B&M lost out to Online today (HOF related) long post rant

[kjgirdner]

Let me start by saying - I love Pricescope!!!! Last week I posted about a HOF Enduring ring and I got some great suggestions for other ring designs. That lead to many late nights consuming the information on this board and other websites.

Today we went back to the B&M store with the HOF Enduring ring to look at it again, along with some loose diamonds. It very disappointing. Either I''ve been spoiled by all of the information (Sarin, Idealscope, actual certificates) available about online diamonds, or this salesguy was having a bad day.

The Enduring rings in the store came with either a .18 (too small $1375 - 18K wg w/diamond) or a .43 (nice size - $2725 18K wg w/diamond too expensive). He didn''t know how much just the setting costs because HOF doesn''t provide separate prices, but he guesstimated $600 - 700 (seems like a lot for 18K wg ring, although it feels like quite a bit of gold)

I asked for a diamond in between. He said "sure I''ll call on Monday and see what they can send us in between .25 and .33). I know for a lot of people here these are tiny side stones

, but we''re saving for a house and I''m still embracing the diamond fever (I can always upgrade in a few years.. right

)

So he calls and we come in today and he shows us ONE diamond! ONE!!! I know it''s a busy time of year, but he didn''t even seem apologetic about it. It was like he assumed that since this was in the size range we would buy it. Weird to me.. Anyone else?

Here''s the stats he gave me. (I asked about girdle and had a frustrating conversation about girdle thickness affecting carat weight).

HOF RB .27 SI1 G
table 55%
depth 61.5%
4.18 - 4.2 X 2.58
$ 914

It was pretty and sparkly stone w/ lots of fire (especially when he turned off the flourescent and turned on the "natural lights"). I looked at in under the "special HOF viewer" and it had the pretty hearts and arrows. It was eye clean in the flourescent lights and definitely eye clean in the "natural lights" because the sparkles made it hard to look at it.

Then I checked it out under the 10X scope looking for the inclusions. I see something cloud or feather like on the table - not in the direct middle of the table. He looks and says there are 2 feathers on the table but neither in the middle. I ask if he has the AGS certificate so I can see where all of the inclusions are (did I mention he wouldn''t shut up about AGS000 - Well thanks to PS I know it''s really AGS0 - so that was annoying).

He doesn''t have the certificate and GET THIS HOF doesn''t do charts on their diamonds. Does that even seem remotely possible?? I said "well if I bought a diamond I would expect to get a complete certificate including the chart). He said they would make sure. At this point - I was completely and totally unsold on the store and the diamond. I also abandonded my plan to ask for Sarin or Helium info.

I ask to look at non HOF ideal cut diamond and he pulls out a very nice larger diamond. My FI thought it looked a little less sparkly but I couldn''t tell much of a difference. It was nice to see another diamond under the HOF scope and 10X. This one had the hearts, but the arrows looked a bit different.

At this point I explain to him that I''m not sold on the HOF brand because of the $$. But I love the setting (which btw looks SOO much better in person than the photo or 3-D view on the website). He says that their guy could make a copy but custom costs more, and that HOF is only 10 - 15% more than their regular diamonds. Then he continued the "perfect cut diamond" marketing spiel. I asked about the return policy or trade in policy on custom work. And there is NONE. No returns on custom rings, and no diamond upgrade/trade in policy.

And then comes the final nail in the HOF Enduring ring B&M Coffin.

According to him because I''m size 9.5 even if I got the ring from HOF with their diamond it would STILL BE CUSTOM. So I wouldn''t be able do anything if I hated it. See... I can''t really try it on - all I can do is shove it down to my first knuckle and play make believe. I don''t even know if I''ll like how it looks on my sausage finger.

I was polite and professional the entire time. Thanked him for his time said we''d have to think about it and we wouldn''t know until after the holidays. He understood and explained that HOF wouldn''t start on it until then anyhow, but that this specific diamond might not be available but there would be others.

So we''re going to buy a diamond online and something like the Enduring setting custom made. End of story.

Thanks for giving me a place to rant and if you made it this far double thanks!!!!

Karrie

 

[jasper]

Karrie,

Congratulations on your engagement.

Many of the things the Hearts on Fire store did were actually quite reasonable.

It costs a noticeable amount of money (for shipping, handling, and insurance) to call in a diamond. One of Hearts on Fire's selling points is the consistency of their cutting, so I am not surprised that the store only called in one or two stones.

Most vendors I have spoken to carry certified stones over 1/2 carat,
but only certify stones under 1/2 carat on request.
(It costs even more to certify a stone than it does to call it in.)

Hearts on Fire dealers tend to be up-market stores. Unfortunately, that is reflected in the price (as you found out). Fortunately, it means they can afford nice equipment. For example, the Hearts on Fire dealer near me has a Sarin machine in his office. (Both he and I learned something important about how the girdles are measured when I visited him.)

About the custom-fit ring:
I recommend getting a very comfortable ring,
with a comfort fit shank and sizing bumps.

Again, congratulations on your engagement.

Sincerely yours,

Jasper Paulsen
----------------
[email protected]
http://www.folds.net/diamond

 

[portoar]

Congrats on your engagement! I also shopped for HOF diamonds (for earrings) and had a similar unhappy experience with the salesperson. I went back 2 or 3 times to my local HOF dealer just to see if I could get a different salesperson, but the same one was always there. The problem was basically attitude -- she was unfriendly, patronizing, and a snob. The diamonds were very beautiful, but the set jewelry doesn''t come with certs -- and I think that if you are going to pay such a high premium for their fabulous cut you should get a cert for your money. I ended up getting bigger size, better color, better clarity, and superideal H&A AGS0 certed diamonds through an internet vendor for much less.

Very impressed with HOF diamonds. Not impressed with the sales staff.

 

[Mara]

HOF diamonds were the first ones we really saw that were well cut, the Dream diamond, we loved it. But we didn''t love the price tag, which was something like $10k for an H VS 1c stone. Not even including the setting. If we wanted to spend $8k I could get a .75ct.

Our salesperson was great at this store, very friendly but not too knowledgeable in things other than the HOF spiel. I really loved that setting they showed us, never found it locally and then moved on from that design eventually.

But the visit gave us a good springboard for shopping around at the time. What bothers me about HOF is the marketing slogan, most perfect cut diamond in the world. I''m surprised they even use that, because after numerous years in marketing and many working with our brand departments in various companies etc, most companies shy away from using an ABSOLUTE in their slogan like ''the best'' or ''the most perfect'' because someone could ask you to PROVE that and how do you prove something like best or perfect? It''s so personal.

So anyway, when I hear that on the radio I have to roll my eyes, esp after 3 years on PS...I know that there is not any one ''most perfect'' cut or diamond out there, it depends on the buyer and cut precision or cut reliability does not mean perfect.

Congrats on your decision and engagement and have fun looking for your stone and creating your ring!