egemnoel
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2015
- Messages
- 138
Hi PSers, this is long overdue and thanks to you all on PS I have been on a massive journey since December 2014. Not only has it been a great success but I have a very happy wife and I am also stunned with the final product. Also now is a perfect time to answer some questions after reading this thread and why I decided on a Crafted By Infinity diamond.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quantifying-performance-nuances-beyond-aset-h-a-photos-etc.212008/page-3']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quantifying-performance-nuances-beyond-aset-h-a-photos-etc.212008/page-3[/URL]
For my wife's 40th birthday I wanted to gift her a pendant and of course like most men we are all lastminute.com, but this time I ended up being four months late. I have a great wife and she is very understanding so she just lets me get on with it.
We went to one of the top local jewellers and she tried on a 1ct pendant ready to buy on the day with a price of roughly 10K(GBP) / 15k USD.
!! Please note this picture is the pendant from the local jewellers we could have ended up buying !!
!! Please note this picture is the pendant from the local jewellers we could have ended up buying !!
After trying it on, taking pictures and going off to think about it, she said "this looks rubbish, this is an excuse for a pendant" compared to her other diamond jewellery and engagement ring. "Let’s abort the pendant and do something else with the cash." I agreed at the time and said leave it with me and let me go now and do this properly.
That night it started and the first really good website with excellent information was Pricescope and also Todd Grays NiceIce. I loved this guys blog and how he evaluated the various vendors and interpreted a top cut diamond. Boy is he hard to please! Even if it was 0.1% or 0.1 degree out of his tolerances or not the perfect H&A he would reject it. I had to engage Todd to find me the perfect 1CT diamond with a 15k USD budget, it was a no brainer.
Todd was very thorough and according to the vendor’s inventory and what I was looking for it was narrowed down to a Crafted By Infinity diamond. He was also up front that there was no fee to pay and he was affiliated with Wink HPD and would receive commission if the sale took place. I was taken back with his honesty and being upfront form the very start and of course his amazing technical knowledge. That transparency from the very start did give Todd a lot of credibility as there was no hidden agenda. So after a few late nights going to bed very late with lots of emails flying back and forth my wife would ask me from time to time what are you up to and I would reply "Discussing diamonds with Mr Gray" (As in 50 shades
). My wife nearly fainted. The search for the perfect diamond and pendant took on a whole new meaning 
This was when I was introduced to Wink from High Performance Diamonds and the Crafted By Infinity Brand. Wink only lived 7,800KM away from me so this was going to be interesting shall we say. Honestly from my heart this guy is AMAZING to deal with. Wink could not do enough for me, from having three diamonds shipped in, to taking videos, H&A, ASET images, AGS certificates and explaining about the brand any why they differ from other brands and GIA XXX / AGS diamonds. This guy had PASSION and I could feel his enthusiasm about the brand and I ever wondered did he sleep due to the different time zones as emails were answered so promptly. 80% LIFETIME (not 12 months as most of the other vendors) buy back policy and 100% upgrade policy (and you don't have to double up). He sets a new standard for me in how to deal with potential clients and offering a service second to none.
Then there was the CBI team themselves Lieve, Paul, John and the work going on behind the scenes. So I rang CBI out of the blue just to make sure all was in order and this gentlemen answered and I wanted to discuss the diamond I was about to purchase. Paul Slegers answered the phone himself and even knew who I was and what diamond I was going to purchase. I was blown away, this was all too good to be true. The internal communication between these people was top notch and Paul the very person who cuts the diamond was on the other end of the phone. I came off that phone call thinking this guy has set a standard very few could match and simply no room for error. He had that that same professional conduct, his passion for what he does and the perfection in their process that cuts these amazing diamonds and how he and Lieve completely oversee the cutting of each and every stone right from the initial choosing of the rough. How more PERSONAL can you get, isn't that what diamonds are all about? Having a chat to the cutter, who has perfected the diamond you are about to buy?
We agreed on the price but before I wired the money I stood back just to make sure everything was in order because this was effortless in dealing with Todd, Wink, Paul and the CBI team.
You know the saying "when it is too good to be true and all that stuff" so I went and HIRED (I know only $70, I would have paid him 10 times this) another diamond consultant called Vincent Chan Prosumerdiamonds who was NOT affiliated in any way with Wink or CBI at the time of engagement.
Vincent was another amazing guy to deal with, honestly speaking I was surprised how I found such top quality people. I gave Vincent a list of diamonds and mixed a few up and added a few more into the mix and never disclosed any info about Todd Wink or Paul. I even used another CBI vendors website links when referencing the diamonds. Vincent was so professional and another diamond expert who is top of his game. Out of the 11 diamonds (wanted to make it difficult for Vincent) from various vendors he came back with a technical analysis on each including Rapnet pricing per CT.
I was only interested in the one diamond and all the other technical analysis I have removed and just pasted the following words that just stood out for me.
Summary
- This diamond is cut to perfection and has the perfect balance between light performance and spread.
- If price were not an issue then we can probably stop here, but let's move on.
BINGO!
Vincent nailed it, the very stone I was recommended by Todd was the one he picked also. What can I say people, what further re-assurances did I need? Just remember I still had not seen a CBI in the flesh.
You know what it gets even BETTER!!
I get this email from Wink just as I am about to wire the cash.
"Before you send payment. Pricing has been adjusted due to Rapaport pricing going down on Friday. The new pricing is $xxxx resulting in a current pricing of $xxxx net to you."
Honestly speaking I was floored , I got a price reduction of $400, he did not have to do this or tell me and I would not have known any difference. This sums up Wink and the ethos of CBI, their complete honesty and integrity and I was full of confidence and onto a complete winner, even though I have yet to see a CBI diamond but I knew deep down this was going to be good.
I will continue further tomorrow and discuss my dealings with Leon Mege and of course my wife decides to have her engagement ring re-set by Leon and my sister-in-law would like me to help pick her engagement ring ALL at the same time.
Now I am going to deal with Leon Mege on three simultaneous projects! At least he was a bit closer only 5306 KM away from me.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quantifying-performance-nuances-beyond-aset-h-a-photos-etc.212008/page-3']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/quantifying-performance-nuances-beyond-aset-h-a-photos-etc.212008/page-3[/URL]
For my wife's 40th birthday I wanted to gift her a pendant and of course like most men we are all lastminute.com, but this time I ended up being four months late. I have a great wife and she is very understanding so she just lets me get on with it.
We went to one of the top local jewellers and she tried on a 1ct pendant ready to buy on the day with a price of roughly 10K(GBP) / 15k USD.
!! Please note this picture is the pendant from the local jewellers we could have ended up buying !!
!! Please note this picture is the pendant from the local jewellers we could have ended up buying !!
After trying it on, taking pictures and going off to think about it, she said "this looks rubbish, this is an excuse for a pendant" compared to her other diamond jewellery and engagement ring. "Let’s abort the pendant and do something else with the cash." I agreed at the time and said leave it with me and let me go now and do this properly.
That night it started and the first really good website with excellent information was Pricescope and also Todd Grays NiceIce. I loved this guys blog and how he evaluated the various vendors and interpreted a top cut diamond. Boy is he hard to please! Even if it was 0.1% or 0.1 degree out of his tolerances or not the perfect H&A he would reject it. I had to engage Todd to find me the perfect 1CT diamond with a 15k USD budget, it was a no brainer.
Todd was very thorough and according to the vendor’s inventory and what I was looking for it was narrowed down to a Crafted By Infinity diamond. He was also up front that there was no fee to pay and he was affiliated with Wink HPD and would receive commission if the sale took place. I was taken back with his honesty and being upfront form the very start and of course his amazing technical knowledge. That transparency from the very start did give Todd a lot of credibility as there was no hidden agenda. So after a few late nights going to bed very late with lots of emails flying back and forth my wife would ask me from time to time what are you up to and I would reply "Discussing diamonds with Mr Gray" (As in 50 shades
). My wife nearly fainted. The search for the perfect diamond and pendant took on a whole new meaning This was when I was introduced to Wink from High Performance Diamonds and the Crafted By Infinity Brand. Wink only lived 7,800KM away from me so this was going to be interesting shall we say. Honestly from my heart this guy is AMAZING to deal with. Wink could not do enough for me, from having three diamonds shipped in, to taking videos, H&A, ASET images, AGS certificates and explaining about the brand any why they differ from other brands and GIA XXX / AGS diamonds. This guy had PASSION and I could feel his enthusiasm about the brand and I ever wondered did he sleep due to the different time zones as emails were answered so promptly. 80% LIFETIME (not 12 months as most of the other vendors) buy back policy and 100% upgrade policy (and you don't have to double up). He sets a new standard for me in how to deal with potential clients and offering a service second to none.
Then there was the CBI team themselves Lieve, Paul, John and the work going on behind the scenes. So I rang CBI out of the blue just to make sure all was in order and this gentlemen answered and I wanted to discuss the diamond I was about to purchase. Paul Slegers answered the phone himself and even knew who I was and what diamond I was going to purchase. I was blown away, this was all too good to be true. The internal communication between these people was top notch and Paul the very person who cuts the diamond was on the other end of the phone. I came off that phone call thinking this guy has set a standard very few could match and simply no room for error. He had that that same professional conduct, his passion for what he does and the perfection in their process that cuts these amazing diamonds and how he and Lieve completely oversee the cutting of each and every stone right from the initial choosing of the rough. How more PERSONAL can you get, isn't that what diamonds are all about? Having a chat to the cutter, who has perfected the diamond you are about to buy?
We agreed on the price but before I wired the money I stood back just to make sure everything was in order because this was effortless in dealing with Todd, Wink, Paul and the CBI team.
You know the saying "when it is too good to be true and all that stuff" so I went and HIRED (I know only $70, I would have paid him 10 times this) another diamond consultant called Vincent Chan Prosumerdiamonds who was NOT affiliated in any way with Wink or CBI at the time of engagement.
Vincent was another amazing guy to deal with, honestly speaking I was surprised how I found such top quality people. I gave Vincent a list of diamonds and mixed a few up and added a few more into the mix and never disclosed any info about Todd Wink or Paul. I even used another CBI vendors website links when referencing the diamonds. Vincent was so professional and another diamond expert who is top of his game. Out of the 11 diamonds (wanted to make it difficult for Vincent) from various vendors he came back with a technical analysis on each including Rapnet pricing per CT.
I was only interested in the one diamond and all the other technical analysis I have removed and just pasted the following words that just stood out for me.
Summary
- This diamond is cut to perfection and has the perfect balance between light performance and spread.
- If price were not an issue then we can probably stop here, but let's move on.
BINGO!
Vincent nailed it, the very stone I was recommended by Todd was the one he picked also. What can I say people, what further re-assurances did I need? Just remember I still had not seen a CBI in the flesh. You know what it gets even BETTER!!
I get this email from Wink just as I am about to wire the cash.
"Before you send payment. Pricing has been adjusted due to Rapaport pricing going down on Friday. The new pricing is $xxxx resulting in a current pricing of $xxxx net to you."
Honestly speaking I was floored
, I got a price reduction of $400, he did not have to do this or tell me and I would not have known any difference. This sums up Wink and the ethos of CBI, their complete honesty and integrity and I was full of confidence and onto a complete winner, even though I have yet to see a CBI diamond but I knew deep down this was going to be good.
I will continue further tomorrow and discuss my dealings with Leon Mege and of course my wife decides to have her engagement ring re-set by Leon and my sister-in-law would like me to help pick her engagement ring ALL at the same time.
Now I am going to deal with Leon Mege on three simultaneous projects! At least he was a bit closer only 5306 KM away from me.
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