blakeo
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2003
- Messages
- 93
This thread is intended for those in Canada who have considered purchasing off price scope but have been worried about getting burned.
I started looking for a diamond 4 months ago not knowing the first thing about them. I went to Mappins, Peoples, Spence, Birks, European Jewellery and a number of other maul outlets. Turning to the net I found an outstanding level of quality information from the GoodOldGold website – here was someone who knew what they were talking about and was prepared to share that info. The problem for me was that I was very nervous about buying over the internet, and even more so from a location outside Canada – what if something went wrong?. A bit more investigation led me to USA Certed Diamonds. Despite the name, the office was located just 15 minutes away from my work in North York, Toronto.
In searching pricescope, I found a diamond that represented the best compromise for me. The same gem seemed to be offered by a number of different vendors, but on reading the USA Certed website, they guaranteed to beat the lowest advertised price on PriceScope.
I called USA Certed and spoke to Martin who explained the process in getting the diamond in. We arranged a meeting and I went to his office to discuss next steps. There was no pressure and he seemed genuinely sincere in assisting me make a good decision.
Once I had confirmed the gem I was interested in, Martin faxed me a copy of the AGS certificate and we organized a second meeting. In his office, we phoned up the US based company that had the diamond in stock and I was able to ask my questions directly about where the inclusions were, whether the girdle was faceted etc. This call also confirmed that although not advertised as such, the gem had good H&A pattern.
As the diamond was in the US, Martin required a deposit to bring the gem into Canada. We also agreed that I would purchase the diamond if it met the specifications on the AGS certificate and “that there were no surprises” identified through the independent appraisal.
I was very wary of this having been advised on the internet to insist upon a “full cash back guarantee for any reason”, however I could also see his viewpoint that there is a lot of paperwork and effort involved in getting the diamond to Canada (and sending it back) if I just changed my mind (or didn’t have the money in the first place). By this stage I had a level of comfort & trust in Martin’s professionalism that I could proceed.
We calculated out the price (which included a C$70 shipping charge) and I paid a deposit. If you’re based in Canada, you’ll know that the Looney has dropped around 5c to the dollar in the last few weeks, therefore when it came to paying the balance on the diamond yesterday I expected to get landed with the exchange rate difference. Martin waived this difference in my favour.
We then went through and weighed the diamond, looked at the inclusions under high powered binocular microscope and viewed the H&A pattern under his viewer. Knowing that once set, the H&A pattern wouldn’t be visible, I took some good shots and video on my DV camcorder that I’ll be able to show my intended later (will see if I can post some still shots later).
I have 7 days to return the diamond so I have an appointment with an appraiser on Thursday.
Lessons learned
• Do your homework – visit GoodOldGolds excellent site
• Decide on the specs you are after and go to a B&M store to see what they look like in settings (and to check prices)
• Check to make sure you’re getting the best price on price scope
• Leave yourself lots of time so that if the gem you are looking for isn’t currently available you aren’t forced into a compromise
• When booking the appraisal it can sometimes take up to 2 weeks to get a timeslot – make sure you organize this prior to taking delivery of the diamond so you have time to return it if there are any problems.
Conclusion
• I was nervous and risk adverse when I started looking into purchasing on line but have had a good experience. As detailed below, even with the excessive Canadian taxes I figure I saved around 35% on the total cost of the diamond and ring and I’m more confident of the quality of the diamond cut.
• If you are in Canada and are tempted by the prices offered on Pricescope but want to use a ‘local’ dealer, I would recommend USA Certed based on my experience.
If you wanted to call and ask any questions, contact Martin for my phone no or I will try to respond back to replys on this thread.
The Diamond:
0.92, E, VS1, depth 60.8%, table 57%, AGS000 (H&A), thn-me, no flor, 6.28x6.23x3.81
Pricescope prices:
$5485, $5046* (affordable diamonds online)
$5497, $5057*‡ (Whiteflash)
$5505, $5065* (Abazias)
$5555, $5111* (USA Certed)
$5559, $5114* (Dirtcheap Diamonds)
$5573, $5127 (Tradeshop)
(n.b. first figure is price per Carat, second figure is actual price)
Final price calc:
(((($US x (July 15th exchange rate))x luxury tax) + shipping) x gst/pst)
OR
((US$5045 x 1.4046) x 1.1) + $70) x 1.15 = $9040.71 + price for high polish 6 prong Tiffany ring in Pt without Rhodium coating $1,100 ($1,265 after tax) = $10,305.71
Competing prices from Bloor/ Yorkville:
Tiffany & Co: 0.92, E, VS1, Tiffany cut, Pt 6 prong Tiffany setting $15,500
Cartier: 0.91, G, VS1, cut???, 4 prong tiffany setting, $15,800
Birks: 0.82, E, VS2, Birks Excellent cut, $14,750
I started looking for a diamond 4 months ago not knowing the first thing about them. I went to Mappins, Peoples, Spence, Birks, European Jewellery and a number of other maul outlets. Turning to the net I found an outstanding level of quality information from the GoodOldGold website – here was someone who knew what they were talking about and was prepared to share that info. The problem for me was that I was very nervous about buying over the internet, and even more so from a location outside Canada – what if something went wrong?. A bit more investigation led me to USA Certed Diamonds. Despite the name, the office was located just 15 minutes away from my work in North York, Toronto.
In searching pricescope, I found a diamond that represented the best compromise for me. The same gem seemed to be offered by a number of different vendors, but on reading the USA Certed website, they guaranteed to beat the lowest advertised price on PriceScope.
I called USA Certed and spoke to Martin who explained the process in getting the diamond in. We arranged a meeting and I went to his office to discuss next steps. There was no pressure and he seemed genuinely sincere in assisting me make a good decision.
Once I had confirmed the gem I was interested in, Martin faxed me a copy of the AGS certificate and we organized a second meeting. In his office, we phoned up the US based company that had the diamond in stock and I was able to ask my questions directly about where the inclusions were, whether the girdle was faceted etc. This call also confirmed that although not advertised as such, the gem had good H&A pattern.
As the diamond was in the US, Martin required a deposit to bring the gem into Canada. We also agreed that I would purchase the diamond if it met the specifications on the AGS certificate and “that there were no surprises” identified through the independent appraisal.
We calculated out the price (which included a C$70 shipping charge) and I paid a deposit. If you’re based in Canada, you’ll know that the Looney has dropped around 5c to the dollar in the last few weeks, therefore when it came to paying the balance on the diamond yesterday I expected to get landed with the exchange rate difference. Martin waived this difference in my favour.
We then went through and weighed the diamond, looked at the inclusions under high powered binocular microscope and viewed the H&A pattern under his viewer. Knowing that once set, the H&A pattern wouldn’t be visible, I took some good shots and video on my DV camcorder that I’ll be able to show my intended later (will see if I can post some still shots later).
I have 7 days to return the diamond so I have an appointment with an appraiser on Thursday.
Lessons learned
• Do your homework – visit GoodOldGolds excellent site
• Decide on the specs you are after and go to a B&M store to see what they look like in settings (and to check prices)
• Check to make sure you’re getting the best price on price scope
• Leave yourself lots of time so that if the gem you are looking for isn’t currently available you aren’t forced into a compromise
• When booking the appraisal it can sometimes take up to 2 weeks to get a timeslot – make sure you organize this prior to taking delivery of the diamond so you have time to return it if there are any problems.
Conclusion
• I was nervous and risk adverse when I started looking into purchasing on line but have had a good experience. As detailed below, even with the excessive Canadian taxes I figure I saved around 35% on the total cost of the diamond and ring and I’m more confident of the quality of the diamond cut.
• If you are in Canada and are tempted by the prices offered on Pricescope but want to use a ‘local’ dealer, I would recommend USA Certed based on my experience.
If you wanted to call and ask any questions, contact Martin for my phone no or I will try to respond back to replys on this thread.
The Diamond:
0.92, E, VS1, depth 60.8%, table 57%, AGS000 (H&A), thn-me, no flor, 6.28x6.23x3.81
Pricescope prices:
$5485, $5046* (affordable diamonds online)
$5497, $5057*‡ (Whiteflash)
$5505, $5065* (Abazias)
$5555, $5111* (USA Certed)
$5559, $5114* (Dirtcheap Diamonds)
$5573, $5127 (Tradeshop)
(n.b. first figure is price per Carat, second figure is actual price)
Final price calc:
(((($US x (July 15th exchange rate))x luxury tax) + shipping) x gst/pst)
OR
((US$5045 x 1.4046) x 1.1) + $70) x 1.15 = $9040.71 + price for high polish 6 prong Tiffany ring in Pt without Rhodium coating $1,100 ($1,265 after tax) = $10,305.71
Competing prices from Bloor/ Yorkville:
Tiffany & Co: 0.92, E, VS1, Tiffany cut, Pt 6 prong Tiffany setting $15,500
Cartier: 0.91, G, VS1, cut???, 4 prong tiffany setting, $15,800
Birks: 0.82, E, VS2, Birks Excellent cut, $14,750
I am not affiliated with Harold Weinsteins office by the way. I have just heard from various retailers that they have a great reputation in the business. By the way, my appraisal matched my cert inclusion for inclusion perfectly. I didnt give them my cert either. The receptionist asked, & I laughed & said I need an independent appraisal. 
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