Private Buying Service...

[JD_MD]

Ok, if the service doesn''t already exist, a few of you PS folks who are experts in the field should consider offering a buying service to frustrated and overwhelmed first time diamond buyers. I have a very good understanding of diamond properties after a week or two on PS, but I''ve found that:

a) Most diamonds that I initially found based on my parameters didn''t have enough information listed on the website to be able to make an informed decision (there a few exceptions, I know)

b) Getting the information usually required a phone call to someone with whom I had to start from scratch with everytime about what I was looking for, budget etc.

c) After getting the additional information (if it was even available), the diamond always had a critical flaw (low HCA, average Brilliance Scope, visible inclusions etc)

d) So it''s back to square one...

I''m sure there are enough potential clients on this board to make someone some serious $$$...

Just an observation.

Don''t get me wrong...diamond hunting is fun but time consuming. Only knowing enough about diamonds to be dangerous doesn''t help sometimes!

 

[strmrdr]

If you post what your looking for and your budget it will be done for free on the board.
No reason to pay someone for it.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Date: 5/25/2005 1:10:37 PM
Author: strmrdr
If you post what your looking for and your budget it will be done for free on the board.
No reason to pay someone for it.

BUMP. There are many experienced and knowledeable individuals on this site that will more than offer assistance!

 

[Mara]

JD you bring up something that others have suggested, but for me personally, I like to do this for fun and my time is given, not required ....like it would be if it was an actual job! PS for me is like a little paradise away from reality, so I wouldn't want to necessarily make any of you my clients.

Pressure!

Not to mention that not all of us agree on what makes a stellar stone, so you are better off with varying opinions so you really get a 'well-rounded' picture IMO.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 5/25/2005 4:11:49 PM
Author: Mara
JD you bring up something that others have suggested, but for me personally, I like to do this for fun and my time is given, not required ....like it would be if it was an actual job! PS for me is like a little paradise away from reality, so I wouldn''t want to necessarily make any of you my clients.

Pressure!

Not to mention that not all of us agree on what makes a stellar stone, so you are better off with varying opinions so you really get a ''well-rounded'' picture IMO.

Ditto.....and very well said. It was nice to have so many folks willing to help when I was looking, and it''s nice to pay that forward.

Plus, at the end of the day, you''d still have to learn/understand the information to make the final choice....the final choice should ALWAYS be that of the customer.

There is no *one right answer* about the blend of the Cs.....it''s personal depending on each shopper''s priorities/sensitivities.

She''s also right that with so many different perspectives and preference, it benefits you to hear them all.

 

[moremoremore]

JD-MD, even ps vendors won't comment on an internet stone unseen...so you are right, you need to see the diamond.

I don't see the need for a buying service.
Pick one or two good vendors. Tell them what you are looking for. They will find it for you. That's what they do. Some might ask you to pick from an internet list..but that can be very disappointing b/c you're picking blind and chances are, you'll be disappointed by selecting a stone only on numbers...so that's why I love Mark T. He walks himself over to the suppliers and will select a few for you to see. No buying service needed. I'm sure other vendors can do the same.

 

[Rank Amateur]

What ever happened to Broadway? Wasn''t he a buyer''s agent?

 

[Mara]

For a newbie who isn't familiar with any of the online vendors or offline jewelers they want to work with and unsure of who to trust, I could see how someone to help them would be attractive...I also got very overwhelmed while looking the first time around and we made a decision not really sure if it was the *right* one. Three or four stone purchases later, it is alot more uneventful for me to find a stone and choose it and know I will love it...I also know which vendors or jewelers I would and would not work with, etc. But that first time around, the anxiety was high.

My piece of advice re: being overwhelmed would be to be patient and take your time. Don't feel pressured to make any decision FAST. You can always put stones on hold and think about it....the good news is you DO eventually figure out what is important to you but it comes with time and patience, and really seeing more than a few stones in person to figure that out.

Personally, I would not want to hand over a $25k purchase to someone and say 'find me the perfect stone'. I'd rather be involved with spending my money.

YES, it's tempting when you are overwhelmed and maybe I wish I had someone to slap me around the first stone purchase and say NO not that one, but just think about how awesome it will feel to find the perfect stone for your gal and know you took the time to do it yourself.

Plus then you'll be addicted and she'll end up with earrings next and then a pendant..etc. So we are really doing her a favor by insisting you stick around and do it yourself. Hee!

 

[moremoremore]

Absolutely Dave! The hardest part about finding a diamond is not the diamond...but the vendor

and who the heck knows if you can trust an unknown buying service more or less than an unknown vendor!

 

[NoonersMom]

I am wondering what the difference is between that and a trusted jeweler that you work with?

As someone who is completing their first ring project, I can''t imagine handing over the reins to another person. The knowledge alone is powerful. Not to mention there is a certain thrill in finally findind the diamond and seeing it all come to fruition. Once I receive my ER and finally have a chance to wear it I am positive I will feel a certain amount of pride.

But that''s just me.....someone who likes great value for the money.

As Mara and ALJ noted, it''s nice to stick around and offer advice/opinions as a "thank you" for all of those that helped in our individual purchase.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 5/25/2005 6:30:38 PM
Author: NoonersMom
I am wondering what the difference is between that and a trusted jeweler that you work with?

As someone who is completing their first ring project, I can''t imagine handing over the reins to another person. The knowledge alone is powerful. Not to mention there is a certain thrill in finally findind the diamond and seeing it all come to fruition. Once I receive my ER and finally have a chance to wear it I am positive I will feel a certain amount of pride.

But that''s just me.....someone who likes great value for the money.

As Mara and ALJ noted, it''s nice to stick around and offer advice/opinions as a ''thank you'' for all of those that helped in our individual purchase.

NoonersMom,

On both points (valuing both Jewelers already doing this, and DIY)...well said.

Not sure about the sticking around part, as a strategy...as it seems somehow more addicting than that.

Alternately, and despite my "regular guy" status, I have actually thought about offering a short course (one night sort of deal), where I''d mostly introduce people to Pricescope, I think. Though it may be presumptuous to do so, I think there a lot of people that stumble onto this place that could benefit from it, and moreover, the ideas reviewed here.

Actually, it''s at least possible GIA''s new grading system will obviate the need. Maybe that remains to be seen.

 

[niceice]

Date: 5/25/2005 12:39:23 PM
Author:JD_MD
Ok, if the service doesn''t already exist, a few of you PS folks who are experts in the field should consider offering a buying service to frustrated and overwhelmed first time diamond buyers. I have a very good understanding of diamond properties after a week or two on PS, but I''ve found that:

a) Most diamonds that I initially found based on my parameters didn''t have enough information listed on the website to be able to make an informed decision (there a few exceptions, I know)

c) After getting the additional information (if it was even available), the diamond always had a critical flaw (low HCA, average Brilliance Scope, visible inclusions etc)

As stated previously in the thread, there are many people here on PS who gleaned depths of information from all of the various web sites while searching for their perfect diamond and fell in love with diamonds and spend countless hours here on PS helping novice buyers find the diamond of their dreams and avoid costly mistakes... Post what you are looking for and without a doubt many of them will respond.

As for A & C of your concerns... "A" is solved by working with vendors who actually have the diamonds they represent instead of selling off of virtual lists... The only way to be able to provide detailed information is to have it. There are several well known established vendors here on PS who can assist you with this. "C" is solved the same way... Most of the vendors who stock physical inventory are quite selective in their buying practices and tend not to purchase diamonds for inventory that aren''t well performing stones... Not sure what you''re referring to as "average Brilliance Scope results" but people often interpret the bar graph provided in the scan as "average" when the results are in the range of High when in fact 85% of the scale of possibility occurs within the range from Low to the high end of Medium and the remaining 15% is accounted for between the low end of High to the high end of Very High... Thus "average" would be scans in the mid-range of medium and really nice starts to come into play around the middle of High. Don''t take our word for it, call Gem Ex.