Has anyone "lost" a stone in the mail?

[cjm]

Hi,

I'm still nervous about purchasing a diamond and/or ring from an online vendor. Has anyone ever lost a diamond through the mail? Is it a pretty simple process to make returns? I've heard it could be an expensive process with return shipping charges, insurance, etc. Has anyone ever been really disappointed in a diamond when they received it? It seems like most of the customers here make sure they purchase certified diamonds that are cut very well - so, they SHOULD be great looking diamonds, right?

Thanks!

 

[tyty333]

I've had one sent to me, mailed it back out to have it set then sent back to me...no problem. Yes it was insured. No,
insurance is not cheap. I think for mailing and insurance it was about $18 one way for a .5ish stone.

Loved my stone...you just need to make sure that you are ordering a well cut stone. PSers can help you with that by
posting the stones you are interested in and asking for comments. Also, if ordering an SI stone make sure that it
is eye-clean to your satisfaction and stick with GIA/AGS graded stones.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

It seems like most of the customers here make sure they purchase certified diamonds that are cut very well - so, they SHOULD be great looking diamonds, right?

Thanks!

Yes, the stone should look great as long as you've been provided all the information ahead of time and it's AGS/GIA graded so you know what you're getting. One other thing is be sure you know what the size will look like in real life. Look at well-cut stones to see what the size you're interested in will be to your liking (that way you won't be disappointed and set up a situation of the returning/upgrading cycle). I sold a fabulous stone to a person and when she got it in the mail, she complained it was too small. You know that was really abnoxious. Didn't she look around before she bought from me? I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be being a vendor! lol

 

[kal2021]

Hi,

It seems like most of the customers here make sure they purchase certified diamonds that are cut very well - so, they SHOULD be great looking diamonds, right?

Thanks!

Yes, the stone should look great as long as you've been provided all the information ahead of time and it's AGS/GIA graded so you know what you're getting. One other thing is be sure you know what the size will look like in real life. Look at well-cut stones to see what the size you're interested in will be to your liking (that way you won't be disappointed and set up a situation of the returning/upgrading cycle). I sold a fabulous stone to a person and when she got it in the mail, she complained it was too small. You know that was really abnoxious. Didn't she look around before she bought from me? I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be being a vendor! lol

Sorry to highjack the thread for a moment, but MC, may I ask how you went about selling your stone? Was it on Ebay? I am looking to do the same and would love to hear how you did it! Thanks!

 

[kelpie]

I lost a diamond ring I was buying in the mail. Through the USPS tracking I saw it got to a city in my state and then it just stopped, no movement. The seller put a lot of effort into hunting it down with no luck. As soon as I saw it was stuck I asked them to hang on to the insurance paperwork incase they had to make a claim. They were eventually able to make a claim and reimburse me. That was ebay. If you are buying from a vendor here you'll find them very careful and accommodating. The customers demand it be so. I recommend sending items "hold at location" at a fedex facility. That way you don't have to be sweating bullets about missing the driver or having a 5 figure diamond left on your stoop. Open it there to assure the contents is correct.

 

[cjm]

Yes, I think that's a great idea - picking it up at Fedex/USPS/UPS instead of having it delivered to the house. I didn't get many responses, so I'm going to assume it doesn't happen all too often. Good news!

Thanks everyone! I will look at a bunch of stones at the jewelry stores to see the sizes, the Ideals vs. Excellent vs. average, etc. I don't see a setting I want from either vendor, so that'll be the hard part - figuring that out. Making a custom ring seems like a hassle, esp. if the stone and setting are from different vendors! I'll have to continue my research.