Diamond Studs for 30th Birthday..help please

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E

Entice

O.G.
Dec 1, 2009
126
1
#1
Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some advice on upgrading my diamonds. I'll be turning 30 in another month and I would definitely like to get my 1 ctw upgrades to 1.50-1.75 ctw depending on how it looks on my ears. I have small ears and don't want the studs to look gaudy or fake but I'd still like them bigger. Is 1.50 ctw a visible size difference?

I live in the NYC area and would like to purchase from the Diamond District..my first pair were for a steal at $1400 but I did compromise on the cut (SI 2, F, good, GIA certified) but this time I want the cut to be very good or excellent. Will I be able to find 1.50 ctw for no more than $1000 more? Also will I be able to get the same value I paid or do the prices depreciate?

Also do any of you have any specific stores in the Diamond District that give great deals? I got these from Aster Jewelry and I'll be checking there again but other recs are welcomed..

Sorry for the long post.

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#3
I think 1.75 tcw would look great...your ears look big enough to handle the size.
Get a 3 prong martini setting, too...good saturation of light=sparkle. I would go down in color G-H, VS2-SI1 but get the best cut you can find/afford. The cut is key!
Hopefully AME will chime in, she's good with the stats. Use her info as a cheat sheet/reference to weed out the unacceptable.
Ultimately, go with your eyes...what looks good to you. You are luck you'll be able to see the actual diamonds.
Great birthday gift...Happy Birthday!!!
 
#4
You're HIGHLY unlikely to get anywhere near what you paid in trade in credit or cash from anyone but the jeweler you bought them from originally. You're also unlikely to get that much of a size increase for that budget. Your budget is unrealistic for what you want, sorry.

As far as jewelers in the district, the only reputable one I know of in the district that might work with you is ID Jewelry, but like I said, you're very VERY unlikely to get what you paid or even close. Secondhand diamonds don't retain their value unless they have some kind of special provenance and since yours are not of great cut, you're already fighting an uphill battle.
 
#5
skyqueen said:
I think 1.75 tcw would look great...your ears look big enough to handle the size.
Get a 3 prong martini setting, too...good saturation of light=sparkle. I would go down in color G-H, VS2-SI1 but get the best cut you can find/afford. The cut is key!
Hopefully AME will chime in, she's good with the stats. Use her info as a cheat sheet/reference to weed out the unacceptable.
Ultimately, go with your eyes...what looks good to you. You are luck you'll be able to see the actual diamonds.
Great birthday gift...Happy Birthday!!!
Click to expand...

I think I'll stick with the 1.50 ctw, this will actually be a gift from a SO but I want to give him some ideas as far as $ amount, lol.
 
#6
ame said:
You're HIGHLY unlikely to get anywhere near what you paid in trade in credit or cash from anyone but the jeweler you bought them from originally. You're also unlikely to get that much of a size increase for that budget. Your budget is unrealistic for what you want, sorry.

As far as jewelers in the district, the only reputable one I know of in the district that might work with you is ID Jewelry, but like I said, you're very VERY unlikely to get what you paid or even close. Secondhand diamonds don't retain their value unless they have some kind of special provenance and since yours are not of great cut, you're already fighting an uphill battle.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I thought since they were GIA certified and I got them for a bargain, I'd be able to at least get what I paid for..hmm I wasn't aware that diamonds depreciate.

I am open to going back to the original store I got them from. What is the price range for 1.50 ctw studs?
 
#7
LOL! I read Entice's post wrong! I thought she was putting $10,000 more towards the new earrings.
Sorry but I agree with AME...you'll never get anything decent for $2400., especially in that carat weight.
 
#8
It's not that they depreciate, it's that an individual cannot get much $$ back out of them because the jeweler has to buy them back low and sell them higher. Almost like consigning.
To buy jewelry from a store the prices keep going up. To ever get a fair amount back out of jewelry it has to be special.
 
#9
Unfortunately, I think it will be pretty difficult to get a pair of 1.5-1.75 ctw for $2400 (assuming you are able to get $1400 for your old pair) if you want the stones to have cuts of very good or better, even if you compromise on color and clarity. A good way to get a rough estimate of the market prices for the stones would be to go on BN or other online retailers. Some NYC diamond district merchants might be able to give you better prices than the online retailers, but they usually won't be much better. If you have a relationship with the jeweler who you bought your old pair from, I would definitely start with them. You will probably also have a better chance of getting more back for your old pair if you do a trade-in there. Diamond prices definitely have not depreciated in the last few years, but you will almost always lose some value when you try to sell or do a trade-in with a retailer.
 
#10
Make sure you ask if the diamonds have been "enhanced" in color or clarity. Should reveal on the certificate. I had trouble with this in the diamond district years ago.
 
#12
Anything of really good quality is not going to be in the price range you're looking at for that size. So if you want quality, you need a more realistic budget or a more realistic size point. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but that's reality.

You'd be buying them outright if you bought from them, you're unlikely to get yours traded in for any useful value even through ID jewelry. Worth a shot, worst they say is NO.

Entice said:
Interesting, I thought since they were GIA certified and I got them for a bargain, I'd be able to at least get what I paid for..hmm I wasn't aware that diamonds depreciate.

I am open to going back to the original store I got them from. What is the price range for 1.50 ctw studs?
Click to expand...

Honestly, you didn't really get a bargain. You got is what you paid for, GIA report or not, because those were lower cut quality and they won't resell well. Your best bet is to go back to the original dealer and hope they're willing to give you at least most of what you paid in trade towards a larger pair.

Diamonds are not an investment, nor do they retain their value at retail. Unless they're of some special provenance (ie royal stone). When you buy a diamond at retail, it doesn't retain it's value on the market when you try to resell because there is so much on the market that a dealer can obtain cheaper from their buyers than they're 1) willing to pay you for it and 2) they know the source of their dealers stone, and they cannot prove the source of yours. You telling them and providing a report isn't really "good enough" when they can call in a stone less expensively and know the story. They're not going to stick their neck out to take in a stone off the street that they could end up stuck with for a while that won't resell. They won't risk losing money to buy one off the street.

As for your situation: a good set of well cut stones in that size, color and clarity range is going to run you easily, at very minimum, $5k depending just how low you go on quality and if you just take a preset pair from someplace and allow no personal selection of stones. If you want to select your own stones and guarantee the best cut and quality in your range, plan to spend at least $8k. Don't sacrifice cut quality, and don't let them play games. Educate yourself on cut quality before you go into that zone again.
 
#13
I found that post, it's from last Feb and I did ask for angles etc, and I don't believe I was ever given that data so there is no way of actually knowing what the true quality that price allowed.
 
#15
Well, I am a fan of Good Old Gold on Long Island, I also think Engagement Rings Direct is really good. Both have great online presences as well. You can still give ID Jewelry a shot, but you need to educate yourself going in.

(and by last Feb I mean 2012!, a LOT has changed in Diamond pricing since then.)
 
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