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Brad0885

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Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I just purchased my engagement ring and have spoken with a couple of my friends that recently got engaged. One of them bought from Jared''s Galleria and another from a mall jewelry store. As soon as I tell them I bought it online they say oh you must have gotten ripped off or it''s fake. I have done my research and I know I got a good deal from Brian Gavin Diamonds. It just bugs me that they have this perception. Anyone else have this experience?
 

yssie

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I just say "it's from a store in ___, they have a great website"
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If someone's looking or seriously asking for more information I'll elaborate from there. Most local places do have websites anyway, so that somehow makes it a less foreign concept..
 

SpareMyWallet

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I can''t wait to hear about your friends'' reactions once they see the BGD ring
 

swingirl

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You got a fabulous stone and setting from BGD and if your friends are lucky they'll get to see what a diamond is supposed to look like! But I'd call the vendors on PS jewelers that just happen to be in a different state and therefore, we communicate through phone, email and their web presence. They are much more that just "online" and have offices, meet clients in person and many have a regular store front. Next time someone asks tell them, "a diamond cutter in Houston who hand picks the stones".
 

Bella_mezzo

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if people are dumb enough to buy the maul store hype, then just wait until you knock em dead with your sparkly gorgeous BGD ring.

If you want, I agree it''s perfectly fine to say a high-end jeweler in Houston who does amazing custom settings
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You can see his work on the website...
 

motownmama

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I agree, just say a designer in Texas - they''re goofy if they don''t know about buying diamonds from the internet - this is not new!!!
 

IceExplorer

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Date: 2/11/2010 12:45:53 AM
Author:Brad0885
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I just purchased my engagement ring and have spoken with a couple of my friends that recently got engaged. One of them bought from Jared's Galleria and another from a mall jewelry store. As soon as I tell them I bought it online they say oh you must have gotten ripped off or it's fake. I have done my research and I know I got a good deal from Brian Gavin Diamonds. It just bugs me that they have this perception. Anyone else have this experience?

I've only told 1 person so far.

The first thing out of their mouth was: Really? What did it appraise at.
As soon as I heard that, I became reluctant to share any further information.

In reality, the 3rd party appraiser gave me an appraisal that was 800.00 more than I paid. Sounds fair to me.
I went to a B&M who happened to have a very similar stone but was significantly smaller. They wanted 18,000.00 for the stone but would be willing to throw in a setting. I paid less than 1/2 that price for the stone.
I don't care about their perception when I consider I can buy a diamond, ring and a honeymoon for what they spend on smaller diamonds of lessor quality.

I've resolved myself to start telling people the name of the vendor I bought it from.

Brian Gavin Diamonds!
Thanks Lesley
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pesce

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Well, I guess you can smile all the way to the bank with that scenario! Well done!

I''ll bet the ring is spectacular...
 

MichelleCarmen

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Rarely has family or friends asked me where I''ve purchased my jewelry so I''ve never had any problems. Most just look.

On many occasions, when I''ve taken my diamonds to be cleaned at various jewelry stores, the sales people have insulted my stuff. One sales person was all ga-ga over my earrings until I told her I bought them online, then she proceeded to explain to me why their diamonds were better because they could show me the asset demonstrating the superior (in her opinion) light return. Then she put a diamond under it and showed me. She said that the photos online were not comparable to what I she showed me in the store so theirs were better. Jareds was by far the worst.
 

Brad0885

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Thanks for all the replies. I like the suggestion to tell them it is from "a diamond cutter in Houston who hand picks the stones". The one friend that bought from Jared''s said I should have bought from there and would have gotten a much better deal. Just for comparison I looked at their Peerless stone and it was more for the diamond alone than I paid for the diamond and platinum setting!
 

MichelleCarmen

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Date: 2/11/2010 12:49:06 PM
Author: Brad0885
Thanks for all the replies. I like the suggestion to tell them it is from ''a diamond cutter in Houston who hand picks the stones''. The one friend that bought from Jared''s said I should have bought from there and would have gotten a much better deal. Just for comparison I looked at their Peerless stone and it was more for the diamond alone than I paid for the diamond and platinum setting!
That''s what I have planned to say if anyone ever asks me about where I got my stones. From a diamond cutter. What negative reply can a person say about that?
 

Dreamer_D

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I tell people I know in person that I got it online, and because I am wearing the dang thing they can tell it is a stunner
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If I don''t know then or it is a jeweler, I just say "A place in Texas". Yup, BGD as well. Brad Once you get it and they see it, they will eat their words. If they don''t, they are fools anyways
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MC I think it is funny they insult your stuff MC
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What fools. They should compliment it and your taste. Who is going to buy from someone who insults their current jewels??
 

kenny

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I wish I could see the look on their faces when they compare your Brian Gavin diamond to what they got at the maul.
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Believe me, one look will shut them up . . . till they are ready for an upgrade, that is.
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Todd Gray

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Clients frequently share stories like this with us, I''m sure that Brian and Lesley have a few stories of their own to tell along these lines... I often get the same type of reaction when I tell people that I sell diamonds online, they look at me like I''m some sort of space alien and then say "People DO that?!?!"

The real kicker is that most of these people then tell me that they buy their diamonds at "Jewelry Store X" because "he goes to Antwerp and picks them out" (twice a year) to which I know respond "Huh, I wonder why he does that... It costs a fortune to fly to Antwerp and bum around the diamond district for two weeks, I just have the diamond cutters ship parcels to me via Fed Ex about twice a week - it''s a lot more affordable and then I can evaluate each diamond in the comfort of my own gem lab, but hey, if you LIKE paying for ''his'' vacation to Antwerp, I get it."

This is the response I get from that: BLINK BLINK BLINK, that #!@!!
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Cracks me up every time.

Congratulations on your engagement! Your friends are going to pass out when they see the diamond and realize how much $$$ you saved buying it online.
 

MichelleCarmen

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Date: 2/11/2010 1:58:53 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie


MC I think it is funny they insult your stuff MC
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What fools. They should compliment it and your taste. Who is going to buy from someone who insults their current jewels??
DD - It''s reached such a point that I make sure to tell the sales associates that I bought online just to see what they say! hahaha (I''m entertained by the silliest of stuff!)
 

denverappraiser

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Try not telling them you bought it online. You didn't. You searched the world for the very best possible stone for your money and finally located it at a specialty store in Texas (or Oregon, Idaho, New York or wherever you ended up). You didn’t buy it ‘online’ any more than a local shopper bought it from the telephone because they spoke to the jeweler that way or they bought it from American Express because that’s who they actually paid the money to.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 

tyty333

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Date: 2/11/2010 12:45:53 AM
Author:Brad0885
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I just purchased my engagement ring and have spoken with a couple of my friends that recently got engaged. One of them bought from Jared''s Galleria and another from a mall jewelry store. As soon as I tell them I bought it online they say oh you must have gotten ripped off or it''s fake. I have done my research and I know I got a good deal from Brian Gavin Diamonds. It just bugs me that they have this perception. Anyone else have this experience?

I would say "acutally you''re the one who probably got rip-off...you just dont know it".

Not very nice I know but if someone told me my ring was fake I''m not sure I could hold back.
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IceExplorer

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Date: 2/11/2010 2:20:56 PM
Author: Todd Gray


paying for ''his'' vacation to Antwerp, I get it.''

That is awesome!

I have a friend who knows the local diamanteur (not sure of the spelling). He sells to many of the local jewellery stores. When I went to see him months ago, he showed me several examples. He told me he was going to Antwerp in a few weeks to do some buying. He suggested he could get me whatever I wanted. I didn''t realize that my diamond would have probably paid for his trip!
 

Todd Gray

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te:[/b] 2/11/2010 2:44:13 PM
Author: IceExplorer
Date: 2/11/2010 2:20:56 PM

Author: Todd Gray
paying for 'his' vacation to Antwerp, I get it.'

That is awesome!

I have a friend who knows the local diamanteur (not sure of the spelling). He sells to many of the local jewellery stores. When I went to see him months ago, he showed me several examples. He told me he was going to Antwerp in a few weeks to do some buying. He suggested he could get me whatever I wanted. I didn't realize that my diamond would have probably paid for his trip!
[/quote]

Yea, this particular jeweler is part of a 'buying group' who travels to Antwerp twice a year, he starts advertising his trips three months in advance and 'takes orders' from people (pre-paid) so that he can personally select a diamond on their behalf... Well first off, the organization which organizes the buying trip is charging a fee and the trip ends of costing like $5K and then the prices are higher on the diamonds because the organizers of the trip are getting a commission - I looked in to it once and I was like "you're crazy!" but to each his own I guess.

It's pretty simple to do the math, let's see... $5K and two weeks out of the store, or maybe $100 bucks in freight, uh, duh. I actually tried to run a radio advertisement along the lines of "why pay for your jewelers trip to Antwerp?" and the local radio station laughed, but refused to run it.







[/quote]
 

IceExplorer

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Date: 2/11/2010 4:26:13 PM
Author: Todd Gray
Date: 2/11/2010 2:44:13 PM

Author: IceExplorer

Date: 2/11/2010 2:20:56 PM


Author: Todd Gray

paying for ''his'' vacation to Antwerp, I get it.''


That is awesome!


I have a friend who knows the local diamanteur (not sure of the spelling). He sells to many of the local jewellery stores. When I went to see him months ago, he showed me several examples. He told me he was going to Antwerp in a few weeks to do some buying. He suggested he could get me whatever I wanted. I didn''t realize that my diamond would have probably paid for his trip!



Yea, this particular jeweler is part of a ''buying group'' who travels to Antwerp twice a year, he starts advertising his trips three months in advance and ''takes orders'' from people (pre-paid) so that he can personally select a diamond on their behalf... Well first off, the organization which organizes the buying trip is charging a fee and the trip ends of costing like $5K and then the prices are higher on the diamonds because the organizers of the trip are getting a commission - I looked in to it once and I was like ''you''re crazy!'' but to each his own I guess.


It''s pretty simple to do the math, let''s see... $5K and two weeks out of the store, or maybe $100 bucks in freight, uh, duh. I actually tried to run a radio advertisement along the lines of ''why pay for your jewelers trip to Antwerp?'' and the local radio station laughed, but refused to run it.

[/quote]


My reluctance to deal with this ''wholesaler'' came right after he suggested I provide him with 50% of my budget and he would personally shop a diamond that was guaranteed to exceed my expectations.

PS: that would have been a GREAT radio campaign. Perhaps slightly controversial for the radio station looking to sell adds to jewellery stores. Regardless, still a valuable insight to the average jewellery shopper.
 

tonyc2387

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Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
227
+1 on buying it from "a diamond cutter in houston" ... you''ll never win against the folks whose diamond must be better because they paid more money for it. and you''ll definitely never win against a maul employee... it''ll just have to come down to an amusing pastime (it''s good stuff, MC
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)

i guess i''m in a unique position where everyone who knows me will think "you know, you would, wouldn''t you" when i tell them i bought it online. but, come to think of it, i might say a high-end retailer in Texas from now on...
 
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