Buyer''s remorse

[Logan Sapphire]

I think I read in another post that someone said they had buyer''s remorse after reading Pricescope. I feel the same way. I discovered this site towards the end of my diamond shopping, and definitely used the knowledge I''ve gained in shopping and eventually buying.

In the end, I went with a local, family-owned store that''s been around for 26 years. Their store is pretty dumpy looking (even they admit it) and have no overhead on anything. No advertising, etc. I didn''t get the Sarin report or run it through the HCA. The stone is a .78 round, VS1, 5.86-5.91 diameter, E color, no florescence, and it looks amazing. It was $3147. It''s set in a Tiffany-style platinum 6 prong, and the reaction I usually get is that it must be a one carat. It looks bigger than other people''s .75 and one carats- I think it''s an absolutely beautiful diamond. I have a 6 month return policy, so if the independent appraisal suggests returning it, so I will. But my fiance and I both liked the jeweler and felt comfortable and informed.

But I still read PS and sort of second-guess myself. Could I have bought a better diamond elsewhere? Possibly. I most likely will go the internet vendor route the next time I buy a diamond, but for the first one, we both felt more comfortable going with a B&M stone. Has anyone else who bought their stone first without PS knowledge felt like this?

 

[niceice]

Congratulations on your purchase! It sounds like you selected a beautiful diamond and are taking the necessary steps to ensure that you received the diamond you paid for. Obviously we're not the general public, but many of our clients have indicated that they appreciate the amount of information provided on our web site and those of our competitors and here on PS... It pays to research diamonds before you buy! Not doing so beforehand often leads to feelings of doubt and of being cheated many years down the road when people are buying a second diamond and decide to research that purchase... At that point, many people realize that they purchased a diamond of commercial quality the first time and unfortunately that first time purchase is often the engagement ring that is the emotional cornerstone for so many women. It's good that you found PS in time to further research your purchase if you choose to, be sure to mention PS to your friends when they are in the market for a diamond so that they will have the same opportunity

The important thing is not whether you purchase your diamond on-line or through a traditional B&M retailer, the important thing is that you buy with the understanding of what you are purchasing and that you are comfortable with that purchase. Most of us here on-line post the information that we do with the knowledge that we are often helping people buy diamonds from their local retailers, the truth be known, we never intended to sell diamonds on-line in the first place! The first two years our site existed, it only provided information... We started selling diamonds on-line after countless people begged us to do so because they were unhappy with the retail experience in their neighborhoods...

 

[pyramid]

niceice: 'At that point, many people realize that they purchased a diamond of commercial quality the first time and unfortunately that first time purchase is often the engagement ring that is the emotional cornerstone for so many women.'


I think this is very common and is what happened to me. I know, ofcourse, that commercial quality is what many people can afford especially when starting out young and getting engaged and to some a diamond is not what it is to us diamond geeks either.

I bought a diamond back in April 2003 and like mmeowcollins I started to get buyers remorse knowing I could get more for my money online. But then the diamond I bought was a 0.70, J colour, VS (not certificated but very clear stone), well cut. I decided to return it and wait until I could afford a better stone. I am still saving for it, it is not for an engagement. I don't know maybe commercial quality is what I should afford but after reading up on these forums I want more now.


By the way what is commerical quality, apart from cut which I have read is sometimes called domestic cut, what are the other C's normally. Would it be I1 (perhaps SI1), K colour, and any carat weight? I really think the average person only knows a diamond is a diamond and therefore puts down what is a relatively large amount of money for them and thinks they got a valuable gemstone which may not be true. Ah is ignorance bliss afterall.

 

[Mara]

I think it's human nature to second-guess yourself. We used Pscope through our entire search and in the end went offline through a local jeweler we had used in the past. I really love my stone. However, I still go online sometimes when I am bored, and with the figure in mind of what we paid for the entire ring, surf around and see what I could have gotten *if only*.....I am definitely a research and 'scenario' person and I like to cover all the bases. So it's not unusual for me to continue to think about things even after everything is said and done (and too late!).




I do have to say that when it comes to stones, yes there is always something better out there..and maybe cheaper...I see people come on here sometimes who just visited their local jeweler and know nothing. They'll post about seeing a 1.79 H SI1 eye clean AGS0 stone for $8000 but not have any details. So we'll tell them to get the details, and then the stone turns out to be a knockout, have a great HCA score, great pav and crown angles, and guess what? It's $8k! For a well cut stone that should be in *reality* more like $12-13k! When I see things like that, I am very happy for the person buying such a great stone at a great price, but the other half of me thinks..WOW...that is really awesome, why couldnt' WE have gotten a deal like that!




So I think it comes in all shapes and sizes, grass is ALWAYS greener, throughout many elements in life. But I think of it like this in order to save some sanity....this is not my last diamond. So I have many many opportunities in the future to try out new and other 'scenarios' of how things could have gone. So I look forward to the future.

Be happy with your stone, it sounds lovely. You did the best you could with the knowledge you had...

 

[magna2]

It is human nature to second guess ourselves on large purchases - always thinking that we could have gotten a better deal elsewhere. If you are happy with the diamond, that is all that matter. Finding a better stone is all subjective. And sometimes you can't put a value on certain items.

The e-ring that I bought for my wife was done prior to me finding PriceScope - not even sure whether PriceScope was around then( about 6 years ago). I wish I knew what I know now (albeit limited) but none the less I am happy with the purchase ans more importantly so is my wife. I probably could have gotten it cheaper knowing what I now know but that is water under the bridge.

 

[diamondlil]

I'm with you, Mara. I can't stop rehashing my decisions. It drives my husband nuts!!!

Diamondlil

 

[mango]

I just had to reply, I totally hear you. We found PS near the end of the search for my earrings and it made it hard because while it helped me understand what to look for, it made it really hard emotionally because I wanted to invest a lot of time into finding the "perfect" pair at the "best" price. And then I would look at my engagement ring (from 1994) with new eyes, and go, hmmm, what if.... As it turned out, my infamous BN diamonds that were lost after delivery, were a RESULT of my buyer's remorse... I had returned the first pair that my husband had bought online because I thought it was too much money and not enough data! I was not satisfied. I hunted for something less expensive with more sparkle, at least something with numbers I could check with HCA. So when the package was lost, I had about THE most remorse anyone could experience! Had I not been so picky with the beautiful stones my husband had ordered it could have been all avoided. As it turned out the package was found, and the stones I picked were beautiful and sparkly, and we saved about $1000. I think if I returned them again after all of this, my husband would have pulled out his hair. He kept saying, "Just enjoy them."

Anyway, my point is that we on PS seem to be **information junkies** Its a blessing and a curse. There is no limit to what could be out there and so, at some point, you just gotta draw the line. For me it was lack of time, and waning husband patience. Forget all the "what ifs" and just enjoy what you have, which sounds gorgeous. Remind yourself that most of the world cannot afford anything close to what you are holding in your hands. And as Mara said, there's always that next stone...

P.S. We finally shipped out my loose stones for my stud earrings. I'll post pics when I get them back. We've been househunting and its pushed all my diamond craziness to the back burner. Buying a condo in NYC is also an emotional, difficult purchase filled with endless information and potential buyer's remorse!

 

[Mara]

mango--we are in the midst of buying a new townhouse here in the bayarea..talk about fraught with stress !! not only are we paying WAY TOO MUCH for a townhouse (it's being built), but because housing is so expensive here, forget being able to come up with 20% of anything! you're lucky to come up with 5-10% for a down payment if even that! then after you find the dream place that fits your budget...there's getting financing--which is what we are doing now. ay carumba! closing is in mid-jan...I am going to be on pins and needles up until that point. we just chose our lender today out of 3 offers we had--i have been stressing all week over who to choose, who to choose..and my spreadsheets of numbers are starting to look pretty frightening. last nite we finally sat down and said we HAVE to make a decision. lets close our eyes and point. hahah no we didn't do that..but felt like it.




so yes i feel your pain. the diamond madness definitely takes a back burner to these bigger decisions....but also the house buying puts things in perspective. $10k? hah...petty cash!! that's granite for our kitchen countertops. funny how the thousands fly by when you are in that options design center pointing and choosing.

sick... ahhh but our house will be gorgeous when its all said and done. can't wait!!! the reward will be more than worth all the pain.

 

[niceice]

----------------
On 11/4/2003 2:48:23 AM pyramid wrote:



By the way what is commerical quality, apart from cut which I have read is sometimes called domestic cut, what are the other C's normally. Would it be I1 (perhaps SI1), K colour, and any carat weight?
----------------

The definition of 'commercial quality' probably depends on the person using the phrase, to us it is I-1 through I-3, J color and lower... To the jeweler down the street from us who seems to sell primarily that, we suppose that 'commercial quality' is what they put on the end of a drill bit

The other day one of our local jewelers brought a diamond to us to have inscribed and we counted nine, yes 9, chips along the girdle edge of the stone which happened to have a girdle edge which averaged 4% thick! We pointed out the chips to him and asked whether he had seen them and he indicated that he hadn't! OMG! And obviously neither had his client... Can you believe that people still buy and sell diamonds this way? Blind, absolutely blind...

 

[pyramid]

Thank you for that information niceice.

 

[pyramid]

Date: 11/3/2003 5:11:21 PM
Author: niceice
Congratulations on your purchase! It sounds like you selected a beautiful diamond and are taking the necessary steps to ensure that you received the diamond you paid for. Obviously we''re not the general public, but many of our clients have indicated that they appreciate the amount of information provided on our web site and those of our competitors and here on PS... It pays to research diamonds before you buy! Not doing so beforehand often leads to feelings of doubt and of being cheated many years down the road when people are buying a second diamond and decide to research that purchase... At that point, many people realize that they purchased a diamond of commercial quality the first time and unfortunately that first time purchase is often the engagement ring that is the emotional cornerstone for so many women. It''s good that you found PS in time to further research your purchase if you choose to, be sure to mention PS to your friends when they are in the market for a diamond so that they will have the same opportunity

The important thing is not whether you purchase your diamond on-line or through a traditional B&M retailer, the important thing is that you buy with the understanding of what you are purchasing and that you are comfortable with that purchase. Most of us here on-line post the information that we do with the knowledge that we are often helping people buy diamonds from their local retailers, the truth be known, we never intended to sell diamonds on-line in the first place! The first two years our site existed, it only provided information... We started selling diamonds on-line after countless people begged us to do so because they were unhappy with the retail experience in their neighborhoods...

I think this post is very important for new buyers.

 

[Maxine]

Just realized that it''s an old post, but yes, the info. is very relevant for many....

Pyramid, what prompted you to bump it up????? Just wondering......

 

[pyramid]

Maxine see my new post about jewellery being of no help.

 

[nutty]

On that same note of Buyers Remorse... how do you even end up selling a diamond that you no longer want? The jeweler I purchased my original diamond from doesn''t do trade-up or anything, so I''m curious how you go about selling a diamond that you no longer want?

 

[Mara]

nutty, run a search on selling a diamond..this question has definitely been answered before in spades!

 

[nutty]

Ah yes... just found the millions of threads. That darn Search button I always forget about!

Thanks!

 

[coconut]

I hope my posting makes you feel a little bit better.....

My husband proposed with an engagement ring: the D vatche x-prong setting but with a round CZ because he knew I LOVED the setting... and thought we'd shop for the diamond together. (boy what a remorse that was.. on his part)

We ended up getting married before we could purchase the diamond because I couldn't decide on which shape of diamond I wanted... and...well... after 8 months of marriage we still haven't gotten to buy the diamond because I decided that I don't like the setting.

Although I was attracted at first because the setting looks like the Tiffany's Lucida setting, and the stone is set low so as to not interfere with daily life.....it makes the stone seem smaller than it is.
So we decided to leave the round CZ (Which still sparkles like crazy under "certain" lighting) in the setting for traveling purposes.

This time I decided to choose the DIAMOND first then the setting... LOL

However, again indecisive as I am... I purchsed Wink's CZ in a jubilee shape .... so I can play around with it and see how I like it. (I like all the sparkly things at the jewelry store.. how can I choose one shape over the other?? so I decided to keep one at home and see..)

Some people tell me that I can indeed get more than ONE diamond in my life so just pick what appeals to me the most and move on... but now that it took me this long to speculate..there is even more pressure to find the most gorgeous stone! Haha...

Well.. at least I know which steps to take once I decide on my favorite shape ^^... Thanks to endless hrs well spent at PS..

So.. my point is you're all lucky to at least own a beautiful stone because you were perceptive enough to narrow your choices and purchase what you felt was valuable to your heart....

And please if you ever catch me vacillitating when asked for my opinion... it's not me... but only my Ever indecisive mind when it comes to sparklies.... --coconut