2019DiamondExperience
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2020
- Messages
- 3
My first late-post!
My girlfriend (now financée) and I were searching for an engagement ring since early 2019 as I was planning to propose to my girlfriend by the end of 2019.
We had no knowledge or experience in diamonds besides listening to our friends who got engaged and our parents who bought diamonds 20 years ago. We did some basic research such as looking at engagement rings from Tiffany, and we shopped around the mall. I was left disappointed because I could never afford a 2-2.5ct diamond from any of these stores. We started to browse on social media and visited boutique jewelry stores in person. However, after visiting a dozen stores, we were left clueless as to who to trust. We concluded that we had to do our own research and become an expert gemologist ourselves.
After doing many months of research, we stumbled across Pricescope and got in touch with Martin Sheffield. He replied to his email promptly and we scheduled a meeting at his basement office. Once we arrived, we did not expect to purchase a diamond at someone’s house. We got used to being served beverages at jewelry shops inside the mall.
However, after speaking with him for several minutes and getting comfortable in his office, we knew this is the real deal. First, his overhead costs were low; he was working by himself in his basement. Second, he has been in the diamond industry for decades. Third, he did not employ any marketing tactics or came off as pushy. Lastly, he was very patient with us as we were very specific and picky with the specs we wanted. Martin was also very informative and transparent. We talked for hours as if we were friends for a long time.
The transaction was very easy afterward as we already know which diamond we want or what specs we wanted if Martin had other alternatives. Martin pulled the diamond from his database, got in touch with the supplier in India and placed the diamond on hold for 3 days. We compared Martin’s quote to a dozen other jewelers in Canada and the United States, but Martin gave us the best price.
I was worried and skeptical about payment and delivery. After all, I am not doing business with a big store like Tiffany. I even drafted a consumer contract for Martin to sign but he did not. He reassured me that nothing will go wrong. Nonetheless, I decided to pull the trigger. I was worried and anxious for the following days since I have been emailing and calling him often, but he did not respond promptly. After a week, he called me and said the diamond arrived and it is gorgeous. He also apologized that he could not respond to all my calls and emails on time because he had an influx of clients.
We inspected the diamond at his office by matching the GIA number on the diamond to the GIA report, and he also prepared a certificate for free. He referred us to Selwyn to set our ring but unfortunately, we did not approach him.
Overall, we were very satisfied with the diamond. It looked a lot bigger for its CT weight and it is on fire under sunlight. Although Martin is old fashioned, we picked him over those fancy jewelry stores because he was straightforward and knowledgeable, and demonstrated his passion for diamonds. Also, his fun personality and old humor was the cherry on top. Not only did I get a beautiful diamond from Martin at an amazing price, but also, I learned a lot about the diamond industry and made a friend. For once, I am not hearing someone tell me how great the diamond is based on the 4 c’s.
I would recommend seeing Martin before you purchase a diamond, and I would visit Martin again for any diamond-related questions.
To Martin: If you are reading this review, I apologize for writing my review half a year late!
My girlfriend (now financée) and I were searching for an engagement ring since early 2019 as I was planning to propose to my girlfriend by the end of 2019.
We had no knowledge or experience in diamonds besides listening to our friends who got engaged and our parents who bought diamonds 20 years ago. We did some basic research such as looking at engagement rings from Tiffany, and we shopped around the mall. I was left disappointed because I could never afford a 2-2.5ct diamond from any of these stores. We started to browse on social media and visited boutique jewelry stores in person. However, after visiting a dozen stores, we were left clueless as to who to trust. We concluded that we had to do our own research and become an expert gemologist ourselves.
After doing many months of research, we stumbled across Pricescope and got in touch with Martin Sheffield. He replied to his email promptly and we scheduled a meeting at his basement office. Once we arrived, we did not expect to purchase a diamond at someone’s house. We got used to being served beverages at jewelry shops inside the mall.
However, after speaking with him for several minutes and getting comfortable in his office, we knew this is the real deal. First, his overhead costs were low; he was working by himself in his basement. Second, he has been in the diamond industry for decades. Third, he did not employ any marketing tactics or came off as pushy. Lastly, he was very patient with us as we were very specific and picky with the specs we wanted. Martin was also very informative and transparent. We talked for hours as if we were friends for a long time.
The transaction was very easy afterward as we already know which diamond we want or what specs we wanted if Martin had other alternatives. Martin pulled the diamond from his database, got in touch with the supplier in India and placed the diamond on hold for 3 days. We compared Martin’s quote to a dozen other jewelers in Canada and the United States, but Martin gave us the best price.
I was worried and skeptical about payment and delivery. After all, I am not doing business with a big store like Tiffany. I even drafted a consumer contract for Martin to sign but he did not. He reassured me that nothing will go wrong. Nonetheless, I decided to pull the trigger. I was worried and anxious for the following days since I have been emailing and calling him often, but he did not respond promptly. After a week, he called me and said the diamond arrived and it is gorgeous. He also apologized that he could not respond to all my calls and emails on time because he had an influx of clients.
We inspected the diamond at his office by matching the GIA number on the diamond to the GIA report, and he also prepared a certificate for free. He referred us to Selwyn to set our ring but unfortunately, we did not approach him.
Overall, we were very satisfied with the diamond. It looked a lot bigger for its CT weight and it is on fire under sunlight. Although Martin is old fashioned, we picked him over those fancy jewelry stores because he was straightforward and knowledgeable, and demonstrated his passion for diamonds. Also, his fun personality and old humor was the cherry on top. Not only did I get a beautiful diamond from Martin at an amazing price, but also, I learned a lot about the diamond industry and made a friend. For once, I am not hearing someone tell me how great the diamond is based on the 4 c’s.
I would recommend seeing Martin before you purchase a diamond, and I would visit Martin again for any diamond-related questions.
To Martin: If you are reading this review, I apologize for writing my review half a year late!
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