B2C Platinum Engagement Ring Review

[mgrant]

I would like to share my experience ordering from B2C Jewels. I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible and will include both the positive and negative aspects of my experience. I apologize in advance for the lack of editing and had no intention of writing a novel when I first started.

Part 1: Purchase
I had recently moved because of a job opportunity and my Fiancé still lived 11 hours away. She came to visit with me about every 2 months. At the time, I had 2 weeks before she was arriving on another visit so I panicked and pulled the trigger on a diamond and setting from B2C jewels before seeing any photos/images of the diamond (I figured that I could send it back within the 30 day return period if it was not what I had expected). The next morning I received a phone call from a representative who explained that they had received my order and would send me the bank wire details to my email. They received a set of four images from their international supplier that they emailed to me as well (which was nice because I didn’t even request them!). I went to the bank after work that day and transferred the funds. Later that evening I talked to a representative on live chat who confirmed that they had received my transfer and had ordered the diamond.
Because the diamond supplier was overseas, it took about 3 days for them to receive the diamond that I ordered. I realized that I had some time to do more research so I started looking into other diamonds. I asked the staff for images of other diamonds that I was interested in and they placed my order on hold while I made up my mind. The staff were very patient with me but were only able to obtain images for 1 of 4 other diamonds I requested images for (they are only able to provide images if the supplier of that diamond provides them). In the end, I chose to stick with my original choice and received my order the day before my Fiancé to be arrived.

The diamond I ordered:

Carat: 1.02
Color: G
Clarity: VVS1
Cut: Excellent
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: M - STK

Table: 57.0%
Depth: 62.0%
Crown: 15.0%
Crown Angle: 35.0
Pavilion Angle: 40.8

Min: 6.44 mm
Max: 6.47 mm
Depth: 4.00 mm

HCA score: 1.7 (E, E, E, VG)

And the images I received from B2C (there is a common misconception that B2C provides an ideal scope image, however judging by this post on GOG it is actually just the arrows viewed through an H&A viewer http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/NewCutGrading/OpticalSymmetry/):






Part 2: Arrival and Packaging
The order survived the long journey to Canada and arrived in a bubble wrapped envelope within three layers of courier boxes. The order included a GIA certificate and an “independent” appraisal card from Gemologic. The ring came packaged in a white gift box with a blue ribbon tied in a bow. The gift box contained a red plastic ring box with a wood grain pattern and was acceptable enough to present at a proposal.

 

[mgrant]

Part 3: First impressions

I slowly opened the package, half full of excitement, half full of trepidation. At first glance I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the diamond and the setting that I received. To be honest it exceeded my expectations. However, I started to notice small nuances that did not seem right and realized that I had been shipped the wrong setting (albeit very similar to the setting that I ordered)! I started counting the pave diamonds and realized that there were 16 stones instead of the 18 on the setting that I ordered. I scoured through the B2C website to see which setting they had sent me by mistake but could not find a match, only something extremely similar with 14 pave diamonds. I then looked at the “independent” appraisal card from Gemologic which stated incorrectly that my setting had the 18 diamonds (they obviously didn’t even look at the setting and just wrote down what it was supposed to be!) and that some of the specs listed had doubled up colons for some reason (see image). At this point I panicked and came to the conclusion that I had been ripped off and sent a fake (thankfully not the case). I kept the ring hidden from my fiancé over the weekend and brought it into work that following Monday to look at the laser inscription under 30X mag. I was extremely relieved when I found that the GIA inscription was on the girdle and that it did match up with the number of the diamond that I ordered. I spoke with a representative from B2C jewels and sent them a few photos of the mysterious setting I received. They immediately apologized about the mistake and offered to have the ring sent back and fixed at no charge. I mentioned that I actually liked the look of the setting and would wait to see what the fiancé said after I proposed. They didn’t really have a good explanation about the Gemologic card and said that they would look into it but I haven’t heard back from them about this issue in over 3 weeks.




Part 4: A real independent appraisal by a GIA graduate gemologist

I hung on to the ring in secret (my precious…) until the following weekend when I took my fiancé on a romantic getaway to propose (she said yes!). Meanwhile I had made an appointment for when we returned with a GIA graduate gemologist appraiser who does not buy or sell jewellery. I was unable to attend the appraisal so the following information is 2nd hand. The gemologist found one pinpoint on the diamond and graded it exactly the same as the GIA certificate I received. In his opinion he was fairly certain it was an authentic diamond (He did mention that he hadn’t worked with a diamond of this high of clarity in a long time and if the diamond was IF clarity that he did not have the appropriate instrument to distinguish it from a synthetic). During the initial consultation, he was informed that the appraisal was for insurance purposes and to ensure the authenticity of the purchase. With this in mind, he valued the insurance replacement value at $24,000.00. After the appraisal had been prepared he was shown the receipt. Surprise, surprise, he commented that we bought our ring for a very good price.

 

[mgrant]

Part 5: It’s a Beauty

At 1 carat, it may not be the biggest diamond in my neck of the woods but it definitely is the best cut! (Thanks to all the wonderful people at Pricescope that helped me!) The diamond we purchased outshines any other diamond I have seen in town and the setting from B2C pairs with it perfectly. After confirming the authenticity of the purchase, I was needless to say very satisfied and so was my fiancé. In the end we decided to keep the ring that we received and B2C gave us $100 credit for their error. The following video link is to a YouTube video that we were going to submit for a chance to win another $100 dollar credit (we decided not to) so it omits a few key details. The video starts off unfocused but comes in clear shortly after. Pictures are untouched, 2 from fiance's phone and 1 from my old digital camera.

The Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfs8RogojEY&feature=youtu.be





Part 6: Final Thoughts

I did ask B2C if they figured out what had happened with the mysterious setting that did not exist on their website but they never got to the bottom of the issue and just mentioned it had never happened before and was a “1 in a million” occurrence.

As for the Gemologic card, I went to their website and plugged in the number of the card and it comes up with “record not found!” I sent Gemologic an email with the picture of my card asking for an explanation but they never replied. I am not sure B2C is to blame for Gemologic’s incompetence but you might as well throw the card straight into the trash and take your purchase to the nearest local appraiser. I would highly suggest the B2C stops using this company for their appraisals as it makes them look bad.

I was satisfied that B2C stood accountable for their mistake and offered to rectify their error at no charge. This really meant a lot to me and is a major reason of why I would shop with them in the future.

Despite the rollercoaster of emotions during this experience, everything worked out for the best and we couldn’t be happier in the end. Looking at similar diamonds with exactly the same cut on other Pricescope approved vendors (which have branded H&A stones), I estimate that I saved $1000-$2500 dollars for the diamond alone which more than makes up for the interesting experience that I had. I might be crossing my fingers and holding my breath the next time I order from B2C but I will definitely order from them again.

 

[mossie86]

Awesome review!

Congrats btw! The ring is a stunner!! The card is so unprofessional!

 

[mgrant]

Thank you!

I hope that this review will help people currently looking for engagement rings.

I am interested to know what effect this review has on people considering buying a ring at B2C so please post a reply if this review has effected your decision!

 

[Kikoman]

My friend MGRANT that is one amazing rock !!

Way to go my friend !! And a great review also, I stumbled upon this review searching for credibility on B2Cjewels.

I have been looking on Blue Nile and James Allen along with other online loose diamond stores and found B2C.

I had not heard of them before as much as Blue Nile but by your reviews it seems you are a happy customer, nervous for the hefty online purchase, but happy !

My question here is that I read another review which said that the grading report was too generous from a rock he got from B2C, even though it was GIA cert. I am under the impression that as long as the rock has a GIA certificate and laser inscription you can get the same quality from any reseller. Am I right ?

Here is a little bit more of an explanation to my question:

If I found two identical rocks on Blue Nile and B2C both are G Color - VS2 - 1.5 Carat and XXX

Both are certified by GIA with 1.9 HCA visual performance.

Yet one is 1,000 dollars less - arent these exactly the same rocks ?? And exactly the same performance no matter what ?

Or would you still ask the seller to look at them under the scope for the patterns ? (H and A's )

I mean why would that person provide a review that he got a stone from B2C on which GIA was very generous on their grading ?

It doesnt make sense to me, does it to you ?

Thanks ALOT for your help my friend !

 

[Kikoman]

BUMP BUMP BUMP

 

[zz00ter]

Did you get dinged for HST and other customs charges when the ring came into Canada?
Or did you get lucky?

 

[mgrant]

Yes. %5.0 GST and a nominal charge for duty, approximately $10.00

I had recently moved to Alberta where there is no PST/HST, you may need to account for that in other provinces.

B2C provides a commercial invoice for customs with a description of the item and the price paid. I'm afraid there is not much of a chance to get lucky with these charges.

Good luck on your engagement though!