How is this going to go down with my jeweler?

[MattEffinCameron]

So I found a picture of an engagement ring online, decided I was going to have one like it custom made.

I went to a few places but ultimately found a local jewelry store that impressed me with their in-house custom capabilities as well as with their price on a platinum solitaire (with a couple accent stones).

They were bigger than one of the other local stores I went to and had a lot more stones they pulled out for me to look through (something else I liked about them). Somewhere along the way however from the first local jewelry store I went to where they educated me about GIA vs EGL etc, I lost my way and when I went in to order the ring recently and look through stones I was so focused on and concerned about the details of the ring's design that I somehow allowed myself to slip into looking at EGL stones...although it was not all "me slipping" as he was definitely showing me a lot more EGL than GIA.

So I have since watched the video below and have become convinced that I need to go with a GIA stone. (not just the value proposition described in the video but quality is definitely important to me, getting a better value with better quality is a no brainer).
http://www.truthaboutdiamonds.com/truth-about/diamond-certificates-gia-ags-igi-hrd-egl/egl/comment-page-36/#comments

I have asked the jeweler (via email) about what he has available for GIA stones but have not heard back yet...and have been looking around JA/WF/BN and found what seem like great GIA stones at great prices. The ring is being designed first on the computer and then we will review the design. I had been waivering between a .9 and a 1.1 carat stone that he had and it is understood that when I see the rendering of the ring, bsed on the size of the stone I may or may not switch it out (before the wax model is made)....any thoughts on how this is going to go down if I tell him I want to go with a GIA stone I found online for less?

Are local jewelers willing to do that or is he gonna become all difficult to work with since he was going to make all his money from the stone? Any thoughts on how I should proceed?

 

[Snicklefritz]

I would show him the diamond you found online and give him the opportunity to match it. If he can't do it, then at least he had the chance, and you shouldn't be faulted for being a savvy buyer. Depending on his policies, he may or may not be willing to sell you the setting without a center stone. Just don't compromise on what you're looking for and don't feel pressured to take what he offers if it doesn't meet your requirements.

As a general rule, GIA and AGS are safer/stricter in terms of their grading. And the safest EGL lab is EGL USA (with EGL USA-LA usually being a bit more reliable). If you are interested in an EGL USA stone, and the jeweler has a decent return policy and/or will let you bring someone in to evaluate it, you would want to have an independent appraiser look at it, and give you their opinion.

 

[msop04]

I would show him the diamond you found online and give him the opportunity to match it. If he can't do it, then at least he had the chance, and you shouldn't be faulted for being a savvy buyer. Depending on his policies, he may or may not be willing to sell you the setting without a center stone. Just don't compromise on what you're looking for and don't feel pressured to take what he offers if it doesn't meet your requirements.

This. Also, if you are wanting a solitaire with a few diamonds on the band, there are online vendors that are highly recommended that could make it for you. ERD and IDJ come to mind, as they are known to work well with budgets.

 

[msop04]

BTW, I think your screen name is hilarious!

 

[LLJsmom]

Congratulations on making a choice that gets you better quality at a better price. Don't let him freak you out about buying on line and buying something you haven't seen before. As you can see on PS, tons of savvy diamond experts have done exactly that and have done so successfully. Good luck and don't forget to come back and post you finished ring!!

 

[MattEffinCameron]

BTW, I think your screen name is hilarious!

Thanks

Just a note...I started another thread specifically to help me pick a stone online..
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-me-pick-a-cushion.194993/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-me-pick-a-cushion.194993/[/URL]

 

[denverappraiser]

So I found a picture of an engagement ring online, decided I was going to have one like it custom made.

I went to a few places but ultimately found a local jewelry store that impressed me with their in-house custom capabilities as well as with their price on a platinum solitaire (with a couple accent stones).

They were bigger than one of the other local stores I went to and had a lot more stones they pulled out for me to look through (something else I liked about them). Somewhere along the way however from the first local jewelry store I went to where they educated me about GIA vs EGL etc, I lost my way and when I went in to order the ring recently and look through stones I was so focused on and concerned about the details of the ring's design that I somehow allowed myself to slip into looking at EGL stones...although it was not all "me slipping" as he was definitely showing me a lot more EGL than GIA.

So I have since watched the video below and have become convinced that I need to go with a GIA stone. (not just the value proposition described in the video but quality is definitely important to me, getting a better value with better quality is a no brainer).
http://www.truthaboutdiamonds.com/truth-about/diamond-certificates-gia-ags-igi-hrd-egl/egl/comment-page-36/#comments

I have asked the jeweler (via email) about what he has available for GIA stones but have not heard back yet...and have been looking around JA/WF/BN and found what seem like great GIA stones at great prices. The ring is being designed first on the computer and then we will review the design. I had been waivering between a .9 and a 1.1 carat stone that he had and it is understood that when I see the rendering of the ring, bsed on the size of the stone I may or may not switch it out (before the wax model is made)....any thoughts on how this is going to go down if I tell him I want to go with a GIA stone I found online for less?

Are local jewelers willing to do that or is he gonna become all difficult to work with since he was going to make all his money from the stone? Any thoughts on how I should proceed?

Have them stop the work on the model immediately, or at least before you approve the computer design.

Most jewelers will agree with what you want, begrudgingly, but not all stones will fit in all mountings. Pick the stone first, then have the wax made to fit it rather than the other way around. While it's still in the computer it's usually easy to tweak the stone size a bit but after it's metal or even wax it's a significant pain.

I second the notion that you should be straight up with the jeweler about what they're doing and allow them to bid on the diamond. I would even be willing to pay MORE to source it from them because it's desirable to have the whole thing come from the same supplier if you can arrange it. The issue is how much more. That's up to you. Show them what you're considering, tell them what it's going to cost and see what they have to say. They may surprise you.

 

[MattEffinCameron]

So they are doing a few different computer designs first before any model is made. We are going to review those computer designs for final refinement/tweaks or whatever before a mold is made.

He is aware that the stone could change...in his store I was waivering between a really nice looking .9 and a not as nice looking (to me) 1.1 or something. So the plan was I put the .9 on hold for my ring but when the computer rendering is complete we will look at a rendering with a stone of both dimensions so I can see what the difference would be and we would settle on a stone at that time - after computer model is agreed upon but before mold is made so that as you said he could incorporate the dimensions of the stone into the mounting.

I emailed the jeweler last week like 2 days after we had had the design meeting and asked him to email me a picture of the stone's cert paperwork (so I could figure out with all the online research I am doing now if it is EGL europe or US and all the details around it and how they compare to the stones I am seeing online). I also asked if he had some GIA stones we could look at. He says he is working on it but I have not seen that paperwork just yet. He also mentioned (correctly) that we looked at GIA stones but I preferred the EGL. I think the GIA stones were lower grades or higher priced or something which is why in looking at them I was leaning toward stones that happened to be EGL(they just looked better to me).


I have 2 thoughts right now of how to proceed. One is I go in today and say I am thinking about buying a stone online to go with the ring you are making, what do you think of that. And the other (leaning toward this one) is to pick a stone online, then go in with the price, specs etc to see if he has something better in-store. If he does not, I will give him the dimensions of the online stone to be used for the mold/design.

I understand the sooner I talk to him the better but I have already expressed concerns via email about GIA vs EGL and he knows we might be switching to a different stone so I kind of feel like going in to have the conversation when I have a specific online stone picked out would be a simpler way to approach this than going in and saying "what else do you have...cuz theres good stuff online". With a 60 day return policy from JA (and others probably, but JA has a stone I like) I could even buy the stone and bring it in with me to compare to what he has available right?

 

[distracts]

I wouldn't even tell him it's online, I'd just tell him you found a stone from another jeweler that is exactly what you're looking for at the right price, but you'd still like to go with him for the setting.