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Fay Cullen Experiences

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twirlingbubbles

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
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I have learned so much from Pricescope about everything sparkly!

I found a beautiful art-deco ER on Fay Cullen - and wanted it very badly, but naturally had a few hesitations about making such an important purchase online. I found Pricescope whilst researching the reputation of this company and found here opinions ranging from glowing to downright appalling.

There are a few threads, which a search on Pricescope will reveal - one about an Aussie girl going head-to-head with FC''s famously strict return policy - trying to get a refund for a big black inclusion in the diamond, as well as a few others who felt mistreated or otherwise unsatisfied with their experience. Others were thrilled with their experience.

In the end, I did purchase the ring from FC, which is currently sparkling on my finger, and we are very, very happy with it. I believe the purchase was successful largely because I was fully informed (thanks to Pricescope) and aware of the particulars of dealing with this particular vendor.

Because of what I had learned and read from PS forums, I examined all the info and photos very closely. To FC''s credit, detail and photos on each listing are quite thorough. I asked a lot of questions. I noticed a shadow in the greatly magnified photo of the diamond, and telephoned to ask them about it - was it a trick of the light, or was it the flaw that earned it the SI1 rating? Veronique took the ring from the safe and examined the actual ring and stone, and confirmed that yes, the mark I was seeing in the photo was indeed a carbon dot. I asked if it was "eye clean" (notice expert use of lingo here, picked up from PS), and she said it was, that the flaw unnoticeable except under the 10x loupe. I carefully documented each conversation by email to ensure against future dispute, and felt confident enough to make the purchase.

The centre stone is a C1 champagne yellow diamond, and it''s rare to find them at a very high clarity. The carbon dot (as long as it is not obvious and does not mar the brilliance of the diamond) is acceptable to me as part of a natural, untreated stone of this size.

This was exactly the ring I had hoped for - a light champagne yellow diamond in a dainty, platinum, vintage-style repro setting. FC has some stunning pieces which just aren''t found elsewhere (check out the alternate sites posted and recommended by PS members) -- but if what you really love is at FC, then please read everything about FC here and go into your purchase informed. Caveat Emptor.

As for the "notoriously bad customer service" and comments about general snootiness and disregard for the customer, I would just like to add this comment -- Having lived a significant part of my life in Europe, I found the service at FC to be rather "European". Enjoy the French accent, expect to be looked down upon with a touch of disdain... it''s all part of the charm, and doesn''t always mean that you won''t be looked after properly. We Americans tend to have an expectation of customer service which even I sometimes find rather patronising - just as I am annoyed when overzealous waiters want to whisk my plate away before I even lay down my fork (I digress...)

So, if a more syrupy ER shopping experience is important to you, or if you know yourself to be a little fickle -- then by all means... shopping online is probably not for you anyway... go where you''ll find the best service and flexible policies. I didn''t have any problem with the service - and found the remarks rather funny (I can imagine some of the other PS members being rather horrified) - but I was quite firm with them and focused on making sure the purchase was sound.

And the ring itself exceeded my expectations. My fiance, blissfully unaware of all my research into others'' tales of woe, was extremely pleased and said it was even more beautiful than he expected. Here it is: http://www.faycullen.com/rings/800/f509r5d.html

I am perhaps one of the lucky ones, but I really really really thank Pricescope for helping me get here. Happy sparkling!
 
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