Diamond Ideals Blog

What to expect when trying to sell your jewelry.

Laurent — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:37:02 +0000

We often work with our customers who are looking to sell some heirloom jewelry. As you can expect this comes with many pitfalls and much to consider. This is a brief overview of the different options you should consider if you are thinking about doing this yourself.

If your goal is to maximize the value of your jewelry, you are best off trying to sell directly to a private consumer. This can be done through your local paper, ebay, or some other virtual outlet. Unfortunately this can be the most time consuming and frustrating method and very few people pursue this avenue after the first couple of failed attempts.

If you have time on your hands, you may want to try working out a consignment deal with a jeweler. This method can take years, but on some rare occasions, if a customer walks into a store looking for exactly what you are trying to sell, it has been known to be fairly quick as well.

The vast majority of people opt for a fast sale to a jeweler. We do this every day. The upside is that you essentially walk away with cash in your hand. The downside is that the cash is nowhere near what your perceived value for the piece was. What you have to remember is that the jeweler may sit with your piece in his store for years, so it should not be surprising if he is not willing to pay top dollar. We purchased the ring pictured below as part of an estate with the thought that it would be one of the first pieces we would sell. Tiffany’s sells virtually identical rings every day for nearly double the price. As you can see, we still own it. And some day somebody will fall in love with it and purchase it, probably buying the deal of a lifetime.

There is one other option which is a service we provide our customers: let us broker the piece for you. This option allows us as professionals to work on your behalf and try to get a higher offer on the market than what you would be offered walking in cold off the street. We know the New York City diamond market inside and out and can usually find the best buyer for your jewelry.

I hope this short article has been helpful. Please contact us if you have any questions.

This platinum pavé eternity band contains 4.05 caratsof exceptionally cut diamonds. The workmanship on the ring is astonishing, reminiscent of when quality was truly appreciated.

New Budget-Minded Solitaire Engagement Ring Settings

Laurent — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:08:40 +0000

The second half of 2012 as well as the beginning of 2013 has shown us a very definite trend toward budget-mindedness. Taking this message to heart we have introduced three new solitaire settings priced from $495 to $575 in 14K gold (prices based on March 2013 gold prices). For lack of a better name (feel free to suggest some) we are calling these our Scroll Collection as there is intricate scroll work hidden under the cathedral part of the ring. From the top these engagement rings appear simple but a whole new world can be discovered from the side. One of them has four little diamonds tucked into the scroll work. The beauty of these new solitaire settings, apart from the price, is that they can be paired with virtually any wedding band you can think of. From the simple to an intricately woven pavé pattern, these engagement rings hold their own.

Black Diamond Earrings set in Black Rhodiumed Gold

Laurent — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:30:09 +0000

Black gold for your ears! We started a trend with one of our customer’s special orders earlier this year. As a result of the inquiries which came from posting this image on our Facebook page we have finally added black diamond studs to our inventory. We are running a special promotion for Christmas: 1ct TW for $495!

Custom Channel-Set Princess-Cut Wedding Band

Laurent — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:10:22 +0000

A few years ago, a long time friend and customer came to me with a special request. He wanted to purchase three stone ring with three different stones in it. Each stone has special meaning and I was happy to oblige. He was the first to own our Three Stone Monaco setting, I don’t believe it even had a name yet, and we set it with a diamond in the center and a sapphire and a garnet on the sides. He recently came to me looking for a band that would go with it but could not find anything on the website. We discussed the various options, sizes, and budget and decided to create a channel set band with princess cuts that would be hand engraved to complement the first ring. Here is a composite image of the original ring that I had in my files and the new band.

Cushion and Graduated Trapazoid Engament Ring

Laurent — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:45:22 +0000

Every ring we design is an adventure in interpretation and communication. The clients who wanted this ring came into our showroom with the idea that she wanted a 5 carat stone with big baguettes coming down the side and split prongs. Well, needless to say, the budget he had in mind was going to be stretched, but we started the process anyway. The central piece of any engagement ring is the center stone and our first job was to pick one she liked. Much to his relief, the 5 carat stones all looked too big on her and so we aimed a little smaller. The winning candidate was a 3.5 ct cushion cut. We build out from there, quickly realizing that baguettes, or more appropriately tapered baguettes were not what she had visualized. They were too skinny and the look they were after was more substantial. A little trial and error brought us to graduated brilliant-cut trapezoids.

We sketched the ring while they were here and lo and behold, with the side stones, the total weight was 5 carats! They left with a copy of our sketch, anticipating the finished ring.

About 10 days later, he returned to pick up the ring.

We have now received 4 phone calls over the last couple of months thanking us and telling us how much they love the ring.

Custom East West Oval Engagement Ring

Laurent — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:12:13 +0000

A little while ago, I sat down with a client who knew she wanted an oval as an engagement ring stone and wanted it set East-West instead of the more traditional North-South direction. Over a period of a few weeks we went back and forth with potential designs, always keeping in mind that her finger was a size 4.5. We finally hit the proverbial nail on the head and she decided to flank the oval with two trapezoids. The result was stunning. The center stone weighs 1.5 carats and the traps weigh a total of approximately 0.4 carats.

Three Stone Trellis Engagement Ring in Yellow Gold

Laurent — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:38:12 +0000

The classics never go out of style. Here is a stunning three stone trellis engagement ring we recently completed for a customer overseas. The center stone weighs 1.2 carats and the side stones weigh about 0.4 carats each giving the ring a total weight of 2 carats. We made this ring in 18K yellow gold and our customer could not be happier with the results.

Deco Engagement Ring

Laurent — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:51:04 +0000

Here is a ring that we designed with a customer around an 0.8 carat oval diamond. With an additional approximately 0.85 carats of small stones surrounding it, this relatively inexpensive ring delivered a huge look and one very happy bride-to-be.

Three Stone Princess-cut Engagement Ring with Custom Engraving

Laurent — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:55:40 +0000

Recently a customer contacted us with what he thought was a bit of a puzzle. He really liked our HENR6009 but felt the lines were too modern. He loved the three princess cuts and the rows of princess cut melée stones going down the shank but he really liked some of the more vintage styles like Monaco collection or some of the more intricate engraved models we show. This was not a puzzle at all. We offered to hand engrave the style he liked to transform it into something he loved. The center stone is a 1 ct Princess cut diamond. It has 0.2 cts on either side and 14 little Princess cuts in the shank weighing a total of approximately 0.3 carats.

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux Engagement Ring can be affordable.

Laurent — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:02:54 +0000

Congratulations to Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux on their engagement! Justin reportedly gave Jennifer a whopping 8 carat emerald cut set between tapered baguettes. I admire him for not trying to reinvent the wheel and giving her one of the most classic engagement ring styles of all times. It might be big but it is such a beautiful design that it is the perfect symbol of enduring love. You don’t have to take out a mortgage or a home equity loan to afford this same style. We can create the same ring with slightly more down to earth proportions. Here is such an engagement ring with a 2.5 carat center stone and o.4 ctTW baguettes on the side, set in platinum. This was a customized version of our classic style which you can find at by clicking here.