Buying a Diamond on Ebay

[Lovingit]

My boyfriend and I have been looking into a jewler on Ebay. They call him The Jewlery Man. He is located in Manhattan in the Diamond district. He is a Power seller and has been selling on ebay since 11/98. They don''t have any negative feedback out of some 362 sales. The prices seem great. This would be an engagement purchase. I need some advise from someone who has bought from him before. I don''t want to hear, " if it sounds to good to be true it probably is" I would just like to hear if anyone has heard of them and if they have had any problems w/ the ring they bought (as far as color and clarity) compared to what they were told. My boyfriend and I might even fly there for a private appointment to view some rings, but would rather not spend the money to do that. They have a 10 day money back garentee ( - shipping ). Please help !!!

 

[weemodin]

You''re going to have to give more information for anyone to really help you. What is the seller''s user ID on Ebay? I couldn''t find The Jewerly Man as an Ebay store.
Does the seller sell diamonds that are GIA, AGS, or EGL certified?
Does he charge a restocking fee?
Are the diamonds clarity enhanced?

Good feedback alone does not ensure a good Ebay diamond seller -- most people who buy diamonds off of Ebay don''t know enough about diamonds to determine whether the clarity and color grade they were quoted were accurate, so 100% positive feedback isn''t all that instructive, especially with only 362 sales.

I know 2 ebay stores from which I''d be willing to purchase diamond jewelry: signedpieces and diamondsbylauren. That''s about it, in my book. Otherwise, caveat emptor!

 

[Lovingit]

Thanks !! I will find out more info. and post it for more helpful advice. I did go on the following web site and learned alot. www.gemappraiser.com.

 

[belle]

keep doing your research.....find out what you want in a diamond, and what you want to stay away from.
......get the specs. on the diamond you''re looking at and we''ll be glad to help

 

[orbaya]

Date: 12/9/2004 11:58:48 AM
Author: weemodin

I know 2 ebay stores from which I''d be willing to purchase diamond jewelry: signedpieces and diamondsbylauren. That''s about it, in my book. Otherwise, caveat emptor!

Signedpieces has a store on ebay? I tried to find the store name under signedpieces but it said there was no store. What is the name of it? Thanks.

 

[weemodin]

Hmmm... the used to, but you''re right, I can''t find it anymore either.

 

[Lovingit]

I do know that there is no restocking fee. They do not refund shipping charges of $34.99. They do not sell clarity enhanced stones- Only 100% diamonds. I''m pretty sure that the appraisal they provide is EGL cert. The ring I''m looking at is 1.60 Platinum ring. 1ct radiant cut center stone( SI1-H ) 2 side radiant cut .40ctw and 2 .20 bagett ( VS2-G ). Polish and Symmetry- Good. Total price 2,900.00. Retail price- 14,000 ish ( can''t remember at home ).

 

[belle]

i think this is what lovingit is looking at..........

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67726&item=4949492573&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

[weemodin]

The ring is not certified by a reputable company -- it''s UGL. This makes me very wary.
Also, there is no information on the dimensions of the center stone, so even if the ring is as advertised, you''ll likely be getting a center stone that is cut poorly, does not sparkle much, and looks smaller than it''s actual size (too deep). An uncertified H SI1 could very well be a J I1 or worse, which in radiant cut would likely not be pretty. Finally, as anyone here who has purchased a radiant cut stone can attest, radiants are very hard to buy -- it''s difficult to find one that is cut well and has good light return -- aka "sparkles" a lot.
I would not buy from this seller. Why? Because virtually all reputable diamond sellers sell GIA, AGS, or HRD certified stones. Even EGL, which can grade liberally, is far superior to UGL or IGI. Further, the seller has an "appraisal value" on all his items that is totally absurd. This is another red flag to me.

I''m sure the guy is selling real diamonds, and that they probably aren''t frozen spit. However, for a purchase of this magnitude, I''d stick with a diamond seller that would give you all the information about your stone up front, including cut quality, and who would supply you with a certification that was at least worth the paper it was written on. There''s lots of good dealers on pricescope, and of course there are many others, too, including some non-chain brick and mortar jewelers.

 

[reena]

what weemodin said.

seems to me that you should barely be able to get a quality 1 carat H/SI1 radiant (if that''s indeed what you would be getting, which is questionable for the reasons mentioned by weemodin) for the price this person is asking for the whole shebang (center stone PLUS four .60 TCW sidestones PLUS a platinum setting). i''ll refrain from using the phrase that you said you didn''t want to hear before, but . . .

i would never take a chance like that on this important/large of a purchase. good luck and be careful.

 

[Brian Knox]

Delivery Time: 3-5 Business Days (Backorder is usually 3-5 weeks, call to see if extra time needed 1-866-467-5393)



Have you comfirmed that it is in stock?

 

[Lovingit]

Thanks for the response. You have some nice rings on your site. The more and more I read, and look at the more I''m thinking against the ring on Ebay. I am going to call them and see how they answer some of the questions I have, such as the table, depth and girdle thickness and stuff like that. We''ll see. Thanks !!!

 

[Lovingit]

Can you tell me what the fluorescence of a diamond means ??? What should it be ??

 

[belle]

diamonds emit a natural fluorescence and sometimes, if the fluoro is medium or stronger, you will notice a slight blue (some say purple) hue. it is said that med. to strong fluoro can help the lower color grades (g-j) look whiter. in colorless stones, you will notice it more as blue. there are many threads on this topic......look them up, you''ll learn lots!!!