Best places to buy loose stones online...??

[Kel]

Can anyone recommend the best places to buy loose diamonds online? I am located in the UK but am willing to purchase from US if necessary. So far I''ve looked at Whiteflash and Blue Nile which seem reasonably reliable.....I''m looking for cushion or old mine cut!

Thanks

 

[squarediamondlove]

Also try Goodoldgold.com. They are very informative about the stones they carry and they sell top quality diamonds.

I haven't purchases on-line yet, so maybey someone else may be of more help in the details of it.

 

[belle]

most vendors are not going to stock these type of stones, they will have to bring them in for you. call around and find someone you are comfortable working with and have them bring in some stones for evaluation.
best of luck!

 

[DonaBella]

Date: 11/30/2005 11:19:14 AM
Author:Kel
Can anyone recommend the best places to buy loose diamonds online? I am located in the UK but am willing to purchase from US if necessary. So far I''ve looked at Whiteflash and Blue Nile which seem reasonably reliable.....I''m looking for cushion or old mine cut!

Thanks

Hi Kel and welcome...

I purchased from Good Old Gold or GOG...and I highly recommend them. Their professionalism, their attention to the consumer''s needs and budget, and their overal performance as vendors is hard to beat. I had a very limited budget and they truly listened to me. I was given patience galore along with everything else and Tim, Jonathan and Charlie helped me with a gorgeous 1.21 cushion cut stone that is superb in so many ways. I felt I get so much more than I asked for with GOG and anyone who decides to go with them will receive the same.

I also considered Whiteflash and they were very receptive and professional as well. I spoke with Renee who was totally personal, courteous, and resourceful. I ended up going with the GOG stone only because I was already in the works with them, but I wouldn''t hesitate to do business with WF either.

With either of these two,you are in good company...

I have heard amazing things about Signed Pieces as well, but have no personal experience to share. Maybe someone else who has will chime in to share...

Good luck to you...

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome! I too am in the UK and you will find that even with the import duties and customs etc you will still have a far better diamond for your money and pay less than you will here. I cannot think of anywhere in the UK I can recommend, I think either Blue Nile or Mondera have a division which sells to the UK - check their websites. The old mine might take some finding, as Belle says, the cushion might be easier. I have recently purchased from Michael Jay Fifth Avenue, he was great to work with and being in the heart of the diamond district NY can find almost anything. You could also fill in the diamond request froms that many online vendors have and see what they can come up with. Check out the vendors listing under resources at the top of the page too , you should find this helpful.

 

[researcher]

Whiteflash, Whiteflash, Whiteflash! I was SOOOO nervous when I considered buying a diamond online. I mean terrified! I did more research than is believable, and ended up with a spreadsheet of about 50 stones I thought were good deals. I sent this list to a few vendors, and Denise from WF not only responded to my email, she went through EACH AND EVERY stone with me, and helped me to narrow my list down to 3 stones. But, being as crazy as I am, I continued to look online as I wanted the best stone possible. I ended up finding 2 addition stones I LOVED, and sent the specs to Denise. She agreed that the stones had serious potential, but warned me that I might not be happy going down to an "I" in color and "SI1" in clarity. At any rate, they called in the two stones, and immediately told me the larger, more expensive stone was a BAD choice (it had a feather near one corner that they felt would make the stone too prone to chipping during the setting of the stone (and the color was too yellow)). They then examined the second stone and said it was fantastic, that there were no eye visible inclusions and that it faced up very white (I was able to speak with Brian, the diamond cutter and VP of WF personally to hear his thoughts directly). When I told them I was interested, they sent me the stone overnight to examine myself and take to an independent appraiser. I did, and the appraiser said the stone was a keeper--and I thought so as well. We sent the stone back, then they went to work on the setting. The best part is my now hubby had wanted to keep the timing of the finished ring a surprise, so Denise pretended that it was taking longer than expected for them to finish even though my hubby had received the ring I think a week after sending it back. Anyway, my point is that WF went above and beyond for me. When making my w-band they were EXTREMELY patient, and worked with me to make it perfect (which required them making 2 wax molds and actually 2 rings with different sized diamonds to get it right). They were so patient with me, and never charged me extra for the second attempt. Oh, and the first ring was beautiful, but the diamonds just didn''t span my finger the way I wanted (just thought I''d mention that it wasn''t the quality of workmanship that led to the second attempt).

So, if you can''t tell, I am a HUGE fan of Whiteflash. My stone was priced better there than at other vendors mentioned in this thread, and they gave me so much of their time and consideration I can''t say enough good things about them. Denise and the entire WF team are not only professional, they are fun to work with and their service and quality are just amazing.

If you decide not to go with WF, I agree with the others that Jonathan at GOG is a good choice, as are Wink Jones of Winfield''s and Robin and Todd of NiceIce. I would also consider using James Allen, but as they''re a new PS vendor I''m still deciding about them.

 

[Kel]

Is this any good?

Carat: 0.93
Shape: C
Cut: n/a
Color: G
Clarity: VVS2
Measurements: 5.77-5.55-3.73
Depth: 67.2%
Table: 66%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Good
Culet: NON
Fluorescence: None
Girdle: Medium-Extremely Thick

 

[recran]

Just got in my Expert Selection diamond from WhiteFlash - yummm.

Denise was a joy to work with. I highly recommend WF!