Diamond. Where do you buy?

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  adamren on 26/11/2014 - 18:19

  +1

  Well if you know how to spot a fake diamond then why not buy second hand? Not like they wear out. You said they have poor resale, that means bargain to you.

  • 

    cypher67 on 26/11/2014 - 20:19

    Whilst this is true, being able to spot a fake and being able to assess its value are 2 different things. I wouldn't buy second hand without a 3rd party trained professional certifying it for me. I looked all over Sydney for diamonds at a reasonable price and nothing came close to the value of BlueNile.

    • 

      adamren on 26/11/2014 - 21:04

      Invest $30 in a good German glass l0x loupe. Can be had for $10 perhaps. Ask a jeweler to show you after researching it.

      You certainly won't be a GIA certified grader overnight, but when it comes to buying second hand off gumtree etc you'll be confident.

      The seller may have the receipt or certificate anyway.

      But yeah you don't want to get ripped off buying a flaw slightly yellow stone that you think is nearly flawless and white.

      • 

        stevarja on 26/11/2014 - 21:56

        So you've bought 2nd hand diamond off gumtree? Care to share your experience? Any suggestion to 3rd party certifier/valuer? Any other site beside gumtree for 2nd hand?

      • 

        adamren on 27/11/2014 - 17:12

        @stevarja: No.

        Other thing I thought of was somehow getting your hands on one of those diamond tester probes. Press the tip to the stone for 5 seconds and it calculates whether it's real or not. Could always meet right near a not so busy and friendly jeweler or even pawn shop and say to the seller 'Just for peace of mind, let's go in here and test it just to make sure it's all real'.

        Just put in and got this http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-brisbane/diamond/k0l3005721

        so they're out their. Just make sure they have receipts or don't look dodgy like they've stolen it.

        Ha, even had a diamond tester! No idea how good it is as it's only $30, I assumed they would be over $150 to $500 retail for basic to advanced ones.

      • 

        voteoften on 28/11/2014 - 00:20

        +1

        When my ex and I were looking fir a diamond, we lived in the US and used a broker. he would get stones in and show them to us. every time we even looked at a stone, he'd test it with the probe. he went with us to a jeweller and tested it after it was set in a tiffany setting. He said you NEVER let that stone out if your sight for any reason. If you want them to clean or tighten, you carry to the bench and watch them at every step. It is a substantial stone, but then everyone's stone is important to them…

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  ilostnemo on 26/11/2014 - 22:12

  +1

  Valuations aren't worth the paper they're written on. They are all for insurance purposes. You can ask the valuer for a true value valuation.

  At the end of the day, there is one thing the woman wants, and that is the sparkle, if it has VVS this and is 1 carat but doesn't sparkle, you're in the bad books.

  I've been buying and selling diamonds for the past 15 years.

  You can also go to 5 different valuers and give them the same ring and see the massive variance.

  • 

    adamren on 27/11/2014 - 17:16

    Nice! If you don't mind me asking or if it's possible to get a short answer, why is their such huge variations in values?

    I thought there was a fairly consistent benchmark to go on for each grade per carat.

    Also the cut would play a significant role in the sparkle.

    Would a slightly less clear but expertly cut brilliant stone sparkle just as much if not more than a poorly cut very clear stone of the same size and colour?

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  shortgum on 27/11/2014 - 21:12

  depends on buying for who's