I came to Pricescope without a clue. I was looking for a loose oval diamond and was barely beginning to learn the basics of the 4 C's, not to mention the fact that my SO wanted an oval shaped diamond that is known to be difficult to purchase sight unseen.
After a few fruitless trips to local jewelry stores, I began to really dig into online research. Somewhere along the way, I stumbled upon Price Scope and registered for a username. I'd really spent a lot of time on James Allen, as they offered a unique ability to "see" the diamond online, but save for a stone or two, nothing really nailed the price-quality ratio that we wanted.
A few weeks into the search, I wasn't really making much progress, so I decided to email some of the vendors listed within the Price Scope search. One of those vendors was I.D. Jewelry in NYC. The previous night, my SO and I were out to dinner with friends from NYC and they regaled us with how they'd done their e-ring shopping exclusively in the Diamond District with several "guys." There was an "oval diamond guy" and then a "baguette diamond guy," and finally a "setting guy." We joked that I needed to find a guy and fly up to NYC to make progress on my own search, little did I know that I would be emailing my "everything guy" the next day.
Yekutiel of I.D. Jewelry called me in response to my email inquiry and left a voicemail on my work line early Monday morning. His message was polite, and he seemed confident that he would be able to help me with my search. As I had sent my emails out over the weekend, he was literally the first person to respond, and in retrospect, the fact that he called was a sign of his unique personal touch. Having gone through the entire process with Yekutiel, I can confidently say that I felt like his only customer. I know this notion is ridiculous and that I.D. Jewelry is extremely busy, but it was his impeccable customer service and gentle demeanor that created this sensation. My ring was a top priority to me, and Yekutiel always made me feel like it was his as well.
We started with the stone. Ovals are notoriously difficult to source. The cut isn't "rated" by GIA and a good looking oval on paper can be a real disappointment when you finally lay eyes on the stone. After discussing what I wanted, Yekutiel called me back a day or two later with option #1, a 2.06 GIA IF/H oval. He was high on the stone, but wanted to keep looking, and so he did. He called in a few more stones and provided me with regular updates regarding his search, but he always kept coming back to the IF/H stone. I knew that we couldn't look forever, so after several other options were dispensed, we decided that I would take a look at the stone in person. When it arrived, I knew it was a winner. I took the stone to an independent appraiser (Lois Bouchard in Cary, NC - she was fantastic to work with, too), and she was over the moon on the stone. Having seen it with my own eyes, and having received rave reviews from an appraiser, I knew this oval was gonna be our guy.
Next came the setting. I was not only pleased with his diamond sourcing work, but I genuinely liked working with the guy, so I decided to have Yekutiel and I.D. Jewelry make my setting. My SO was very particular with what she wanted, and Yekutiel patiently worked with me through all of these details. I wanted a delicate ring with an even more delicate halo. Yekutiel and his team were all over it. We worked through several CADs and finally came upon our production design. Then began the waiting game. I was confident the entire time that the ring would turn out beautifully, but I.D. Jewelry really surpassed my expectations. The quality of the setting to my sometimes overly discerning eye, and to the eye of my independent appraiser, is exceptionally high. And to top it off, the cost of the setting came in considerably lower than I was initially quoted. I am not very easy to please, but this experience left me 100% satisfied.
More importantly, my new fiance is also 100% satisfied with the ring. She initially helped me with the search, but I eventually cut her out of the process to preserve some semblance of a surprise. However, I would often speak highly of my dealings with I.D. Jewelry, and for that reason, we hold it and Yekutiel in special place in our hearts. Thank you very much.
And because I'm posting on "Show me the bling," here are the pics (excuse the one with my man-hand):
(My original thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thoughts-on-oval-for-first-time-buyer.222541/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thoughts-on-oval-for-first-time-buyer.222541/[/URL])
After a few fruitless trips to local jewelry stores, I began to really dig into online research. Somewhere along the way, I stumbled upon Price Scope and registered for a username. I'd really spent a lot of time on James Allen, as they offered a unique ability to "see" the diamond online, but save for a stone or two, nothing really nailed the price-quality ratio that we wanted.
A few weeks into the search, I wasn't really making much progress, so I decided to email some of the vendors listed within the Price Scope search. One of those vendors was I.D. Jewelry in NYC. The previous night, my SO and I were out to dinner with friends from NYC and they regaled us with how they'd done their e-ring shopping exclusively in the Diamond District with several "guys." There was an "oval diamond guy" and then a "baguette diamond guy," and finally a "setting guy." We joked that I needed to find a guy and fly up to NYC to make progress on my own search, little did I know that I would be emailing my "everything guy" the next day.
Yekutiel of I.D. Jewelry called me in response to my email inquiry and left a voicemail on my work line early Monday morning. His message was polite, and he seemed confident that he would be able to help me with my search. As I had sent my emails out over the weekend, he was literally the first person to respond, and in retrospect, the fact that he called was a sign of his unique personal touch. Having gone through the entire process with Yekutiel, I can confidently say that I felt like his only customer. I know this notion is ridiculous and that I.D. Jewelry is extremely busy, but it was his impeccable customer service and gentle demeanor that created this sensation. My ring was a top priority to me, and Yekutiel always made me feel like it was his as well.
We started with the stone. Ovals are notoriously difficult to source. The cut isn't "rated" by GIA and a good looking oval on paper can be a real disappointment when you finally lay eyes on the stone. After discussing what I wanted, Yekutiel called me back a day or two later with option #1, a 2.06 GIA IF/H oval. He was high on the stone, but wanted to keep looking, and so he did. He called in a few more stones and provided me with regular updates regarding his search, but he always kept coming back to the IF/H stone. I knew that we couldn't look forever, so after several other options were dispensed, we decided that I would take a look at the stone in person. When it arrived, I knew it was a winner. I took the stone to an independent appraiser (Lois Bouchard in Cary, NC - she was fantastic to work with, too), and she was over the moon on the stone. Having seen it with my own eyes, and having received rave reviews from an appraiser, I knew this oval was gonna be our guy.
Next came the setting. I was not only pleased with his diamond sourcing work, but I genuinely liked working with the guy, so I decided to have Yekutiel and I.D. Jewelry make my setting. My SO was very particular with what she wanted, and Yekutiel patiently worked with me through all of these details. I wanted a delicate ring with an even more delicate halo. Yekutiel and his team were all over it. We worked through several CADs and finally came upon our production design. Then began the waiting game. I was confident the entire time that the ring would turn out beautifully, but I.D. Jewelry really surpassed my expectations. The quality of the setting to my sometimes overly discerning eye, and to the eye of my independent appraiser, is exceptionally high. And to top it off, the cost of the setting came in considerably lower than I was initially quoted. I am not very easy to please, but this experience left me 100% satisfied.
More importantly, my new fiance is also 100% satisfied with the ring. She initially helped me with the search, but I eventually cut her out of the process to preserve some semblance of a surprise. However, I would often speak highly of my dealings with I.D. Jewelry, and for that reason, we hold it and Yekutiel in special place in our hearts. Thank you very much.
And because I'm posting on "Show me the bling," here are the pics (excuse the one with my man-hand):
(My original thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thoughts-on-oval-for-first-time-buyer.222541/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thoughts-on-oval-for-first-time-buyer.222541/[/URL])