Experience with having a diamond set at a local jeweller

[Molly1975]

Hello! I recently purchased a loose diamond from Blue Nile and took it to my local jeweller to be set. I haven’t done this before but the experience was horrible and I am feeling on edge about it. The first place I went to, I was practically laughed out of the shop when I explained that my stone was lab-grown, it was horrible. The shop I settles on is lovely and has been around for many years, they are reputable and seemed like the right choice. When I took the diamond in, I was told it likely wasn’t real by the woman on the shop floor, she took it upstairs and eventually came back to tell me that it is real but asked if I knew it was synthetic and was rather judgemental about it. She told me it would be sent off to the goldsmith who would call me with a quote… no call so I made contact after two weeks and was identified by her as ‘the woman with the large stimulant diamond’ with a snigger and was told that the goldsmith doesn’t work with stones that big (3.2 carats) but she will try the other one, I explained I am moving and a bit tight for time so rather than send to the second, may she call to confirm he is happy with the size before sending off again which she begrudgingly agreed to. I was so excited and the whole situation has made me feel off. Anyway, my question is how common is it for a goldsmith not to work with larger stones and is this snobbery common place at local jewellers?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Hello! I recently purchased a loose diamond from Blue Nile and took it to my local jeweller to be set. I haven’t done this before but the experience was horrible and I am feeling on edge about it. The first place I went to, I was practically laughed out of the shop when I explained that my stone was lab-grown, it was horrible. The shop I settles on is lovely and has been around for many years, they are reputable and seemed like the right choice. When I took the diamond in, I was told it likely wasn’t real by the woman on the shop floor, she took it upstairs and eventually came back to tell me that it is real but asked if I knew it was synthetic and was rather judgemental about it. She told me it would be sent off to the goldsmith who would call me with a quote… no call so I made contact after two weeks and was identified by her as ‘the woman with the large stimulant diamond’ with a snigger and was told that the goldsmith doesn’t work with stones that big (3.2 carats) but she will try the other one, I explained I am moving and a bit tight for time so rather than send to the second, may she call to confirm he is happy with the size before sending off again which she begrudgingly agreed to. I was so excited and the whole situation has made me feel off. Anyway, my question is how common is it for a goldsmith not to work with larger stones and is this snobbery common place at local jewellers?

no, i dont belave its common
but its horrible
just dont shop there

i have always found any jewler i have been into in my country (NZ) and im talking all price points, including places i couldnt afford to shop in, are not in the least bit snobby

a lab grown diamond is not a stimulat, its a real diamond
i would happily wear one
although not for everyone but increasinly popular especially with the younger generation

as a shop assistant since i was 18years old im disgusted at that lady you encounted
she just alinatedand and tried to humilate a customer, who knows what you may have brought from them after your diamond was set
fool her !
i would not want her working in my bussiness
she was just being a judgemenatal b*tch and she doesnt know what she is talking about
find someone else

my spelling is worse that usual because i get so hot under the collar when i read about such appaling customer service

 

[seaurchin]

My opinion is that there are just a fair number of strange people around, whether they're jewelers or otherwise. I do recall receiving surprisingly rude treatment from a couple of different jewelers through the years.

I am also not a fan of that whole "in between person" thing you had to deal with. I want to speak to the jeweler directly, not bother with someone in the middle relaying the messages both ways, even if they're not rude. It's too difficult that way to ask the little questions and get the tweaks that add up to an ideal result imo.

I also want to be able to check out the jeweler's reviews and BBB rating, not just have the person at the jewelry store send it to some anonymous bench jeweler.

I have no idea why anyone would go out of their way to offend a potential customer. But I'd end it with someone who comes across as difficult at the start, rather than get in deeper with them.

With the most recent jeweler you went to, it could be the woman does not work on commission and just wants to get rid of you. And if a goldsmith actually did find a three carat stone too much to handle, I would not want them doing any work for me anyway. Imo that just sounds ridiculous.

I would get the stone back and try again elsewhere, as many times as it takes. I've had David Klass make a few items for me and have always been very pleased so I don't see any reason to limit myself to local jewelers only.

In my experience, many of the local "jewelers" are really mainly jewelry sellers. Instead of making this clear, they send the work out for someone else to do, while adding on a surcharge and getting in the way of you communicating with the actual jeweler or even knowing who the jeweler is. Also, it doesn't seem like the people you dealt with at either of these places even know what a lab diamond is, which is not a good sign either.

Good luck!

 

[breanne]

I don't want to paint everyone with the same brush, but in my personal experience dealing with in-person sales associates in jewelery stores, they don't have a clue about anything more than the 4C's. They always talk about their certifications and how long they've been working, but they are never as educated as I expect them to be. I had someone at Tiffany tell me the reason why one ring wasn't sparkling more than the other was because of color... um, what? I certainly hope she didn't believe that and was using that as a sales tactic...

Anyway, all of this to say, this is precisely why I have had my rings custom made and purchased my diamonds online or through a broker. I'm sorry you had that experience, I feel part of the journey is these small interactions, so when they aren't good, it sours the moment.

I hope you enjoy your 3.2 carat once its set!

 

[lovedogs]

Lollllll at anyone calling a lab diamond a stimulant. Lab diamond = real diamond, just grown in a lag. I'm sorry about your experience, that's awful. I definitely would go elsewhere and find a jewelry store that does work in house (vs sending elsewhere). I find that most places who send out don't really want to set stones you didn't purchase from them (at least this has been my experience with some local jewelers in parts of the US).

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yes, if they are not setting in house I wouldn’t be interested. Too many options to put up with their snide remarks as well!

 

[0515vision]

My local jeweler in LA Diamond District also sells lab. They were exquisite. If a shop doesn’t sell lab, then they may be more prone to the type of behavior you encountered. So terrible!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Bad behaviour is just bad behaviour.
Not wanting to set diamonds of any type not purchased in store is any businesses right to decline.
But it doesn't need to done disparagingly.

 

[Wink]

I always loved it when people came in to my office to have diamonds set they bought elsewhere. It gave me a great chance to earn their future business, and I did earn a lot of future business over the years.

I was especially happy when someone came in with a nightmare story like yours @Molly1975, it made it a virtual lock our friendly service would win your business for the future.

I have never understood why so many people look down on selling beautiful simulants. I used to sell custom cut CZs back in the day, and loved selling a product that was custom cut for me in Thailand when most of the CZs available were poorly cut.

For many years I did not sell the Lab Grown diamonds because they were still too expensive. Now they are very well priced and when properly cut incredibly beautiful, just like their much more expensive natural counterparts.

As @lovedogs said, a Lab Grown Diamond is a diamond! It just happens to cost a fraction of what a natural diamond costs. Its beauty is still highly dependent on the quality of its cutting, just like its more expensive natural diamond counterpart. There are far too many jewelers who understand quality service for you ever put up with what you are going through. Run, don't walk, away from this dilettante and find a real jeweler who has stayed current with the real world of diamonds.

 

[denverappraiser]

#1 On behalf of the industry, I would like to apologize for that "jeweler's" behavior. Take your stone and head for the door. The world if full of jewelers who would love your business. Where are you? There are jewelers and customers all over the country and you may be able to get a local referral simply by asking for it.

#2. Do you have specific plans for the mounting? The jeweler you bought it from may be able to help, depending on what you are looking for. They're a large and well regarded company. At a minimum, they've already earned your trust.

#3 This is supposed to be fun, and it can be. Don't let that jerk of a sales person suck one bit of joy out of this. For example, you mentioned that you're moving. Have you included jewelers in your new city as part of your search? As with the above, start a new thread with the name of the city in the title and you might be amazed at what you get. This is a very well connected crowd.

 

[Molly1975]

Thank you all so much, I really appreciate the time you have taken to get back to me and I feel so much better now knowing that this isn’t ok! I am awaiting a call today from a new goldsmith!

 

[Lookinagain]

I would definitely find someone else to make your ring and if you give us an idea of where you are located, we may be able to refer you to someone who has a proven history of great work.

 

[Molly1975]

Thank you all - I got the quote from these people for £2,800 to set in a plain gold band!!! Far too expensive in my opinion. I am based in London

 

[Lookinagain]

That seems quite high for what you asked for. Can you buy a setting on line and have the stone set by a local jeweler? When you say plain gold band, do you mean a solitaire setting?

 

[MillieLou]

Ah, you're in the UK. Lots of diamond ignorance here sadly, and rudeness about lab diamonds.

Noah James Jewellery in Manchester work with (and understand) lab diamonds, and will do a beautiful job of setting outside stones. They charged £800 ish for a platinum solitaire setting for my 2ct EC from Blue Nile, this was 2 years ago so add a bit for inflation but that's the right ballpark. They will also give you an estimate upfront and it's a 3 week turnaround.

I believe @dk168 had Simon Wright set her lovely EC, he seems like a great guy too. I had a quote from him and it was more expensive (London prices!) but I wouldn't doubt his quality and service.

 

[Molly1975]

That seems quite high for what you asked for. Can you buy a setting on line and have the stone set by a local jeweler? When you say plain gold band, do you mean a solitaire setting?

I will look into this, thank you. Yes, just a solitaire. I thought it was high too

 

[Molly1975]

Ah, you're in the UK. Lots of diamond ignorance here sadly, and rudeness about lab diamonds.

Noah James Jewellery in Manchester work with (and understand) lab diamonds, and will do a beautiful job of setting outside stones. They charged £800 ish for a platinum solitaire setting for my 2ct EC from Blue Nile, this was 2 years ago so add a bit for inflation but that's the right ballpark. They will also give you an estimate upfront and it's a 3 week turnaround.

I believe @dk168 had Simon Wright set her lovely EC, he seems like a great guy too. I had a quote from him and it was more expensive (London prices!) but I wouldn't doubt his quality and service.

Thanks Millie!