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Do you ever have to check your reactions around jewelers?

Hayley87

Shiny_Rock
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Feb 21, 2017
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I've been visiting local small jewelers in the last couple weeks, seeing who has nice estate jewelry. Yesterday, I found my new Favorite Shop Ever: gorgeous estate jewelry (at very fair prices!) alongside some of the jeweler's own designs. The SA was personable and engaging, and he took tons of items out for me to try on.

....and then today's adventure :lol: I found a store via its stellar Yelp reviews. Granted, it's mostly new jewelry and their own designs, but they had some estate stuff, according to Yelp. The antique jewelry they had was pretty though less my style than that of My Favorite Shop Ever. They even had an Old Mine Cut, a cut I'd never seen in person. It was large (3.17 carats), M VS2, but with unremarkable faceting. It was in a restored, thin platinum solitaire setting with a tiiiiiiny baguette on each side of the OMC. I noted it was an M, tried it on, then looked at the price.

$90,000. :twirl:

I'm pretty sure I kept my outward reaction to this: IMG_4833.GIF

Although in my head, I wondered who the heck came up with that absurd number. Subsequent price comparisons on many different vendor sites (both of loose antique stones and whole, original antique settings) confirm that their price made no sense.
IMG_4834.GIF

And inside, I was busting up over it. Who did they possibly think would pay that much for a restored/not entirely original ring with an OMC of that weight with a flat/boring cut?

IMG_4835.GIF


So, what about you? Any fun stories of having to keep your face in check when you've seen a jeweler/B&M store trying to play customers for fools?
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Ha ha ha...love your post!
 

soxfan

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Every single time I go into one. :???: The last one told me she had a OEC pear. I asked to see a pic. It was a modern cut and must have been like an O/P color. It was just horribly cut, not "vintage."

She also told me I got ripped off on my Wink cz, that she had cz's cut for clients all the time and I should have used her. :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Ok....I'm sure they could replicate wink's cutter's work.:???::???:

Needless to say, I just don't even bother anymore.
 

Austina

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Feb 24, 2017
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I went in to a well known diamond chain in the Caribbean. I looked at a couple of loose diamonds, one was an appalling heavily included 1 ct pear, dull as ditch water, for which they wanted $11,000. She also brought out a 3 carat Emerald cut, that was something ridiculous like over $100,000. Needless to say, I said no thanks, and walked away.

My friend wanted a tanzanite. The guy brought out some loose stones, tried to tell her they were AAAA quality, which they clearly weren't, then told her they could hack about a setting to make it fit. It would clearly have compromised the integrity of the setting and the pave diamonds. She asked me what I thought, and I told her to walk away. They eventually came down to the 'bargain' price of $4,200!

When we got back to the ship, I looked up reviews, which were terrible, lots of complaints about valuations being nothing like they'd paid, diamonds falling out because of poor and hasty resizing, and colour/cut gradings also being off.
 

YadaYadaYada

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Feb 2, 2016
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11,841
I avoid jewelry stores at all costs with the exception of the one downtown and that is only for repairs and things like that.

I dealt with this guy a couple of months ago when I was looking for a pink sapphire ring who tried to sell me a lab sapphire ring for $900, he claimed it was custom made. Needless to say I didn't even consider it but I did happen to come across the exact same "custom" ring on Ebay for half the price.

Shyster.
 

Dee*Jay

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I've been known to laugh uproariously, wrinkle my forehead and then roll my eyes (impossible to do simultaneously or I would!), and/or say, "Now can you quote me that in American dollars?" But from now on I am going take a gentler approach, in keeping with another thread, and just say "Well bless your heart" as I casually stroll out the door!
 
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AprilBaby

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A local jeweler was trying to compete with my WF ACA F color. Theirs was good cut but “ it’s D color” much better than mine! And MUCH higher price!
 
P

PierreBear

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Sorry to get side tracked on this thread but I wanted to ask... how do ya'll try on jewelry pieces at the store? Do you pretend that you are going to purchase or just say that you are browsing? Half the time I'm trying just for curiosity sake but there is no intention to purchase but then feel like I'm wasting their time.

I too though have seen a local jeweler try and up-sale me. He would go at the back and "perform" calculations. Prices seem random. Never went back to the store.
 

Karl_K

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Aug 4, 2008
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Sorry to get side tracked on this thread but I wanted to ask... how do ya'll try on jewelry pieces at the store? Do you pretend that you are going to purchase or just say that you are browsing? Half the time I'm trying just for curiosity sake but there is no intention to purchase but then feel like I'm wasting their time.

I too though have seen a local jeweler try and up-sale me. He would go at the back and "perform" calculations. Prices seem random. Never went back to the store.
I'm honest about it and say "just looking", and if they are busy tell them they can go help others or just leave.
 

arkieb1

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I've had local jewellers ask me to take off a ring with Victor Canera's pavework and they look me in the eye shrug and tell me they can copy that no problem. Meanwhile I'm staring down at a jewellery display case full of sub standard pave that isn't much better than mall store jewellery......
 

MaisOuiMadame

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When I tried to see as many old cuts as possible im person, I just went to the nicest shopping street in town (rue du Faubourg
St.Honoré, Place Vendôme), knowing I wouldn't pay their prices, but hoping to see some nice quality .. WRONG
The most hilarious was a bypass ring with two 0.40 carat oecs, P (!!!!!) Clarity... never mind the supposed j colour in a totally basic yg buttercup setting ...for... wait for it :
13.500 € (about 15.500$).
And I commented that I found 3.500 quite steep for the quality... had overlooked the first number...
Second close contender was a checkerboard cut q/r 2.2 carat in a yg ruby halo.
All in all nice ring and a very nice cut so at least that was OK. Price still steep ar around 35 k € /40 + k $... but the seller implied it was a fancy yellow. I just looked at him VERY surprised and he said "might as well be" and shrugged....
Not even starting on regular jewellery stores here
 

nomissjane

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Aug 28, 2006
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I've had local jewellers ask me to take off a ring with Victor Canera's pavework and they look me in the eye shrug and tell me they can copy that no problem. Meanwhile I'm staring down at a jewellery display case full of sub standard pave that isn't much better than mall store jewellery......
I've had a well know jewellery store tell me the exact same thing about my Victor Canera ring. The same guy then asked me if I would mind taking if off for them to take it out back and take some photos of it......yeah, NO!!!
 

Gussie

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Kinda the same line. I was talking with my friend the other day and I told her I just got new studs from whiteflash. She asks, "who's whiteflash?" I tell her it's a jewelry vendor in sugar land which is 10 minutes from where we live and that they specialize in precision cut diamonds. She literally rolled her eyes and said, "in sugar land? You know I have a diamond guy in houston. I am sure you got ripped off in a mall store." I just laughed. Really no point in trying to explain it to her since she is convinced her guy is THE best in houston, lol.
 
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LLJsmom

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Oct 24, 2012
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Trying to convince a B&M to bring in a decently cut stone and that inclusions are not necessarily "bad". So paranoid about inclusions and color. OLD SCHOOL... :roll No the cut sucks! Trying NOT to say that is hard.
 

TooPatient

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I was walking through a Fred Meyer one day and saw the usual 60% off signs. Then saw the diamond days sign. I had some time to kill and figured that I may as well look once. The guy behind the counter (department manager) complimented my necklace (basic gold heart pendant) and asked what sort of diamond I might be looking for. Okay, sure. Let him show me. 1 to 1.5 carat excellent cut round or ascher or cushion or princess. He didn't have any! They don't stock anything that expensive but he can order a couple in for me to see. All this in front of a case with smaller not so good diamonds listed for $$$$.
 

Tekate

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May 11, 2013
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I usually act bored or annoyed or both :)
 

rubybeth

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Nov 12, 2007
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I've been in B&M stores where I have accurately guessed tcw and color of diamonds in pieces, and estimated what their retail price would be, and have been exactly right multiple times, which I think has freaked out the sales associates a bit, but whatever. :lol: I had one try to stump me by showing me a few pieces, and she ultimately had to say, "You know your stuff!"

It's good to bring my husband to these places sometimes, because he sees the retail prices on pieces similar to what I own (or what's on my wishlist) and then he knows I'm right when I tell him I've gotten a good deal on something. :tongue:
 

valeria101

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Aug 29, 2003
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15,809
I have no idea what the seller would do, if anybody offered to pay - with the prospect buyers' remorse to fiddle with. Wouldn't pay anything to play this cringe-y game ...

2c


... the tag of the showiest thing in the store - the least likely to sell, is meant to demonstrate that the mundane objects that sell all the time, might hold value beyond their price. Hopefully, such an idiotic argument [
on price formation] that it ever needs explaining - so it is roughly indifferent to me (pun).

The old school charade of POR/POA - I find much more elegant !
 
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