Hope you’re well. A fantastic site which has been really useful! Following your guidelines, I’m looking for:
– Round diamond
– GIA/IGI certified
– G/H colour (G if IGI and H if GIA – is that fair?)
– VS2/SI1 clarity (VS2 if IGI and SI1 if GIA – is that fair?)
– Excellent cut
– Minimum very good polish and symmetry
– Carat weight of between .63-.65.
Please can you advise on:
1. When buying a loose diamond, can this be placed straight into a mount setting by a jeweller? I.e. is their any type of specific characteristics a diamond needs to have to be placed into a platinum ring mount? And does this work out cheaper than buying a ring already with the diamond?
2. I understand a GIA certified SI1 diamond should be eye clean, is that true? By which I mean without magnification you should see the inclusions.
3. Should I be considering the ‘spread’ figure of the diamond to give the maximum sized look and if so where do I find this info?
4. I live in the UK. How can I be as tax/duty/postage/customs efficient as possible?
5. Do you think a H colour SI1 Ex cut diamond will give a fantastic shine and sparkle as that’s what I’m after.
Any other info or advice will be very appreciated!
I suggest you stick with GIA. It will just make your life a lot easier instead of trying to calculate how much cheaper it ‘should be.’
I would say about half of the SI1s in that size range are eye-clean. You have to see a high quality photo to make sure they are.
What is your ballpark budget?
Thanks for getting back to me!
Ballpark budget approx 2,250 dollars.
Would really appreciate it if you could help me by answering the questions I listed below and of course any addition advice /suggestions.
Many thanks, look forward to hearing from you.
I love this diamond for you:
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1523715.asp
It’s bright, eye-clean and a great value. What do you think?
The diamond looks great, but you haven’t answered my original questions? Especially regarding the tax/customs duty on top of the price I’ll have to pay as I’m in the UK.
Really looking forward to hearing from you again soon,
Given your budget, there aren’t any ways to avoid the VAT. Its not worth shopping in NY or Antwerp and the only tax you can avoid is the import duty. Its about 5% and isn’t worth avoiding, as the UK sites (that wouldn’t need to charge it) charge higher markups, obviating any savings.
Thanks for getting back to me.
After reading this: https://www.diamonds.pro/2009/07/26/buying-diamonds-in-the-uk-vat-and-customsduty-free/
I thought that maybe there was an efficient way to purchase….? Were you suggesting just sticking to buying from the UK? Or does it still work out cheaper to buy from JA and pay the duty on delivery?
I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. I am suggesting sticking with JA. The ways to avoid the VAT (the big tax) involve traveling. Given the size of your purchase, that doesn’t pay. The only think you will save on by sticking with UK vendors is the 5% import tax. However, those sites generally offer poor value (they have higher margins, you need to go higher in clarity because they don’t offer photos etc), so it doesn’t pay to go with them.
That makes sense! Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out on this. Really appreciated!
My pleasure.
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
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