Diamonds

[TinCow]

Online! From Union Diamond. Any tips on that? BBB accredits them with an A+ and they are a US company with local roots in Georgia. Blue Nile was a bit higher.

I know absolutely nothing about online companies, sorry.

What kind of friend?

Married one of my friends from high school. He's exactly what a NYC diamond wholesaler should be: a Jew working on West 47th. Or at least that's where he worked when he made up my wife's engagement ring, he now runs his own business and I have no idea where the office is. This is his current website.

Regardless of who you get it from, let me emphasize again that all that matters is how it looks. Even if you get a stupendously awesome wholesale price, diamonds aren't an investment. They're not rare and will never fetch more money on resale than you paid for them. VS/VVS is perfectly fine, and I'd actively avoid going for IF and F. If you can't see whatever flaws are present in the stone, that's all that matters.

NYC is supposed to be the worst place in the world to buy a diamond, but I've heard of people who know people getting a deal.

For retail, I wouldn't be surprised. The retail jewelry business in general is a racket, no matter where you go. Stones are never worth remotely close to what you pay for them. They convince people to buy "investment grade" jewelry, which simply doesn't exist (at least, not for diamonds... some gemstones or exceptionally highly crafted pieces can appreciate in value). Like I said, I paid close to the price you're quoting for my wife's engagement ring and the main stone in that ring, alone, was appraised at $14k+; that's retail replacement value. When I'm told it would cost me $14k to replace the main stone in a ring I paid $5500 for total, something fishy is going on in the retail business.

I'd have to go home and check the papers on the main stone for the color, but I know it's VVS1 or VS1 and wherever the flaws are, I sure can't find them.

If I lower the color to EGL H or I and the clarity to SI1-I I could get a much bigger stone, but then you can see lots of carbon and feathering without a loop. Since you are a seasoned veteran I'm all ears.

If you can see the flaws easily, don't go for it. A clear ring with a few minor occlusions won't be a big deal, but I should be avoided except for side-stones. SI1 could theoretically be ok, but I wouldn't buy it without seeing it for yourself. It's possible the flaw could be on the underside where no one would really see it, but it's also possible it could be on the main facet and easily visible. Personally, I would be reluctant to buy a stone I had not seen in person without some kind of contractual provision allowing me to return it if I was not happy on inspection.