Igloo Diamonds - any advice for me?

[NoClue]

Hi everyone. I am wondering if anyone has heard of Igloo Diamonds, (www.diamonds.ca or www.diamonds.org) as I am strongly considering purchasing a stone from them, but they don''t post a phone number and their (admittedly new) website doesn''t exactly inspire confidence...their president is a guy named Gad Zak, and they seem to have something to do with a diamond distributor named Van-Daaz. They recently announced that they will give 50% of their profits to a chairy, Adopt-A-Minefield, which I''d love to support (that''s the main reason I''m considering Igloo) so I suppose I will call that organization and check the claim through that channel. But if anyone has any experience with them, I would be oh-so-grateful.

Thanks!

 

[bearman49]

Looks like an interesting website. I would also be interested in any feedback on this company.

the bearman

 

[NoClue]

OK, I don''t know if I''m breaking any forum rules here; I can assure you I am not an undercover representative of the company planting this item. (Great website/forum, by the way, whoever maintains it!)

A few weeks ago I asked if anyone had heard of Igloo Diamonds. No one had, but just this week I was able to get in touch with Adopt-A-Minefield at their New York headquarters, and they assured me that the partnership with Igloo is legit. I had been concerned because there was almost no info available on the matter - nothing about it on Adopt-A-Minefield''s website - and Igloo is a new venture and they seem quite disorganized. But Adopt-A-Minefield told me that they had been busy their big annual fundraiser which just happened, and that they''re now going to start promoting the Igloo partnership. And in fact, this week they started posting info about the partnership on the Adopt-A-Minefiled website. So I am satisfied, and am about to purchase my diamond from Igloo. If anyone cares, in about six weeks'' time I''ll be able to provide an update how that process goes, wish me luck...

 

[lumberskater]

I too have been looking into this company. Please update us as to your experience.

On another note, what other Canadian diamond etailers are out there?

Lumb

 

[NoClue]

OK, I will post an update after getting the ring, I''m expecting it next week. I got the Igloo Diamond set in a tension ring from Absolute Titanium, which is affiliated with Igloo. To be honest they seem a tiny bit disorganized, or maybe I should say kind of mom-and-pop: they are nice but a little bit disorganized, it''s certianly not a big, slick organzation. They''re pretty responsive, though. They definitely haven''t left me feeling like it''s a slam-dunk that everything''s going to go 100% smoothly and on-time, so I''ve been keeping pretty close tabe on the progress they''ve been making with the ring.

With regards to other Canadian diamond companies, there are a couple, it''s pretty hard to sort out who''s who and what role everyone plays, be it a diamond producer, a wholesaler, a retailer, whatever, and some companies sell direct, others through retailers, so it''s pretty confusing. I had some dealings with www.canadadiamonds.com, actually I came very close to buying from them before discovering Igloo. Canada Diamonds is a wholesaler, and they''ve got a good website where you can easily search their inventory. Their inventory engine seems to drive a lot of differently-names Canadian diamond wholesale websites, so I guess they''re linking to the same inventory engine under a few different website names, strictly for marketing purposes. Pricing seemed very competitive, and I spoke a couple of times with a sales guy there named John who was very helpful and completely no-pressure, so that was great. I also requested Blue Nile to do a search for me for Canadian diamonds, which their website doesn''t allow but they will do for you if you call them, and then they take a few days to get back to you on it. As you know, they''re a big retailer, and they were very professional and organized. I didn''t find the selection they reported back to me particularly impressive though, and I found their pricing on the high end. In general I found that a Canadian stone will cost you 20%-30% more than a comparable non-Canadian rock. There''s another company www.arcticice.ca that has a nice website, they only sell through retailers but claim they''re adding a pricing list to their site. There''s www.tundradiamonds.com , they sell only through retailers. Speaking of which, I checked with a couple of retailers, including Spence Diamonds and a smaller, high-end shop, and it seems that retailers have no problem getting Canadian stones. In the end I decided to buy mine online, because I really wanted the Igloo diamond because of the landmine-clearing consideration, plus it was a bit cheaper, and I usually buy a lot of stuff online anyhow, so I''m pretty comfortable with the process. The higher-end jeweler made a pretty strong pitch to me to come back to them with the price I was going to pay for the ring/stone combination, and they''d try to match it, so keep that in mind.

I hope this helps.

 

[NoClue]

So here''s the update so far: As I had worried might happen, Absolute Designs told me a week before the ring was due that it wasn''t going to be ready in time. A major downer, obviously, but not totally unexpected, and I guess that''s the risk you run dealing with a less-than-high-end outfit. However they did offer to provide me with a temporary substitute, a ring of the same design and roughly similar size and fitted with a cubic zirconium, to give to my fiancee to represent the genuine article which was by now scheduled to arrive about a month later. I would need to return the substitute ring, obviously. Not ideal, but at least they were trying. Due to the huge storm that hit the east a couple of days before Christmas, the substitute ring didn''t even make it, as Fedex was held up a day. What are you going to do but laugh about it. It ended up not much mattering, as my fiancee and I ended up having a major blow-up over the holidays, and have decided to not get engaged for at least a little while anyhow. So really no loss on the ring - at least, no loss as far as the lack of the genuine ring for the big moment, obviously I''m still out of pocket, big-time! (But isn''t that what pawn shops and eBay are for?) After a bunch of logistical headaches on my end, I finally got my hands on the substitute ring just this morning, and will be returning it to Absolute this afternoon. And I will say this about the ring: it is absolutely beautiful, I am not much of a connoisseur of these sorts of things, but it it gorgeous, my hat is off the Absolute for their work, it''s just fantastic. I suspect a lot of guys will be interested in the details of this ring, (particularly its financial aspects) so read on below.

I chose a tension setting in titanium. Tension setting is obviously a matter of choice; personally I really like the way the diamond (cz in my case) is fully exposed on two sides. But on the matter of the titanium, I was very hesitant, but am now fully sold. It looks beautiful, really stunning. I got the ring done with a high-polish finish, and I can''t imagine platinum looking any better. And titanium was close to two grand cheaper than platinum would have been. Titanium is a lot lighter (in terms of weight) than is platinum, so the ring feels almost weightless. I''ll leave it to you to decide if that''s a good thing or not, personally I think my would-be fiancee would like it since she''s a big jogger and the lightness would probably be nice, but maybe you''d be concerned that it would make the ring seem cheap, I don''t know. It certainly wouldn''t be like a paper weight on her hand. Another concern I had was the color - supposedly titanium is darker than platinum, and how would that look next to a diamond, everyone seemed to be wondering. I can tell you that the titanium on this ring of mine looks exactly like platinum, I would not be able to tell the difference. On another frequently-raised matter, obviously I don''t know how the titanium is this ring will age compared to platinum, but given that titanium''s much harder than platinum, you''d have to think that the former will scratch less and hold its shape better. (By the way I spent an extra $100 to get the aircraft-grade titanium, not sure if that makes any difference or not.) So the bottom line is that I am now a huge fan of titanium, I was unsure but am now extremely pleased with the material - and the two g''s I saved allowed me to buy the size and quality of stone I wanted. Speaking of the stone, as I mentioned, this ring I''ve got now is set with a cz, and although I''ll admit again that I''m no connoisseur, I can say that I looked at quite a few real diamonds in stores, and I can see absolutely no difference between the best stones I looked at and this cz. Obviously it would be different with a microscope, etc, etc, but that''s not the point I''m making here, which is that cz''s can look damn good for not much money. Guys, if you don''t have the budget and/or just like feeling smart because you saved a huge pile of dough, I would advise you not to hesitate about getting a cz, these things are dyno-mite. Don''t let anyone tell you your girlfriend''s rock will look cheap, because it just ain''t true. I think the cz in this ring is worth about $200, and like I said, it looks absolutely fantastic, it is flawless and reflects the light beautifully. But I''d better stop now, since this forum''s about diamonds, I think, not you-know-whats.

OK, that''s all for now, I will post one more update, when I receive the genuine article towards the end of this month...before I stick it in my safety deposit box, ha-ha...

 

[MDMichaelD]

I recently purchased my fiance''s engagement ring from Igloo Diamonds (www.diamonds.ca) and have to take the opportunity to give them a "ringing" endorsement. Seriously, I''m usually the type that doesn''t post on websites unless I''m really pissed (eg. check my epinions post on Verizon). But I had a great experience with Igloo. First and foremost, they''re not just any diamond broker. They specialize in Canadian Diamonds-- The point, just like buying American, is that buying Canadian essentially means you are supporting freedom-loving, democracy-driven people like yourselves who get livable wages and humane benefits for the work they do. When my fiance looks at her finger, she knows that the symbol of our love hasn''t been trading hands between violent warlords after being mined by some exploited indentured child in Africa. The truth is, the diamond industry has an ugly past and if you read the latest from respectable organizations like Amnesty International, The Kimberly Process has done little to change things; so buying Canadian frees your conscience from that hell.
But Igloo Diamonds goes one step further in it''s ethical trailblazing and gives back money to improve life in Africa (by donating to Adopt-A-Minefield).
I was convinced that I wanted to purchase from them when I found out they existed, and I''m happy I did. I''ll be honest, buying a diamond over the internet, especially if you''re in a hurry, isn''t easy. You have to have the payment methods set up, you have to wait, you have to trust in people you haven''t met. But the wait was well worth it. My stone came well packaged with all the necessary documents. It was absolutely beautiful (I had done my homework and knew the proportions and Cut grading that I was looking for; easily found one that fit at Igloo).
Later I had the opportunity to actually have our stone set in Montreal at Absolute Titanium Designs, the jeweler affiliated with Igloo Diamonds. I got to meet Gad Zak, the entrepreneur behind the brand, and am really impressed by his work and dedication to the Igloo ideals. Igloo not only trades in ethical diamonds, gives back to the world in philanthropic ways, but I believe, is pioneering in a philosophy of commerce that is going to be the economic revolution of our century -- the marriage of profit-making with peace-making. I''m impressed with Igloo, both as a citizen in search of business models that will make the world a better place for me and my children, and as a consumer who just bought a gorgeous diamond ring.

 

[Cinnamon]

I''d be careful of giving so much praise, in this case about igloo diamonds.

it''s the old story of someone who knows someone, etc. and don''t believe everything you read or are told.

someone in the jewelry and diamond business who knows the igloo people says they''d never do business with them on personal level. they use all that talk about ethical diamonds only to impress clients like you, and as a marketing tool. that''s all. it''s all about the sales. don''t forget that donations/charity are write-offs.

looks like it worked too. they got your sale and a free endorsement.

by the way, they should have told you that it''s the same people that own all three businesses: absolute titanium, van-daaz, and igloo diamonds. not quite just affiliated. the address for their "u.s. office"? it''s their lawyers office. lol.

as for Absolute titanium, after doing some research, you will agree that it is disorganized outfit. it''s posted here somewhere in the forum too. the waiting times for rings are horrible! especially when you are getting married getting engaged and freaking out to boot!

i''d go with someone else, who has alot of years of experience, and who will gurarantee that you only have to wait days or one or two weeks. but not months!