I received a pair of diamond studs as a hand me down. They are very beautiful. These are the stats: G, H color...4.28 carat tw...one appraisal (for ins. purpose) says I2, but every jeweler I have brought them to, including the jewelery co. that did the appraisal says they are definitely not I2...they all say I1 or VS2..mostly I1...they have great color, and give off a beautiful flash in the right lights when clean.....heres my question: I called the jeweler where they were purchased and asked them if I could trade up...mostly in terms of a better clarity. She told me to bring them in and we can see....So, if I did trade up, I don't want to spend over 10-15k more. .... What can I expect to pay for a trade up of the same size with better stats......OR, should I just keep them, be happy and maybe get some jackets.....thx for any advice....
Diamond stud upgrade
- Thread starter horse17
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I would trade them if you would like. The only reason I say this is that it seems as though you may not be happy with the clarity. If you add jackets, that doesn't address your issue with clarity. Of course, if they are very sentimental I would keep. Good luck deciding.
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I have a one carat oval and I didn't know a thing about diamonds. I was surprised to find out it was a I1. It is a G and very white. I couldn't see any inclusions at all until I zoomed in and photographed it. The inclusion is a white "streak" on the table. A jewelers opinion is that it is very clean, but because of the size of the inclusion, it probably couldn't be rated higher. Long story short-not all I1s are dirty ugly things! But I completely understand that once you know, it just bugs you! I can't even see the inclusion on mine. But I know it is there. Good thing for me, I am more a band girl anyway and put it in a bracelet. Good luck!
that's exactly it!.....until I saw the appraisal, I was kind of excited.......you cant see any inclusions unless you loop it...or at least I cant...I really started becoming more familiar with diamond specs in the last few years..esp with this forum...thankfully my engagement ring specs are real good.....I didn't even know what to ask for when we went to the jewelers!...
I know....I think they call it "mind clean". Mine was my ring, my hubby didn't know a thing about diamonds and we have been married twelve years, so I never want to get rid of the stone because he picked it out for me. So the sentiment means more to me than getting a different stone. If you don't have any special sentiment attached to the earrings, I would upgrade.
I would kept the earrings primarily for sentimental reasons.
Mine are approximately the same size. These are substantial studs for earrings so adding jackets isn't necessary IMO... Plus that won't change the center stone which you have an issue with.
As long as they look sparkly I would keep them.
This would be a great question for our resident diamond expert, Ame.
She's pretty awesome so please consider sending her a PM.
Mine are approximately the same size. These are substantial studs for earrings so adding jackets isn't necessary IMO... Plus that won't change the center stone which you have an issue with.
As long as they look sparkly I would keep them.
This would be a great question for our resident diamond expert, Ame.
She's pretty awesome so please consider sending her a PM.
No..."mind clean" is what Nikki posted. More of the wearers perception.
SI1 isn't necessarily that bad...depends on the type, location of the inclusion. The cut is really the most important thing. An excellent cut can hide a multitude of sins!
Horse...what kind of appraisal did you have done? GIA?
I1 or SI1? Big difference. I think you posted about this a while back actually.
Without knowing what they're offering you in trade value I can't really help you with pricing. I think the cut is going to matter more than anything else. Without the angles, that's not really going to tell us whether the stones you're trading in for are worth the money. Carat weight, color and clarity can only do so much. See what they have available IF you're trading them there and ask for GIA and AGS certed stones. Go look at my cheat sheet in the sticky reference thread for angles and numbers to pay attention to. I will say this as a word of warning: you might be in for a rude awakening in terms of price/value in this pricerange to get well cut stones in this size. 10-15 k cannot get you a 2+ ct stone that's really well cut AND clean in the color range you're looking at, esp not now that everything's gone way up in price. You'll likely end up in a lower color range (in a well cut stone, you'll never notice without them side by side a whiter stone!)
Without knowing what they're offering you in trade value I can't really help you with pricing. I think the cut is going to matter more than anything else. Without the angles, that's not really going to tell us whether the stones you're trading in for are worth the money. Carat weight, color and clarity can only do so much. See what they have available IF you're trading them there and ask for GIA and AGS certed stones. Go look at my cheat sheet in the sticky reference thread for angles and numbers to pay attention to. I will say this as a word of warning: you might be in for a rude awakening in terms of price/value in this pricerange to get well cut stones in this size. 10-15 k cannot get you a 2+ ct stone that's really well cut AND clean in the color range you're looking at, esp not now that everything's gone way up in price. You'll likely end up in a lower color range (in a well cut stone, you'll never notice without them side by side a whiter stone!)
it was an independent appraiser..it says diamong gemelocal lab...it was for ins purposes...he had I2 on that and every jeweler says I1, or maybe S1...one of the jewelers told me that one of the diamonds was scratched at the edge..then when they looked closer, it was a very slight blemish on the edge of one of the stones....hence the S1????..I don't know
Thankyou AME. Yes, I did post about this a while back...but now I learning a lot more...I will definitely look at your cheat sheet, and Im understanding that purchasing what I think I want would be 40k outright...which Im not going to do...I will see what they say, and maybe check out a lower color that is cut much better...one last question.....whenever I bring them to a jewler, and/or compare them to other earings of better quality, they look just as good sometimes even better?...its when they use the loop, then they tell me about the clarity....these are reputable jewelers...