i have the chance to purchase a 5mm princess cut diamond ring, eye
and loop clean, (can you tell i don’t work in diamonds…) and the
price??? $250.00 set in 14K and whitegold prongs that are like
corners…
i was hanging out in a pawn shop, (my mom’s house was burguled while
she was out of state and they took all her jewelry, and some meds
she had left.) among the things stolen was a 3 row diamond wedding
band, total carat equaled 1 carat, the middle row had a larger
central diamond, dad purchased it for her one month before he died.
i decided to hit some of the local pawn shops, to see if any of the
stuff was going to be local.
so, this princess cut caught my eye, and since she had some of my
things at the house that are now gone as well… and there will be
some insurance money…
Dear Pat, Your question is bound to generate many opinions, but here
are just a few things I would consider:
#1- A 5.0 mm princess cut should weigh approx. 0.68 carat, taken
from a chart.
#2- An eye clean (SI), and reasonably white (H/I), stone is listed
on the Rapp list at roughly $1400 per carat. Even at 20% off the list
(typical wholesale), this diamond should wholesale at approximately
$760.00, plus the value of the ring.
#3- Finally, and most important, pawn dealers are very knowledgeable
about the above facts, and do not sell at those reduced prices.
Purchasing a stone from them is a major "let the buyer beware"
situation, and I would only make a purchase if they promised, in
writing, to refund if the stone proves to be anything else than what
you “assume”.
Always remember, pawn dealers make their living knowing what it is
they buy, and how much to resell it for, and almost any retail jeweler
would gladly give them $250 for the ring. Do they really need to sell
it to the public, if that were the case?