Excel Diamonds Customer Service is Great.
I have wanted to write them a glowing recommendation ever since I started to work with Judah 4-22-09, but I wanted to wait till I got the finished product.
Short story:
My boyfriend and I ordered my ring Tiffany Legacy (Halo) Replica from Excel Diamonds 5-4-09, we worked with Judah. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about diamonds, he wasn’t pushy or condescending. He is fountain of knowledge and loves to talk about diamonds so if you have questions get ready for long answers, which is good. The ring is gorgeous the customer service was awesome. If you are considering working with them I highly recommend them. 10 out of 10! Diamond-o-might!
Long Story:
My boyfriend and I started our search like most of you probably have looked in a few stores in the mall, stopped at Tiffany’s (because I love their Legacy), Costco, the internet, etc. Well the more I learned about diamonds the more I realized how little I know. So I set out to educate myself on every aspect possible. Read all the online tutorials, rented books from the library on “How to buy a diamond”, e-mailed experts on Pricescope, etc. I really wanted a Tiffany Legacy but price wise it was A LOT more expensive. The website said the Tiffany Legacy’s START at $11,600. My ring ended up costing us $6,500. I never would have got a F color VS1 for the same price at Tiffany’s . . . .
I found Excel Diamonds by doing a “Tiffany Legacy Replica” search on Google. There was picture on Diamond Vues that mentioned their name so I went to the website and started looking. Their pictures don’t do the settings justice! My ring is just as beautiful (if not more) than the Tiffany’s Legacy. ***NOTE - I got a really good cushion cut, this probably helped. I know Tiffany’s have a patented cut so their diamond looks different . . . but I love mine
Once I knew that Excel was where I wanted to go and I had my setting all picked out, I started my quest for the perfect cushion. Armed with all the knowledge of what I believed to be good specs for a cushion I found about 5 stones I was deciding between. I sent the info over to Judah and ask his opinion on them since I couldn’t see them for myself. He picked 2 two stones and sent me the links to the actual stones with the GIA certificates, 10X magnification pic, and ASET pic. I could tell the difference immediately between the two. One just looked better, plain and simple. All the posts I read about cushions were that you can’t tell what they look like buy the numbers/spec, which is true.
I must have sent Judah at least 30+ e-mails and he always responded to all my questions usually within the hour. I sometimes would wonder “why hasn’t he responded yet”, and realize that it had only been 20 minutes! Ha ha
We received the ring about 14 days after placing the order. We got it appraised (review on appraiser to come). I am totally in love with the ring, the diamond, and of course my fiancé.
If you don’t mind not having the Brand Name “Tiffany” then Excel Diamonds Tiffany Legacy Replica is awesome. I actually ended up getting the Tiffany Halo with the Cushion cut because I didn’t like the Mill Grain look but to me they look very similar.
My only gripe to Excel Diamonds is they need better pictures of their work on the website! That was the one thing that made both my boyfriend and me nervous while doing shopping over the internet. The pics they had for the cushion cuts (Tiffany Legacy’s Replica) just weren’t as good as some of the other ones (round, radiant, etc). Their pictures made us question the quality of the setting we were going to get because no picture can really capture the beauty and perfection of this ring! And of course the quality was great . . . . no it was PERFECT. It’s hard (I am sure) to compete with the marketing team of a multibillion dollar business like Tiffany’s. So if you are having hesitations about Excel let me assure you that their rings are just as good as Tiffany’s.
**Bottom line** if you want a beautiful ring (Tiffany Legacy) then go with Excel Diamonds. But remember to get a L/W ratio close to 1 as possible to achieve that “Tiffany Legacy Look”. Also I think it helped that I got such a beautiful diamond in the center. I was wondering there for awhile if I should have dropped the color for a bigger stone but I don’t regret my decision at all.
Setting:
18k White Gold Tiffany Halo Replica
Diamond:
1.02 Carat F-VS1 Cushion Cut
Item Number: 287251H
Shape: Cushion
Carat weight: 1.02
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Certificate: GIA
Depth: 67.9
Table: 62%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: Slightly Thick to Very Thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.04 x 5.8 x 3.94
Ratio: 1.04
