| Anonymous Reader
Hi! Thanks for this very helpful website. I just lost a diamond pendant a few days ago. My husband purchased it in 2004 from our regular jeweler. It was an owner operated store. I have the receipt that shows it as 14K I, I1 .75ct dia heart pend. It was on sale for $3036.00 from $3795.00.
I’m filing a claim with my insurance and looking into a replacement stone. I’ve looked at Blue Nile and will check out James Allen. My question is what’s more important of the 4C’s. I was surprised to see I1 on the receipt because it looked like a very nice stone but I never looked at it under a loop.
In your opinion what would such a stone be valued at in today’s market? Thanks for your help.
Your Diamond Teacher |
| Thank you for your inquiry. I am happy to help. I am sorry to hear that you lost your diamond pendant. For the future, it is important to have jewelry reappraised every two years in order to have the most updated value for insurance purposes.
I looked on the JamesAllen.com website for a comparable diamond to the one that you lost .75ct, I, I1 heart-shaped diamond and here is what I found for your reference on price:
I am happy to help you select a heart shaped diamond from the JamesAllen.com website and select a pendant setting. Please let me know any additional questions you may have. |
| Anonymous Reader
Hi Sebastian,
Thanks for the fast response. I’m waiting for the paperwork from my insurance company. I want to see how much they give me. This will probably take a month or so. I’d love for you to help me pick a stone. I’ll be in touch. Thanks again!
Your Diamond Teacher |
| You are welcome! I will wait to hear back from you! Have a great rest of the week. |
| Anonymous Reader
Hello Sebastian,
From the emails below you will remember I lost my heart shaped diamond pendant before the holidays and am waiting to hear from my insurance company.
I received a call from the jeweler who is the appraiser for my insurance company who told me that I can replace it for less than the purchase price of $3187 but he then told me he would approve that amount less my $500 deductible.
He then proceeded to tell me that he could replace the diamond and chain for the approved amount. I didn’t find that to be very ethical so I don’t plan to do business with him.
I did read your website and a few others and tried to find diamonds in my price range that would be nice and I would very much like your opinion. Three are at James Allen: SKU 17942118, 15100516, and 16927580. I also saw one at Blue Nile that I think might be good: LD09945669.
What I’m looking for is a heart shaped diamond with lots of sparkle. Also important to me is that it look like a heart. My mother had one that was a bit longer than wide and it always looked funny to me, more like a triangle then a heart. It needs to be eye clean.
The stock number I sent are just possibilities I researched however I defer to your expertise if you find something nicer. I want to spend no more than $3000. I plan to have it set in a 14 K yellow gold double bale setting. Again, thank so much for your help.
Your Diamond Teacher |
| Welcome back! It is nice to hear from you. I would recommend Jewelers Mutual to insure your jewelry going forward.
As for selecting a heart shaped diamond, it really comes down to which one you prefer visually. The most important thing to look at is the overall shape and optical symmetry. And you want there to be a distinct cleft, which separates the rounded lobes, to make it an unmistakable heart shape. You also want to avoid a bow-tie effect. This is a dark band that cut across the diamond and is especially noticeable when the diamond is angle a certain way. Then there is clarity, needless to say, you want the diamond to be eye-clean, meaning no visible inclusions to the naked eye. Diamonds that are VS2 and above are always eye-clean. And most SI1 diamonds are eye-clean. As for color, the color grading system is very subtle. It can be difficult to detect one color grade from the next. Since you plan on setting it into a 14K yellow gold setting, then you can certainly consider H, I and J. With that being said, the below three diamonds you selected from JamesAllen.com all are eye-clean diamonds and are very pretty heart-shape. Although 15100516 is the one I would avoid. It visibly has worse light performance and more darker spots than the other ones.
SKU-17942118
SKU-15100516
SKU-16927580 The below diamond from Blue Nile is a great choice as well.
SKU-LD09945669 Please let me know any additional questions you have. |
| Anonymous Reader
Sebastian,
Thanks for all your help. I think my favorite is the one from Blue Nile. I appreciate your input and taking the time to write the article about diamond buying. I believe I learned a lot and feel much more comfortable in buying a diamond!