Just bought a diamond from Shenoa & Co: Need advise FAST please!!!

[mike04456]

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On 2/26/2004 9:45:14 AM strmrdr wrote:





'Opinions of appraisers may vary up to 25%'

They are giving themselves an out if an appraisal comes back low.
Also it appears to be an uncerted diamond.

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Well, 25% of what is the question.

If they mean the D-Z color grade, that means up to 6 grades in either direction.

If it's the FL-I3 clarity scale, that means up to 3 grades.

If it's the carat weight, the stone could be anywhere from .93 to 1.53 ct.

Yikes. /idealbb/images/smilies/eek.gif

 

[Nicrez]

I agree with Ana (Valeria101) on this one. To me, I can vouch no problem, but I don't know about this one...It doesn't look "kosher". Again, if it's REALLY the ring you want and you don't want to get cheated, try calling them and calling them on the price and the "issues" of the post. Do your homework and find out everything you can.




You can find a better deal that will prove to be less work and possibly headache. and don't go through all this unless you think you can't possibly find this ring elsewhere...which is your call! Good luck and listen to these people, they are wise...

David (DiamondsByLauren), I LOVE your avatar!!! It's RADIANT!!! YAY!

 

[Mara]

A big fat NO NO and NO.




Take your money and spend it elsewhere...where they have a good reputation and you don't have to worry about getting ripped off. Good luck.

 

[DupedInVA]

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On 10/28/2003 6:11:53 PM Richard Sherwood wrote:

I concur with Al.

While you might be getting a nice stone that is worth the money you paid for it, I would be very surprised if it was an H/VS1. My guess is it's going to fall in the JK/VS range.

If you like it however, the price would be fair for a JK/VS. The appraiser will let you know if it's worth the money or not.

If it turns out to be an H/VS1, you got the deal of the century.

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Hi. Last week, I bought a ring from Shenoa & Co. It was supposed to be 1.48 Round Brilliant H/SI VG/VG and set in a Verragio setting. Before purchasing, I read through the EBAY feedback and stupidly did no other searching or I would have found this string. When I received the ring, the center stone was noticeably yellow and I called to complain. The "supervisor" apologized and said that they must have sent out the wrong ring. He assured me that he would personally supervise the substitution of the diamond. I received the new ring today and there is a huge flaw on top side of the ring. I noticed it in the light of the bathroom at night. Can that possibly be an SI1? I feel very stupid and naive. Any advice? What should that ring cost?

 

[valeria101]

Just my opinion but...

' No cert - No grade! '

An SI stone can have visible inclusions but I would wander if, for this grade, there can be a huge gash in the stone. I would wander no longer about the grade but ask for a refund. Otherwise you may end up inspecting the whole stock of the stone (shipped at a rate of one return evey week or so

) and never find a reasonable stone, regardless of the gap between their claimed grades and reality.

I sincerely hope you can get a return... otherwise, the Post is going to make more of this purchase than the seller, by the end all is said and done!

There may be one conclusion from all this: you may actually like diamond with lower (actual) grades than you may think (since I doubt that either color or clarity were in line with a proper certificate on either stone you received). there is allot of hype saying that I/J stones are 'badly tinted' and SI 'flawed'. Seeing is believing, for all these claims. Also, legitimate, clarity enhanced stones would probably match these prices based on missrepresentation, and the stones would look good. So you could find a properly certified stone that you like, I would guess...

Just my 0.2, of course...

 

[diamondsman]

the price is too good to be true, unless the stone is certified by G.I.A,ags,eGL,H.R.D,OR I.G.I, I would be very hesitant as to the validity of the color or clarity.

go on line to different sites and check similar stones, see if the average price is even close to price you are paying?
If it is way below then something is not right.
take the stone to a gemologist,and have him/her check the color and clarity.

good luck

 

[Uncle Marty]

Diamondsman et al,
Diamondsman is right what he says but he does not go far enough.

Unfortunately I have been told that in some cases the grading reports may not match the Diamond sold.

Since you are not expert enough to match the report to the Diamond so not show it to some lady who will charge you nothing. Chances are her expertise is worth the same.

If you let me know where you are located I will send you the namnes of qualified Graduate Gemologists in your area who are members of NAJA.
Unfortunately NAJA does not presently have a website or I would direct you to that website for a listing of appraisers.

Pay the appraiser her/his fee and have the Diamond checked for everything shown on the document.
If it is not as represented return it and do not give the seller a second chance. Some sellers are of the belief if they throw enough garbage against the wall some of it will stick.

Also if you are buying a Designer ring, call the Designer directly (check the number on the Internet) and find out if the seller is an authorized seller. If not forget it. It will be a bad copy.

Uncle Marty of course

 

[dogsrule]

I purchased a beautiful ring on Ebay from Shenoa and Company a couple of months ago and it is everything they said it would be. It is a 1 1/4 carat round solitare, vs1, g in color, purchased for $3700. I have had it appraised 2 different times by very reputable jewelers and both agreed on the paperwork sent by Shenoa and said replacement value would be $10,000. We looked at several jewelers before going on Ebay and the best price we found was $7500 for a 1 carat, same color and clarity. I also have a friend who purchased a much larger stone from them for $7000 and had it looked at a few times with values coming back at $15000. So, unless you have purchased from them and had a bad experience, I don't feel you should be telling someone not to buy from them. I will buy from them again without a second thought. Some of you mentioned clarities of SI? You couldn't give me a diamond with clarity that poor.

 

[Mara]

Kim, welcome to the forum. Most eBay sellers aren't worth 10 beans much less 10 dollars. Some have had good and bad experiences. People are more than welcome to post good and bad and also, yes, opinions here on the forum.




I've seen beautiful eye-clean SI stones. I've got a VS1, but I would gladly trade it in for an eye-clean SI1 or SI2 that was well graded. Why pay for what you can't see? Drops in clarity net huge discounts because of the mental roadblock that you just mentioned, some people think SI clarity is poor when in fact that is not the case at all. So I would love to reap the benefits of getting something like an eye-clean SI2 and saving about $3k over the VS1 price. As long as the grading lab is reputable and the reputable seller confirms the stone is eye-clean, 99% of the time you are home free.

To each their own!

 

[Uncle Marty]

Kim et al,
Just wondering why it was necessary for you to bring your Diamond ring to 2 different stores to have your ring appraised. If one of them said it was worth $10,000 was that not enough.
Will you identify the stores you used.

Uncle Marty of course

 

[searching4fire]

INMHO Kim nor her friend have purchased stones from Shenoa, but rather representatives trying to save a little face. Just an opinion, of course!

 

[trinkets]

The saga continues with Shenoa & Co. I too, just purchased a ring from Shenoa. My experience has been going on for 3 months. They say they will send me an I stone, but it is yellow. I send it back. They send me another one, they say it is H in color, still yellow I send it back. Each time the price increases. I asked for a refund they will not give me one. I asked to speak to a person in charge, and my sales guy says he's in charge, but he's only a sales guy. I just spoke with Neil, the VP, and he advised me to speak to the "boss's" boss. I will do that tomorrow. I am in the process of disputing the charges through my credit card. I have just sent them all of my paperwork today.
I have had many, many wonderful purchases on Ebay, including jewelry, but what they are doing could be misconstrued as being somewhat unscrupulous (I'm choosing my words carefully).

I hope to get this straightened out, but I DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM WHATSOEVER, any good company would refund your money.

 

[Jennifer5973]

First, I feel badly for those who are having troubles with their eBay purchases... Stick to your guns!

I have been tempted countless times by eBay, incl. Shenoa & Co, but I just feel why take the risk when there are vendors who have good prices with no risk of being scammed?

The one exception was David @ Diamonds by Lauren. I didn't make a purchase becasue what I really wanted was out of budget at the time but I was very impressed by his honesty & professionalism--and if you notice, his prices are fair but not ridiculously low for the advertised quality.

There's just no such thing as a free lunch. Then again, I'm spoiled becasue I live in the NYC metro area and there are many jewelers and a lot of competition so you can get a decent price....Sometimes I wonder if some people who think crappy stones are great (I, too, have pulled up the feedbacks and see the pictures of horrible stones people gush over) live in the middle of nowhere and don't know any better because there's nothing to compare it to...?

 

[DupedInVA]

I am so very sorry to hear of your experience. I've been speaking with someone named Frank Carroccia. When I returned the ring a second time, he claims that while the S1 grading may have been "liberal" the color was actually above what I ordered. I've told him that I will give them one more shot if they credit my card with shipping but that I expect a return if they don't get it right. How many times did you return the ring? Any more details would be truly appreciated.

 

[trinkets]

I have returned 2 rings, and we basically got into a shouting match this morning, because he never sends what he says he is going to send. He will guarantee me that it will be white, and then it shows up, and it's about a K or more. I ended up disconnecting, because we were going no where, he just wants me to send more money each time. At that point I called my bank to put in a dispute. I too, am dealing with the aforementioned person. I will be speaking to his boss tomorrow, like I mentioned earlier this has been going on for 3 months. I am not holding my breath, I will let my bank deal with them

 

[Tigerman]

What was the outcome of the conversation with the Boss. I have returned a ring as well but haven't spoken to Frank yet as I was on vacation last week.

 

[trinkets]

Hi!

I am suppose to be getting my refund, they told me they processed it Mar. 19th, and it can take up to 5 business days for it to show up. I tell you on Friday, the 19th, the only way I was able to get a refund was by being the squeaky wheel. After I spoke to 5 different people that day, and saying to each one of them that I wanted a refund, I still had one person at the very end suddenly come up with my "dream" diamond. I told them, "Please give me a refund, and anything else that you have to say to me is wasting my time". I did follow some recommendations from a person who posted on this board on a similar situation, and it seemed to help me a lot to get my refund. I believe that if I hadn't followed those recommendations they would still be holding my money hostage. I DO NOT ever recommend this company. Please go to a reputeable jeweller, and just because they have a high feedback doesn't necessarily they'll be honest. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I have bought some beautiful jewellery off of Ebay, and have really gotten some great deals, but this experience with Shenoa & Co., was the worst ever internet experience.

I'll feel 100% bettter, when I see the credit, but I do have a copy of an e-mail saying my refund is on it's way, plus a hard copy receipt. If it doesn't show, it will just be added to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, which I have already filed a report.

 

[DupedInVA]

Hi Uncle Marty! You indicated that you would send me some gemologists if I provided you with my zip code. It is 22314, but I live just outside Washington DC so anywhere in the DC metropolitan area would work. I want someone reputable to take a look at the diamond I received as a replacement. I really appreciate your help!

 

[tina585]

Shenoa and Co. must be a scam! I purchased a ring which was advertised as 1.53, H, VS2, for a very good price. $4600, including the setting. I had a feeling it was too good to be true, but figured that we could send it back for a refund. After receiving it, I immediately took it to two jewelers in town. Both of whom said the color was between an "N" or "O". Obviously nowhere near an H. Today, I shipped it back to them. After reading the many posts from Shenoa, I am anticipating an ugly battle.

Something needs to be done about this company!!!

 

[oldminer]

Opinions of appraisers may vary. 25% is not unheard of, but that refers to the overall "value" in dollars, not to the number of grades apart one appraiser should vary from another.

On unset diamonds, appraisers should be within 1 grade of GIA or AGS. Against all other legitimate appraisers, 2 grades may be the norm as the error potential increases when we are not referrring to GIA or AGS as the base to make the judgment.

I hope this clears the matter and makes more sense.

 

[DupedInVA]

I had always intended to return to this site to report how our story ended. On our third try (and with a 1/4 carat downsizing in the main stone) I was finally happy with the look of the diamond. Given our experience though, I decided to go to a GIA certified appraiser to determine exactly what we had purchased. In short SHENOA LIED! The ring is not even within a generous margin of error on the color - what was CERTIFIED to be a G was really a J and what was certified as a VS-2 was an SI-1. However, given the price that we had paid ($5500 including a lovely platinum setting from Verragio) - the appraiser concluded that we had gotten a good deal (about $2K under market). Consequently, we kept the ring - but I would say to anyone who thinks they got what was advertised at Shenoa that you have definitely been duped!

 

[Catherine]

Good Afternoon Courtney,

We have read every bit of your original story and the follow ups from various people. A friend and I are so anxious to buy earrings from one of Sheona's another company but a dying to hear how your experience came out!

Could you let us know if you were ultimately happy with the purchase and if you feel like you got a good deal or not?

Thank you very much!

Catherine

 

[Catherine]

We are trying to buy earrings and wondering if you were ultimately happy with the ring you bought. Would love to hear what you think. A girlfriend and I are afraid to give Shenoa so much money without knowing if they are for real.

Thank you,

Catherine

 

[diamond desperate]

CAN YOU GUYS HELP ME TOO? THANK YOU!

Can't say my praises and thanks enough to all of you. I've read and learned much, but did not think I would ever post. We now I desperate... looking for comfort. I have educated myself the best I can over the last couple of months and am down to two stones. I would like to buy by Tuesday, July 6th. ADVISE WANTED SOON!:

Stone 1.

Round
1.65 ct.
G
SI2
7.67-7.6 x 4.62
depth 60.5
table 61
crown 13.9%
Pav 43.1%
Grd thin to medium
plsh good to very good
sym good
fluor none
culet none
EGL Cert.
PRICE $6,400

Stone 2.

Round
1.3
G
si1
7.05-7.12 x 4.23
dpth 60.4
tble 55
crown ?
Pav ?
grd thin to slightly think
culet none
plsh very good
symmetry good
fluor none
GIA Cert.
PRICE 6,500

I'm leaning toward #1 but my concerns are as follows: 1. is SI2, and the cut isn't as good as #2, but for the size the price is fantastic, also can I rely on the EGL cert?

I live in Los Angeles and have spent plenty of time in the jewry marts to find these stones. They are with two different vendors so I can not put them side by side.

COMMENTS GREATLY APPRECIATED !!!!!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE

 

[Lincoln]

Wrong post, DD. The old "what do ya think?" question should be somewhere else.

 

[Catherine]

A girlfriend and I are wanting to purchase some diamond earrings from Shenoa and are afraid it is a scam. Did your experience turn out to be positive in the end? Were you happy with the item and the service?

Thank you,

Catherine

 

[Mara]

Catherine...are you aware you have posted 3 times today on this same OLD thread? I don't even know if this original poster is around, much less going to answer you.




However, I do have to say, with all the negative responses here on this thread, why would you even consider giving Shenoa and Co ANY money of yours unless you have it to throw out the window? Obviously working with this company is entirely hit or miss, I have seen other threads about them, so I would advise to stay away. If it seems too good to be true...ever hear of that old saying?




Honestly, it does not seem like rocket science? Bad company=give them no money??

 

[nwadmin]

Since this thread is one of the top 5 results for "Shenoa company" on Google I will add my experience for future reference:



Just received a diamond engagement ring from Shenoa which was beautiful. However, the first thing we noticed was that it looked yellow. This was supposed to be an H colored diamond. Well, a professional graded it as being inbetween L and M. Far (FAR) from what was advertised. This ring will be in the mail back to Shenoa first thing next businessday.. The price was actually pretty reasonable for what it was, an L/M colored diamond engagement ring in a platinum setting. However, companies that mislead this much should not be in business. Good thing I paid for it via a credit card so I have leverage if they become hard to deal with.

 

[dyanne]

Please tell us what happened ?

I purchased a .70 solitaire diamond from Shenoa in a platinum setting. It cost $1595. Since the day I bought it, I haven't stopped looking at it on my finger. I am certainly no expert, but for the price i paid, i consider it to be very good value. I bought within my budget and was happy with the ring i got.

I would love to know the outcome of this story ?

dyanne

 

[sparker]

Hi,

I have to concur with aljdewey on the fact that you can find a really nice stone from the vendors here on PS. I purchased a lovely stone from GOG in their Discount Diamonds list. An E si2 AGS1 cut. The inclusion is visible with a 10x loupe and when you know where it is you can locate it with the naked eye, however, it looks also like reflective white light so others will never know unless they carry around 10x loupes in their pockets. I spent $4600 for the stone which was well within my budget. Without that price this little purchase would never have happened. Bottom line is that this stone really sparkles because of a superior cut and because I'm not so sensitive about the fact that the inclusion is ever so visible I got a lot of bang for the buck. The over all effect of the cut, and color is spectacular. My trade off is accepting the inclusion because I could not afford a $7000 stone. In any event you pay for what you get and sometimes the tradoffs are not all that bad in the overfall effect.

Suz