Is this a good diamond for my budget?

[DennyCrane]

None of the 4 diamonds I asked to be reviewed are able to be physically reviewed, but a gemologist did give an opinion based on the videos:

I have received your email in regards to the gemologist inspection. I want to take this time to inform you that we can only have diamonds within our New York region inspected. Unfortunately after reviewing your diamond selection, I see that none of the diamonds within your wishlist are located within New York. Therefore, not eligible for inspection by our gemologist.

I took the liberty to inspect the diamond videos for your diamond, as well as their certificates. In terms of brilliance and fire diamond 743606 and 376288 would be my top 2 choices. Though all 4 diamonds are completely eye clean, in terms of which diamond is closer to the ideal range. Both diamonds 743606 and 376288 would be the best performing diamonds from the set. I hope this information finds you well, if you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to call or chat in.

Best regards,

I'm assuming that should be good enough to go on? Interesting he liked both the SI1 diamonds over the VS diamonds.

 

[DennyCrane]

I made my purchase last night! Thank you for all the help. I ended up going with:

JA Diamond 376288 - $9,416
1.01ct
SI1
F
Excellent Cut
HCA 0.6
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-376288

PLATINUM ROUND RAISED PAVE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING - $1,579 (down from $2,106 with 25% discount)
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/platinum-round-raised-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-item-345

PLATINUM 0.50CT CHANNEL SET PRINCESS SHAPED DIAMOND WEDDING BAND - $1,412 (down from $1,883 with 25% discount)
http://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-rings/womens-diamond/platinum-0.50ct-channel-set-princess-shaped-diamond-wedding-band-item-1939

All in was $12,407 CAD. The Black Friday sale saved me $999 before taxes. I'm estimating about $359 in taxes that I'll have to pay when FedEx arrives. Did I get that right? Is it just my provincial and federal sales taxes in BC that I'll have to pay (12%)? And only on the rings, not on the diamond, right? So when all is said and done, I should be under budget by $2,234.

Now for the problem...no surprise to me, but the credit card company declined the transaction as suspicious. So first thing this morning I called visa. This is how those calls went:
1. Call to Visa – They confirmed James Allen transaction DID go through, and then they froze my card after as a fraud prevention mechanism. I confirmed the transaction was legitimate and they unfroze my card.
2. Call to James Allen – They confirmed transaction did not go through. While on the phone I logged into my credit card and was able to confirm that I see an authorization from ‘GIP-jamesallen *********’ for $12,407. The representative suggested I call the credit card company and ask that they cancel that transaction.
3. Call to Visa – They confirmed the transaction has been processed, and that only the merchant (JA) can authorize the reversal of a transaction (as I expected). Was told that JA needs to call visa to figure it out.
4. Call to James Allen – I relayed the message from Visa. The rep told me he’d send it up to his accounting department and that they’d get back to me tomorrow.

I told James Allen I'm done going back and forth, and that they need to figure this out and to call me when it's done. Not sure if this is normal with JA? I understand the card being frozen, but this situation appears different; it would seem that the charge did go through, but JA's system thinks it hasn't.

 

[DennyCrane]

I may have misspoke above. The info I'm finding on the net is confusing, but it all points back to 12% tax on the total bill, not just the ring. Then there may (?) be duty on the setting. In any case, I'm looking at $1,500 in taxes. Possible another couple hundred for duty (?). So I'm about $1,000 under budget then. Without the sale I would have been right at budget. But I was able to upgrade from white gold to platinum which was nice.

 

[Gypsy]

I may have misspoke above. The info I'm finding on the net is confusing, but it all points back to 12% tax on the total bill, not just the ring. Then there may (?) be duty on the setting. In any case, I'm looking at $1,500 in taxes. Possible another couple hundred for duty (?). So I'm about $1,000 under budget then. Without the sale I would have been right at budget. But I was able to upgrade from white gold to platinum which was nice.

That's a fantastic savings! Seriously!! And platinum too! You did good. But you do realize that the wedding band and the setting will hae different shaped stones in them? Wedding band will have princess stones, setting will have rounds. If you wanted them to match you might call them and change one or the other.

 

[DennyCrane]

Thank you so much for catching that! The band was recommended by JA. Not impressed with them right now! I'm on hold with them as we speak. This rep isn't sure why this band was recommended. She can't find an appropriate matching band though. She's got me on hold while she checks with a colleague. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again - seriously!

 

[DennyCrane]

They updated the order to this one:

http://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-rings/womens-diamond/platinum-0.17ct-pave-diamond-wedding-ring-item-1615

 

[Gypsy]

That's better!

The problem with the princess band is that they have the wrong CAD up as the main image. The CAD doesn't show princesses. You have to pick that up by the actual images (below the CAD) or the title (princess). The CAD looks like it matches that ring.

 

[DennyCrane]

That's better!

The problem with the princess band is that they have the wrong CAD up as the main image. The CAD doesn't show princesses. You have to pick that up by the actual images (below the CAD) or the title (princess). The CAD looks like it matches that ring.

So I'm okay with the new one, yes?

 

[DennyCrane]

So after a horrendous experience with FexEx, the rings finally arrived today. Just in the nick of time, as I'm heading to Asia for a few weeks on Sunday. Anyways, it's here, and it's beautiful.

A couple things though. Is it normal that the wedding band is so much thinner than the engagement ring? I guess that makes sense, but for some reason I assumed the diamonds in the wedding band would more closely resemble the diamonds in the engagement ring.

And on another note, the diamonds on the wedding band span more of the circle than the engagement ring. Is this normal? This was the band JA suggested for the engagement ring.

I'm also surprised by how much the diamond sticks up. It seemed to sit lower in the picture on their website. My girlfriend didn't want anything that sticks up too high, and by the looks of it this thing could take out an eye. I personally like it though, as I want to show off the rock!!! But she works with infants all day and feels that it might get in the way. I think she can deal with this though. It's just odd because it looks like there's room for it to sit lower. Oh well.

And only other complaint (and it's a small one) is the engraving. JA offered free engraving, so I took them up on it. On the wedding band (which is thinner) it turned out great, but on the engagement ring it is so small I can barely read it. It's really weird because there is more room to work with on the engagement ring. I think they were done at different places. I'm fine with it, but it's a bit disappointing.

Anyways, I really love it. I'm curious on your take on the size and the extra diamonds on the band. Any advice is appreciated. I guess I'm just looking for peace of mind to know I made the right decision.

 

[Gypsy]

Oy. Yeah, those are not a good match the band and the engagement ring. And no, that's not usual.

You should call them, send them pictures and frankly complain that the damned thing STILL doesn't match up, despite them ALREADY having recommended yet ANOTHER band that was not a match.

I would emphasize that as a matter of professionalism the answer to the question: "Does it have a matching band." Should be, "NO I'M SORRY IT DOES NOT." Apparently!

I'm so sorry. The rings, by themselves, look great. Not so much as a set though. Are you getting married right away? Or is there time for you to just take the engagement ring with you and send back the wedding band?

 

[JDDN]

Hi there!

Unless the e-ring and the wedding band are part of a set, you usually have to match the width of each if you want a closer match. Just from the photos of the e-ring I can tell the diamonds are larger than the band. I think it looks nice, but it really depends on what your fiancé likes. The e-ring's widest width is 3.5mm and the wedding band has a width of 2.3mm so that will allow you to gauge the differences.

As far as how high the diamond sits....that thing is a sky scraper! And if your fiancé works with infants that is guaranteed going to scratch the delicate skin of those sweet babies. I honestly would not recommend wearing it if she is working directly with infants. Aside from that you can see in one of your photos that the diamond does not look like it's seated correctly and it is much too high. Absolutely they could've seated the diamond lower in the prongs. It would've helped if you requested that, but looking at the photos on the website and the 360 JA sample video the diamond is situated low in the prongs and it looks much lower than what you received so it's reasonable that you assumed your diamond would sit the way the sample ring's diamond sits. If it were me, I would definitely send it back to have the diamond set lower and more evenly in the prongs. You can tell them you want the stone set low, just like the example (not the customer examples, but the JA example).

I would also mention the engraving to them as well. Not sure if they can do anything about it now, but they should be aware as that doesn't seem right to have the engraving tiny on the wider e-ring.

 

[Gypsy]

That diamond is seated too high.

Personally I'd be on the phone asking for a supervisor ASAP. I wouldn't deal with just a customer service rep at this point.

 

[JDDN]

That diamond is seated too high.

Personally I'd be on the phone asking for a supervisor ASAP. I wouldn't deal with just a customer service rep at this point.

Agree - definitely ask for a supervisor.

 

[DennyCrane]

Thank you for the prompt and helpful replies. Time was of the essence as today is the only day I could ship it back before going on my trip; and I wouldn't have been back until after my 30 day return period was up.

So I ended up losing a lot of sleep over this last night, but in the end I decided to call JA to initiate the return process. I asked for a supervisor right away. She was pleasant enough, but not really sure how knowledgeable she was. In any case, she agreed that the band did not match, but was quick to point out that her staff would have told me they didn't have a matching band, but that the band they suggested was a "complementary band". BULL! Her staff explicitly recommended that band as a match. Anyways, she said she'd initiate the return for that one, and then she'd begin trying to source another band. She even admitted that the band came from a completely different jeweller...would have been nice if you told me that when I asked you for the matching band! Anyways, she said if she can't find a better band she can see about custom. In any case, I'm confident that they're going to try and not give me the 25% black Friday discount if they even find me a new one. But that will be a fight for another day.

Then I talked to her about how high the diamond sits. She looked at the pics on their site, and it seems much lower on there. She kept telling me that it's normal to have that much space. So while on the phone with her I sent her my pictures. She said it might be a bit high, but she didn't think they'd be able to lower it. She said they'd see what they could do though. I told her if they can't then I will also be seeking a refund on the engagement ring, but that i'd probably keep the diamond.

Then I brought up the engraving. That's when she again brought up the fact that the rings were from different jewellers and that there's nothing she could do about that. I told her I didnt care how many people they work with behind the scenes, and that as far as I'm concerned they both came from one place: James Allen. That's not my problem if they have various providers. And I again reminded her that this was her teams recommendation, and that it was their second failed attempt. I told her I wanted this fixed if I even decided to keep the ring. She basically said they'd look at it, but she didn't think it was possible. I politely told her that i'd have that arumgement another day, and that I wanted to focus on the other issues today.

Then she says it's going to be roughly $140 to ship it back. I reminded her that her team were the ones that messed up here, not me. She said it was international charges and there was nothing she could do about it. I asked how much to send it back from the US: it's apparently free. So I left work early and drove down to Bellingham to the nearest full serve FedEx office. Both rings are now on their way back: the engagement ring to try and have the diamond set lower, and the band for a full return.

To put it mildly, this has been a horrible experience. You guys and my amazing girlfriend are the only ones keeping me sane. Thank you again for all your help and expert advice.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm going to forward this thread to Jim Shultz for you.

 

[DennyCrane]

I'm going to forward this thread to Jim Shultz for you.

Thank you!

 

[JDDN]

What you were told furthers my feeling that JA does not always have stellar customer service and that their settings leave much to be desired. Now, I have not personally purchased anything from them and I have seen very nice settings on this forum so what I said isn't an absolute and certainly no vendor is perfect 100% of the time. But I've read too many experiences similar to yours. Of course they can set your diamond lower!!! That is a bunch of BS. It requires them to re-do the head, but shame on them for saying it probably can't be done!

Also, that they are making you pay for the return shipping is also BS. I can go on, but I think you already know what I'm going to say.

I know Jim Shultz comes on this forum from time to time and if he can help you that is great. But really, should you have to have someone reach out to the owner for you to receive what you were told (and paid for) you were going to receive? That's not a knock on Gypsy because she is an awesome resource and is trying to help you, but my point is I feel the things that are wrong A) shouldn't have happened in the first place and B) they should fix them ALL without question!!

Okay....I sincerely hope that these issues will be remedied asap. But if you feel disgusted enough, there are many other vendors who can make a beautiful quality setting and band for your fiance.

 

[DennyCrane]

James Allen got back to me. They found a matching band. It will take 2 weeks to make. I'm assuming that's translation for "we can have one custom made", which is fine by me. They sent me the attached pic. It's actually cheaper than the ring I initially got. And they offered to honour the 25% discount without me having to ask.

This is their email to me:
"We spoke last week regarding the matching wedding situation on your order. I am happy to let you know that I have been able to get the details of the correct matching wedding band for you. Please see a sample image attached of the band itself.

The width of the band is approximately 3.0mm. It is a straight band and does not taper. The total cart weight is 0.20ct and the diamonds will stop and start at the same point on the engagement ring. It will take us about two weeks to produce the ring once the order is finalized and it will be included in our standard 30-day return policy.

The ring is priced at $1,000, however due to the issues that you did experience, I was able to allow for the 25% discount that you received on the original order to be applied to this order for you bringing the total due to $750 USD.

I have the wedding band details set up for you in JA******. Just let me know if everything looks okay to you and we can set up this order to be the new order as part of your return of the wedding band.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Best Regards"

I went back to confirm it's in platinum (check) and that the $750 is the total price and not in addition to what I already paid (check). Just waiting to hear back on how the width compares to the engagement ring.

Also my return of. Both rings was just received yesterday; so the big question is what they're going to do about how high the rock sticks up (as this whole thing is really dependent on that problem being fixed).

 

[DennyCrane]

I got a response on the width. Apparently the engagement ring tapers from 2.5-3.5mm. The band being 3mm is a perfect fit according to James Allen. So that's good.

Also this morning I got the automated email from JA about the service to the engagement ring. It's gone through inspection and is en route to the manufacturing team to see what they can do about lowering the diamond. They're estimating it will be ready for quality assurance by January 11th. I'm not concerned because I'm out of the country, but that seems like a long time. One would think you wouldn't have to go to the back of the queue again. Oh well.

 

[Gypsy]

This is typically an institutionalized jewelers.holiday.time. They work hard.through the holidays so this.is when they can breathe before Valentines.day. That's the delay. Post pics when you have them.

 

[DennyCrane]

They got back to me on January 8th and said the engagement ring would be serviced later that day, and would I give my okay to start making the new wedding band? By the time I read the email (I'm in Asia with a 12 hour time difference to Ney York) I had another set of automated emails telling me that the engagement ring had shipped and was now en route to me. I was rather hoping they'd hold onto it until the band was made so they could compare them side by side, and to simplify things with one shipment versus two.

Anyways, I gave her the go-ahead to move forward with the band, but expressed concern for it being shipped independently and without me first being able to see a picture. I also asked about my return policy. This is when she got back to me and said that my 30 days was up on January 14th. WHAT?!?! The first shipment didn't even get sent until December 18th (was supposed to be the 14th). By the time it got through customs, it didn't arrive at my door until December 23rd. I had to re-arrange my whole schedule on Christmas Eve so I could cart the thing back down to FedEx in Bellingham so I could get them back to JA before everything shut down for the holidays, and before I left for Asia on December 27th.

I responded to say that is ridiculous, and to ask for an extension. I reminded her that she was made aware of my travel, and knew I wouldn't be back until January 18th. So basically I got 1 day (Dec 23-24) of my "30 day" return period, as I won't be back to receive the rings before that window is up. In what world should the time the ring is back in their hands be counted as part of my 30 days? Give your head a shake JA!!!

Anyways, she responded to my email to say that she'd send it up the chain to see about an extension (keep in mind she is supposedly a supervisor). A few hours later she got back to me with this:

"We can extend the return period on the ring setting for you until you receive the wedding band. The diamond itself will still have the 30 day return until the 18th, but I am sure that you know at this point that you do love the diamond!

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any further questions.

Best Regards"

Wow, thank you so much for going out of your way. I pick my battles in life and have decided to leave this one be as I do intend on keeping the diamond, regardless of how the rings look. But in principal, seriously? This just sealed the deal for me; they're getting a scathing review from me when this process is all said and done. That supposed 30 day return period is a sham. I should have just returned everything, gotten a full refund, and started from scratch with a new 30 day return window. What a joke!

So now the engagement ring has arrived at my mail service in Bellingham. I will be home on Monday the 18th and will drive down the the US right away to pick it up. Assuming it looks okay, I'll hang onto it. If not, I have until end of day on the Monday to send everything back. The band is being made right now.

 

[solgen]

Sorry to hear you've had so many issues. Hope they get things right this time. Please post pics if you can.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm sorry. I hope that you at least get a lovely set out of this.

 

[DennyCrane]

I'm sorry. I hope that you at least get a lovely set out of this.

That's the only reason I'm keeping at this. I'm still hopeful the end result will make it all worth it.

 

[Downsy]

Denny, I had an identical conversation with JA regarding my return period and got the same answer. I bought 2 stones, one came in my setting and the other was loose. I chose the loose diamond and sent it all back to be remounted. They had my ring for 2 weeks of my 30 day return time. I asked my time be extended by 2 weeks and was told they could only do it on my setting, but not the stone because it wasn't one of theirs to begin with. I will be keeping it anyway, but I just wanted to know I have 30 days. I now have 1 week to evaluate it! At least they are consistent with their customers.

 

[lovedogs]

I'm sorry. I hope that you at least get a lovely set out of this.

+1!! I just read through all this and I am so sorry that you are dealing with these issues. I definitely have my fingers crossed for you that when you receive the ring you'll be happy with how the stone is set and the band will be a good match

 

[Andelain]

Call before you drive down, Monday is a holiday here.

 

[DennyCrane]

Call before you drive down, Monday is a holiday here.

Thank you - I didn't even think of that. I just checked and my mail service is open. Phew!

 

[Andelain]

Call before you drive down, Monday is a holiday here.

Thank you - I didn't even think of that. I just checked and my mail service is open. Phew!

Good, I'd hate for you to have wasted a trip.

 

[DennyCrane]

I picked up the engagement ring the day I got back into Canada on January 18th. They were able to set the stone lower and re-do the engraving so that it's actually legible - great! It's still high, but it's much better in my opinion.

Yesterday I got the shipping notification for the wedding band - awesome! But I see they sent it to Surrey (my hometown) vs my US mailbox which I had them send the engagement ring to. Not sure why they did that, but whatever. But wait, then I get a notification that there's a delivery exception because no one was home to receive the package. I called FedEx and it turns out they tried to deliver it to my house. That's odd seeing as I've never had any of these packages come to my house (billing address). The first shipment was sent to my office, and the second to my US address. Whatever. I find out where the pickup location is, and am told to get there by 6:00pm today - sounds good. BUT, I owe another $138 in taxes for it clearing customs. This makes no sense (and is part of the reason why I wanted it shipped to the US) as I already overpaid the taxes because the second wedding band was less money than the first (by over $500), and I had actually paid taxes on the the first (more expensive) band. In any case, she said I could file a dispute now, but then I'd have to wait a week or so until they sorted it out before I get my ring. Or I could pay the taxes and file the dispute after...I'll take the latter option. So I get to FedEx and she doesn't charge me any taxes. Cool! Then when I get home I notice the customs form which says I owed $138. I guess she just forgot to collect it? Not sure if I'll get a call. I'm happy though. Apparently if James Allen said it was a replacement with $0 new charges this could have been avoided.

Anyways, I got the rings home, and they look great together! I'm really happy. What do you think? They forgot the engraving on the new band though. Also when the supervisor put the order in initially, she put the wrong size of ring. I happened to notice it and had to ask for it to be changed. I don't want to send this ring back again, so I think I'll ask for a credit to offset the cost for me to get it engraved at a local store. Sounds fair, yes?