I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond story

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I like Big bling and I can not lie... (aka) my purchasing an online uncertified diamond experience and the real "ugly" diamond I received.

I made the mistake of purchasing a diamond online with no certification. What a complete dummy I am!

I based my purchase on a few photos and the seller's stated grading of the diamond. What a mistake! Good thing it had a return policy because the diamond in the photos looked beautiful and the price was way low...so I jumped on it. Note to self...there is a reason some diamonds are priced cheap! Doh!

When the diamond was sent to me it was very sparkly indeed, 3.35 carats of sparkliness...just like in the photos. But the ideal cut of the diamond and it's flashy brightness hid the fact that it was inlcuded with tons and I do mean tons of black carbon spots (2 BIG ones and tons of small ones to numerous to count--like 100 or even 500 of them)--which the seller never mentioned.

Seriosuly, the diamond looked like someone had sprinkled it with a good dose of pepper! It was hideous and because of all the black carbon the diamond appeared gray, except for under bright lights which is what the photo was taken under.

I took it to a GIA/ AGS appraiser who told me it was AT LEAST an I3!! Again not AT ALL what the seller had stated it was.

I learned my lesson the hard way....I shipped the diamond back to the seller this morning. The whole experince has been somewhat dissappointing bordering devastating. I just hope I get a refund on my purchase...it was thousands of dollars....

Why did all of the valuable information I recieved on this forum, enter one eye, make no contact with the brain and exit through the other eye? I have no idea!

Lesson learned! Never and I do mean NEVER will I buy a diamond without a GIA/ AGS certification/ appraisal and a good return policy.

I'm too embarrassed to even post photos of it....

MyDiamondSparkles

 

[Gypsy]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Posting is theraputic. You should definitely post some pics.

 

[slg47]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

I hope your refund comes soon. I would also be curious to see a picture as well as read the seller's description?

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

I figure we can all use this post as a learning experience...maybe it will help someone else make a better decision than I did.

Here are the photos of the big sparkly 3.35 carat diamond. I have a very expensive professional camera with great lenses and had a very hard time taking a photo of this ring because of all the fire and sparkly this diamond has.

I'll then resize the close up macro lense photos and upload those too.

MyDiamondSparkles (even with 500 black carbon/ pepper spots!...lol)

 

[risingsun]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Believe me, it wasn't an ideal cut diamond. For it to have that designation, it would have been graded AGS 0. Yours was not graded. A seller can call a diamond whatever they like, but unless they can provide documentation by a reputable lab, it doesn't mean anything. I would also like to see the seller's description of this diamond.

ETA: Was this purchased from ebay?

 

[Frenchcut]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Thank you for sharing your experience with you, hope you're not too disappointed and can find a real deal once you've received your refund...

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

WARNING! SPIT OUT COFFEE AND ALL SOFT DRINKS PRIOR TO LOOKING AT PHOTOS!
Here's the close up photos...

 

[whatmeworry]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Thank you for sharing this. It will be helpful to many people. Do you have a vendor's picture of the diamond by any chance?

 

[kelpie]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

On the upside, you will probably be ultimately be able to rock a nice huge GIA/AGS I1 and feel "mind clean" about it. Infinity seems to have made a bit of a specialty out of lower color/clarity ideal cut diamonds, and once you've seen one you'll see there's no comparing them to your narrow miss! Also, ebay buyer protection will have your back if they hassle you over a refund, but having the appraisal really helps.

 

[diamond_seeker]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

I kind of want to keep the sellers identity to myself as you just never know how is out there lurking and who belongs to this forum. Thanks for understanding.

So yes, I did purchase the diamond at auction.

I've changed the description of the diamond to protect the seller's identity but it would still read the same way: HUGE diamond, stunning and brilliant. Worth $ XX,XXX. A few visible inclusions, not much, it's really nice!

There was also a statement about clarity, agian I won't disclose exactly what it was...but WAY above what was sold to me. Not like a VVS1 or Vs1 or anything, but a misrepresentation as noted by the GIA/ AGS appraiser I took it to.

 

[risingsun]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

That diamond is beyond ugly You warned us, so I can't ask you to replace my keyboard Based upon the seller's description, or shall we call it a fantasy, and the appraisal, you should have a SNAD, if the seller balks at the return.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

On the upside, you will probably be ultimately be able to rock a nice huge GIA/AGS I1 and feel "mind clean" about it. Infinity seems to have made a bit of a specialty out of lower color/clarity ideal cut diamonds, and once you've seen one you'll see there's no comparing them to your narrow miss! Also, ebay buyer protection will have your back if they hassle you over a refund, but having the appraisal really helps.

Yes, I somehow think that white carbon and twining wisps won't look as bad to me now....

As a note: The seller's photo was closer up than the first "hand shot" photos I posted. BUT, the diaomond showed lots of sparkle and looks white! I could see one small spot of greay which I assumed was a shadow since no notation was made of a BIG HONKING BLAK CARBON SPOT.I depended on the photos the seller had, assuming if a seller had reasonably good feedback, he/ she was truthful in their listing description. Another lesson learned!

Can I ask you if you know what the refund policy of Ebay is? I thought it was only up to $2,000? I haven't disputed the payment through Paypal yet. This seller sells a lot of jwelery so I am taking his/ her word on the refund, but I am totally nervous about it. Of course I knew going into it that it was a gamble, so I prepared myself to loose money just in case...but who wants to worry about loosing THAT kind of money? Ughhh (this dummy is sure kicking herself!)

 

[whatmeworry]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

I hope you get your refund soon. It's amazing the difference that lighting makes. In direct lighting, sparkles. In diffused lighting, pepper. But you read stories like this all the time, they can't see the inclusion at the jewelry store, but when they get home...
Again, thanks for sharing.

 

[canuk-gal]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

HI:

Lump of coal seems apropos here (hey tis the season! ). Best of luck on your refund.

BTW the suggestion that you could get an ideal cut I1 was a good one; moreover as you go down the colorelss scale toward Z you will find some wonderous beauties that are not only "well" certified but also "well" cut. Just ask us for some help!

cheers--Sharon

 

[kenny]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

How did you get such a black background when you hand is so well illuminated?
Was that accomplished naturally or digitally?
Just curious.

 

[bigterpsfan]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

So I will ask...what did u pay????

 

[kelpie]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Can I ask you if you know what the refund policy of Ebay is? I thought it was only up to $2,000? I haven't disputed the payment through Paypal yet. This seller sells a lot of jwelery so I am taking his/ her word on the refund, but I am totally nervous about it. Of course I knew going into it that it was a gamble, so I prepared myself to loose money just in case...but who wants to worry about loosing THAT kind of money? Ughhh (this dummy is sure kicking herself!)

I believe ebay buyer protection was changed in recent years to cover the full price of the item. Did you fund the payment with your credit card? Because doing a CC dispute is another layer of protection. Give them a chance to make it right though. You tracked and insured the package, right? I just bought a pin with a fake diamond off ebay and the seller was giving me all kinds of hassle even after I returned it, I escalated to customer support and had a refund about 12 hours later when they ruled in my favor. I do dislike all the layers of "good effort" communications they make they make you go through before you can get an ebay employee to look at it though.

Here's their linky

http://pages.ebay.com/coverage/index.html

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

How did you get such a black background when you hand is so well illuminated?
Was that accomplished naturally or digitally?
Just curious.

Hi Kenny,

I used Photo Shop CS 4 to cut out the background and replace it with a black background. I left the hand shot unretouched so everyone woudl know what the diamond looked like it an actual unretouched photo. See how my hand is slightly jaundiced? It's because of the lighting I was using...trying to emulate what the seller had used.

So let me ask you Kenny. When working with your Macro lense, mine drives my eyes nutty for a few hours after I use it. Mine is a Nikon 60mm macro. Are you using something similar for your close up photos? If so what diapoter setting are you using? I swear I hate to use the macro lense because it seriously makes me feel sick all day because I can't focus on anything correctly after I use it.

Someone esle asked me how much I paid for it...TOO MUCH! Again, I am kind of protecting the seller's identity here. It was SEVERAL thousand dollars. Low enough that I "think" I could have taken that GIA/ AGS certificate and a few flashy photos of the thing and resold the item online for a profit to someone that didn't know an I3 diamond could be so bad. I'd never do that to anyone though. I did contemplate going to a pawn shop to see how much they'd give me for it though, only because I wanted my money back in my bank account, like now...but I've never been to a pawn shop and was to afraid to go....sigh

This whole thing is pathetic...and I haven't even told my husband the story...and probably never will. Looser extreme right here folks! This has soooo not been worth any savings I could have gained by buying an uncertified diamond. I can't even express how this whole thing has made me feel...it's awful.

MyDiaomondSparkles

 

[yssie]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

HI:

Lump of coal seems apropos here (hey tis the season! ). Best of luck on your refund.

BTW the suggestion that you could get an ideal cut I1 was a good one; moreover as you go down the colorelss scale toward Z you will find some wonderous beauties that are not only "well" certified but also "well" cut. Just ask us for some help!

cheers--Sharon

::snort::


I do hope you get your refund soon. Keep copies of all your communications with the seller. How did you ship it back?

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

US postal office, express/ overnight mail, with signature required upon delivery. Tracking number. Insured.

I emailed the seller first at 8:00 am, to let them know I was returning it. Took it to the post office this morning at 10:00 am, emailed the seller a second time at 11:00am to update them with the tracking number. I haven't heard a word from them! This is from someone who states they check emails several times a day. I emailed them once again letting them know I needed to hear back from them about the full refund return.

MyDiamondSparkles

 

[yssie]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

US postal office, express/ overnight mail, with signature required upon delivery. Tracking number. Insured.

I emailed the seller first at 8:00 am, to let them know I was returning it. Took it to the post office this morning at 10:00 am, emailed the seller a second time at 11:00am to update them with the tracking number. I haven't heard a word from them! This is from someone who states they check emails several times a day. I emailed them once again letting them know I needed to hear back from them about the full refund return.

MyDiamondSparkles

Perfectly done - it was the signature confirmation I was concerned about, as that's one thing PayPal makes a fuss about for returns over a couple hundred dollars, if they give you hassle about the return and you decide to dispute it w/ PayPal before your CC.

 

[Andelain]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

WARNING! SPIT OUT COFFEE AND ALL SOFT DRINKS PRIOR TO LOOKING AT PHOTOS!
:

It looks like you did that on the diamond!



Hope you get your $$$ back OK.

 

[LD]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Poor you - not a great looking diamond.

One thing I would definitely do is keep an eye on the date because you only have a certain amount of time to make a claim (with Ebay or Paypal) if the Seller doesn't refund. I can't recall what it is and I think it's different for Ebay and Paypal but might be worth checking into.

 

[MarkBroumand]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

WARNING! SPIT OUT COFFEE AND ALL SOFT DRINKS PRIOR TO LOOKING AT PHOTOS!
Here's the close up photos...

Thanks for the warning! I had some issues with something very similar to this in a previous post!!

I'm very sorry you had to go through this whole ordeal...it is a lesson to be learned.

There is nothing wrong with trying to get a good deal, but this type of misrepresentation of an item is the biggest disappointment of all.

Good luck with everything.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

That diamond is beyond ugly You warned us, so I can't ask you to replace my keyboard Based upon the seller's description, or shall we call it a fantasy, and the appraisal, you should have a SNAD, if the seller balks at the return.

What is a SNAD? Sorry, but I think my brain is so fried I can't figure it out.

I had enough money in my Paypal account to cover the cost of the entire purchase. I have an online business (not asscociated with Ebay) and we accept payments through Paypal as well as credit cards through a credit card processing service.

So to make a long story short, if you have money in your Paypal account you can't use a credit card to make the purchase. I phoned Paypal prior to making the purchase to find out what their policies were for buyer protection. My options were to transfer my Paypal monies into my bank account so I could use a credit card to make the purchase or pay with my Paypal balance, which I did because they assured me their buyer protection was better than my credit card was going to be.

I'm giving the seller 24 hours to contact me then I am disputing the transaction. I am nervous because Paypal has a 3-4 day wait on transfering funds from a Seller account to their bank account--I believe this is 3-4 business days and does not include weekends. I am what if'ing he transfers the money out of his Paypal account, then what? I received the diamond on Wednesday 5:00 pm, but paid for it on Monday. I mean this is a large purchase....(biting nails here)...

And to let you all know how big of a dummy I really am...I have more than enough money to purchase a great quality diamond of this size from a reputable online vendor. I just thought perhaps I could save a lot of money by purchasing one from a seller of "used" diamonds. I'll bend over so everyone can kick me now.

I tell you what though, this sure cures any DSS syndrome! I know am looking at my VVS1 1.5 carat with total new eyes. It is truly beautiful.



MyDiamondSparkles

 

[tyty333]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Thanks for sharing...its a good lesson for any newcomers to the forum.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

So I will ask...what did u pay????

yes,how much did you paid for this rock???

 

[RockHugger]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Holy cow! I swear to you I purchased this diamond a year ago and also returned it. Although I only paid 500 for it, but it looks identical to my diamond and same size.....weird. Looks like it has traveled alot in the past year....

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Re: I Like Big Bling And I Can Not Lie/"real" ugly diamond s

Holy cow! I swear to you I purchased this diamond a year ago and also returned it. Although I only paid 500 for it, but it looks identical to my diamond and same size.....weird. Looks like it has traveled alot in the past year....

What, what, WHAT???? I would be curious to know who you purchased it from...I mean online? Vendor? B&M store? Can I ask you what you think this diamond is worth? The photos are unretouched, it actually looks that gray in real life. I have never, ever considered a diamond in this clarity range so I don't even know what they go for. But I guess less than $500 obviously and I paid in the thousands...expecting a much higher clarity and the photos they had looked nice.

I am beginning to think I was seriously scammed! They advertised this diamond as a $xx,xxx value and a certain weight, color and clarity. None of them is true. I am starting to wonder if the diamond in the photo was even the diamond they sent me????

Did I forget to mention the diamond ring was advertised as antique? It wasn't, I know a brand new setting when I see it. It did not have the look and feel of platinum anyway...it was weird.

Geesh, why is there no PM on this forum????? Is there any kind of way fro members to exchange info on this forum?

I do hope that everyone makes a mental sticky note of this entire thread and remembers to post it to anyone new who says they are considering buying an uncertified diamond. It will be the only good thing that comes from the experience.

MyDiamondSparkles