Am I too Demanding and Critical?

[Jas12]

I apologize if this has been addressed in many posts, but I am on the way to the jeweler (out of town) and I don''t have time to read old posts, I NEED GUIDANCE ASAP (please

I am in the market for a well cut, 1.5 cushion, and the jeweler I am dealing with has no stones of this cut in stock. He is requiring I place a large deposit on the stones he brings in (b/c it costs him $$ in taxes and customs to do so--I am in canada) I can then look at the diamond and if I do not like it, he will order another one, and I will once again come in and look at the single stone. I would prefer to look at several side by side, due to the vast variation and loose definitions of a "cushion cut". Is this unreasonable? Am I demanding too much of the jeweler (also note I have to drive almost 4 hrs to get to them).
Also, he has advised me I can rest assured that the diamond will be nice b/c it is GIA certified and they do not certified bad diamonds?! This sounds suspect to me b/c I know the GIA does not "certify" anything and I am under the assumption that pretty much any natural diamond can be graded by them. Am I wrong? Many pricescopers have advised looking at cushions in person and not going by numbers alone, I have strongly expressed this, but the jeweler does not seem to share this view.

Lastly, I thought the prices seemed a little high--he mentioned I would pay more b/c of the rarity of a cushion ("really hard to find"), and b/c it is certified by the GIA. Once again, is a GIA grading able to increase the price significantly (don''t they jsut charge a few hundred dollars at most?)

I would like to deal ''locally'' b/c the online vendors are american and this poses difficulties for a canadian buyer, and I want to see stones, but I feel like I am not going to get a good choice of diamonds, any maybe not get the best price

Your thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?.....

 

[aussiegirl23]

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[decodelighted]

Most of what the jeweler is telling you has at least a grain of truth IMO -- he may be exaggerating a little though. The GIA grades poor stones too, but most cutters send poor stones to looser-grading labs. That may be what he's trying to say - or he may not understand himself.

As to the needing to see more stones at once -- for a significant purchase like this -- I'd rather sink my funds into a trip to NYC, where I could sit down at a desk with Mark T. of Engagement Rings Direct and see a few pre-chosen ones from the "Cushion King" himself.

That said, I don't know how doable that is in your time frame or the Canadian laws/taxes etc that might have made you rule out a diamond-shopping trip to the US.

 

[Jas12]

If you go on the GIA website they make it quite clear that they do not "certify" anything--it is a grading report, certification is a misused term in their opinion...so maybe it''s just so commonly used that the jeweler is not trying to mislead me, just uses the wrong terminology.

 

[widget]

While you''re absolutely right that the GIA issues ''reports''... not ''certificates'', the latter term is so commonly used that I wouldn''t consider a jeweler deceitful for using the term.

I really agree with everything decoD has said....is a trip to NYC out of the question? I''d so much want to see several well-chosen stones side by side...especially cushions...

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[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, realistically, it does cost that jeweler every time he calls in a stone, and stones come from different sources. So unless you offer to pay the shipping for all the stones you want to view, I can understand his hope to show you one and that you will just buy it.

 

[jaz464]

I bought my diamond through USA Certed and am incredibily happy with my diamond. They are located in Ontario Canada. They will send out diamonds that you are interested in to an independent appraiser before you decide to buy so that you can see them in person, if you are not clost to Ontario. If you decide not to make a purchase, you will have to pay for the shipping costs.They undoubtably have the worst website around here so you must try to ignore that but the service was excellent in my expirience.

http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/usagia/index3.html

 

[Gypsy]

I don''t like that this guy is telling you that his high prices are justified by the shape and the cert. Look at the cushion prices on ERD... they are quite reasonable and many of them have GIA certs.

If you can''t to to NYC (which is the best suggestion) I would have Mark find you a couple of cushions-- tell you which ones he prefers... then you have them sent to an appraiser and pick on of the two or three and return the others. He might charge you a fee for this... but this jeweler is too. And I would trust Mark with cushions over someone who is telling you all GIA stones are great... while it''s not a lie... it''s also not the truth 100%.

 

[Jas12]

Thanks everyone--I would love to go to NY, but I don''t think it is too feasible (cost, etc.) jazmine--thanks for the info on US certified diamonds--i was on their site last night and you are right--the website is terrible, but i have heard other good reviews so I am willing to overlook that and they are within driving distance as well

I am on my way to the jewelers so i''ll post with an update later this weekend

Thanks for all the advice, keep it coming....