Canadian Choosing an E-tailor - help

[duffdouglas]

Hello! I live in Vancouver and have been looking at the various e-tailors out there and have come up with my top 3 and wanted your opinion on them. I also have a question about certificates.

First tho, I am looking around a 0.75, G, SI1 Ideal cut diamond.

If you have any comments on the following vnedors I would appreciate it:

#1 - Diacan.com
~ These guys have the lowest prices on the Net but use Gem Scan certificates which seem very unreliable according to posts. Should I skip these guys because of the cert''s?

#2 - Bluenile.com
~ Have GIA and AGS Cert''s and seem very Canadian friendly. Decent prices. The one issue is having it shipped from the US to Canada. Does anyone have any experience with this?

#3 - Whiteflash.com
~ All cert''s. Seem to have good customer support and good prices. Once again, shipping across the boarder. Although I read someone actually went and drove to the States and picked it up at the Fed Ex office and avoided customs alltogether. Comments?

Finally, how concerned should I be about certificates? The general consensus is go with GIA or AGS. Should I ignore all others?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Daniela]

Of the three mentioned, forget the first one, consider the second one if they have the stone that you love, and I would above all recommend Whiteflash. They are very good, have access to a variety of settings, and their ACA and expert selection stones are consistently beautiful.

You say you are in Vancouver. I also must mention that it would be worth your while to work with Nice Ice in Oregon. You could drive right down there and see the stone if you wanted. They are very nice and very critical in their diamond selection. If I were in B.C., this is who I would choose.
But Whiteflash is also a wonderful choice. You can't go wrong with either of these two. In fact, you probably need to call them both and see who you like better. Also consider who has the setting you love.

 

[Gale]

If you want to use an American e-tailer like niceice, bluenile or whiteflash, it is easy enough to get them to deliver the package to a fedex centre in Seattle where they will hold the package for you. If you plan on paying by credit card, some e-tailer policies will not ship to an address other than one on file with your credit card company though. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Just curious, as a Canadian I am wondering why you haven't considered brokers/establishment that have a Canadian "base"? Might save you the hefty excise tax that you would otherwise have to pay on a stone shipped from our American allies.

cheers

Sharon

 

[duffdouglas]

Thank you for teh advice. I think I have scratched off diacan because of the certificate issues. It seems like Whiteflash and Niceice are fairly reputable in the searches on this website.

The reason I am not considering a broker in Canada is basically because of the tax and apparent extra cost. I can get more diamond from the States than from Canada.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Naturally you have investigated the same--but may I ask how you plan to avoid the excise tax? I have made many across the border purchases and whether the jewellery was mailed by US Postal service or FedEx'd I paid the tax. No avoiding it! Then there is the matter of the exchange....

Good searching!

Sharon

 

[duffdouglas]

I basically drive over the boarder - grab the diamond, and then put it in my pocket

When they ask what am I declaring - I say nothing

Worst case is I Fed Ex all the diamonds doc to me in Vancouver, and put the diamond in a very very safe pocket when crossing the boarder

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

While searching, don't forget to include Wink Jones amongst your choices--B & M vendor and e-tailer. In Boise Idaho, I believe. Known and respected.

cheers

Sharon