The Art of Time (watches) or Artistic Jewelers in St Martin (Dutch side, but also artistic on french side)..penny preville, mikimoto, luxury watches..owned by the same people who NO LONGER own artistic in St Thomas. Expect the discounts on branded items to be approx 20 percent and no tax. I know other stores have "cruise line guarantees" but I've never shopped there. Jewels is a huge store and we have known the owners of artistic/art of time for 15+ years. I would trust one of those places to recommend a shop to you for loose stones - but try to find someplace with a cruise line guarantee (usually if something appraises for less or gets damaged, they will help you deal with it). Definitely be careful - I am just so skeptical of the random jewelery stores out there. Do you have any friends who have someone in the NY diamond district? And no, I am not affiliated with any of the listed places..I just really like to shop!!

Jan 15th, 2009, 03:48 PM	#8
GnomeNisse Resident Gnome Joined: Dec 2008 Location: under the toadstool Posts: 815	A- I would only buy with an EGL or GIA report and/or a GG appraisal that was dated to within 12 months ago B- I think those prices are rather high for the color, clarity and size. I would not pay that much for SI2/I. That's an average diamond and those are above-average prices. C- I would not buy online simply because I know that holding out and shopping with smalller independant dealers gets you better prices the majority of the time. D- I have no experience buying in the Carribean so I have no opinion on the matter. Buying diamonds is like doing really basic math- color + cut + clarity + carat = price. It really doesn't matter if you buy in St. Thomas or New York or The Ozarks. You either know what you're buying or you don't. If you are willing to spend in the $18k ballpark, you can surely upgrade in size or color/clarity.

Jan 15th, 2009, 04:14 PM	#9
GnomeNisse Resident Gnome Joined: Dec 2008 Location: under the toadstool Posts: 815	Based my rap sheet, I would expect to pay a total of about $14,000-$14,700 AGS/GIA cert (for 3ctw pair of SI2/I color, well matched & good cuts (not ideal)).

Jan 16th, 2009, 11:16 PM	#10
chanel-girl Member Joined: Jun 2007 Location: CT Posts: 930	You can definitely find a lower price for that quality, I would say that those are pretty average prices for those stones if you were looking in a high end jewelry store. I have seen similar quality 3 ctw stones in local high end jewelers for over 25000! I have seen the same size and quality stones in the diamond district for around $9500-10000.

Jan 16th, 2009, 11:29 PM	#11
yobellee Member Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 10	is it safe to buy jewelry online? have you heard of Gemstone King online store which sells diamonds?
yobellee Member Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 10

Jan 16th, 2009, 11:30 PM	#12
Swanky Mama Of Three Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas Area Posts: 42,718	^sure, just do a search or start a new thread
	__________________ Tweet http://twitter.com/PBSwanky

Jan 17th, 2009, 01:56 PM	#13
black jade Member Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 51	They rip you off on cruises from what I hear. Go online. I got a wonderful diamond ring from bluenile.com and they are very safe and reputable. I got my earrings (about 2 cttw) from whiteflash.com and you can get a wonderful deal there. Look at their website and call them and ask to talk to Katie Homuth. I got H VS2 for $10,000 --in your price range you can get something even more spectacular. A good place to get advice is Pricescope.com, you can ask for advice or just research 'diamond stud earrings' there.
black jade Member Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 51

Jan 18th, 2009, 02:26 PM	#14
tosh OP Member Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 981	Thanks for all of your advice, I really appreciate it. I have decided to keep on saving until I can upgrade the earrings alittle.
tosh OP Member Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 981

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