Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angeles

[Ellejae1]

Hello diamond lovers,
I am just starting my research towards the diamond upgrade of my dreams. I currently own a 1.81 round and want to upgrade to a 2.5 round. I'm fairly new to LA and want to get my current diamond appraised for resale or trade in. I see this guy has good reviews on Yelp http://www.certifiedjewelryappraiser.com/ Anyone been to him or can recommend someone?
Also would love to know of some jewelry vendors that have large selections of rounds that do trades. I'm thinking of sticking with the wholesale or downtown LA jewelry mart instead of a brick and mortar store.
Thanks so much!

 

[RockyRacoon]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

I will let someone else chime in with answers about Appraisers, as I do not have any experience there.

In LA, we have a few good options. Just going to the Jewelry District is not the best idea, as there are many folks running less-than-reputable businesses in the area. It's worthwhile to visit this area, if you know the specific vendors you are visiting. 'Wholesale' vendors are not open to the public, so I don't think it's worth pursuing that angle.

A few vendors worth mentioning, who may be able to assist you:
Jewels by Erica Grace ( www.jewelsbyericagrace.com )
Singlestone ( www.singlestone.com )
Victor Canera ( www.victorcanera.com )

They may be able to assist both with the selling / trading / consigning of your current stone, and providing you with an upgrade.

I've lived in LA for over 30 years, and I would suggest pursuing these vendors first.

 

[Puppy4248]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

On the appraiser side, I highly recommend Patrick Davis at GemSecure! He is the BEST - here is my review for him which I did recently, actually.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fantastic-appraiser-patrick-davis-gemsecure.195424/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fantastic-appraiser-patrick-davis-gemsecure.195424/[/URL]

Good luck!

 

[Ellejae1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Thank you RockyRaccoon for getting back to me so fast!
I have heard of these three diamond vendors you mentioned but don't you think their mark-up is a bit higher due to their popularity?
Are they all located in the LA jewelry district or do they have brick and mortar stores?

thanks!

 

[Ellejae1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Great to hear! I think I'll go with him!
thanks

On the appraiser side, I highly recommend Patrick Davis at GemSecure! He is the BEST - here is my review for him which I did recently, actually.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fantastic-appraiser-patrick-davis-gemsecure.195424/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fantastic-appraiser-patrick-davis-gemsecure.195424/[/URL]

Good luck!

 

[RockyRacoon]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

I have heard of these three diamond vendors you mentioned but don't you think their mark-up is a bit higher due to their popularity?

You'll find that the difference in price (if there is any) is a result of superior selection/craftsmanship. Their popularity has nothing to do with the price.

I would start by emailing/calling these folks with your situation, and go from there. Undoubtedly they will be able to pull stones that meet your needs prior to an in-person meeting. You should be able to see everything in-person from any of the three vendors I mentioned prior to making any purchases/trades. I would explore all three options, if I were you, since you're located so close to all these great vendors! One may be able to offer a superior value, for your particular situation.

There are other great vendors, as well (I'm sure other PS users will be able to suggest some), but if you go with one of those three, you will undoubtedly be dealing with some of the best.

 

[kenny]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

For diamond vendors I recommend Goodologold, Whiteflash, Jamesallen, and Craftedbyinfinity and for fully-natural colored diamonds I recommend Leibish & Co. at www.fancydiamonds.net.....

They are all over the world, but they all ship to Los Angeles.
I want the best diamond for the best price from a company with the best service, price and policies.

Today there is safe shipping so location of the vendor is not relevant.

Think twice before paying any appraiser.
Often you can find adequate advice by posting your concerns right here on Rocky Talk.
Yes there is a place for appraisers, but much of what they offer can be provide for free on pricescope.

 

[Ellejae1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Will Victor Canera let me trade in my current stones towards a new one?

I will let someone else chime in with answers about Appraisers, as I do not have any experience there.

In LA, we have a few good options. Just going to the Jewelry District is not the best idea, as there are many folks running less-than-reputable businesses in the area. It's worthwhile to visit this area, if you know the specific vendors you are visiting. 'Wholesale' vendors are not open to the public, so I don't think it's worth pursuing that angle.

A few vendors worth mentioning, who may be able to assist you:
Jewels by Erica Grace ( www.jewelsbyericagrace.com )
Singlestone ( www.singlestone.com )
Victor Canera ( www.victorcanera.com )

They may be able to assist both with the selling / trading / consigning of your current stone, and providing you with an upgrade.

I've lived in LA for over 30 years, and I would suggest pursuing these vendors first.

 

[RockyRacoon]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Will Victor Canera let me trade in my current stones towards a new one?

I will let someone else chime in with answers about Appraisers, as I do not have any experience there.

In LA, we have a few good options. Just going to the Jewelry District is not the best idea, as there are many folks running less-than-reputable businesses in the area. It's worthwhile to visit this area, if you know the specific vendors you are visiting. 'Wholesale' vendors are not open to the public, so I don't think it's worth pursuing that angle.

A few vendors worth mentioning, who may be able to assist you:
Jewels by Erica Grace ( www.jewelsbyericagrace.com )
Singlestone ( www.singlestone.com )
Victor Canera ( www.victorcanera.com )

They may be able to assist both with the selling / trading / consigning of your current stone, and providing you with an upgrade.

I've lived in LA for over 30 years, and I would suggest pursuing these vendors first.

I would reach out directly via email/phone, since 'trade towards a new purchase' is a case-by-case situation.

Kenny also made a great point that online vendors may be able to offer options, as well. Despite having all these great vendors in LA, I still purchase my loose diamonds via online vendors (no tax + extensive inventory). I would explore all the avenues available to determine what works best in your specific situation.

Best of luck!

 

[madelise]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

I also love Patrick Davis and have recommended him to many other PSer friends. I hope you like his services! I also like Charles Carmona in Downtown LA area, but he charges more money.

 

[madelise]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

PS, there's no such thing as "wholesale" diamonds. If you ever hear those words out of a jeweler, RUN. They usually try to present these "great deals" that are really thinly veiled scams for unsuspecting and uneducated clients. They claim all these beautiful things and give you a diamond without a reliable cert to back up the junk they say, and maybe attempt to make you feel better by proving their own appraisal, which means they can say whatever they want.

Jewelry district is like a hyena's den. When you walk through those areas with the kiosks and kiosks of jewelers, you will get tackled down. If you so much as catch eye contact with someone, they will try to hook you in for a sale. They will try every trick in the book to get you to buy from them and buy from them at that very moment so you can't price compare or specs compare. Newbies fall prey to that stuff easily.

No, the Pricescope online vendors do not have higher prices due to their perceived popularity. Online vendors usually offer better deals than the vast majority of random b&m jewelers just because they have to readily and visibly compete with each other on websites that consumers can see with a quick click of a button. Certain vendors charge more than others because of the services they provide.

Jewels by Erica Grace actually also consigns jewelry from customers in addition to selling jewelry. You might want to contact Grace (she's the partner in Los Angeles; Erica is not in CA) to ask for her opinion as to how much you can sell your diamond/ring through them, and how likely it would be to sell.

 

[misskittycat]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Love love LOVE JbEG!! Consigning your ring through them for sale was going to be my suggestion too.

 

[arkieb1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Consigning the diamond to somewhere like Jewels By Erica Grace might be a good idea - they will get an appraisal done with the diamonds specifications on it and tell you what you would get roughly less their commission. Alternatively send it to someone like Dave Atlas to verify the specs of the diamond and then options could be to list it in loupetroop or DiamondBistro or even Ebay and see if you can sell it yourself. The key here is not to have unreal expectations of what you will get when you are selling it.

Does it come with any paperwork or certificates already? If it does you may be able to sell it without an appraisal.

Purchasing a new diamond and ring in LA another recommendation for Victor Canera. If you are happy to go online, Good Old Gold, Brian Gavin, Whiteflash and James Allen are other places you could look.

 

[Ellejae1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Thanks everyone for your recommendations! Will definitely go with Gem Secure for appraisal!
Will let you know what I find and show you the final diamond hopefully early next year!

 

[Ellejae1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

Is this diamond too good to be true or will the medium blue fluorescence effect it at all?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/290982322369?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l4456&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI290982322369.N8.S1.M1420
Also anyone had experience purchasing from someone on ebay? How do you go about doing so if they live too far to drive?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ellejae1]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

UPDATE:
I went to Patrick Davis at Gem Secure and he was fabulous. He sat with me and discussed every single topic and question I had, even adding in additional advice and knowledge just because. He's honest, down to earth and so very educated in all things diamond!
Would highly recommend.

 

[Hospatogi]

Re: Diamond vendor and appraiser recommendations: Los Angele

I was just going to chime in with Patrick Davis as a recommendation ! I had a great experience with him too!