The local Diamond dealer

[Shameless]

Isn''t this funny. Many of us worry about getting a recycled diamond from a proposal, marriage gone wrong... bad karma.. attached to it.

But, I have a question. Is anyone in my situation?

My parents were engaged, and married & they were pretty poor. I mean, they once bought a bushel of green peppers & ate that for 2 weeks poor. They''ve always bought their jewelry at Ben Garelick. Pretty much my entire extended family has shopped there for years, generations.

They have a dollar for dollar diamond trade-in policy.

Should I still consider perusing online for a better deal? Do you think I could find one?

They have this strict "We don''t sell diamonds online" policy which kinda seems wierd to me. No?

 

[neatfreak]

I don't know that I am understanding your backstory about your parents and the "used" diamonds?

But yes, it is very likely that you can find a better deal online than you can in most B&M stores.

 

[Shameless]

That''s the thing. When you start posting while you''ve been drinking it''s not the ideal cut or choice to make as your 2nd post on these things.

Anyway. B&M?

Brother and mom?

Buy and Marry?

Burglar and Make speed?

 

[Ellen]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Better deal, better diamonds......

https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx

And no, I don't work for a jeweler...wish I did, though!

(Oh, and I know Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash both have lifetime trade in policies.)

 

[chrono]

Date: 4/29/2008 10:04:42 PM
Author: Shameless
That''s the thing. When you start posting while you''ve been drinking it''s not the ideal cut or choice to make as your 2nd post on these things.

Anyway. B&M?

Brother and mom?

Buy and Marry?

Burglar and Make speed?

B&M = Brick and Mortar store as in the very same type you are looking to shop at. A store with a physical brick and mortar presence in your local area.

 

[denverappraiser]

A store that has been providing your family with good service for generations is a good thing. Dollar for dollar tradeup programs are a fairly good thing although this will depend on the details. There’s always a bit of fine print surrounding these things. Local stores are generally a little more expensive than the big Internet houses because of the different business model. They pay more in rents, have more employees, advertise locally, etc. This isn’t all bad, those employees and that convenient location can make for a better shopping experience and, to the extent that they are providing employment for your neighbors and paying local taxes, they are helping your community in a way that the long distance folks can’t do. It’s up to you to decide if the trade offs are worth the extra price.

Selling successfully on the Internet is a very different skill set from running a high quality local store. Very few people are good at both but you will find that a few of the often recommended Internet dealers are no more or less than a successful jeweler from someone else’s neighborhood who is expanding to a national market by selling online. Some succeed at the transition and some don''t. There are an awful lot of excellent jewelers with crappy websites and remarkably few that have both terrific stores and terrific sites.

Usually, the stores that have a policy of not selling online do it because they don’t want to get into a price war with the stripped down discounters and because they don’t have the skills or the time to go toe to toe with the high-end guys. They found their niche and they’re happy with it. Myopic perhaps, because this is clearly the direction that the diamond business is going, but it’s their decision and, so far, it’s not really a problem.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver