Kudos for I.D. Jewelery!

[Spirit]

Recently returned from a quick trip to Manhattan and was so pleased to finally meet the kind people at I.D. Jewelery!
47th Street is crazy busy and without knowing who to trust there, it can be a very frustrating experience.
Thanks to the Pricescope ladies who have recently been raving about I.D. 's new style of diamond earring jackets, it was a priority for us to stop in there.
Apparently we just missed them on both visits. I would have been so happy to meet them. Mara was one of the first people on here whose posts educated me on how to buy the perfect diamond! ( Thanks!).
So, these jackets are all sparkly and the artistically scalloped edge is beautiful! Can't wait to purchase some coloured precision cut stones to switch around inside the jackets!
Special mention goes to Yekutiel who was a pleasure to deal with. No pressure; just very kind and helpful, in addition to his sweet wife Tamar and several of his staff ( Christine )who also assisted us,.Yekutiel went above and beyond in helping us with a different matter, which made a huge difference in us leaving New York with a very positive feeling.He is a kind man with a good heart.
Thank you to everyone. I learn so much on PScope and very much appreciate all the people who share so much valuable information!
Hopefully another time we will get to meet at one of the fav vendors.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

I wish I had a chance to go there and meet them all !
Maybe someday !!!

 

[Enerchi]

How exciting to go and see the merchandise and get to meet the staff! I was no the phone with Luann earlier in the week and am hoping we get to go to NYC in October - she said she's always excited to meet the PSers and put a PS name to a face!

 

[Christina...]

I wish I lived closer to NYC, I would love to meet all the vendors and play in their showcases for a day, a week, a month! *dreamy sigh* I'll meet you there in October Enerchi, I'll bring the camera, you bring the credit cards!

 

[Enerchi]

I wish I lived closer to NYC, I would love to meet all the vendors and play in their showcases for a day, a week, a month! *dreamy sigh* I'll meet you there in October Enerchi, I'll bring the camera, you bring the credit cards!

Um... I'm thinking we'll do it the other way around.... lets use YOUR credit cards!!!

I have booked our flight but not the hotel and already advised DH that there WILL BE a diamond day - plan accordingly - bring your iPad to amuse yourself!

 

[Spirit]

It really was fun being there in person! All their staff are so friendly and not pushy at all. Cristine even said I was having fun " playing"! She took out some of the big eternity rings and let me try them on. The one with yellow radiant cut stones was gorgeous and way beyond our budget, but it sure felt good on my finger for a few minutes! I also loved the one with ovals, and tried emeralds, cushions, and rounds. They were all so sparkly and you could tell they are all chosen to match up in size and color. Those rings were stunning.
There is a huge difference between dealing with I.D.and some of the other stores we walked into. I am so glad we found someone we would happily return to and is trustworthy.They are right at street level and have a beautiful window display.

 

[Enerchi]

Did you just walk in or did you make an appointment with specifics as to what you were looking for?

and.... did you take pictures???

 

[Spirit]

I did call a few days before we arrived in NY and Cristine said they are closed both Saturday and Sundays. She offered to have a collection ready for us if we called even an hour ahead of when we wanted to visit.
As it turned out, we randomly stopped in on the Monday , and I really had no idea of what I wanted to see. Of course, I secretly wanted to see every single piece they had!!! We were happy that Yekutiel was right there at the counter and was able to meet with us without an appointment. It didn't take long to zero in on the jackets and that was it.
We stopped in again the next day, and he greeted us by name! He had no idea we would be back. He is THEE best!

( sorry - no photos but they are the 3 pointers)

 

[Enerchi]

Ah! The ones that will soon be known as the "officialPS 3 point jackets" I've ordered a pair as well ( will get them when I'm in June) and there are S E V E R A L others - we should have a jacket GTG!

I'm quite excited about seeing NYC again and this time, meeting the people I've read about and seeing the shops!!

 

[JLW05]

How nice for you to have gotten to meet the staff in person. I am lucky enough to live near Manhattan. A lot of the vendors in the Diamond District seem untrustworthy. Many stand on the street and are very pushy about trying to get you to look at their merchandise. ID Jewelry seems to do a very brisk business without having to resort to that.

 

[Spirit]

Exactly!
Those pushy vendors are the ones to be careful to avoid!
BTW, all I had to do was ask for the "Pricesopers favorite jackets" and Yekuetiel had them out in a flash!

 

[cellentani]

So glad you had a wonderful experience at IDJ and love the jackets - I've been wearing mine constantly, despite having a lovely earring collection!! And too funny about just missing us - I was in the district again this past weekend and heard that you came in RIGHT after we left, what a riotl!!

 

[Enerchi]

Cellantini - plan for an IDJ pit stop on October 30th! I'd love to meet you! My goal is to be there bright an early ---- there are diamonds to be shopped for when in NYC, but 50% of the people I'm married to feel there is a whole city to explore... Where does he get this nonsense from - tourism over diamond district? Crazy talk!

You really did start a trend with those jackets - thank you for inspiring so many of us! We bow to your vision

 

[Spirit]

Cellentani... glad you saw this post! Yekutiel said I had just missed your group and asked my screen name but I knew he would forget because he got paged to the phone.
I wonder about something: I did not have my studs with me on this trip. They are 93 points each ear and in a 3 prong martini setting. The jackets I bought are 13 diamonds in each, 3 pointers, total carat weight of 78 points.
It seems like the martini settings sit too high , so I am going to use these jackets to enhance some smaller colored stones which are on the way. (Tanzanite and sapphire. around 65 points each stone.) I am hoping they will sit deeper into the jacket . I was thinking to use a 4 prong basket setting, or do you have a better suggestion? I imagine there will be an airline, but that seems to be the nature of these unless they sit up high.
Do you have any opinions on how these jackets should fit? ( I hope I didn't make a mistake by getting the larger ones when the 11 stones might have fit the colored stones better).
Really sorry I missed you on both visits!!!
Thanks from me too about starting this craze!
Sidenote: we stayed at a hotel in the Theatre district which was a 5 minute walk to 47th St! Best 5 minute walk ever!

 

[Enerchi]

hey Spirit - what was the hotel? we have yet to book accommodations. (but ok if you don't want to mention on PS)

 

[Spirit]

No problem , Enerchi. We loved the Hilton Garden Inn . So clean and modern, large rooms, and close to everything we needed. Very nice staff.The Hampton Inn Times Sq. North is also a great hotel, just across the street from the HGI. Both are on 8th , around 50th.Keep checking for a better rate, as they change all the time.
Both have in-room safes, which is perfect for when you go touring with your dh AFTER your visit to I.D.!

 

[Enerchi]

No problem , Enerchi. We loved the Hilton Garden Inn . So clean and modern, large rooms, and close to everything we needed. Very nice staff.The Hampton Inn Times Sq. North is also a great hotel, just across the street from the HGI. Both are on 8th , around 50th.Keep checking for a better rate, as they change all the time.
Both have in-room safes, which is perfect for when you go touring with your dh AFTER your visit to I.D.!

Oh, you soooo know what I'm talkin' about!!! You and I are totally on the same wave length, DH... not so much! but he'll amuse me and go and ooh and aah, along with me... then I'll have to spend about an hour or more at the Apple store by Central Park /FAO Schwartz. But I'm ok with that... cuz in my mind, it will be followed by a visit to the Palm Court at The Plaza!!! oh yes... goin' in style!

 

[JLW05]

Hi Spririt,

I too have the ID jackets. I am looking for sapphires to put into the jackets - my better half doesn't know what this forum has done to me and I have a looong list of "must haves! May I ask what vendor you used for your sapphires? I am looking for a reliable vendor. I have gone on the Colored Stones threads but I know so little about this topic and there are just so many vendors and cutters whose names get mentioned. I am just totally confused as to where to start looking.

 

[Spirit]

HI!
I have some beautiful stones from Jeff White , and he is really a gem himself!
I would have happily gone back to him but he doesn't seem to do much with small stones or pairs, as I have asked him before. So this time we went with Gemfix. Andrew has a wonderful website . He gave us a lot of time on the phone discussing the stones, and he made suggestions as he was acting as " our eyes" . Two of the pairs we selected were not even on his website, but he was looking at the stones right in front of him/ I was told they just updated their website within the past 2 days. Look under their " newest stones" . He does a mean Portuguese cut!
I hope they will arrive next week, and they will be drool-worthy!
Hope that helps. Good luck with your search!

 

[cellentani]

Heheh, I love all the jackets people buzzing around - how fun!!!!

Enerchi, I love NY in the Fall - the crisp air is great for walking! Heck, I guess I love NY pretty much anytime though, and it would be great to meet you! I'll keep October in mind. There are a number of PS threads on places to eat in NY - I remember some recommended brunch places w/in walking distance of Apple/FAO. I brought the better half with me in February, and it was great to be there over a Sunday when the district is largely closed anyway - we did all the exploring/walking that day, and I could hit the vendors Monday w/o too much guilt, lol.

Alj and I have stayed at Hilton Garden on 35th a couple of times, and it's a great location. I've always felt very safe in that area, even at night, and there's tons of stuff nearby.

Spirit, I still can't believe we missed you BOTH times! Who knows though, we may have passed you on 47th w/o even knowing it, lol. As for the jackets, I switched my studs into 4-prong basketless martini settings. I think the key is to find a mounting that allows your stone to sit as low as possible. With the basketless martini, the culet can be nestled right in the bottom of the "V" (there are photos on my jackets thread). I bought the settings from a findings place in the district, so let me know if you want more info on that. If you go that route, you should pick up a few extra pairs for your new colored stones!! What is the diameter of your diamond studs? I'll keep an eye out for calibrated sizes.

Oh Enerchi! Prima is of my favorite colored gem vendors, and their office is just one block north. They have a limited selection of calibrated sizes (native cut), so you might be able to find something to fit your jackets. You don't need me to go there, but if I can make it up there, I'd be happy to show you around!

 

[JLW05]

Thanks for the info.

 

[JLW05]

Looked on Gemfix. Thanks for the info. Are heated sapphires OK?

 

[Spirit]

That is such a kind offer, Cellantani. I will look our for those settings locally but if I can't figure out a way to fit my studs, I may come back and ask you for more guidance.Thanks !
JLW05, I will post again when I receive the Gemfix stones. Hopefully I will be thrilled and will happily recommend them!

 

[Spirit]

Well, heated sapphires can be more than ok. My larger stones cut by Jeff White are all natural, unheated stones. They are amazing! Love that they come cooked from the earth!
For these smaller stones, I was ok with heat only. Have you looked at the Colored Stones Forum?? There is soooo much information to read there. You can learn a lot about heated vs nonheated vs treated stones.
Hope you find what you are looking for!

 

[JLW05]

Thanks for the reply. I have looked on the colored gems forum but I feel thick as a plank. I don't really understand what to look for in sapphires as opposed to diamonds. Makes me feel too intimidated to try to search for sapphires even though what I am looking for are just two small matched stones to fit my earring jackets. I hope you are happy with your stones and can offer a good recommendation.

 

[Spirit]

JLW, there are so many things to consider with colored stones. As opposed to diamonds, the cut isn't as important as the color! Windows are a bad thing. You can get a native cut or a precision cut. Lots to understand but the learning journey is fun so don't get discouraged.

 

[JLW05]

Thanks for the enouragement Spirit. I just don't seem to get colored stones although I have seen some sapphires others have bought and can recognize a beautiful color(I think!). Other concepts seem to be harder for me to understand - windows, etc. I will keep perusing the colored stones board and hope that I can get a better grasp on how to chose a nice stone, no matter how small.