Brick and Motar Jeweler versus Online (still confused)

[BiggPapi]

Good Afternoon to all.

Well, I have been convinced not to go with a Lab grown diamond and I believe that is the right choice in the long run.

Now, I'm confused about Retail versus online. I've been shopping both. Clearly online is cheaper, but I'm scared to death about purchasing a diamond through the mail sight unseen.

Also, if I get an independent appraiser's review, how long does that take, and how do I know I'm getting my same diamond back after the appraisal?

All advice is welcome?

 

[PintoBean]

Where are you located, generally, city-wise? A lot of our recommended vendors have an online presence AND brick and mortar location.

 

[WinkHPD]

If you buy through an online retailer who has a good return policy and a reasonable inspection period, you are not truly forced to buy "sight unseen." simply order in the stone before setting it. If you like it, keep it, if not,send it back. Of course, if you are from out of the States, this gets harder with customs, etc.

Wink

 

[oldminer]

If buying a diamond on the Internet from vendors operating on Pricescope was truly full of problems, you'd find many harsh and vocal complaints on the various Pricescope blogs. There are occasional problems, most very small and quickly fixed. This is very similar to the problems faced by brick and mortar retailers. Every retailer has the occasional problem delivery and there are also a small number of consumers that no retailer could truly please no matter what they offered.

Buying a diamond on-line from well recognized vendors is just as safe as buying from well recognized brick and mortar merchants. The experience is far different, but the end result is nearly always that you get what you agreed to buy and are happy about the purchase. There is plenty of consumer protection involved and very little to be truly worried about.

 

[Bron357]

Being able to buy online is a fabulous thing. Previously you were limited to whatever diamonds your chosen jeweller had in stock and/or had access to.
These days, with the way cut, colour and clarity (mostly round brilliants I’m referring to) is detailed, you can actually tell how the diamond will perform without actually seeing it in person, and the enormous increase in choice and the cost savings are fantastic.
But it is scary.
However, if you don’t feel comfortable or confident buying on line, don’t. Find a reputable jeweller who is happy to “call in” various diamonds after you have given him/her your budget and preferences and do it that way.
You will pay more but you will still have a great choice.
Just don’t go into a jewellers and buy a random diamond ring without getting appropriate lab reports and an assessment. These type of rings can contain Diamonds that are“clarity enhanced”, don’t buy this type, these type of diamonds can be poorly cut and not sparkle very much, you don’t want that either.
There is a wealth of information here on Pricescope which is easy to use, just get hold of the lab reports details and compare to what the experts say is great.
Diamonds cost a lot and you just want to make sure, whatever your price point, that you get good and fair value for your money.
If you want a lab diamond, hold on a while and wait as Debeers is about to release their own collection at very very cheap prices (comparably) Buy one of those if you prefer.
No need to rush, educate yourself, look at lots on line and enjoy the process of finding the best diamond for you.

 

[BiggPapi]

Where are you located, generally, city-wise? A lot of our recommended vendors have an online presence AND brick and mortar location.

I am in New Orleans,LA metro area

 

[BiggPapi]

Being able to buy online is a fabulous thing. Previously you were limited to whatever diamonds your chosen jeweller had in stock and/or had access to.
These days, with the way cut, colour and clarity (mostly round brilliants I’m referring to) is detailed, you can actually tell how the diamond will perform without actually seeing it in person, and the enormous increase in choice and the cost savings are fantastic.
But it is scary.
However, if you don’t feel comfortable or confident buying on line, don’t. Find a reputable jeweller who is happy to “call in” various diamonds after you have given him/her your budget and preferences and do it that way.
You will pay more but you will still have a great choice.
Just don’t go into a jewellers and buy a random diamond ring without getting appropriate lab reports and an assessment. These type of rings can contain Diamonds that are“clarity enhanced”, don’t buy this type, these type of diamonds can be poorly cut and not sparkle very much, you don’t want that either.
There is a wealth of information here on Pricescope which is easy to use, just get hold of the lab reports details and compare to what the experts say is great.
Diamonds cost a lot and you just want to make sure, whatever your price point, that you get good and fair value for your money.
If you want a lab diamond, hold on a while and wait as Debeers is about to release their own collection at very very cheap prices (comparably) Buy one of those if you prefer.
No need to rush, educate yourself, look at lots on line and enjoy the process of finding the best diamond for you.

Thanks for the feedback. Big purchase and major decision. I want to get it right.

 

[Miki Moto]

Hi! Buying a diamond online is very safe if you go with trusted dealers such as the popular online ones here. No worry at all.

In my opinion, the biggest difference in buying online, aside from the cost savings is that you now need to be a pseudo diamond expert. You will need to know how to pick your diamond.. Ideal or super ideal, cut angles, H&As, ASET, HCA...

If you like doing this research, great. In my opinion, you will spend hours researching before you can “order up” a great diamond on your own (I am not kidding... this stuff takes time).

Depending on how much savings you are looking at, the time you spend researching your diamond may be offset by the money you save so you need look at it from a financial perspective also.

That would be my one advice. Start by doing a little diamond research and if you get into it, great. Buying online will be a nice option to save money. But don’t forget your time is worth money too, so if this is not a good option, I would just go to a trusted local jeweler and let him do the work and find the diamonds for you.

I hope this helps.

 

[flyingpig]

Put it to the test.

Go to a reputable local store of your choice.
Ask them to show you couple well cut GIA diamonds according to your budget and specifications (color,carat,clarity)
Ask them to provide you with the lab reports or the lab report numbers .

Come back here and post and share the GIA numbers and prices with us.
We will proceed from there and you will be given more specific advice.

 

[BiggPapi]

Thank you for the advice. I will secure the information and post for feedback.

 

[WinkHPD]

Hi! Buying a diamond online is very safe if you go with trusted dealers such as the popular online ones here. No worry at all.

In my opinion, the biggest difference in buying online, aside from the cost savings is that you now need to be a pseudo diamond expert. You will need to know how to pick your diamond.. Ideal or super ideal, cut angles, H&As, ASET, HCA...

If you like doing this research, great. In my opinion, you will spend hours researching before you can “order up” a great diamond on your own (I am not kidding... this stuff takes time).

Depending on how much savings you are looking at, the time you spend researching your diamond may be offset by the money you save so you need look at it from a financial perspective also.

That would be my one advice. Start by doing a little diamond research and if you get into it, great. Buying online will be a nice option to save money. But don’t forget your time is worth money too, so if this is not a good option, I would just go to a trusted local jeweler and let him do the work and find the diamonds for you.

I hope this helps.

This thread, and especially this post, brings to my mind the early days of the Internet. (Shut up old man, we've heard it all before...)

In the early days there were only a few diamond dealers, for about a week. The B&M retailers were adamant that we were all crooks and who knew what you might be getting, but it could not be a real deal at the prices offered. Heck, people were coming in to my office and telling me they would never pay a penny more than X dollars as they had a bootlegged copy of the Rapaport Report. Many were shocked that my normal price was less than what they were demanding I sell for.

There were no H&A viewers, H&A would not become well known in this country until seven or eight years later. Obviously, there was no HCA, Ideal-Scope or ASET images either. It would be more than ten years before I met Paul Slegers on his first trip to the States.

My jeweler friends would ask me why would anyone ever send me money on a diamond they had never seen. Honestly, I was always pleasantly surprised that so many did. Eventually I came to know it is because with the Internet and Google, good deeds are quickly recognized and any perfidery quickly exposed.

Now we have great discussion boards such as Pricescope and armies of "prosumers" who have fallen in love with all things sparkly and offer their guidance for their own reasons and to the very major improvement of the quality of diamonds that the diamond seekers who come here leave with.

Thanks, Miki Moto, for the quick trip down memory lane. The internet has opened huge doors around the world and it has been a great journey to have been here from the early days.

Wink

 

[sledge]

Also, if I get an independent appraiser's review, how long does that take, and how do I know I'm getting my same diamond back after the appraisal?

The easiest way to confirm if you got the correct diamond back is to have a copy your GIA/AGS certificate with the inclusions plot and GIA/AGS inscription numbers. When you get your stone back, you simply take to a jeweler with a microscope and confirm the numbers match, and that the inclusions are the same as your plot states. He/she can look with you if you prefer, but always make sure YOU personally verify the information yourself.

While I agree that buying a diamond online can appear risky, I think many others said it best by stating your experience depends on the vendor you utilize, their return policies and their reputations. The vendors recommended by PS users will be people you can trust. And as pointed out, many of these guys have actual B&M stores you can walk into.

What I really like about dealing with some online vendors is the transparency in which they make ALL the data on their diamonds available -- certifications, images, videos, etc. If you think you've found a winner, call the vendor and ask them to place it on hold. Then post a link to the diamond on her and let the PS fanatics do their magic. They will either confirm your selection, or offer up some better alternatives. Either way, it's a win-win for you.

One thing I personally like about online is it brings selection and quality not normally available at local B&M stores, and makes it readily accessible to me. Not only that, but more times than not you can find a super ideal stone for a price that is equal to or less than stones of less cut quality. Another added benefit is I don't have to listen to the untrained sales clerk try to sell me something I don't want or need. I am far from a diamond expert, but I can normally run circles around most B&M sales associates. Normally I end up talking with general managers or gemologists when I go. It can be fun to talk diamonds, when you are in the right company but otherwise it's just a miserable experience, at least for me. But I'm much the same way in car shopping. I prefer to seek out and do deals online and just go in to sign papers and pick up the car. That whole car salesman routine is kiddish to me and something I refuse to play.

In short, online offers super pricing and selection with the most data and least hassle. And with the PS community on your side, you will be guided and taught in a manner so that you know you are making the best possible selection that your money allows.

FYI, you mentioned lab grown diamonds. DeBeer's just recently announced a big shift in that market and making them available at stupid low prices (either $400 or $800 per carat best I recall). They were only offering in non-ring type jewelry but it wouldn't prevent you from buying that jewelry piece and then having a custom setting made or bought elsewhere and the LGD placed in it. But it kind of depends on the size. I think DeBeer's is capping them at 1 carat sizes.

 

[soxfan]

I don't buy locally anymore after coming to Pricescope. To put it into perspective: I went into my local jeweler to get my tiffany band polished and tried on a 1 ctw 5 stone band (I wanted to gauge how big I wanted my stones to be.) The price tag on it was $4800, and the stones were not good. I just bought a 1.5 ctw 5 stone band with ideal cut diamonds from IDJ for $1300 less. I saved $1300 and got 50% more diamonds. The vendors recommended here are all trustworthy. I refuse to pay more money for awful diamonds.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Good Afternoon to all.

Well, I have been convinced not to go with a Lab grown diamond and I believe that is the right choice in the long run.

Now, I'm confused about Retail versus online. I've been shopping both. Clearly online is cheaper, but I'm scared to death about purchasing a diamond through the mail sight unseen.

Also, if I get an independent appraiser's review, how long does that take, and how do I know I'm getting my same diamond back after the appraisal?

All advice is welcome?

There are some top notch appraisers who participate on this forum that you can easily access, or you can find someone with the proper credentials and reputation within the trade locally.
You can access consumer reviews on any merchant you are considering by going to google+,Yelp, and other 3rd party review sites.

You will find that online sellers generally provide more information and diagnostics about their diamonds, as well as added value policies, than most brick and mortar stores.

It used to be that buying online was a leap of faith. Because of transparency in pricing and information as e-commerce has come of age, and the resistance some brick and mortars have shown in matching those practices, the shoe is often on the other foot.