Buying, sight unseen

[suchard]

I live in Scotland where diamond prices are very high, men are men and sheep are scared!

I am looking for a 1ct oval or princess shape, premium cut, g/h colour and vs2 clarity and have found a couple of seemingly suitable stones. The problem is that I don''t think that I can have anything shipped to me for approval because of customs duties and tax issues. Can I trust the people at Whiteflash and Dirtcheapdiamonds or do I still need to use a good independent appraiser? If so, can anyone recommend one in New York?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Patty]

See the link up above called "Resources?" Underneath that is dropdown menu with "appraisers" listed on it. There are several independent appraisers in New York listed there.

I myself would be comfortable buying a stone from Whiteflash or DCD without an independent appraisal because I trust them and their reputations are good. But most people recommend that you do get an objective 3rd person''s opinion.

 

[DOC TOO]

I purchased from Engagement Rings Direct, I found Mark to be EXCELLENT! He is located in NY.

 

[moviefan]

This is my first post to Pricescope, but I''ve been "lurking" around here for a few months, learning as much as I can and searching for the right diamond for my girlfirend''s engagement ring. I can''t speak for Dirtcheapdiamonds, but I can give say that you can definitely trust the folks at Whiteflash. I too was leary about buying sight-unseen. I worked with Bob at Whitefalsh (he''s on here as diamonbob) this past week to purchase a beautiful 1.005 H SI1 H&A stone and I felt confident enough to trust his word when he told me that this S1I stone was "eye clean" and briliant. This stone is more than just "eye clean" in my lay opinion. Even with my 10x loupe, I am honestly having a hard time finding all the slight inclusions as marked on the AGS report. This is definitely a good thing!

One thing that made me very comfortable purchasing from Whiteflash is knowing that several of the staff actively participate in the forums here on pricescope. I think this is true for the vendors who advertise here (though I may be wrong). The vendors know that even one bad recommendation can send their business south, so they all hold to their word. In the end, I felt more comfortable purchasing my diamond online than at a B&M store. Even though I could see the stones in person at the B&M stores, I never found a salesperson who seemed completely honest and straightforward with me. Also, in the stores I felt that I always seemed to know more about the diamonds than the salesperson, and that didn''t sit well with me. However, Bob and the others at Whiteflash have been very honest and straightforward, and I could tell that they really know their stuff. Plus there is such a great variety and selection of stones online and you can find the perfect stone for you, without feeling like you''re settling on a stone because it''s the closest thing to your standards that the store has in their stock.

With all that said, I would still recommend using an independent appraiser just for the extra satisfaction.

Good luck!

 

[pearcrazy]

I have purchased three pear shaped stones from DirtCheapDiamonds and have been pleased. I like their search engine because it groups the diamonds by cut quality. They can get a couple of stones in house for you, send pictures of them and will give you an honest opinion of their quality and help you choose the one that is right for you. I have also contacted Whiteflash and found them to be friendly and helpful. I'm sure they would do the same for you.

 

[suchard]

Thank you all for the advice.
I actually called Whiteflash a few days ago and the person I spoke to seemed more interested in finding out my details and email address than facilitating a sale! This appeared at odds with postings here which tended to indicate that they were a reliable vendor. However, I will now consider them again.
The best bit is that my husband says that I can go to New York to collect the stone I choose!!! Yippee!

 

[Patty]

If you are going to New York, I''d check out SuperbCert (Excel diamonds) too. Barry has some beautiful princess cut stones. I have bought two rounds from him and he''s very reliable. He meets people by appointment on W. 46th Street in Manhattan.

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamonds/sh/67.html

 

[solange]

I bought my ring from Whiteflash and I was very pleased with the service and the price. I am surprised that you did not get the excellent service they are known for.
I dealt with Lesley and she could not have been more helpful. The stone I was looking for was hard to find. When she finally located one, it was just what I wanted. Brian, the cutter, is an expert with a wonderful reputation. They sent for my stone and then Brian spoke with me at length about it.
I wanted to see it because it is a large stone and I had never bought from them before. I would highly recommend Justin Krall, an apraiser in New York City. He is listed under resources above. Justin is very patient and knowledgeable. I have used several NYC appraisers and found them to be extremely costly by comparison with those in other areas.
Justin is generous with his time and does not measure every minute. i have recommended him to several people on Pricescope and they have been very pleased.
As to Whiteflash, they are extremely honest and reliable and Brian will give you a lot of time describing the stone. Also, I did not have to pay Whiteflash until my stone had been appraised. They then arranged to have it shipped back to them for setting and I did not pay until the day before they were ready to ship it and sent me a picture for approval. They then sent it to their appraiser to make certain that the stone was in perfect condition and matched the GIA report. I paid for the ring and received it the next day.
I could have paid and taken it from the appraiser if I did not want Whiteflash to set it.
The other vendors mentioned are also very reliable and trustwothy and you might want to contact them as well.

 

[suchard]

I googled GOG and in the hits was an old thread on pricescope about sending stones to the UK It was very useful so thanks again for all the info.

 

[Iceman]

You have Antwerp right across the channel.


But then again , I just bought a dog from a breeder in Holland !

 

[suchard]

True, but when I tried to search for prices, they seemed high. Can you recommend a vendor?

 

[pqcollectibles]

I have also bought from White Flash and had a great experience. It is odd.

In Antwerp, you could try Paul Slegers. He posts on PScope as Paul-Antwerp. You can do a search for Paul Antwerp, find a post, click on his avatar, and PM/email him from PScope. He''s a diamond cutter.

www.venusbyinfinity.com is Paul''s brand.