shape
carat
color
clarity

A bit of a conundrum with an e-ring.....

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

VanGo

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
19
Well,
I''ve been reading on Pricescope for awhile and I''ve finally purchased a stone/setting combination from Whiteflash. I''m very excited about it and I''m sure I''ll be thrilled with it when it arrives. (see thread here)

There is one fly in the ointment, though, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Whiteflash, so please don''t get that impression. This will be long and involved, so read on at your own risk.
9.gif


When I was shopping for the stone/setting, I went to a local diamond wholesaler in Charlotte with a very nice store and HUGE selection of settings (two of which my GF was very fond). Before I went in, I was convinced that I wanted an AGS/GIA Ideal Stone, just as big as I could afford, and was pretty well set on an ACA. When there, the saleswoman led me to believe that a particular EGL (Israel) graded stone was the be-all and end-all of diamonds and she was cutting me the best deal ever on a particular stone. (Oh, and if I wanted to put a 20% downpayment on it to hold it, it would be completely refundable if I changed my mind.) No big deal, I figured. So, I put 20% down and went home to dig a little deaper into the lab threads on Pricescope. Turns out, some EGL certs aren''t worth the paper they''re written on and I''m suddenly feeling quite duped.

I email said wholesaler saying I want a refund. No problem, just stop by the store, she says. After that, I find the wonderful ACA stone from Whiteflash and buy it.

Later that week, I go into the wholesaler for the refund. My saleslady''s not there, so someone else gives me the rundown, telling me there are no guarantees from the internet and that the internet is made up of stones that retailers reject, etc., etc. I''m not buying it, and I still want the refund. He says no problem, I''ll go run it for you.

Then the owner of the store walks in and sits down with all my paperwork and the diamond I put on hold. He asks me why I''m taking my business elsewhere, and I explain to him that I felt duped on the EGL cert/stone and that I''m not looking for a "good enough" diamond, I''m looking for "the best" diamond. He then apologizes to me, tells me he''s sure it was a miscommunication between me and the saleswoman (which I highly doubt) and tells me what he''s willing to do to make it right.

He says he''ll pull in 3 or more AGS 000 Light performance 0 stones for me, send me the certs ahead of time, allow me to bring in my stone for direct comparison, and undercut the ACA price by about 12%. I probably wouldn''t even consider it, but I''m drawn to the free inspection, maintenance, and polishing that would come with an e-ring from the wholesaler.

So, should I just roll up in there with my H&A viewer from WF, an Idealscope (to be purchased where I don''t know) and my 20/15 eyes to see what I see? I feel like I would be stiffing WF if I actually chose to go with the Wholesaler, but it would be within the WF return period, so I guess it would be somewhat legit.

I guess I''m asking two/ well three things:
1.) What would you as a consumer do in my situation? and
2.) How important is it to have free lifetime inspection, maintenance, and polishing? (Keep in mind that I WILL be purchasing insurance for any ring)
3.) Would it be shady (unethical) of me to send it back to WF and go with the wholesaler?

Just in case you''re wondering, right now I''m leaning towards probably keeping the WF ring since I don''t think the wholesaler will be able to match the quality of the ACA stone. But I haven''t even seen it yet (or any ACA in person), so I''m not sure.

If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading. If you take even more time to respond, thanks for that too!
2.gif


VanGo.
 

jet2ks

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
2,022
I''ll only be able answer one of your questions.

2.) How important is it to have free lifetime inspection, maintenance, and polishing?

Not very. Most jewelry stores will clean and inpect prongs for no charge--the wholesaler is just telling you this to try and impress you with their service. You will probably have to pay someone for polishing, but that is not a frequent or large expense. Try calling a couple of local stores for a quote on what they would charge.

The manager here strikes me as a used car salesman type. Remember that with this large of a purchase, you are buying the company as well as the stone and then decide who you would like to do business with.
 

neatfreak

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
14,169
So either 2 people lied to you or they don''t train their staff at all, right? Personally no question I would stick with WF. Most stores will inspect/clean a ring for free anyway, even if you didn''t purchase there.
 

Dee*Jay

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 26, 2006
Messages
15,105
An AGS 000 undercutting the price of an EQUIVALENT* ACA by 12%? Well won't it be interesting to see how *this* turns out!

(I added the word "equivalent" in here, but it's an important one.)

Honestly VanGo, I have a bad taste in my mouth about this guy just reading your post. If there were AGS 000 stones available why didn't they show them to you in the first place?

I'd take your refund and call it a day. Just my two cents...
 

sonnyjane

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
2,476
I agree with the others. I''d stick with WF. Also, one of the reasons I chose to get my set from a B&M store was for the warranty/maintenance policy...but I am a military dependent and now that I have moved away from any of the store locations, they want me to mail it in every 6 months for weeks at a time to maintain the policy, something I''m not really wanting to do. For me, personally, I will probably just void the warranty and take it to local jewelry stores for cleanings and inspections. My point is, that shouldn''t be the selling point!
 

ponder

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
748
The wholesaler seemed slightly shady from your story. I could not purchase from someone I had a bad feeling about.

I would purchase from whiteflash blindfolded and both hands bound with only one finger available to click on the mouse.
 

Brown.Eyed.Girl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
6,893
Date: 3/5/2009 5:45:42 PM
Author: ponder
The wholesaler seemed slightly shady from your story. I could not purchase from someone I had a bad feeling about.


I would purchase from whiteflash blindfolded and both hands bound with only one finger available to click on the mouse.

Ditto.

If you''re happy with the WF diamond, and it sounded like you were (or at least the problem didn''t stem from any dissatisfaction with WF), I would just keep that diamond. Don''t give in to the "grass is always greener" philosophy if you''re happy with what you have
1.gif
 

swingirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
5,667
Do you feel experienced at visually inspecting diamonds to know a good one?? Probably not. I doubt he will have a ASET and 40X images like WF. You''ll be trusting your "wholesaler" to lead you towards the best stone. When he''s giving you 12% off how will you know he''s being honest? Why would he give you such a deep discount on their best stone and take a loss?

When you went in to ask for your refund but left empty handed it let the owner know you could be swayed by price so they are doing their best to make a sale. You need to be clear about what''s important. Cheap price, free inspections, local jeweler, ACA, internet purchase, and most importantly no regrets.
 

Lorelei

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
42,064
Firstly anyone who sells to the public is a retailer, not a wholesaler. I also have a bad taste in my mouth reading this concerning the first jeweller... Did you actually get your refund?? If it was me I would 1000% insist on my money back and go with WF. Any good jeweller who wants to earn your business for future purchases would be willing to check your prongs and clean your ring. So don't make such an important decision based on this IMO.
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
33,852
Date: 3/5/2009 5:22:18 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
An AGS 000 undercutting the price of an EQUIVALENT* ACA by 12%? Well won''t it be interesting to see how *this* turns out!

(I added the word ''equivalent'' in here, but it''s an important one.)

Honestly VanGo, I have a bad taste in my mouth about this guy just reading your post. If there were AGS 000 stones available why didn''t they show them to you in the first place?

I''d take your refund and call it a day. Just my two cents...
VanGo
this guy is B.Sing you. i''ll bet DJ''s underwear on this one.
rotflmao2.gif
 

Ellen

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 13, 2006
Messages
24,433
You''ve gotten great advice that covers all the bases.
28.gif
 

Traylor

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
6
Hi, I''m going through a similar situation right now. My ACA H&A G S1 ring from WF is being made, and yesterday I received a call from a local gem importer, who seems like a reputable guy since my sister bought her wedding bands there. He had arranged for some EGL graded stones to be sent in for me to examine. I noted they were also from Israel. From what I''ve learned about EGL on this forum, I was watchful of the fact that the F VS2 I was examining could might be considered a G SI1 by AGS or GIA. It was an ideal cut stone, and I didn''t see anything under the loupe, but it didn''t have all the measurement info I needed to compare to WF and didn''t have the same appearance as the Hearts on Fire stones I had examined at a different store. Then, I examined an EGL Ideal Cut G SI1...that sealed it for me. The EGL G SI1 had noticeable long feather or needle inclusion on the table that I immediately picked out with the loupe and which I could then see with my eye at more than 24". This led me to conclude that it was likely an SI 2 that was getting a more liberal grade by EGL.

I''ve put money down on several diamonds during my e-ring process and usually changed my mind the next day to get it refunded. As I''ve learned more about true H&A diamonds and examined all the info available here and on the WF site, I am convinced going with them is the right decision if you like cut and know that, once my ring arrives, if I have any doubts, I can take it in to stores for comparison, but I have a feeling that I will be impressed enough with it to not even want to bother.
 

VanGo

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
19
23.gif
Wow,

Thank You all for the feedback, and overnight, too. You all pretty much echoed what i was already feeling. Oh, and I DEFINITELY got my refund the day I went back in that store. I wouldn''t leave $1000 cash with anyone I didn''t like, and I didn''t like them very much at all that day.


jet2ks/neatfreak - Thanks very much for that info. I didn''t realize that most places would do this for free. If that''s the case, then there''s no real reason to go with the wholesaler.

Dee*Jay - Yes, that''s what I was hoping to determine with the H&A viewer and an idealscope. Personally, I doubt this place could MATCH an ACA if they pulled in 50 stones. And even if they did, it would be an accident because ACA''s are based on criteria that aren''t availabe to anyone except WF and Brian Gavin from what I can tell.

Lorelei - Yes, I know what a retailer is, but this place supposedly makes most of its money selling finished diamonds to retailers. They only have 3 shops in the US, and they claim to own everything from the mine to the rough, to the cutting process, to the end stone. Maybe it''s just ad fiction, but they do have a large selection of very nice stones that I didn''t find at any of the chain stores I visited.


I didn''t want to tell you PS''ers this next part because I didn''t want it to sway your responses.
9.gif
Even if he did get me a "discount" on an ACA 000 stone, the setting that my GF liked from that store was $2000, so I''d still be on the hook for $300 more than I''ve currently got in it. (and I''ve already increased my budget a number of times. Funny how that works when you''re a PS member.
9.gif
Now you folks have got me looking at maybe a solasfera pendant or some ACA earrings, as well.)

Thank you all again for your responses. I really appreciate them.

Name withheld until proposal.
11.gif
 

oldmancoyote

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 22, 2008
Messages
755
Well done, VanGo.

Just to recognise one thing - they did try pretty hard to keep you in there, but they also kept their word and refunded you without too much fuss once it was clear you weren''t going to buy from them. Many businesses I know would have caused a lot more trouble in trying to get your money back.
 

Imdanny

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
6,186
In my opinion you should keep the ACA. First, the quality of the ACA is known to you. Second, why would you want to do business with a wholesaler with whom you've already had one misunderstanding.

If it were me, I would content myself with knowing that I was giving the best quality possible (the ACA) and call it a day.
 

VanGo

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
19
Thanks everyone.

I''m should to be receiving the ACA soon, and I''m going to take it to the wholesaler to let him see why I chose to go with an ACA.

I thank you all for your input.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top