Bought a loose need diamond, need a place to have it set

[akameme]

Hi,
Bought a loose diamond from BN, should be here today and would like to find a place in LA (live in Santa Monica) where I can get it set.

I know I can go downtown to the jewelery district, but I''m wondering if any there are people/places to recommend as the district can be somewhat overwhelming.

Also, I''m hoping this person can do the appraisal as well.

Thanks in advance.

Miriam

 

[codex57]

If you wanna stay local, you''ll get absolutely impeccable service from Richard Servis at Servis and Taylor. I don''t like his salesgirls (cept for one, but she wasn''t too knowledgeable). But Richard is awesome. The store is located in I think the Westside Pavilion. The one on Pico a little bit east of Sepulveda.

Otherwise, I got great service from Oscar''s Design Jewelry in the downtown jewelry district. Parking is a pain and expensive. Plus, the area''s kinda sketchy.

 

[akameme]

Thanks for the advice.

I've been downtown on a Sunday and it was ok - I just didn't want to head down there without a recommendation/specific place to go.

Between the two you suggested, how are prices - competitive? Or will we do better downtown?

Thanks again and if anyone else knows more, please jump in.
Miriam

 

[codex57]

Servis & Taylor's list prices seemed a bit expensive. Then again, he sells "name brand" jewelry pieces. As for diamonds themselves, his quotes to me were a little on the expensive side, but I never actually got far enough where I tried to negotiate the price. They have a "best price" guarantee (whatever that means). Plus, Richard Servis told me taht his partner, the Taylor guy, is retiring. So, they're having a big sale on stuff they have in inventory cuz it's easier to split up the store when you're dealing with cash rather than actual inventory.

Oscar's is in line with internet pricing. Being downtown, he knows he has a lot of competition. Plus, he has to deal with the internet. He knows he has a disadvantage cuz of higher overhead, so he will work with you on price. His regular stuff is decently priced. His name brand stuff can get pricy too though. He doesn't have the cheapest price on settings and stuff though. If you're just looking for a setting, you can find cheaper stuff on teh ground floor stores. However, it's like a swap meet down there. Basic necklace chains and charms and little stuff like that are pretty cheap tho.

I was actually down in the Jewelry District yesterday. Took my fiancee's mom there to find a new setting. She found a cheapy one in one of the ground floor stores. Price was good. Quality of the setting wasn't so good though. Oscar's does a hell of a lot better job. But, since it was only a $250 white gold setting for a small diamond, it's no big deal. Oscar takes great pride in being named a "Best Buy" for like 4 years now by Alan Mendelson, that money man guy on the local news (I think Channel 9?).

The engagement ring I bought was threatening $20,000. At that price, there's no way in Hades I'd chance the stores on teh ground floor. Oscar's did an impeccable job. He let me watch the whole process and I could sit/stand wherever I pleased. Plus, his manufacturing "plant" is onsite. That other jewelry store took me to some scary looking building and I had ot sit behind some glass partition to watch the guy work. Oscar got teh ring perfect in one shot. Took a little under an hour while I waited. The other guy took like 10 minutes, but he screwed up. I was there for like another 20 minutes while he tried to fix teh setting into a passable job.

So basically, you get what you pay for. If it's under $3,000 or $4,000 you're looking to spend, you can prolly save more by just shopping around down there. $4,000 and up, I'd go to some place reputable like Oscar's.

 

[akameme]

Thanks - we are going to see Oscar this weekend. I''ll let everyone know how it goes.
Miriam

 

[codex57]

Good luck. Tell them Richard sent you. The one with the Vietnamese g/f. They''ll laugh and know who you''re talking about.

 

[akameme]

At last - I have my ring. I'll post pictures this weekend (after I get a proper manicure) and in the proper thread.

However, wanted to bump this up to say how WONDERFUL Oscar was and to thank Richard for the referral. He was really nice and patient...and I wish we had to buy another diamond.

We ultimately went with Blue Nile, but I'm confident Oscar would have been comparable (although tax does get pricey).

We also bought our wedding bands, but those are just simple platinum.

Thanks again to everyone on this forum.

Look for photos in the Show me the ring folder in a few days!
Miriam

Oh, and Richard, Oscar remembered you (and the diamond you bought!).

 

[codex57]

Hahaha, glad you had a good time. I was really hating the Jewelry District until I ran across Oscar. Ok, I''m still not a big fan of the Jewelry District other than Oscar''s.

Looking forward to seeing teh ring. One of these days, I''m gonna get around to taking a pic of the ring I bought too. I scored some big time brownie points with my girl with that ring.

 

[belle]

miriam, i *may*

be getting a little greedy here, but could you just give us a *peek* at the ring?

 

[akameme]

i haven''t forgotten about posting the ring, I just still don''t have a good picture.


We will try this weekend
Miriam