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Blue Nile lied to me

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bluedevil27

Rough_Rock
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Jan 16, 2008
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Quick background for those who did not read my previous posts. I was considering purchasing diamond I found on blue nile, it was a 2.21FVS2 excellent cut/polish/symmetry. On the cert, it said there were two small clouds in the middle of the table and a pinpoint (and additional pinpoints not shown).

Although it was a VS2 I wanted to make sure it was eye clean from the top and the sides. They said it was. I then sent this certificate to a local BM store that I had been dealing with in my search. The jeweler said that he had seen this particular diamond and that the pinpoiint was black and right in the middle of the diamond. Due to the location, you could see it from the side on every single facet. With this information, I specifically asked blue nile about the pinpoint and if it was black and if the diamond was again eye clean from the sides. They told me it was eye clean and no black particles/pinpoints.

I posted on the forum who should I believe. The consensus was that I should purchase the diamond and look for myself. Well, I got the diamond and there is a black pinpoint right in the middle and with my naked eye I was able to see the black pinpoint through every facet on the side.

I am so disappointed and frustrated because: 1) i was very excited to finally purchase the diamond and not have to agonize over finding the perfect diamond any longer; 2) I specifically asked Blue Nile about the clarity of this diamond and was lied to. I''m going to call blue nile now, but to insure the return of this diamond is going to cost me about $180 plus the $25 bank wire fee. I''m mad that I have to spend extra money to return something that they lied to me about.

Anyways, I just wanted to follow up my previous post for anyone who cared.

Very frustrated and disappointed,
Chris
 
Bd- I''m so sorry!

1) Is your diamond in a setting? I ask because the .91 I had from BN arrived with black spots on the side. I even posted here about how eye clean should a VS2 be. I then cleaned it in my Ultrasonic a few times and the black spots went away! They were jewelers compound.

I would thoroughly clean the diamond first before calling BN.

Hope this helps!
 
Was it one of BN''s signature stones? Otherwise, I believe they are just a drop shipper correct? If the sales associate had never seen the stone AND lied to you about the clarity, then you should point that out to them and make them pay for the shipping, etc.

That is odd though and unfortunate. Most VS2''s are eyeclean!
 
Call up blue nile and calmly express your dissapointment and ask them to cover the return shipping. In particular, you want to emphasize that you were told that the inclusion was not black. Eye visible or not is a subject of interpretation, but color of the inclusion is more concrete detail that they misrepresented. Assuming that they told you that they were actually looking and examining the stone in question and not acting as a drop shipper on this one.
 
The diamond was not set and blue nile wouldn''t send me a picture of the diamond before hand. This was not a signature diamond.

I called blue nile and calmly explained my situation. The are covering all the costs for shipping it back but I am still disappointed. I was so excited to get the "perfect" diamond and start working on the setting. Now I have to just continue my search.
 
The whole thing with "eye-clean" is a mess. It is used in the trade ONLY for the face-up view. I can imagine why BN gave you wrong information because you asked an unexpected question. It is not a good excuse, but it is likely the reason. I am sure they do not intend to be deceitful. It was an unfortunate bit of poor communication and possibly entirely their fault. You sure can ask any question you want. They are supposed to be the experts, but they also have to carefully listen to the questions. Yours may have thrown them a curve.

I sure hope you can resolve the problem.
 
I can appreciate your disappointment Blue Devil, I''m glad that BN is going to cover the cost of return shipping and insurance so that you''re not out of pocket for it. Keep in mind that part of the challenge of diamond grading is that the degree of visibility of inclusions without magnification is largely dictated by the vision of the person forming the opinion - thus what is "eye clean" to one person may not be "eye clean" to another observer. It is not uncommon for inclusions to be visible from a side profile, even in VVS clarity diamonds, simply because the facet structure of a round brilliant is designed to move light up through the top of the diamond and the side facets are like tiny windows into the stone. Lighter inclusions do tend to be less visible, but may still be visible to some people from a side profile... Good luck with the Quest.
 

I am so sorry about this.

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*hugs*


As a couple of other posters suggested, I would certainly give the diamond a very good clean (very hot water & any household cleaner, and a toothbrush work well) to see if it''s just dirt hiding somewhere on the outside.


Was the stone certed by GIA or AGSL?


I''m amazed a stone with an eye visible black pinpoint would get a VS2 grade... although as one of the experts did mention, grading is a subjective art, rather than a science.


I''m sure this isn''t the case here, but viewed from the side, you can see a reflection of the girdle, about halfway down the pavillion. People do sometimes mistake this for a huge inclusion, or a crack in the diamond - but if you are seeing a black pinpoint then it doesn''t sound like the girdle reflection. (If you do a search for ''girdle reflection'' on PS you''ll find loads of threads & pictures with info about that).


I''m glad BN will cover your costs for you... but very sorry for your disappointment.


Do keep us informed of how things turn out.


x x x

 
BD,
Sorry that you had such an awful experience. Possibly this is one of those things that purchasing on the internet just really does put you at risk of. Although I must say that I have questioned Blue Nile reps about several stones and the reply is NEVER anything negative. I have a hunch their sales reps are trained to put a positive spin on all their advisories to potential customers. For that reason, I have ruled out a purchase from them, although others have seemed pleased with them, this one thing turned me off.

BB
 
I appreciate everyone''s support. This diamond was GIA certified. I''m definitely no expert, but I''ve seen probably around 30-40 diamonds in person in the VS2 rating. There have been a couple where through the side (not top down) there are inclusions that can be seen. This will not deter my search for the "perfect" diamond! Just delay it for a bit.

If you remember, this diamond was relatively cheaper than similarly graded diamonds. I had asked BN why it was cheaper and they told me it was because they bought the diamond in bulk and got a discount that was passed along to me. I don''t know if a small black inclusion is worth a $4,000-$5,000 discount, but I guess it played some factor in the discount.
 
I understand your disappointment on this issue but at this point I think Blue Nile has made a credible effort on their part to make amends. I''d be really interested in knowing if they ever actually looked at the stone in question. This is one of the reasons to pay more money and go with a vendor with a more trusted expert reputation, one that takes pictures and will meet the expectations of pricescopers.

If you are looking for a deal, ordering diamonds sight-unseen from a large bulk internet provider, you have to realize you are risking a bit of your time and wire-transfer fees in an effort to ultimately save money. If you want to work with a vendor whose eyes you fully trust, you will need to pay for pictures or expert opinions that you trust. I think a lot of pricescopers have had good experiences with Blue Nile, but you have to keep your expectations reasonable.

The odds were on your side on this one (a non-eyeclean VS with a black inclusion when the cert lists clouds? And what are the odds that the jeweler you worked with had magically seen this diamond before?) but it was still a risk. You just got unlucky, but the downside really isn''t that bad because of the return period. (And BN eating the return shipping - how great!)

Best of luck finding something to your specs!
 
I just wanted to mention that it might be best to not clean the diamond or do anything to it, personally I would leave it alone and send it back, especially as they state on their return policy that the diamond must be in original unworn condition to be accepted for return.
 
Yes, this is the problem with buying sight-unseen. And unfortunately, BlueNile is just a drop shipper and is unable to provide photos. If you need to buy remotely, I would work with a vendor who is able to call the stone in and examine it *closely* (as well as take magnified photos).

You''ll find another great stone...you just gotta keep looking! I know it''s hard when you have very specific specs in mind, and it seems only a few fit the bill. However, once you narrow down which vendor you want to use, you''ll find that they have access to more stones than just what''s listed on the PS search.

But I was in your similar boat...looking for an eye clean VS2. In the end, I got a VS1 so that there would be no question about eye-visible inclusions (this is what I decided was going to be mind clean for me).

Glad to hear that BN covered your return shipping though! Good luck with your search!
 
Date: 2/19/2008 3:36:17 PM
Author: bluedevil27
I don''t know if a small black inclusion is worth a $4,000-$5,000 discount, but I guess it played some factor in the discount.
Click to expand...
Somehow .. some way ... you always end up getting what you pay for. Do you want "a deal" or "a great diamond" -- you may not get BOTH. We see people chasing "deals" all the time around here ... on ebay, designer resale, that less-than-the-other-similar-diamonds-needle-in-a-haystack ... but, as poster Mrssalvo''s sig. line reads:

A DEAL IS ONLY A DEAL IF YOU''RE GETTING EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT.

An entirely reasonable thing to hope for is getting an awesome stone at a FAIR price. Not 4-5K lower than comparable stones
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. You can keep chasing that I suppose but ask yourself what is at stake: your valuable time & the possible beauty of your future wife''s engagement stone. What is most important to you? "Winning" at the got-you-diamond-industry! game -- or getting the most beautiful stone/solid value. Internet prices are already so much less than you''d pay @ retail (for comparable merch.).

Eh, off my soap box. Sorry there was a miscommunication or difference of opinion over the Blue Nile stone. I really doubt they "lied" intentionally? What is unacceptable to some, or even unperceptable, is a-ok with others. They gave you the chance to get that "awesome deal" -- turns out it''s not "exactly what you want". It WOULD be, however, exactly what you''d pay for.
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I am sorry that this did not turn out the way you had hoped, but it just was not meant to be your stone...you will find another one, your perfect one is out there, just waiting for you to find it!

That is good that BN is covering the cost, I have always thought that their customer service was very good.
 
If it helps you with your search, most of the vendors here can source Blue Nile stones from the supplier(s) for you and will take fantastic photos (or even videos) of the stone so you can see it in action before you buy. Mark Turnowski is in NYC and can source stones very quickly, as can Jon at GOG (also in NY) and you''d likely get the same price as quoted on Blue Nile, but with the added benefit that your stone was pre-screened by a trusted vendor with high standards.
 
I''m so sorry to hear this, what a bummer! However, I am happy to hear that BN has tried to help and covered the cost of the shipping. It takes time to find the perfect diamond, hang in there!! Usually if something is substantially discounted there is a reason, perhaps this diamond should have been graded as an SI1. There are many SI1 diamonds out there that are actually eye clean with white inclusions and if you want to stay at the same size and spend about the same I would suggest you still consider these diamonds even though you had a bad experience with a VS2.
 
Sorry it didn''t work out. But did BN say it it was eye-clean from the sides too? Because in your last post you only mentioned from the face up.

"I had also asked Blue Nile how the diamond looked he said "will have no visible inclusions to the naked eye from the face up".

Can you see the pinpoint from the face up too?
 
i went back to Blue Nile and asked if the diamond was eye clean on the sides as well as face up. I specifically said that a jeweler told me that there was a black inclusion right in the middle and could be seen from the side. I wanted to make sure that this was a different stone than the one the jeweler had seen. I guess it wasn''t.
 
Hi BD, I am sorry to hear you had to be disappointed about ur stone
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- I have thought that I''ve found "the one" a couple of times by now!

My only advice is in line with some previous comments - maybe try a vendor that doesn''t practice drop shipping and can inspect each stone in person before giving you the info, not just reading "the specs" and putting a positive sales spin on it
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(as it may be).
I don''t mean that at all to sound critical - I know these larger inventories from BN, Abazias etc work very well for many happy customers - these sort of vendors are where i started my search, however I slowly found that the *impersonal* aspect was just not for me.
I also found it slightly unfair that to get a real image of a stone, you need to have it callled in then pay for restocking if its not right - as we all know, it can take many many stones till you find the "perfect" one for u - this process could become quite lengthy and expensive.
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Anyway, I ramble.
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Just a side note on my own experience..I am currently dealing with Jon at GOG, who I migrated toward for 1. reputation and 2. great service.
Almost a month and a number of changes of mind later, he is still infinitely patient and friendly with my every request, including specs, pics and videos of stones I''m considering. As I am a total novice, I find this type of service much *safer* than the drop ship method.
As a pps also mentioned, GOG and simliar can also call in the "virtual stock" (I believe?) that u see elsewhere, so in my opinion, nothing to lose!

Moreover, if you''re worried about dishonesty from vendors - and I feel you there
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- well, I can only speak for my own experience with GOG, but I must say that Jon has probly Exceeded my expectations as far as being upfront and sharing all info. I think this can be rare in the diamond industry.

I''ll wrap it up now!
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in closing, I''m sorry for your inconvenience, I''m glad for u they''re paying for shipping, and I think you should now move on to another vendor that can give you better personalized service. As u can tell, i''m a GOG fan and can only speak for my own experience, however I know there are a number of quality PS-affiliated vendors u can consider.

Good luck!
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I''m sorry you are disappointed. I still think it was worth the time to take a look at it. Now you don''t even have to pay for shipping, so all you lost was a little time, but you gained some valuable experience. As discussed in your earlier thread, there was something that made it significantly less expensive, but it might have been something you could have lived with. Now you know, and you won''t have that feeling of, "I wonder if it was a really great diamond." Unless there''s an unlimited budget or a very well within the budget wish, most of us have to compromise somewhere because we can''t afford the D IF umpteen carat AGS ideal diamond.
 
I am sorry to hear what you''re going through. Since it was not one of their Signature Ideal cut stones then it was definately drop shipped and nobody at BN looked at the stone. They took the vendors word for it that it was eye clean. I don''t agree with that practice myself. Other companies have a much better policies in place so that you will be happy with the stone you get. I''ve purchased 2 stones through WF and both times they verified with the vendor that it was eye clean, THEN pulled it in and reviewd it personally, then and only then would they recommend the stone.

I do not trust BN and will not do business with them again over a similar situation. In my case, it was for my small, .59ct Signature Ideal cut SI1 stone. I was ASSURRED it was eye clean. Mind you it''s in a bezel pendant so the side view didn''t matter, I wanted to know if it was eye clean face up, which, as has been mentioned, is the definition of eye clean within the industry. Profile view doesn''t apply as far as I understand it. Anyhow, I was assurred by BN that my little pendant stone WAS eye clean, it''s a Signature Ideal stone (which now I know does not guarantee a super-ideal cut by any means...
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but that''s another story...) so the guy helping me has actually seen the stone himself according to him. Well, it is far from eye clean. There is one OBVIOUS black pin point just off the table that even the most untrained eye will spot with much inspection. I did not return the necklace. It was a gift from my husband for the birth of our son and I got to do the picking but a big return process would NOT have made my husband happy and it''s still a pretty necklace that I cherish, BUT, BN did NOT give me honest info on the clarity.
 
Sorry to here this, It is common that a VS2 is not eye clean from the side but is eye clean face up. if you want eye clean from both sides
i would suggest going for VS1 min GIA. But at least they will refund you totally.

Kind Regards


Paul
 
I''m so sorry to hear this happened to you, but I''m glad to hear that they''re covering the shipping costs. I''m sure that a bit more dilligence will lead you two to the right diamond.

BTW--Are you from Chicago? My teaching mentor was a bluedevil named Chris, funny coincidence!
 
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