Fred Cuellar

I''ve read Fred Cuellar''s book, "How to Buy a Diamond", and am currently exchanging calls with my "gemologist". I''ve also shopped pretty thoroughly, though I''ve not yet purchased.

There are a number of that the author makes that are inconsistent with the information that I''m receiving from jewelers, as follows. I''d be interested in anyone''s view on these points. Is there a grand conspiracy by jewelers as to these issues, or is this book just plain wrong?

- Colors are graded within sub-categories, e.g. F(1) through F(5). No jeweler agrees with this. Some jewelers have told me that you might be able to sub-categorize as a "strong" or "weak" within the color groups, some say that even that is ridiculous.

- bonded jewelers - supposedly someone who''ll take the diamond back at the purchase price, whenever, forever. I''ve still not yet encountered a jeweler who will do that. Some have trade-in policies if you agree to spend lots more there, but that''s it. Many will let you have your money back or do an exchange within 10-30 days.

- These pricing charts are wildly inconsistent with the prices quoted on comparable stones by jewelers.

- buy "shy" i.e, the per-carat cost of a 1.95 is significantly lower than of a 2.0.

Much of the other information in this book appears to be consistent with what reputable jewelers tell me. However, the "help line" is really making me suspicious. Why is this guy so willing to call me constantly from Houston to hear about the stones I''m seeing, only to tell me that they''re way off and that I''m getting taken? When is the other shoe going to drop?

Cb08973, welcome to the forum

You can do a search on this forum to read previous threads on Fred C. and his book. Here are some of them.

Bonded Diamond
Bonded?
Fred Cuellar(The Diamond Guy)
How trustworthy is Fred Cuellar really?

...Is there a grand conspiracy by jewelers as to these issues, or is this book just plain wrong?

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The book covers some basic information but the author uses scare tactic to make people buy from him.

- Colors are graded within sub-categories, e.g. F(1) through F(5). No jeweler agrees with this. Some jewelers have told me that you might be able to sub-categorize as a "strong" or "weak" within the color groups, some say that even that is ridiculous.

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Maybe gemologists here will comment on this but I never heard of it either. Some colors can be close to the borders perhaps but you won't find this information in the grading reports

- bonded jewelers - supposedly someone who'll take the diamond back at the purchase price, whenever, forever. I've still not yet encountered a jeweler who will do that. Some have trade-in policies if you agree to spend lots more there, but that's it. Many will let you have your money back or do an exchange within 10-30 days.

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Check the threads above. If you're a willing to pay extra 15% for extended warranty (assuming Fred will be in business for ever), it's your choice. Again it is made to put doubts in your mind and make you buy from Fred.

- These pricing charts are wildly inconsistent with the prices quoted on comparable stones by jewelers.

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Agree. You can also run a price comparison from Pricescope.com to see what similar diamonds cost in the internet at different dealers. [/quote]

- buy "shy" i.e, the per-carat cost of a 1.95 is significantly lower than of a 2.0.

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This is not a bad idea. It's just much difficult to find such stones.

Try also tutorial on this site.

The other shoe, if it has not dropped already, is that Fred wants you to buy his stones. Has he told you that the stones you are looking at are 'warped'? If not you should hear it soon. The book is a good place to start, I got it myself off his site for free when I posted a message. But take it with a huge grain of salt. Also Fred has a past you may want to read about. Run a few searches on Google to read about him. Also run a few searches here on Pricescope to read countless messages from people such as yourself who buy or get the book and then find themselves confused by Fred-speak. Much of what the book says is true or can be construed as true..but others such as the points you mention and/or pricing may be off.

I would suggest that you research on Pricescope alot and read the tutorials. There are alot of experts here (me not being one of them..I'm just a consumer who loves diamonds) who are in the trade and can be very helpful with their suggestions or comments on questions or on stones themselves. Some even sell stones that are very beautiful and probably rank within the top 5% of stones out there in commerce.

So hope this has helped somewhat. Take a deep breath and relax, this should be fun!

Here's a tidbit you might want to read...http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/1998/06/08/story3.html

Hey, it's tough out there - watch your step!


And when the other shoe drops - put 'em both on and RUN!

Gary, thanks for the link.

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Colors are graded within sub-categories, e.g. F(1) through F(5). No
jeweler agrees with this. Some jewelers have told me that you might be
able to sub-categorize as a "strong" or "weak" within the color
groups, some say that even that is ridiculous.
-----------

I know where this is coming from. While they are by no means official "sub-categories", the Gran Colorimeter has a linear printout with five blocks for each color. A shaded area covers a portion of these blocks (three I think) indicating the body color.

If the shaded area designating the body color centers within the first block, the color is considered a "strong" color grade. (Let's use "G" for example) If the shading falls within the three center blocks, it would be a "medium" G color, and if the shading centers in the last block it would be considered a "weak" G color.

Considering the degree of error in both the colorimeter and human beings, I don't really think a case could be made for subdividing a color grade into five sub-categories. All you would get from it would be endless squabbling.

Chris, Did you get you answers answered? I too am looking for a stone and am actually looking to get one from Fred's company directly.

What do you think?

-ernie

The only comments I can add are:
1) This guy went to jail for being shady....I would be hesitant about buying from him. Make sure all your bases are covered!
2) The price cutoffs do exist, and true it is harder to find these .92-.94 stones or 1.9-1.95 but if you locate one that matches your cut and color, clarity grading; you will most likely get a greatly reduced price........I saved a lot by getting a .92ct.

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On 10/21/2003 12:10:53 PM [email protected] wrote:

What do you think?

-ernie
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You don't want to know what I think!!

Run an archive search on Fred and read all about him. Then see if you still want to get a stone from him.

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On 10/22/2003 12:30:43 AM Mara wrote:

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On 10/21/2003 12:10:53 PM [email protected] wrote:

What do you think?

-ernie
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You don't want to know what I think!!

Run an archive search on Fred and read all about him. Then see if you still want to get a stone from him.

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Beam me up, Scottie! Warp speed, Mister Sulu! Run, Forest, Run!

Thanks Gary,

I had read that article but did not know where to find it.

There are other books out there about buying diamonds, they just are not free. When you get something free, look for the attached string.

If Fred calls, just hang up.

It is funny but I've noticed that Fred Cueller's name popping up lately. At least it indicates that with all his scare tactics, folks are at trying to get some ground truth before buying into his whole spiel.

While I may not jump to the same conclusion, as some, that he bilked his investors; there are sufficient evidence to bring his sales pitches/schemes into question.

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On 10/22/2003 9:25:01 AM dimonbob wrote:

There are other books out there about buying diamonds, they just are not free. When you get something free, look for the attached string.

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Am I the *ONLY* one who paid for his dopey book???

Even early in my diamond search, I knew his stupid book was a bunch of bunk.

Am I the *ONLY* one who paid for his dopey book???

Even early in my diamond search, I knew his stupid book was a bunch of bunk.
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No, I paid for the book too. All those stupid good reviews on Amazon, probably written by some of the workers on his tollfree helpline.

I even panicked about finding a bonded jeweler and called "My gemologist" who promptly told me there were no bonded jewelers in my area, but that Fred would do me a big favor, which he "doesn't do for everyone" and cut me my own diamond, for $4000 more than the prices I was finding elsewhere.

I'm glad I stumbled across this website first.

Hey, I even bought Fred's book (2nd hand)on the, "better the devil you know than the one you don't", theory!

Someone should really do an expose (Dateline, 60 minutes, 48 Hours, Primetime etc...) on Fred and his "warped" scam. Maybe someone should compose some sort of letter on behalf of the pricescope forum and we could like all sign it and send it to those shows. This could be a public service project for the forum.

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On 10/22/2003 10:20:51 AM fire&ice wrote:

Am I the *ONLY* one who paid for his dopey book???

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You PAID for the book........ ?!?!?!?! Oh, my.

Oh no, not Fred again!

I thought the world knew he was a scam!

(Or am I living in LaLa land?)

win

I know I've asked this before, but why doesn't Fred appear here to defend himself. Other vendors have joined PS to clarify and defend themselves, why not Fred? I really would like to see what he has to say to forum like this.