Concerned about shopping in NY's Diamond District

[confusedaisy]

Back story: my mom and aunts are all from New York, have shopped in the diamond district on dozens of occasions, have their "go-to's, know not to go into the places where the people are begging you to come in, know to always get an independent appraisal, etc.
Did I paint the picture? This isn't their first time around the block (literally and figuratively).

Now, next weekend, my mom will be in town and she wants all of us (herself, my aunts, my bf, and I) to go down to the DD to "have a look" at what they have, and possibly pick a place or vendor where we can get the ring. They haven't been there in a while and, even though I trust them, I'm still a bit leery. Having been on PS for a few months now, I know how "taken" you can get in the DD so I need a bit of help: anyone know of any great vendors, places not to go, ways they try to trick you, etc.? I'm confident in some of my PS skills but want to be ultra prepared. I don't want to get taken either...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[StoopidMonkey]

I would suggest to avoid the Diamond District altogether and head straight to Good Old Gold in Long Island. I've done business with them in the past and you're so much better off going there and seeing some real quality gems without worrying about getting ripped off by a bunch of slick and/or high pressure DD salesmen who want to cut you a "special deal" on what could be a piece of crap.

 

[denverappraiser]

It's not the address that makes good dealers good. Merely being in the DD tells you nothing at all and although there are some fine outfits there, they've definitely got some sharks as well. Choose your dealer based on the character of the people behind the counter rather than the address and you will go a long way towards making this a painless experience. If it turns out that who you choose is in NYC, so be it, but it's a serious misconception that they somehow have a competitive advantage by being physically near lots of competitors. FedEx and the Internet have leveled the playing field in a BIG way. Shopping with a store where your friends and family have had good experiences in the past is an excellent way to start.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree with the Monkey (who is not Stoopid!) because I think the diamond district would be a risky proposition depending on who you go to. Will they give you a 30 day return policy? Will they give you a 100% trade-in policy? Will they have a selection of ideal cut stones? Will the prices be as good as some of these vendors? The only exceptions I would make would be if I wanted a cushion I might consider having Mark at Engagement Rings Direct and Perry from Leon Mege call in some stones and make an appointment with them to go see what they could find (and then I'd still have to see if GOG had any AVC's to compare). But as far as randomly walking in those places, no thanks! Just because family members have bought there before means little as well, unless they were specifically looking for ideal cut stones and were well prepared on pricing.

People for some reason think they are going to diamond "wholesalers" to get a better deal. But I honestly have only seen problems with those scenarios.

 

[confusedaisy]

It's not the address that makes good dealers good. Merely being in the DD tells you nothing at all and although there are some fine outfits there, they've definitely got some sharks as well. Choose your dealer based on the character of the people behind the counter rather than the address and you will go a long way towards making this a painless experience. If it turns out that who you choose is in NYC, so be it, but it's a serious misconception that they somehow have a competitive advantage by being physically near lots of competitors. FedEx and the Internet have leveled the playing field in a BIG way. Shopping with a store where your friends and family have had good experiences in the past is an excellent way to start.

I agree- I don't think (nor does my mom or family) that because they are housed in the DD that we are getting a steal or that they are all reputable becuase of their street address. We are mainly going to get a feel for "what's out there". My searches have made me gravitate to many of the vendors who are promoted/discussed here on PS (James Allen, Whiteflash, GOG, Brian Gavin), but figured I would take the opportunity while my mom is visiting me to experience going to the Diamond District to shop for the ring. I hope I don't sound too defensive- I was actually raised by my family to know that you can sometimes get a deal in the diamond district and a lot of times get ripped off. I was more so hoping that PS'ers who have had good (or terrible) experiences could steer me in a good direction. I'd prefer not to waste my day walking around aimlessly. I'm hoping to make appointments if possible. Any suggestions? (I know James Allen has a location but they are only open Tues-Thurs so we'll need to make a separate appointment as we'll be going on a Saturday.)

Also, Denver- thanks for your words about choosing the dealer based on character- it is certainly one of my top priorities.

 

[Martyf250]

Dont do it. Take it from someone who was had. I went on a recommendation to see a family friends jeweler and these people are scum bags. Before I took the 4 hour drive i asked him if he had IA cert diamonds. He said yes which tuned out to be wrong. EGL USA is what he had. He put all the diamonds on a white piece of paper to make them look colorless. Stupid me bought a diamond and wish i hadn't because i get home and it is yellow as a bastard. I wish i knew about this site beforehand.

 

[motherof3inct]

I would rather spend the time going to GOG instead of the Diamond District.....but if you do end up going BE STRONG! Make sure you do not buy anything! Don't get caught up in the moment with your family. Make sure you do not buy anything! Just think of it as window shopping. Get an idea on what shape stone and settings you like. With all you have learned about diamonds on PS, you may hear contradictory info. I went to a jeweler who told me that GIA and EGL are basically the same thing. Good luck and don't get taken in!

 

[kenny]

Look and learn but take everything you are told with a grain of salt.

DON'T BUY!

 

[Circe]

Dont do it. Take it from someone who was had. I went on a recommendation to see a family friends jeweler and these people are scum bags. Before I took the 4 hour drive i asked him if he had IA cert diamonds. He said yes which tuned out to be wrong. EGL USA is what he had. He put all the diamonds on a white piece of paper to make them look colorless. Stupid me bought a diamond and wish i hadn't because i get home and it is yellow as a bastard. I wish i knew about this site beforehand.

Wow, strong words and a hell of a generalization ....

I love the diamond district. There's a definite element of caveat emptor, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun and or/rewarding: there are few places in the world where you're going to see such a variety of stones, settings, and designs. If you find something you do want to buy? Make sure there's a decent return policy (in writing, obvs) and have an appraiser lined up. You say you've been the 47th before, so I don't see you being hasty; that said, why not enjoy the excursion?

I.D. Jewelry is on 47th, south side of the street, closer to 5th, and they have a nice selection of stones and great service: James Allen is a few streets over (not sure if they do walk-ins, though - call and ask!) and i believe Diamonds by Lauren is by-appointment on one of the upper levels. If you like antiques, I'd recommend Stephen Herdemian, and I wouldn't be able to resist M. Khordipour. Have fun, and tell us what the experience was like!

 

[confusedaisy]

Dont do it. Take it from someone who was had. I went on a recommendation to see a family friends jeweler and these people are scum bags. Before I took the 4 hour drive i asked him if he had IA cert diamonds. He said yes which tuned out to be wrong. EGL USA is what he had. He put all the diamonds on a white piece of paper to make them look colorless. Stupid me bought a diamond and wish i hadn't because i get home and it is yellow as a bastard. I wish i knew about this site beforehand.

Wow, strong words and a hell of a generalization ....

I love the diamond district. There's a definite element of caveat emptor, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun and or/rewarding: there are few places in the world where you're going to see such a variety of stones, settings, and designs. If you find something you do want to buy? Make sure there's a decent return policy (in writing, obvs) and have an appraiser lined up. You say you've been the 47th before, so I don't see you being hasty; that said, why not enjoy the excursion?

I.D. Jewelry is on 47th, south side of the street, closer to 5th, and they have a nice selection of stones and great service: James Allen is a few streets over (not sure if they do walk-ins, though - call and ask!) and i believe Diamonds by Lauren is by-appointment on one of the upper levels. If you like antiques, I'd recommend Stephen Herdemian, and I wouldn't be able to resist M. Khordipour. Have fun, and tell us what the experience was like!

Thank god you responded Circe- I was starting to regret posting.

Come on guys- I've been on this board for a few months and I like to think I have some savvy- I'm not going to buy the first sparkly thing I see with a low price tag. I wouldn't be on this site if I was going to! But I do appreciate (so much) all the concern.

What I am finding is that a lot of the PS vendors who are on the DD are closed on Saturdays so I may have to just enjoy the experience and have fun walking around window shopping with my family. Thanks for all of the words of concern and I'll come back with a full report of the nitty gritty.

 

[StoopidMonkey]

I also do not mean to be entirely broad brushed about the whole area since I'm sure there are reputable vendors in that area, along with a load of more generic stores. I also understand the wish to shop with family and not have to travel far. To me, it would not be a wasted trip if you focused on setting shopping. I would go nuts looking at stones and having to hear the same "4C's" speech over and over and over again. I would also hate to go in, knowing what I know, and having some shoddy salesman contradict what I know to be fact in front of my diamond-uneducated family and have them naturally take his side because how would -I- presume to know more than an actual jeweler? I'm not implying your experience or family will be like that, but that's why the notion sounds so unappealing to me when it comes to diamond shopping. Ring shopping, on the other hand, is where you'd actually get to benefit from going store to store. But man, if they're serious about shopping a trip to GOG would be a real treat. Hope that helps.

 

[kelpie]

Saturday is sabbath and sue me for generalizing but many dealers are Jewish. If you can go on Friday or possibly Sunday you will likely find more places open.

 

[Circe]

Saturday is sabbath and sue me for generalizing but many dealers are Jewish. If you can go on Friday or possibly Sunday you will likely find more places open.

It's not a generalization but a fact: the district has a long history of Judaism, and even these days, with a blend of nationalities, most shops close up out of sheer practicality (no point to being open, after all, if your colleagues aren't there to call in memos from or refer potential customers to or, for that matter, attract the customers in the first place, as it is common knowledge). Sundays aren't great either, frankly ... any chance of extending your stay to Monday?

CD, my pleasure! I love the democracy that internet shopping allows, but I really think B&M vendors can get a bad rap on the board sometimes. The idea that all jewelers are cheats, con-men, etc., really rubs me the wrong way - both because I grew up in the industry, and because I think it's really limiting! Our online vendors are fabulous, but there's a great big world of gorgeous jewelry out there: why cut ourselves off from it, right?

 

[kenny]

Some online diamond vendors also do not conduct business on Shabbat.

Keep this in mind when expecting answers to email.

 

[confusedaisy]

Circe - I actually live in NY, but my mom will be in town and wants to go down to the DD to window shop. I'm actually planning on going back to the DD on a weekday to make time to meet with the people at James Allen and a few other vendors. After my research today, it seems like we'll just be visiting some of the vendors my mom/family have used in the past and get a feel for what they have and what they can do. I was hoping to avoid any well known "no-no's" but I'm probably just over thinking it.

StoopidMonkey- I'm actually going to get a feel for the settings too since I want a simple setting and find that some of the ones I am interested in online are a bit pricey for what I feel they are. Also, I'm hoping to stop their 4 C's speech the same way I stopped the vendor in NC who tried to tell me that EGL graded stones are never off by any grades (then I had to go home and educate my mom on the subject).

So it may be a waste of time but I think it'll be nice to share this experience with my mom and bf (we haven't looked at rings together yet so

 

[Sheherizaad]

Hi there,

Since you live in NYC may I suggest you go to Bianca's Jewelry and meet Allen my jeweler? I've been been going to him for years and his jewelry speaks for itself. He's on Lexington between 54th and 55th on the same side as Kinkos. I got my diamond appraised before my fiance bought it and the independent appraiser stated I got an EXCELLENT deal. Lastly, you will get absolutely no pressure to buy and he is a gemologist (graduated from NYU).

Good luck!!

Sylvia

 

[Martyf250]

Dont do it. Take it from someone who was had. I went on a recommendation to see a family friends jeweler and these people are scum bags. Before I took the 4 hour drive i asked him if he had IA cert diamonds. He said yes which tuned out to be wrong. EGL USA is what he had. He put all the diamonds on a white piece of paper to make them look colorless. Stupid me bought a diamond and wish i hadn't because i get home and it is yellow as a bastard. I wish i knew about this site beforehand.

Wow, strong words and a hell of a generalization ....

I love the diamond district. There's a definite element of caveat emptor, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun and or/rewarding: there are few places in the world where you're going to see such a variety of stones, settings, and designs. If you find something you do want to buy? Make sure there's a decent return policy (in writing, obvs) and have an appraiser lined up. You say you've been the 47th before, so I don't see you being hasty; that said, why not enjoy the excursion?

I.D. Jewelry is on 47th, south side of the street, closer to 5th, and they have a nice selection of stones and great service: James Allen is a few streets over (not sure if they do walk-ins, though - call and ask!) and i believe Diamonds by Lauren is by-appointment on one of the upper levels. If you like antiques, I'd recommend Stephen Herdemian, and I wouldn't be able to resist M. Khordipour. Have fun, and tell us what the experience was like!

Let me clarfiy.... "these people"....In no way was I referring to Jewish people. The guy I bought my stone from was not Jewish. I guess what I should have said were "these jewelers". Basically, I wish i had found this site as after the fact i found it to be an extremely useful tool to search. If I could do it all over again I would have come here first for advise and suggestions.

 

[dismom3]

Hello. This is the first time I'm posting on Pricescope. I just had to reply to this because I wanted to highly recommend S.E.A. Wave Diamonds on 47th St. I had a custom 2 1/2 carat eternity band made with them, and it's exquisite. I know they are open Saturdays. I worked with Mike, but his brother, Alex, gets rave reviews as a designer also. All of their stones were VS quality and the color of my band is F. The sparkle is so amazing. It took 4 weeks to complete. They sent it to me via fedex (no taxes) and I got it independently appraised. The appraiser was very impressed with workmanship and the quality of the stones. Anyway, I wish I was rich so I could keep buying things from Mike. I wish I found him sooner. I can't say enough S.E.A. Wave. Good luck.

 

[purplesilk]

The Diamond District is a great place for ...windowshopping...I went there last week for half an hour and I was terrified by salespeople...they insisted and insisted on me going in their shops...not a pleasant experience because of the high pressure, but I've seen the most beautiful jewels in the world...worth the visit, but do not buy on impulse!

 

[aquanaut]

I have worked with both Mark at Engagement Rings Direct and Yekutiel from ID Jewelry and would highly recoment both of them who are located in the diamond district.

I will actually be writing up some reviews of my experience with these vendors in the coming weeks.

To see Mark you need to make an appointment as he in on the upper floor but ID Jewelry has a street facing booth.

I think the most important thing about shopping on 47th st is being knowlegeable and understanding exactly what you want. I went in with the attitude of "trust no one" but ended up becoming very fond of both ERD and ID Jewelry.

 

[confusedaisy]

Actually - UPDATE!!- My mom actually needed to push back her trip a week so with the extra time I've decided to take a day off and go on Thursday so I can set up meetings with vendors. Here's my list so far (if they have open availabilities):

YES (if they can fit me in):
-James Allen
-ERD

Maybe? (would love poeple to chime in):
-ID Jewelry (Seem ever so slightly pricier)
-Firenze Jewelers (Seem somewhat pricier)
- Excel Diamonds (no reports to view?)

No:
Union Diamonds- no excellent cut diamonds?? And barely any GIA or AGS graded diamonds?

Any others that I'm missing? We're also going to 2 people who my aunt has worked with in the past who I don't need to make appointments with.

Thanks for all the help folks- keep it coming!

 

[stone-cold11]

Infinity dealer?

http://www.diamondone.com/

No GoodOldGold?

Union Diamond is in Atlanta right?

 

[confusedaisy]

Hmm- Infinity, never heard of them but I'll take a look.

GOG is in Long Island and while I'll probably go to take a look at what they have eventually, I won't make it on this trip. It doesn't seem feasible, time wise.

I thought union was in NY but, either way, I don't think I'll be going.

 

[stone-cold11]

CraftedbyInfinity.

Wink, HighPerformanceDiamond, and Todd, NiceIce, are 2 dealers here that sell their stones.

Paul is the owner and John Pollard is an employee of CraftedByInfinity.

 

[PhilJohnson]

My family has a been going to the diamond district for generations and shopped with Golda Jewelry. They have a website now luxsly.com where we also shop.
I think the competitiveness of the street ensures that you get a good price. And if you just by something with certificates then I think you should be fine when it comes to quality, authenticity etc.

 

[doberman]

As long as you know not to even look at diamonds without a GIA/AGS report, you should be fine. I know that Diamonds by Lauren is in NYC, so I'd go there first. I'm pretty sure there are other PS approved dealers there. IDJewelry (I think) may be one. Also Kwiat Jewelery is there. My SIL has bought a lot of high end diamonds there, and I got my first engagement ring there.

 

[jamtengee]

I'm not sure if these guys are located in the diamond district but I had good experiences (remotely from TX) with David S. Diamonds; they have a website if you'd like to get a better sense for who they are. They like to have an initial diamond education session with new prospective customers, which I found helpful because it served as confirmation that my standards (and expectations for needing to see various data points on the diamond) weren't going to be unreasonable.

I really appreciated the level of detail they provided- each diamond option came with the GIA cert, Gemex report, HCA score, as well as magnified ASET scope, Ideal scope, H&A scope, and actual diamond images. From what I understand, few brick and mortar shops provide that much info for each stone.

 

[Snowdrop13]

This thread is from 2011, folks.....