Soo now that my head has stopped spinning and the reality of my impending engagement has settled in, I would like to chronicle my experiences thus far, and dually give credit where credit is due.
Preface
I must say that Mark T has been exceptional to work with. While in his office I was educated, advised, and listened to, but NEVER SOLD. This experience has only added to my enormous excitement about my impending engagement. I cannot wait to return to his office to get the ring so that I can continue forward with my plans. I have every expectation that that the craftsmanship of the ring will of tremendous quality. I am so very happy that I was fortunate enough to work with Mark in his office and receive the personalized service that can only be received in a face to face, one on one, encounter. The best way to describe him is as a consummate professional, and diamond consultant.
Researching a Vendor
After scouring these message boards and reading about many wonderful experiences that members have had with a variety of vendors, I was uncertain of which “Great” vendor to choose from. I narrowed my choices to three vendors. One vendor will remain unnamed as his reputation is spotty across the internet and he has very little presence on PriceScope anyway. I had a particular reason for considering this vendor which has no bearing on this dissertation. That being said, initially, I was very partial to WhiteFlash. A co-worker had purchased an H VS1 ACA from them and was very happy. I scoured their site but was unable to find the type of stone I was looking for within my price range. I also noticed when comparing the pricing of WhiteFlashes Branded ACA line to other Ideal cut unbranded stones found on the internet, WhiteFlash levied a STEEP premium. I felt that I could do better elsewhere.
It is at this point where I rethought my situation. I live in NJ. I work in Manhattan. Mark Turnowski is in the Diamond District and has an impeccable reputation. Why am I attempting to buy from somewhere is Texas? Based on the large quantity of impartial recommendations posted here on PriceScope , I largely dispelled any of negativity associated with purchasing a stone from a vendor who works within the diamond district. Mark T was part of my original three contenders. In retrospect, he should have been first on my list.
My Great Experience with Mark Turnowskski (Mark T) ( EngagementRingsDirect .com ) In the NYC Diamond District
I called Mark Turnowski at Engagement Rings Direct mid way through the week of May 1st. After a brief introduction the conversation started to flow with ease. What does not get said enough about Mark T is how personable he is. I can compare him to a trusted family friend who you come to with a problem. He is an EXCELENT listener. He asked me if I knew what kind of stone I was interested in. I had already done enough research on my own and had very specific parameters I wished to fall within. Mark asked my specifications and I was prepared. I was interested in a stone weighing between 1.6 and 1.8ct, G-H in color, VS2-SI1 (Eye Clean) in clarity, and H&A Ideal cut parameters. After some additional small talk we scheduled an appointment for me to meet with him in his office on the following Tuesday (5-
.
I showed up on that Tuesday a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect. I had been diamond shopping several years ago with friends but never since my newfound education gained by visiting PriceScope. Mark greeted me and we sat down at his desk. Mark was prepared with several diamonds (Still wrapped) placed upon their accompanying certificates lined up neatly on his desk. We Immediately DID NOT get down to business. We simply started to talk. Once again, I cannot say enough about how personable he. We chatted for a bit and gradually started to assess my knowledge of diamonds. Before I knew it my nervousness was gone and we had moved on to examining the stones.
He offered to help me with the tweezers and loupe, by I already had experience with them and a tutorial was not necessary. Mark gave me several minutes to assess the stones on my own. After I examined each of the stones, we started to examine the stones together. Mark helped me find inclusions which I was not able to find on my own. Mark also continued my education in which are more “Favorable” inclusions. I narrowed my choice to two stones. We compared their color. One was a G, while the other was an H. Comparing them side by side, Mark noted that the H was a “High” H. The color between the two stones was hardly discernable. I asked him about prices. I then decided to shelf the stone issue temporarily so we could talk about settings.
I had several color printouts with me that I showed Mark but I had a decision left to make. I asked Mark if there was any problem in creating a custom\semi custom setting. He let me know that no creation was out of his realm. We talked about a variety of examples of recent custom work he had accomplished. My two choices were fairly simple. I had narrowed my decision to either a Tiffany replica OR a shared prong setting with a 6 prong head. I have\had a feeling that my Girlfriend really was\is not into the Tiffany replica (ALTHOUGH I KNOW SHE DOES WANT A 6 PRONG HEAD). I mentioned that to Mark, and he just said “Well………....” smiled and laughed. My decision was made. It was a platinum shared prong setting, 2.5mm with a 6 prong head, 5 diamonds each side.
Back to the Stones… I looked over the stones once more. They were both gorgeous. The less expensive of the two was a 1.7 H VS2. The more expensive contender was a 1.77 G SI1. We then reexamined both stones with an Ideal Scope. At this point there was something drawing me to the larger of the two stones. There was “something about it” which was more beautiful. Mark noted that he felt that the depth\ table percentages of the 1.77 were giving the stone more brilliance than its competitor. I may have never seen the difference without a side by side comparison. I personally feel that although there is wealth of scientific tools available examine diamonds, there is still much to be said for how the naked eye makes a comparison. I had made my decision.
I let Mark know my choice.
The winner was the: 1.77 G SI1 61.8% 57%
Mark let me know that the ring should be done in approximately 2 weeks.
This concludes Part 1 --- Thanks PriceScope for my education and everyone for reading-- Part 2 will following in a few weeks with pictures and hopefully a great “YES” Story
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