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About to Commit to Pre-Loved, Opinions Please?

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Messages
85
Hi everyone.

My BF is about to purchase a pre-loved ring by Jewels By Grace. The ring was brought to my attention by a PS member. It fits our criteria (especially budget) and luckily, I love the ring. It has the vintage style I was seeking (it's in a Ritani setting), and even though it is technically a halo (which I wasn't looking for) the stones on the band and sides elevate it to something more unique. Nearly everyone we've shown it to agrees it is beautiful and a good choice.

It's a case of what is one persons "trash" is another one's treasure; the ring is only a few years old. Apparently was bought without consulting the bride, she wasn't crazy about it and got an upgrade soon after. Held onto it for a couple of years until she decided to consign it to JBG. I'm fine with that.

Here's the link. You can see larger pix and videos from the link in the description.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/signed-pieces/rings-bands/1-09ctw-round-brilliant-cut-diamond-3-stone-ring-by-ritani#.Vscc-_krKUk

I've been assured the palladium will wear just fine for me, however, I'm still somewhat concerned about the clarity rating of S12. I've been in touch with Grace and while it does not have a GIA certificate she had it assessed by her in-house person. It states eye clean, and from the photos does appear to be. It also seems to have good light return but photos were taken outdoors and since there is no report stating details such as polish or symmetry it's kind of hard to know if what I see is accurate.

I'd appreciate if I could get some more feedback on the appearance. I'm hoping that whatever inclusions there are have been hidden by the prongs/setting and since it is in a halo the sides/bottom aren't seen.

Thoughts, opinions, etc. appreciated. We'd really like to make a good choice and not regret it afterwards. Thanks as always!
 

Downsy

Shiny_Rock
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May 22, 2014
Messages
122
It seems like there is a lot of positive talk here on Pricescope for Jewels by Grace. I would think her judgement could be trusted. I personally think the ring is so pretty and was hoping (after your first post) that you would select that ring! Good luck!
 

Lookinagain

Ideal_Rock
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David Atlas is well respected on this forum so I think you can trust his judgement that the ring is eye-clean. Ditto for Grace.
 

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
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Jan 10, 2016
Messages
85
Downsy|1455891562|3992895 said:
It seems like there is a lot of positive talk here on Pricescope for Jewels by Grace. I would think her judgement could be trusted. I personally think the ring is so pretty and was hoping (after your first post) that you would select that ring! Good luck!

Thanks so much for the quick and positive reply!

FYI, what I forgot to mention is it isn't like I'd ever sell it or upgrade either. I'm the kind of person who is very sentimental and the ring I get, is the ring I keep.

Grace has been lovely and based on all reviews I am sure that the ring will be as beautiful in person as on "the page". But like all about-to-be brides and grooms, we need a little more assurance LOL
 

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
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Jan 10, 2016
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85
Lookinagain|1455891832|3992899 said:
David Atlas is well respected on this forum so I think you can trust his judgement that the ring is eye-clean. Ditto for Grace.

Thanks to you as well. Great to hear about David's opinion. That helps too.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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27,242
Grace is a wonderful vendor and an honest, forthright person - I would most certainly trust her opinion on one of her pieces without question :))

You're in good hands with this piece!
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
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5,520
If you want more info, you could ask Grace what her definition of eye-clean is, and you could also ask that she provide David Atlas's definition since his qualitative report includes the term. For example, WhiteFlash's definition of eye-clean is nothing visible from the top from 10" away. [My personal definition is nothing visible from 6" away top and sides.]

And, regardless of Grace's and David's definitions of eye-clean, don't forget you'll also have a 3-day return period in which to inspect the ring closely in all kinds of lighting conditions, to make sure it is eye-clean enough for you/GF.
 

E B

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
9,490
marymm|1455895193|3992918 said:
And, regardless of Grace's and David's definitions of eye-clean, don't forget you'll also have a 3-day return period in which to inspect the ring closely in all kinds of lighting conditions, to make sure it is eye-clean enough for you/GF.

This! Don't have it sized (if you were planning to) until you get a good look at it yourself. I would certainly trust Grace/David enough to go ahead and buy it for the trial period if you love everything else about it. Let us know how it looks in real life! :)
 

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
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Jan 10, 2016
Messages
85
E B|1455895505|3992919 said:
marymm|1455895193|3992918 said:
And, regardless of Grace's and David's definitions of eye-clean, don't forget you'll also have a 3-day return period in which to inspect the ring closely in all kinds of lighting conditions, to make sure it is eye-clean enough for you/GF.

This! Don't have it sized (if you were planning to) until you get a good look at it yourself. I would certainly trust Grace/David enough to go ahead and buy it for the trial period if you love everything else about it. Let us know how it looks in real life! :)

I've heard sizing palladium might require someone with expertise which is why I was going to let JBG handle it. I'm assuming someone here might be able to give me a recommendation for a jeweler in the NYC area that can do this. Not so sure I'd find one closer to home in NJ.

And again, a big thank you to everyone else. I'll send Grace another email asking about the eye clean definition.
 

E B

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
9,490
sivyaleah|1455897141|3992932 said:
I've heard sizing palladium might require someone with expertise which is why I was going to let JBG handle it. I'm assuming someone here might be able to give me a recommendation for a jeweler in the NYC area that can do this. Not so sure I'd find one closer to home in NJ.

And again, a big thank you to everyone else. I'll send Grace another email asking about the eye clean definition.

I know Good Old Gold has worked with/works with palladium- I'd shoot them an email. Others should have additional suggestions.

Even if it costs a bit more to get it sized elsewhere, I think it'd be worth it to know it's eye-clean enough (and nice enough performance-wise) for your standards.
 

SparklySoprano

Brilliant_Rock
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Nov 21, 2014
Messages
661
My e-ring has a SI2 eye-clean stone and I couldn't be happier with it. :wavey:
 

february2003bride

Ideal_Rock
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Jan 18, 2005
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3,551
SparklySoprano|1455940728|3993186 said:
My e-ring has a SI2 eye-clean stone and I couldn't be happier with it. :wavey:

Same! My SI2 is 100% eye clean. Love it!
 

Hipchik

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Messages
53
The most important thing is - is it "eye clean" enough for you. With the return option you can check it out on your hand in your home, your car, your sunshine =) to see if you are perfectly happy with it. It looks beautiful in the pics on her website. We recently bought a preloved ring and I am totally happy with it. We bought it locally and offered much less than the asking price. We negotiated what I thought was a great price. Diamonds at a bargain price . . . What could be better :love: Seems this one is well worth the effort to purchase and see for your self. Good luck.
 

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Messages
85
Just saw everyone else's wonderful comments since I last posted.

My BF called Grace last night. The ring is on a soft hold until next week :appl: Once he gives a deposit (at minimum) she'll remove it as for sale.

Both him and I have shown the pix to several more people and got incredibly positive responses. I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person - on my finger :dance:
 

HegemonyCricket

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 20, 2014
Messages
282
Another reassurance here -- Grace is a wonderful vendor and very trustworthy. I find her pricing to be very fair, as well. I'm so thrilled for you and your boyfriend.

Also, I can attest that even with my laser vision (I had LASIK last year), my 2 ct SI1 stone (also from JBG) is 100% eye clean. :lol:
 

Rockinruby

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 27, 2013
Messages
2,740
sivyaleah|1456005430|3993435 said:
Just saw everyone else's wonderful comments since I last posted.

My BF called Grace last night. The ring is on a soft hold until next week :appl: Once he gives a deposit (at minimum) she'll remove it as for sale.

Both him and I have shown the pix to several more people and got incredibly positive responses. I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person - on my finger :dance:

Grace has an excellent reputation on PS. Looking forward too seeing hand shots soon! :dance: :appl: :dance:
 

diamondseeker2006

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Grace is a great vendor and will always want her clients to be pleased. But, as others have said, she has a 3 day return policy. I would never resize without seeing a piece of jewelry first, because that may mean you can't return it. I think this ring looks like a good deal, but I can tell you from my own experience, I have ordered and returned several diamonds before choosing the one I kept. You can only know if you love it when you see it on your own finger. Never make a 100% commitment to a ring before you have seen it. Order it, and if you love it, then great!!! If you still have doubts, then send it back and see what else she has or look further.
 

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
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Messages
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diamondseeker2006|1456026078|3993532 said:
Grace is a great vendor and will always want her clients to be pleased. But, as others have said, she has a 3 day return policy. I would never resize without seeing a piece of jewelry first, because that may mean you can't return it. I think this ring looks like a good deal, but I can tell you from my own experience, I have ordered and returned several diamonds before choosing the one I kept. You can only know if you love it when you see it on your own finger. Never make a 100% commitment to a ring before you have seen it. Order it, and if you love it, then great!!! If you still have doubts, then send it back and see what else she has or look further.

I appreciate the caution about not sizing it yet. A few others mentioned this as well and it's solid advice which we didn't consider. That and it being only 3 days to make a decision. That could be problematic, I know my BF was hoping to make the proposal special in some way but that makes it seem quite unlikely. I'll have to talk to him about this today and see where his head is at about it.

I highly doubt that we would want to send the ring back but there is always the possibility if the ring doesn't perform well once we see it in person.

I'm assuming the ring will be fantastic and we then need to find a jeweler to resize. Not being able to find someone to do that work could possibly put a halt to the purchase.

Does anyone have recommendations for jewelers who work with palladium? Would prefer located in NYC since I work there, it's easiest for me to get to. There are few near my home in NJ, and those that are I've never worked with so I don't know if they do good work or not.
 

jetmal

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I have worked with Grace several times and she is the bomb.com ! She will never steer you wrong. Have you considered purchasing it, getting it to look it over for the 3 days, and then mailing it back for JBG to size it if you decide you do indeed want to keep it?
It would prob cost you an extra $55 or so, but I think it's worth the piece of mind. That way, you have the person you want to size it, AND you get to preview it to make sure it's the "one."
 

MollyMalone

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sivyaleah|1456064022|3993640 said:
* * * Does anyone have recommendations for jewelers who work with palladium? Would prefer located in NYC since I work there, it's easiest for me to get to. There are few near my home in NJ, and those that are I've never worked with so I don't know if they do good work or not.
I'll suggest Greenwich Jewelers downtown on Trinity Place (Rector St. station on the #1 train; Wall Street station on the #4 or 5 train). Very pleasant ambiance, friendly & well-trained, professional staff. Their bench did a fine job of resizing a semi-mount (albeit gold, not palladium) that was a showcase sample which was on sale at a nice discount & setting my tourmaline in it.
http://www.greenwichjewelers.com
http://www.greenwichjewelers.com/repairs

And since the pre-loved ring you're ordering from Jewels by Grace is from Ritani, it could be reassuring for you to know that Greenwich is an authorized Ritani retailer (the only one in Manhattan, other than Gold Art 18K, which is a tiny shop in the Diamond District that does not have its own bench).

Plus, Greenwich's offerings are eclectic, ranging from very traditional/classic to contemporary pieces crafted by "up and coming" artisans. So it could be a great place for you two to look at wedding bands :)) I recommend, however, avoiding Greenwich on the weekend when it can be crazy busy, especially if they are hosting a trunk show that day.
 

sivyaleah

Rough_Rock
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Messages
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MollyMalone|1456068697|3993654 said:
sivyaleah|1456064022|3993640 said:
* * * Does anyone have recommendations for jewelers who work with palladium? Would prefer located in NYC since I work there, it's easiest for me to get to. There are few near my home in NJ, and those that are I've never worked with so I don't know if they do good work or not.
I'll suggest Greenwich Jewelers downtown on Trinity Place (Rector St. station on the #1 train; Wall Street station on the #4 or 5 train). Very pleasant ambiance, friendly & well-trained, professional staff. Their bench did a fine job of resizing a semi-mount (albeit gold, not palladium) that was a showcase sample which was on sale at a nice discount & setting my tourmaline in it.
http://www.greenwichjewelers.com
http://www.greenwichjewelers.com/repairs

And since the pre-loved ring you're ordering from Jewels by Grace is from Ritani, it could be reassuring for you to know that Greenwich is an authorized Ritani retailer (the only one in Manhattan, other than Gold Art 18K, which is a tiny shop in the Diamond District that does not have its own bench).

Plus, Greenwich's offerings are eclectic, ranging from very traditional/classic to contemporary pieces crafted by "up and coming" artisans. So it could be a great place for you two to look at wedding bands :)) I recommend, however, avoiding Greenwich on the weekend when it can be crazy busy, especially if they are hosting a trunk show that day.

Absolutely awesome location for me. I work on Broad Street downtown :clap:
Thank you so much!
 

MollyMalone

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Oh, that's terrific it's so convenient for you! And if you're like me, once you've been there, you will spend more than a few lunch hours at Greenwich browsing around, seeing what's new. It's a great example of how good, how much fun a brick-and-mortar jewelry store can be.
 

sivyaleah

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MollyMalone|1456072190|3993667 said:
Oh, that's terrific it's so convenient for you! And if you're like me, once you've been there, you will spend more than a few lunch hours at Greenwich browsing around, seeing what's new. It's a great example of how good, how much fun a brick-and-mortar jewelry store can be.

I have it feeling it could be dangerous lol.

I have some pieces I'd like reset (my old e-ring for instance). I also have more than several piece of miscellaneous jewelry that need some repairs. I've been lazy about having it done because I don't really wear much of it anymore. I looked through their site and I'm very impressed by the range of items, so many unusual pieces. Add in the glowing reviews - I can't find a one which complains about them.
 

MollyMalone

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Well, there are several older, negative reviews on Yelp (I checked there before making my suggestion). But besides the fact they aren't recent reviews, those few complaints weren't alarming to me; plus, what NYC business with any fairly lengthy Yelp history hasn't gotten dinged?

Think I should add that you might find their bench's price list too pricey to use for everything. But I don't know who else to suggest for more "ordinary" jobs. (I live in one of the outer boroughs & my go-to, local guy for that kind of thing just closed his shop because the landlord jacked up his rent by a whopping amount :(sad )
 

sivyaleah

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MollyMalone|1456080936|3993720 said:
Well, there are several older, negative reviews on Yelp (I checked there before making my suggestion). But besides the fact they aren't recent reviews, those few complaints weren't alarming to me; plus, what NYC business with any fairly lengthy Yelp history hasn't gotten dinged?

Think I should add that you might find their bench's price list too pricey to use for everything. But I don't know who else to suggest for more "ordinary" jobs. (I live in one of the outer boroughs & my go-to, local guy for that kind of thing just closed his shop because the landlord jacked up his rent by a whopping amount :(sad )

Yes, Yelp will always have someone complaining even if they place is great.

FYI, we also just lost a great small town jeweler that I had used in the past. It even said on his site that he worked with palladium - so much for that.

FYI - BF and I spoke about all of this. We definitely will not have the ring sized before shipping. He's going to have it shipped to my job because it's the safest place to receive it. I'll bring it home unopened and we'll look together to make sure we both like it. If we do, he'll head into NYC on his own to have it resized and he'll pick it up when ready to give to me officially when he feels the time is right. Works for me =)
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Awesome!!! Best for you not to go to Greenwich unless you keep your eyes closed! (Great store!) But be certain you are 100% sure of the size. The ring should fit a little loose right now in the winter. You need it loose now to fit right in the summer!

I think Ritani settings are very nice and the whole thing looks great to me for the price. Just be sure you love it especially since you plan on wearing it forever!
 
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