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#JOTW Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds!

Julileu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
7
I just wanted to share about my amazing experience with Wink Jones! I guess I should start from the beginning. After visiting some stores (Tiffany's, Hearts on Fire, etc.) and finding that the prices were too high for his budget, My fiance and I decided to look for a diamond online. A few of our friends had purchased diamonds on Blue Nile so we figured we'd try that out too. We read about cut and how important that was and found Todd Gray and his blog, Nice Ice. Todd's blog had TONS of information on diamonds and he wrote an article on how to pick a diamond on Blue Nile. We used his website along with the Holloway Cut Advisor and after picking a few out, asking Todd for his expert advice, and inquiring about them on Blue Nile, they became unavailable. I had to then pick all over again.

I didn't see anything I liked for a few weeks and finally when I did, I asked Todd again if the new ones I picked looked okay to him. He was a diamond buyer for many years so I definitely wanted his opinion before we purchased something that we couldn't see. I really wanted a hearts and arrows stone and for it to be absolutely eye clean but there were no pictures on Blue Nile. He said that if I really wanted all of this information beforehand, I should try contacting Wink Jones. He said that Wink was pretty cool to work with and had the capability to provide an in-depth evaluation of the diamond and could help me with getting a stone.

I figured I would give it a try since he was highly recommended by Todd. I contacted Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds and forwarded the emails between myself and Todd to him. Wink responded quickly and told me he was going to try and get me the Blue Nile stone. I also wanted the setting from Blue Nile with higher color side stones and he said that wasn't a problem either. A few days later, Wink tried to get the diamond sent to him for inspection but because the diamond was in India and they were not willing to send it over without it being purchased, Wink said he could find another comparable stone in the U.S. that he can more easily inspect. He searched through a bunch of stones, found some and even sent it to Todd first to get Todd's blessing.

Wink was very nice, knowledgeable and quick in replying to emails. I asked A LOT of questions and he patiently and thoroughly answered all of them. He found a diamond that was exactly what I was looking for in terms of the 4 C's and made videos for me showing the diamond up close. The diamond looked amazing! He said he would custom make the setting that I liked with better side stones. His price was GREAT too because he's still having a 15% off sale on settings if you buy a diamond from him.

His team made a CAD of what the ring was going to look like and we were so excited! He updated us on every step of the process so that we knew what was going on. My fiance called him a bunch of times throughout the process and he said that Wink was super friendly on the phone and very easy to talk to.

When my fiance proposed and I received the ring it was exactly what I wanted!! It was super sparkly and glistening with so many different colors! I can't stop looking at it still! My fiance told me that before he proposed he couldn't stop looking at it either and was dying to give it to me. Wink included a loupe, a hearts and arrows viewer, and an appraisal too! The ring came in a beautiful wooden box.

I brought the ring to get it appraised and nothing but good things were said about the ring. The gemologist said that the diamond looked great and the craftsmanship was excellent. He said, "whoever made this ring for you really did a great job. You could tell a lot of time was put into every detail of the setting." He said the quality of platinum that was used was great also! He said something about how a lot of times it can be porous but he could not see a single pore at all. Wink's bench is amazing!

My friends and family loved it and thought the diamond looked incredibly sparkly. They asked where my fiance got it and I told them all about Wink and how you can get everything done the way you want it. I showed my friend the video that Wink sent me on the diamond and she was surprised that he would do that for all his clients. Although he sells diamonds online it doesn't feel like an internet transaction. He took care of us personally and attentively and was very easy to work with.

If you're looking to get an amazing diamond, great craftsmanship, and excellent customer service, I highly recommend Wink! He truly runs his business with honesty and integrity.

Thanks so much Todd for all your help and THANK YOU Wink! You made me a BEAUTIFUL ring! I will be bothering you soon about our wedding bands too!

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Julileu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
7
More pictures!

I'm not great at taking pictures but hopefully they came out okay..

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Tekate

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 11, 2013
Messages
7,570
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Your ring is beautiful.. it's serene, it's bling.. I've seen pictures of Mr. Jone's work (the YELLOW Diamond) he seems to be a craftsman non-parallel.. I'm glad you had a wonderful experience.. hopefully someday I will be able to use his company. congratulations!!!!
:love: :love:
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I just wanted to share about my amazing experience with Wink Jones! I guess I should start from the beginning. After visiting some stores (Tiffany's, Hearts on Fire, etc.) and finding that the prices were too high for his budget, My fiance and I decided to look for a diamond online. A few of our friends had purchased diamonds on Blue Nile so we figured we'd try that out too. We read about cut and how important that was and found Todd Gray and his blog, Nice Ice. Todd's blog had TONS of information on diamonds and he wrote an article on how to pick a diamond on Blue Nile. We used his website along with the Holloway Cut Advisor and after picking a few out, asking Todd for his expert advice, and inquiring about them on Blue Nile, they became unavailable. I had to then pick all over again.
 

Julileu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
7
Some pictures of what Wink sent me..

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Julileu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
7
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Thank you so much Tekate! I think you'll be very happy with the outcome if you do get a chance one day! Thanks again.
 

Maisie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 30, 2006
Messages
12,587
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Lots of reviews for Wink lately!
 

Todd Gray

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,299
Wow! The ring looks amazing! I'm so glad that you love the diamond ring that Wink helped you with, and truly appreciate your letting me be a part of the selection process, and thank you very much for the honorable mention! It was a pleasure working with you :sun:
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

That. Is. MAGNIFICENT.

Quite a great experience! SO thankful you shared it! Todd and Wink are pretty nifty!

Todd Gray|1390851515|3602178 said:
Wow! The ring looks amazing! I'm so glad that you love the diamond ring that Wink helped you with, and truly appreciate your letting me be a part of the selection process, and thank you very much for the honorable mention! It was a pleasure working with you :sun:
:wavey: HI TODD!!!
 

Todd Gray

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,299
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

ame|1390852346|3602189 said:
:wavey: HI TODD!!!

Hi Amy :wavey:

Great minds think alike apparently, I was just about to forward you a link to this post... and here you are! Too funny!
 

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
13,234
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Wink is an absolute gentleman to work with and one of the few vendors that still participate in the forum. Magnificent ring! You did a great job Wink!
 

WinkHPD

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
May 3, 2001
Messages
7,516
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Wow! What a wonderful review Julileu. I am not sure I have ever had such a thorough and detailed review and I thank you for your kindness.

I especially loved your pictures with the fresh flowers in the heart of Winter. Makes my eyes happy and my heart think fondly of Spring. My favorite though is your wonderful picture of the ring on top of the box. The lighting makes the diamond look almost magical with a hint of bluish arrows. Just a stunning picture.

I would like to personally thank those of you who also made some very nice comments, but I do not want to name you all and sound like one of those "Oh too long" thank you speeches at the Acadamy awards ceremony. Suffice it to say that it was a nice read at the end of a long day. Kind of ends my day with a big dose of Warm Fuzzies.

Thank You one and all.

Wink
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
11,210
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Your ring is stunning! Welcome to Pricescope, and congratulations on your engagement!
 

MissGotRocks

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
16,269
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Gorgeous ring and great vendor! He makes these experiences so heartwarming. I am so glad that you have a ring that makes your heart sing - it's beautiful!
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Todd Gray|1390852856|3602197 said:
ame|1390852346|3602189 said:
:wavey: HI TODD!!!

Hi Amy :wavey:

Great minds think alike apparently, I was just about to forward you a link to this post... and here you are! Too funny!
Tis definitely bookmarked. :)
 

WinkHPD

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
May 3, 2001
Messages
7,516
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Ame,

Do you have any idea how hard it is to work with Todd these days. I am up here slaving in the snow and cold and he keeps talking about the various beaches in Mexico? It's just not right I tell ya!

Wink
 

Christina...

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
5,028
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Wink|1390950055|3602925 said:
Ame,

Do you have any idea how hard it is to work with Todd these days. I am up here slaving in the snow and cold and he keeps talking about the various beaches in Mexico? It's just not right I tell ya!

Wink


:lol: My mom keeps sending me pics from West Palm too! :nono:

Congrats OP! Wink is an amazing man with lots of integrity, I would trust him completely to find me the stone of my dreams as well! I hope you have started a SMTB thread. Your beauty deserves it's very own thread with all these amazing photos and more!! :love: Congrats to you both!
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Wink|1390950055|3602925 said:
Ame,

Do you have any idea how hard it is to work with Todd these days. I am up here slaving in the snow and cold and he keeps talking about the various beaches in Mexico? It's just not right I tell ya!

Wink
NO KIDDING. He was like "yea we're looking here and here and this beach isn't suitable for our walks." I was like "yea it's a tropical 14 here."
 

artdecolover71

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
1,340
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

wow that is stunning! congrats!
 

Julileu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
7
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

thank you everyone for all the wonderful comments and compliments!
 

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
11,676
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Gorgeous ring! Congratulations!
 

Todd Gray

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,299
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Wink|1390950055|3602925 said:
Ame,

Do you have any idea how hard it is to work with Todd these days. I am up here slaving in the snow and cold and he keeps talking about the various beaches in Mexico? It's just not right I tell ya!

Wink

What the heck Wink? I send you a customer and you throw me under the bus for moving to Mexico?!?! I did invite you to come down for a visit, right? You'd like the new house in La Paz, it's a half mile walk down to the beach! But I have to walk an entire mile if I want to go swimming because the water is deeper there... did I mention that it's a dirt road? You have no idea the dedication that it takes to walk away from my computer and set aside my email every day to take the time out to go swimming... no idea at all :rolleyes:

And do you know how difficult it would be if I had to actually grade diamonds these days? I'm blinded by these horrific sunsets, just look at the picture which I've attached to demonstrate how horrible things are down here in La Paz. It's amazing that I can see my computer monitor at all!

And don't think I didn't notice how quickly Amy jumped on the bash Todd for chasing the sun bandwagon! She leaves me no choice but to email her a link to my Instagram feed... I'd include Christina, but it sounds like her mom's got her covered! Laughs.

la-paz-sunset-todd-gray-january-2014.jpg
 

ame

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,869
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Todd Gray|1391124708|3604511 said:
Wink|1390950055|3602925 said:
Ame,

Do you have any idea how hard it is to work with Todd these days. I am up here slaving in the snow and cold and he keeps talking about the various beaches in Mexico? It's just not right I tell ya!

Wink

What the heck Wink? I send you a customer and you throw me under the bus for moving to Mexico?!?! I did invite you to come down for a visit, right? You'd like the new house in La Paz, it's a half mile walk down to the beach! But I have to walk an entire mile if I want to go swimming because the water is deeper there... did I mention that it's a dirt road? You have no idea the dedication that it takes to walk away from my computer and set aside my email every day to take the time out to go swimming... no idea at all :rolleyes:

And do you know how difficult it would be if I had to actually grade diamonds these days? I'm blinded by these horrific sunsets, just look at the picture which I've attached to demonstrate how horrible things are down here in La Paz. It's amazing that I can see my computer monitor at all!

And don't think I didn't notice how quickly Amy jumped on the bash Todd for chasing the sun bandwagon! She leaves me no choice but to email her a link to my Instagram feed... I'd include Christina, but it sounds like her mom's got her covered! Laughs.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Winks_Elf

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
1,675
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Julileu|1390845300|3602120 said:
http://www.screencast.com/users/WinkJones/folders/Diamond%20Rings/media/52c9fbd4-031e-4522-851e-4f69b8061c95

That's the link to the video that was sent when the ring was finished. He has tons of other videos of other rings, loose stones and educational videos too!

The pictures you took came out BEAUTIFUL, and the ring looks lovely on your hand!!! Congratulations on your engagement. :wavey:
 

LightBright

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 11, 2013
Messages
1,563
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Thanks for posting so many photos/video and details of your beautiful diamond and setting from Wink. The diamond is magnificent and the color and size look phenomenal on your hand, the setting is perfectly proportioned to the stone, and the craftsmanship (finish, design, melee) looks so well done. Your fiance hit the ball out of the park with this ring! Congratulations on your engagement!
 

spicyitalian

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Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Messages
95
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Nice job!
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Oh WOW that is gorgeous!
Wink is always ready to go above and beyond and is a fantastic vendor! :wavey:
 

ihy138

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Jan 1, 2011
Messages
1,389
Re: Great experience w/ Wink Jones of High Performance Diamo

Gorgeous ring!! :love:
 
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