stevejeltz
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2004
- Messages
- 5
I just wanted to post on what a positive experience I had dealing with Mark @ Enagagement Rings Direct. I live in the Philly suburbs and had 2 less-than-pleasant experiences with local jewelers who completely took on a used car salesman mentality (not to mention a limited selection of diamonds that met my specs & less than competitive prices). That''s when I stumbled across PriceScope -- I''ve been much more of a lurker here but soaked up quite a bit of info as well as reading some postive comments about EngagementRings Direct. I emailed Mark @ ERD, telling him what I was looking for. He responded very promptly, which immediately set the tone for how he conducts business. After a few more emails back and fourth, I arranged to meet him in his office in NYC to examine 4-5 diamonds he had that met the requirements I requested.
When I arrived, we first talked baseball for about 10 minutes (an easy topic for me!) -- Mark wasn''t trying to rush me out of the door or bombard me with a sales pitch. We then began to examine the diamonds. All diamonds were within my specs & none exceeded my price ceiling -- no bait & switch or upsell tactics at all. We spent approx 1 hr reviewing the certs & diamonds, while turning the entire process into a helpful tutorial. I decided on the most expensive of the diamonds he presented (still within my budget), but Mark in no way tried to steer me to the priciest option.
I felt so comfortable with this experience that I decided to use him for the setting as well -- A Michael B pave setting from the Princess Collection. Although my timeline was tight, he sprung into action & was able to get the setting as well (& at a lower price than the 2 other jewelers I contacted).
The ring arrived on time as promised, with Mark keeping in contact with me the whole time. The end result? the ring is simply beautiful -- a Princess cut 1.51C F/SI1 that is blinding with the pave Michael B setting. I couldn''t have been happier....until I presented it to my now-fiance last weekend in Cape May, NJ. She would have been pleased with any ring I gave her, but this one blew her away....she loves it & I catch her staring at it all the time. On her size 4 finger, the stone is prominant without looking massive & the thin band looks great & still leaves plenty of room for a matching wedding band.
Her friends & family are constantly asking how I did such a great job (I knew I had it in me!) & two close-to-being-engaged friends of mine said I have set the bar real high for when they begin to go ring shopping. Mark even followed up this week to see how the proposal went, how the ring fits & to offer complimentary cleanings whenever we''re up in NYC. It couldn''t have worked out better.
I''ll be returning to Mark / Engagement Rings Direct for wedding bands & I will not hesitate to recommend him to anyone. He made a significant purchase (both emotionally & financially) a very pleasant & rewarding experience.
Thanks for reading,
Jeff
When I arrived, we first talked baseball for about 10 minutes (an easy topic for me!) -- Mark wasn''t trying to rush me out of the door or bombard me with a sales pitch. We then began to examine the diamonds. All diamonds were within my specs & none exceeded my price ceiling -- no bait & switch or upsell tactics at all. We spent approx 1 hr reviewing the certs & diamonds, while turning the entire process into a helpful tutorial. I decided on the most expensive of the diamonds he presented (still within my budget), but Mark in no way tried to steer me to the priciest option.
I felt so comfortable with this experience that I decided to use him for the setting as well -- A Michael B pave setting from the Princess Collection. Although my timeline was tight, he sprung into action & was able to get the setting as well (& at a lower price than the 2 other jewelers I contacted).
The ring arrived on time as promised, with Mark keeping in contact with me the whole time. The end result? the ring is simply beautiful -- a Princess cut 1.51C F/SI1 that is blinding with the pave Michael B setting. I couldn''t have been happier....until I presented it to my now-fiance last weekend in Cape May, NJ. She would have been pleased with any ring I gave her, but this one blew her away....she loves it & I catch her staring at it all the time. On her size 4 finger, the stone is prominant without looking massive & the thin band looks great & still leaves plenty of room for a matching wedding band.
Her friends & family are constantly asking how I did such a great job (I knew I had it in me!) & two close-to-being-engaged friends of mine said I have set the bar real high for when they begin to go ring shopping. Mark even followed up this week to see how the proposal went, how the ring fits & to offer complimentary cleanings whenever we''re up in NYC. It couldn''t have worked out better.
I''ll be returning to Mark / Engagement Rings Direct for wedding bands & I will not hesitate to recommend him to anyone. He made a significant purchase (both emotionally & financially) a very pleasant & rewarding experience.
Thanks for reading,
Jeff