How to find the perfect diamond: Interview with Ron Khordi, the Diamond Concierge

 

Engagement 101 set for a great talk with Ron Khordi, the Diamond Concierge. Through an international exclusive network, Ron can find the perfect stone for your engagement ring.

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What should come first selecting a setting or a stone?

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The stone does need to come first, so the setting can be built around it. If you choose setting that can hold only a round shape, you won’t have the flexibility to change the shape when you choose the stone. The setting design is important because that is really the only way to add your personal touch to your engagement ring. The number of shapes out there are fixed, everyone will have one of the 10 major shapes.  The setting can truly be one of a kind. This is especially true if you choose an original antique setting, no one in the world will have it!

Once the total budget is set, how much in ratio should be spent on the setting and the stone?

Generally 15-20% of the overall budget can go to an elaborate setting. If you are getting a simple solitaire setting, it will cost about $400 which would be only a small percentage of the total cost of diamond. If you found a great deal on a diamond and have leftover budget, definitely invest more in your setting.  If the diamond you want is over budget, get the diamond with simple solitaire, you should always be happy with the diamond you wanted!

Do you have a favorite famous diamond? Which one? Why?

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The 24.78 carat pink diamond bought by Lawrence Graff this year for $45.6 million, the most expensive diamond in history.  It’s our favorite diamond because we do have experience with pink diamonds, and I enjoy selling the colored diamonds much more than the whites due to their extreme rarity. They are so rare, so hard to find, it’s like I’m in a worldwide scavenger hunt with a big prize if you are the winner! The Lawrence Graff’s sale helped make pinks more popular, and it is amazing to think someone is willing to pay that much money for a stone.

Which diamond center (cut, size, quality) would you recommend for a classic girl?

Rounds are the most popular, and I would say too classic. Of the non-rounds, the classic shapes are cushion and emerald, as they are timeless and were popular during the antique period at the turn of the 20th century. If you have the budget, GIA certified is preferred although they are a big more pricey than EGL diamonds. Don’t go lower in color than J, and no lower in clarity than SI2. A high color (D-E-F) or high clarity (flawless,VVS2), is unnecessary even if you have the budget, it will not look much different than the lower color and clarity, but will cost thousands more and not worth the money.

What about for a girl, maybe a celebrity with no cap on the budget?

blue-diamond

Definitely a fancy color diamond.  Everyone has white diamonds. If there is no cap on the budget, go for rarity. Anyone who knows diamonds will immediately be wowed when a fancy color diamond is on a woman’s body.  I would not recommend yellow, as there are too many of them on the market. The pinks and blues are the most desired, rarest, and most expensive color diamonds. The rarest of the rare are the red diamonds: money is not the issue here, the challenge is to find someone willing to sell their red diamond.

Tell us the whole story about a diamond you recently found for a young man about to propose….

Our largest sale was a 2ct intense pink for half a million dollars. Its incredible to think that a 2ct white diamond will cost between 7-15,000 on average, and a pink will sell for that high. Extremely rare, the sale itself was as much of a challenge of finding the diamond.  We spent 4 months sourcing the diamond all over the world. We found one in Israel, shipped it directly to LA to a high value shipping courier, we flew to LA, the customer flew with his own plane to LA, we met at the shipping couriers office and made the sale.  Because of the high value, the stone was never released to us. It remained at the shipper’s office, and re-shipped to the customer’s address. This examples shows the element of ‘concierge service’ when buying a diamond. The process is much like working with a real-estate agent who helps you with a home sale. The agents have access to the exclusive properties, you need a really good agent to find your dream home. Diamond Concierge Service is exactly that – an agent with 30 years of contacts in the industry who will find your perfect diamond.

Best wishes,
Diamond Concierge Service

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