Need help/advice first time buyer

[Ianmac]

Date: 3/7/2006 7:13:20 AM
Author: coda72
You better put this diamond on hold before someone else grabs it!

I do have it on hold. Mark Turnowski just found me a stone as well:
1.01 Carat Princess Cut
GIA cert
5.46 x 5.33 x 3.98
H color
SI1
VG Polish
VG symmetry
NO flourescence
73.4% Depth
69% Table
for $3550.00

He is going to throw in the platinum setting with side baguettes and still keep me right near my budget!

Any advice..?

Im leaning towards the Mark stone, because I trust him, and because when we go cosmic bowling the stone wont light up blue!
Matt

 

[madmarlin]

Matt,

Can''t tell you much about princess stones, but I can assure you that you will be happy with Mark T. He does great work and has a great eye for quality stones. Sounds like he found you a great stone. You reach that magical "1 carat" level and get your setting in platinum to boot. Not too shabby.

Enjoy it!

 

[coda72]

Sounds like either stone is a winner. If you want to have a 1 carat diamond, the one from Mark sounds good, and the numbers look good. By the way, I like medium blue fluorescence, and it can make a diamond look whiter. I think it''s cool that they glow under blacklights! I have a G stone with medium blue, and I can''t wait to go to a nightclub where it will glow.

 

[solange]

Congratulations. It looks like you found two good choices. I know you were getting very frustrated when stone after stone was negated by people who were very sincere and wanted you to get the best for your money.
But your patience paid off. You learned a lot and have eliminated a lot of losers, paticularly the Ebay one. Both sound nice but the 1.01 carat with setting you wanted and within your budget sounds like a very nice deal from a reputable vendor. Good luck.

 

[Ianmac]

Date: 3/9/2006 4:48:00 PM
Author: solange
Congratulations. It looks like you found two good choices. I know you were getting very frustrated when stone after stone was negated by people who were very sincere and wnated you to get the best for your money.
But your patience paid off. You learned a lot and have eliminated a lot of losers, paticularly the Ebay one. Both sound nice but the 1.01 carat with setting you wanted and within your budget sounds like a very nice deal from a reputable vendor. Good luck.

Thanks to all of you.
I cant believe how glad I am I didnt get that Ebay stone.
It was relisted for the same price and once again didnt sell.

I feel like I will be really happy with this one.
Send the Wire transfer today, should have it by Wednesday at the latest... Ill keep you all posted!
Thanks again
Matt

 

[solange]

Did you order the 1.01 carat from Mark T. or the other one? I am sure your fiance will be thrilled with either. And you should print out this whole post to show her how much she means to you and the effort you went to in order to get her the perfect stone.
It should be fun to share your experience here with her.

 

[Ianmac]

Oh I plan on it... I think I have 4 posts going now.
Its soo hard to not share everything with the one you love... almost like keeping a
secret, there have been so many times I just wanted to go... HEY COME HERE AND
CHECK THIS OUT! Anyways, its gonna be great fun.

Not sure Im gonna print out the original ebay one!

Anyways sent the wire transfer yesterday, he should get it today.
One thing I am worried about is I have absolutly nothing in writing saying what I
am getting!!! I guess everyone here has high trust for Mark, so thats why I did
send the money with nothin, but it does worry me quite a bit. I asked him for
an invoice or a bill, and havent received on yet. I got one email saying "ill take care of it"
and another saying "I thought I would send it to you later"

WHen should I start panic mode???

Matt

 

[coda72]

I wouldn''t start panic mode yet! I haven''t bought from Mark myself, but there''s quite a few people on here that have, and no one''s had a problem yet. Did he tell you how long it would take for you to receive your ring?

 

[Ianmac]

Well he said Wednesday
Cause it would take him a few days to make and then ship.

I know most jewlers dont work today, does anyone know if he is one of them?
I called and no answer, and nothing across the email either.

 

[mrssalvo]

I wouldn''t think Mark would be closed today

but he''s probably not open yet. I''d wait to 10:30 eastern time and call again. I''d definitely want to touch base with him before the weekend. I don''t think you have anything to worry about though

 

[Ianmac]

Oh. I was told that Friday is the Jewish Sabbath, and that many people in the diamond industry do
not work on Fridays. Thats what I was going by.

Mark is a hard worker, he is usually at work at 7am and sometimes doesnt leave til 8-9pm!
Im sure I am alright, its just a real hard concept for me to grasp, wiring a bunch of money
to someone for something you have never seen!

Thanks for the support!

Matt

 

[madmarlin]

Matt,

Try not to worry too much. When I last bought the bracelet for my wife, I had nothing from him prior to wiring the money. He sent the paperwork and such with the bracelet after I paid. It is a scary proposition to wire that amount of money for anything, but he is a businessman who has been around for many years and has many satisfied customers on here and elsewhere. You do have the emails you have sent and the threads here, but, again, don''t panic. I''ve been there and you really don''t have anything to worry about. Just get ready to smile when you open the package.

 

[Ianmac]

He did just call me.
Wanted to know what I wanted written down..
I gave him my email and what not, so I should be getting it soon.

Thanks for the assurance, just wanted to make sure someone
else had been thru the same situation. I didnt know what was normal
to have before the wire transfer.

The grill is ready for a grin

 

[klavigne]

Im so glad everything worked out for you in the end. I know it was a little rough in the beginning, but you will be greatly rewarded once you have your ring. Trust me, that ebay ring would have been a nightmare as I''m sure you know by now. Good luck with the proposal too, I''m sure she''s going to love the ring!!

 

[Ianmac]

Its amazing the amount that everyone on here seems to care about my purchase
Almost like they are buying for themselves.

Thanks again, you dont know how grateful I am that I didnt get stuck with that Ebay mess!
Very stupid on my part.

I will recommend everyone I know to come here for advice.

Matt

 

[solange]

Did the ring arrive yet? I hope you will post pictures.

 

[Ianmac]

Date: 3/10/2006 11:55:42 PM
Author: solange
Did the ring arrive yet? I hope you will post pictures.

According to Mark T I will receive the ring on Wednesday.
I plan the proposal for Friday or Saturday, not sure which yet.

So If I get some "free time" on Thursday I will post pictures
otherwise you will get to see it after!

I cant believe how excited I am about it!
We were just playing this card game that is supposed to
help you learn more about each other.

There was a card that asked "Name something you will regret if you never do it"
I said I wouldnt answer it... She has been stressin about it all week. Every day she
asks me what it is...

Well, Im gonna pull that card out on Friday, and say "remember when you asked me this?"
and then drop do my knee...

Either that or drop to my knee and have the card in the ring box.

 

[Ianmac]

Can anyone check out the inclusion drawings and give me greater detail of whats up?
Looks like that one corner is a mess, Is that anything to worry about?
Matt

 

[solange]

I don''t really know enough about this but my SI 2 looks like it has a lot of bad areas on the GIA plot but they are not visible without a loupe. Did MarkT. tell you it was eye clean? As to the corner, this is a magnified picture. Also it is in a corner of a Princess cut and you will want the corners protected. It looks like even if it is slightly visible, it could be covered by a prong.
I hope the ring turned out great. Good luck.

 

[solange]

I hope you got the ring by now and that it turned out well. I wish one of the experts would comment on your question. You had so much input before.

 

[solange]

Matt,
Did the ring arrive? How did it turn out? you put in so much time and effort and you realy deserve a lot of credit.

 

[Ianmac]

No, I am expecting the Ring on Wednesday.
Mark is supposed to call me tomorrow with the tracking number!

Thanks for keeping my post on page 1

Anyways, havent heard much about the inclusions, but thats alright everyone here has been more than helpful!
I will post pictures later this week.

One more question, does anyone have any recommendations for insurance, or where I even begin?

I set up an appointment with the appraiser tha was recommended for Michigan for next Monday.
perhaps they will be able to refer me to an insurance company? Or do I just add it to my homeowners?

 

[solange]

A number of people have had excellent experiences with Chubb. They just give you the cash if there is a loss. There are a number of references to Chubb and Chubb agents on here.

 

[Ianmac]

Seems like a lot of rough times trying to get chubb insurance!
Anyone know a good agent in Michigan?

Looks like Im gonna spend my lunch break looking for Chubb insurance.
Matt

 

[solange]

Look under Chubb insurance on here. There are several recommendations and I think some will do out of state.
I tried but i live in Manhattan and Chubb was twice as expensive as Liberty Mutual. They have our home owners policy and, although they do not cash out immediately, the agent said that if you provide enough information, they will probably cash you out if the stone is difficult to replace.

 

[Ianmac]

Date: 3/13/2006 11:09:53 AM
Author: solange
Look under Chubb insurance on here. There are several recommendations and I think some will do out of state.
I tried but i live in Manhattan and Chubb was twice as expensive as Liberty Mutual. They have our home owners policy and, although they do not cash out immediately, the agent said that if you provide enough information, they will probably cash you out if the stone is difficult to replace.

Wont work, cant find any agents in the area that will quote Chubb as a standalone policy
Many say Chubbs rates have gotten out of control.
Called my homeowners, and they wont do anything because they say
I am giving the ring away, and they wont insure it because my g/f doesnt live with me.

I guess we will just send the appraisal to her homeowners next Monday.

 

[Ianmac]

Nevermind, found this information from a previous thread:
He quoted me $100.00 a year for 6500.00 worth of insurance.
He is supposed to call me back to get more details, but I guess Michigan is cheap!
Im guessing thats what the ring will appraise for, but I dont know, like I said that is scheduled for Monday the 20th.


http://www.totaldollar.com
PERSONAL INSURANCE DEPARTMENT
William Castro
Account Executive
Phone: 212-689-4477 Ext: 329

Toll Free: 800-962-5659
(I forgot to add the toll free number before - so it''s on the below post and I added it here )

He says they are licensed in EVERY STATE ! So for those wanting Chubb coverage, and couldn''t find someone, this fellow should help.
Rockdoc

 

[solange]

Chubb really charges for the cash out feature. If I recall, we are paying $225 for $37,000 worth of insurance on my homeowners. When I finally found a Chubb agent who would take a stand alone policy, they wanted more than twice that.

For $100 a year, it does not pay to look any further. However, for those of us who are not just starting out, you might want to check elsewhere because you are paying for that easy cash out. My ring was an upgrade after many years.

 

[Ianmac]

Got the call from Mark T this morning. Very sad, unfortunate story, he lost someone in his family yesterday and will be flying out of town today.
Chances are I wont get my ring tomorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
He said he is still trying but doesnt want to send the ring to me without a personal inspection, which is very professional of him.
I should be posting pictures by the end of the week still for all who are still interested.

 

[Ianmac]

Update:
No word yesterday, so it didnt get sent out.
Mark will be back in town this morning at 11am
Looks like tomorrow will be the receipt
Just in time for the weekend proposal!