Hello PriceScope!
Spent months lurking around these forums and learned a ton to protect myself on the perilous quest most of us take when diamond hunting. Figured now that it is all over, I would post my story in hopes that some other confused and overwhelmed bloke just starting out can learn a few things and save some time and frustration.
Thanks to all of you for your posts and honesty. Couldn't have succeeded without you guys!
- Mike
---------------------
After I was certain I wanted to spend the rest of my life with the woman of my dreams, I started looking for rings. Over the course of our relationship, I managed to get the basics out of her in terms of what she was wanted in an engagement ring. We even went to a few mall jewelry shops and pretended to shop, just so I can get a sense of what she liked. I thought I had done everything I was supposed to and so I started legit shopping at all kinds of jewelry stores looking for the ring that would make her happiest, but within my budget. It turns out, that I had failed to do the one thing every single man must absolutely do before shopping for a diamond engagement ring... educate yourself on diamonds and I mean beyond the 4 Cs by visiting PriceScope.
This became clear after two months of shopping at almost every single jewelry store within a 25 mile radius. That's when I realized that there are essentially two types of brick and mortar jewelers. The honest ones, who have what you want and will negotiate as best as they can, but once they hit rock bottom they say sorry and shake your hand. Then there are the dishonest ones who from the moment you walk into their den of thieves, are analyzing everything about you as they try to figure out what from their bag of lies and tricks they can use to sell you something not even remotely worth the amount you are paying. During those two months, I came across way more dishonest ones than honest ones, even buying a ring only to find out I had been taken. You can bet, the next day the jeweler was shocked to find me waiting for him outside his store to demand my money back.
I was dejected, frustrated and time was running out for our planned dream proposal. That's when I sat down in front of my computer and spent a week on PriceScope in order to learn everything I could about diamonds and rings. I learned three very important things during that week:
1) Which of the 4 Cs I was willing to compromise on and where on the scales my bottoms were in order to make her happy but not break the bank.
2) What the ideal diamond dimensions are and how without a certificate from the GIA or AGS (don't buy IGI seemed the consensus) that states said dimensions, you will never know what you really have (GIA triple X doesn't mean everything after all; you need to know the dimensions above all else). In addition to that use the Holloway Cut Advisor as it is intended, do not abuse it. In other words read the instructions carefully and search the forums for credible posts on how and when to use the HCA.
3) Online is always the best bang for your buck.
The problem was which online vendor do you go with since there are several. I decided that WF and Blue Nile would be my vendors of choice based on BBB rating/report, online reviews, advice on PriceScope, and brand name recognition. I called both and gave them a list of what I was looking for, but WhiteFlash got my business in the end and here's why:
1) Liza, my sales rep and GIA trained expert, wasn't pushy or trying to make a sale as much as she was willing to educate and guide my choices along the way. By this point, I had accumulated more information about diamonds than a layperson really needs to know, so I was fairly certain I could smell most BS a mile away. But that was never the case with Liza. I felt as if throughout the many calls and emails, I was always in control. When I asked for her opinion, she gave it truthfully and willingly and in those few decision points where I overruled her opinion, it was definitive and we continued to move forward in our search for the best diamond within my price range.
We spent hours comparing diamonds both in WF's inventory and out, starting with a selection of 11 that I had pre-selected and whittling down to two. I started talking to Liza thinking I knew pretty much everything there was about diamonds, but I ended up learning a whole lot from her. Things I didn't think were a big deal, turned out to be quite so and we eliminated some pretty expensive diamonds all because they were not "worth it." In the same rite, things I thought were a big deal (such as a microscopic feather here or a pin there) turned out not to be big deals at all which allowed us to keep some choices that were priced very well and gorgeous, but I was ready to throw away due to misinformation.
Truly, thanks to Liza's patience, guidance and very easy going and friendly demeanour, we made the decision to bring in the diamond of choice and have it lab tested. The tests all came back very positive, well within acceptable standards and the diamond I fancied was surprisingly well priced compared to worth. After working with my girlfriend's mom and sister, we managed to choose the setting and matching wedding ring before I submitted payment. It took about a month of calls, emails, and a lot of patience and education on Liza's part before we settled my order, but it was all worth it as far as I was concerned. She made what I expected to be a very difficult process so very easy, knowing I had a trustworthy person on the other end of the phone.
2) Becca, Magen, Mike and the rest of the WF team are the second reason why I was successful in my hunt. After Liza put in the order, she passed me to the very capable hands of her support team. Magen kept me in touch as every step of the design, build and shipment of rings unfolded; answering all my questions and being sure we were still on track to hit my target proposal date. Becca took some of the most amazing professional pictures of the ring that I have ever seen. In all my months of looking at pictures of rings and diamonds, I have never been as shocked as I was when I saw the pictures that Becca took of the rings. They were so beautiful and impressive that after the proposal, I showed them to my fiancé and she could not believe those were her rings and not some promotional photographs taken by the manufacturer. We ended up asking Becca for any others she may have had and my fiancé sent them to her girlfriend's and family abroad that were dying to see the ring. And Mike made sure everything got to me as quickly and as securely as possible. Unwrapping that package in my car to finally see the most beautiful set of rings that I had yet seen was a really awesome moment for me. As amazing as those pictures were, they just did not live up to the fire, brilliance, scintillation and unique elegance/beauty of those rings.
3) The Whiteflash approach to customer service was the last reason why both my fiancé and I ended up being so happy and appreciative of how things worked out. My take on the company is that they are more about making you happy and growing their business through positive customer experiences than making as much money as possible. Most honest online vendors have (comparatively) very low margins on diamonds. If you are lucky enough to know someone who buys diamonds wholesale, you can have them look up the diamond you are interested in by the cert number. What you will usually find is that trustworthy online vendors like WF are buying these diamonds at good prices, but only marking up a few points before they turn around and sell them to us compared to their brick and mortar competitors who have far more overhead to deal with in terms of rent, sales commission and the like. That is why you can't beat their prices anywhere else. But that's is NOT good enough in the diamond world, because you need to know if a diamond is worth it or not and the only way to do that is to educate yourself. Create a PriceScope account today and get started learning is my advice to everyone, but if you still want someone to hold your hand, than call WF as well, because education is where they shine.
Throughout my transaction, I felt as if Liza was more concerned about getting across the God honest truth about the 4Cs and diamonds and letting me make up my own mind. If you educate yourself using WF's or PriceScope's great resources, you should be able to figure out generally what you want. Then when you call and get paired up with a WF GIA trained expert, they will listen to what you are looking for, what you deem acceptable in terms of color, clarity, carat, cut and of course cost constraints before helping you find diamonds that fall within your parameters. I'm sure they can even help you figure out what you want if you don't even know where to start, but my advice is educate yourself first. It makes the whole process a lot easier.
At the end of the day I walked away with a beautiful pair of rings that made my gorgeous fiancé so incredibly happy and fall even more in love with me (apparently this is normal, talk to any guy that has pulled off a successful proposal with a solid ring
. I also walked away not having spent more than I budgeted and convinced that I got more than my money's worth, knowing what I learned about diamonds. After the initial experiences I had diamond shopping I know that had Whiteflash not been there for me, my chances of ending up with the joy, confidence and amazing final products that I walked away with would have been severely diminished.
Thanks to Liza, Magen, Becca, Mike and the rest of the Whiteflash team and just as important, EVERYONE on the PriceScope forums, I am more than happy and so is the woman of my dreams!
Spent months lurking around these forums and learned a ton to protect myself on the perilous quest most of us take when diamond hunting. Figured now that it is all over, I would post my story in hopes that some other confused and overwhelmed bloke just starting out can learn a few things and save some time and frustration.
Thanks to all of you for your posts and honesty. Couldn't have succeeded without you guys!
- Mike
---------------------
After I was certain I wanted to spend the rest of my life with the woman of my dreams, I started looking for rings. Over the course of our relationship, I managed to get the basics out of her in terms of what she was wanted in an engagement ring. We even went to a few mall jewelry shops and pretended to shop, just so I can get a sense of what she liked. I thought I had done everything I was supposed to and so I started legit shopping at all kinds of jewelry stores looking for the ring that would make her happiest, but within my budget. It turns out, that I had failed to do the one thing every single man must absolutely do before shopping for a diamond engagement ring... educate yourself on diamonds and I mean beyond the 4 Cs by visiting PriceScope.
This became clear after two months of shopping at almost every single jewelry store within a 25 mile radius. That's when I realized that there are essentially two types of brick and mortar jewelers. The honest ones, who have what you want and will negotiate as best as they can, but once they hit rock bottom they say sorry and shake your hand. Then there are the dishonest ones who from the moment you walk into their den of thieves, are analyzing everything about you as they try to figure out what from their bag of lies and tricks they can use to sell you something not even remotely worth the amount you are paying. During those two months, I came across way more dishonest ones than honest ones, even buying a ring only to find out I had been taken. You can bet, the next day the jeweler was shocked to find me waiting for him outside his store to demand my money back.
I was dejected, frustrated and time was running out for our planned dream proposal. That's when I sat down in front of my computer and spent a week on PriceScope in order to learn everything I could about diamonds and rings. I learned three very important things during that week:
1) Which of the 4 Cs I was willing to compromise on and where on the scales my bottoms were in order to make her happy but not break the bank.
2) What the ideal diamond dimensions are and how without a certificate from the GIA or AGS (don't buy IGI seemed the consensus) that states said dimensions, you will never know what you really have (GIA triple X doesn't mean everything after all; you need to know the dimensions above all else). In addition to that use the Holloway Cut Advisor as it is intended, do not abuse it. In other words read the instructions carefully and search the forums for credible posts on how and when to use the HCA.
3) Online is always the best bang for your buck.
The problem was which online vendor do you go with since there are several. I decided that WF and Blue Nile would be my vendors of choice based on BBB rating/report, online reviews, advice on PriceScope, and brand name recognition. I called both and gave them a list of what I was looking for, but WhiteFlash got my business in the end and here's why:
1) Liza, my sales rep and GIA trained expert, wasn't pushy or trying to make a sale as much as she was willing to educate and guide my choices along the way. By this point, I had accumulated more information about diamonds than a layperson really needs to know, so I was fairly certain I could smell most BS a mile away. But that was never the case with Liza. I felt as if throughout the many calls and emails, I was always in control. When I asked for her opinion, she gave it truthfully and willingly and in those few decision points where I overruled her opinion, it was definitive and we continued to move forward in our search for the best diamond within my price range.
We spent hours comparing diamonds both in WF's inventory and out, starting with a selection of 11 that I had pre-selected and whittling down to two. I started talking to Liza thinking I knew pretty much everything there was about diamonds, but I ended up learning a whole lot from her. Things I didn't think were a big deal, turned out to be quite so and we eliminated some pretty expensive diamonds all because they were not "worth it." In the same rite, things I thought were a big deal (such as a microscopic feather here or a pin there) turned out not to be big deals at all which allowed us to keep some choices that were priced very well and gorgeous, but I was ready to throw away due to misinformation.
Truly, thanks to Liza's patience, guidance and very easy going and friendly demeanour, we made the decision to bring in the diamond of choice and have it lab tested. The tests all came back very positive, well within acceptable standards and the diamond I fancied was surprisingly well priced compared to worth. After working with my girlfriend's mom and sister, we managed to choose the setting and matching wedding ring before I submitted payment. It took about a month of calls, emails, and a lot of patience and education on Liza's part before we settled my order, but it was all worth it as far as I was concerned. She made what I expected to be a very difficult process so very easy, knowing I had a trustworthy person on the other end of the phone.
2) Becca, Magen, Mike and the rest of the WF team are the second reason why I was successful in my hunt. After Liza put in the order, she passed me to the very capable hands of her support team. Magen kept me in touch as every step of the design, build and shipment of rings unfolded; answering all my questions and being sure we were still on track to hit my target proposal date. Becca took some of the most amazing professional pictures of the ring that I have ever seen. In all my months of looking at pictures of rings and diamonds, I have never been as shocked as I was when I saw the pictures that Becca took of the rings. They were so beautiful and impressive that after the proposal, I showed them to my fiancé and she could not believe those were her rings and not some promotional photographs taken by the manufacturer. We ended up asking Becca for any others she may have had and my fiancé sent them to her girlfriend's and family abroad that were dying to see the ring. And Mike made sure everything got to me as quickly and as securely as possible. Unwrapping that package in my car to finally see the most beautiful set of rings that I had yet seen was a really awesome moment for me. As amazing as those pictures were, they just did not live up to the fire, brilliance, scintillation and unique elegance/beauty of those rings.
3) The Whiteflash approach to customer service was the last reason why both my fiancé and I ended up being so happy and appreciative of how things worked out. My take on the company is that they are more about making you happy and growing their business through positive customer experiences than making as much money as possible. Most honest online vendors have (comparatively) very low margins on diamonds. If you are lucky enough to know someone who buys diamonds wholesale, you can have them look up the diamond you are interested in by the cert number. What you will usually find is that trustworthy online vendors like WF are buying these diamonds at good prices, but only marking up a few points before they turn around and sell them to us compared to their brick and mortar competitors who have far more overhead to deal with in terms of rent, sales commission and the like. That is why you can't beat their prices anywhere else. But that's is NOT good enough in the diamond world, because you need to know if a diamond is worth it or not and the only way to do that is to educate yourself. Create a PriceScope account today and get started learning is my advice to everyone, but if you still want someone to hold your hand, than call WF as well, because education is where they shine.
Throughout my transaction, I felt as if Liza was more concerned about getting across the God honest truth about the 4Cs and diamonds and letting me make up my own mind. If you educate yourself using WF's or PriceScope's great resources, you should be able to figure out generally what you want. Then when you call and get paired up with a WF GIA trained expert, they will listen to what you are looking for, what you deem acceptable in terms of color, clarity, carat, cut and of course cost constraints before helping you find diamonds that fall within your parameters. I'm sure they can even help you figure out what you want if you don't even know where to start, but my advice is educate yourself first. It makes the whole process a lot easier.
At the end of the day I walked away with a beautiful pair of rings that made my gorgeous fiancé so incredibly happy and fall even more in love with me (apparently this is normal, talk to any guy that has pulled off a successful proposal with a solid ring
. I also walked away not having spent more than I budgeted and convinced that I got more than my money's worth, knowing what I learned about diamonds. After the initial experiences I had diamond shopping I know that had Whiteflash not been there for me, my chances of ending up with the joy, confidence and amazing final products that I walked away with would have been severely diminished.Thanks to Liza, Magen, Becca, Mike and the rest of the Whiteflash team and just as important, EVERYONE on the PriceScope forums, I am more than happy and so is the woman of my dreams!
Your rings are truly beautiful...
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