IYO, Can veteran PSers really influence a newbie ..

[sledge]

Yes, I do think that PS influences decisions but that it is also a good thing - especially for Australians and the selection and prices attached to purchasing locally.

Whilst if I hadn't found PS, I probably would have found and purchased a stone through my local jeweller, paid way too much for it and thought it was the bees knees, I am happy that I have a stone that I never have to second guess. I never have to wonder if I could have found a better one or if I paid too much. In Australia, everyone is GIA xxx is all you need, that's all that matters.

Pricescope made me research not only stones and settings but vendors also. I tried to purchase through many Australian vendors but at the end of the day I never felt like I was getting my money's worth and no one showed me a stone that I felt represented the pricetag attached to it. Had I not found PS then I wouldn't have known how much I could save by purchasing from the US, not to mention the quality of the diamonds also - super ideal or not.

Almost every diamond I was shown in Australia had big black inclusions and most scored well over 3-4 on the HCA and these would have cost me $50-$60,000aud.

Surprisingly, some Australian vendors that I had an initial chat with, offered stones and then just didn't respond to emails or follow up the conversation. I find that really odd, especially given the budget I was looking to spend. I am not one to chase people I am trying to do business with. If you can't be bothered keeping in contact and I am doing all the following up, you don't deserve my hard earned money.

Every vendor I dealt with in the US was responsive day and night, the quality of the service was just a step above.

So thanks PS.

I wish your journey had been smoother but the selfish side of me is so glad you found us instead. Your ring is one of my favorites and I never bore seeing that gorgeous BGD stone!

 

[Dancing Fire]

I only recommend vendors whom I had great experience with. I have only dealt with vendors with in-house stones.

 

[ellebelle]

I live 10 minutes from whiteflash and had never heard of them! Because of ps, I have an ering upgrade, studs, a wb, a 7 stone, and I am in the process of a 5 stone ring. Lol, maybe it would be better to not live so close!

Also I don't think I would have felt comfortable with shipping stones cross country without the testimonies of psers. Now, I don't even think about it!

I had the same experience with David Klass! I was shopping in the building directly next door to DKJ without even knowing!

Before PS, I thought the jewelry district in DTLA would be the best place to shop for an e-ring. We wanted to buy a loose sapphire and a semi-mount setting. But our shopping trips were rather disappointing- lots of low quality, windowed, poor color sapphires and clunky settings. So i kept searching online, which lead me to PS and then DKJ! I was shocked that I was able to get a high quality, completely custom setting on my budget!
It was also a PS recommendation to reach out to etsy vendors that lead to finding my perfectly peachy pink garnet center stone.

Initially I told my BF I would only keep up on PS while sorting out my e-ring design, but I think I got the bug for jewelry now! Especially custom design. I already designed his engagement band and have plans for at least three more projects in the future! My wedding band, a reset, and a three stone ring for my 30th bday!

 

[lilmosun]

Absolutely....for better and for worse imo. The knowledge I've gained from PS has been invaluable and it opened a whole new world of CS and precision cuts and on-line vendors. But comparing what I had/saw IRL to what I saw in pictures here and worried what PSers might think also became a distraction. Over time I've learned to balance the benefits of making an informed purchase as a results of PS with trusting own eyes and heart (and budget) in making purchases.

 

[Ilovecarbon]

Absolutely, yes! I grew up in Houston, and I still live in the area, and I didn’t know about Whiteflash or Brian Gavin until I came here. Future Fiancé and I have been talking, looking, and have made 2 trips to Whiteflash in particular due to PS recommendations.

 

[OoohShiny]

Living near to a PS-recommended vendor sounds simultaneously a blessing and a curse... lol

 

[MarionC]

I found PS while trying understand diamond performance and happily got much great advice and an education.
As I learned more and began to trust my individual taste, I no longer wanted as much input.
The last purchase I made was a « solo flight ».
Since joining PS, every diamond purchase I’ve made has been with a PS vendor. For the most part I trust our vendors and there is a kind of insurance poilicy in doing business with vendors who are held to a high standard here.
So yes, totally influenced by PS.

 

[arkieb1]

Yes people arrive every day and say what do you think of this stone or find me x and y and people find them options or better stones or say no don't buy that because it's a dog cut or in CS it has a window and so on.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Other PSers have certainly influenced my buying habits

+ 1


I have a family jeweler in my home country who is already not local to me, because his bench is much better than the ones I could find locally.
His own creations and repairs are high quality, but for custom I was never 100% happy.
Without PS I'd never have found DK, who understood immediately what I wanted for my setting and executed the design flawlessly. Without veteran PSers vouching for him, NO WAY would I have sent my 3.71ct to him....

 

[rockysalamander]

Yes. "With great power comes great responsibility"

I think our focus on cut is fair, but also necessary for online work. There are absolutely lots of diamonds in the VG category that would be fine for the average consumer. But, like all diamonds, its all about how the moving parts work together. Online, I find it much harder to see those balances as its less about absolute numbers and more about the visual performance that ASET and IS won't capture. In person, when I have a loupe and my trusting eyes, I help folks with these stones all the time. Here, I feel a responsibility to give folks more of a sure-thing, because I can't see them with my own eyes in 3-D. When I make an unusual/on the edge suggesting, I try to explain and caveat to be clear. I think our focus on a narrow list of a vendor is partially for the same reasons. We know them and their abilities and eyes. We've seen enough of how they describe that we trust them in lieu of our own eyes. That said, I truly wish we could find some good "local" options to source diamonds in Australia, UK, Asia, etc. I think we tend to go back to certain vendors for fancies that are not-super ideal because you can calibrate your eyes to their imaging style to reality.

For the popular custom vendors, I feel the same in terms of responsibility and assurance. I wish we could broaden our list and everytime a new vendor is mentioned, I add them to list to watch. I think, perhaps, where we can be more clear is explaining to custom folks that there are "designers" and "bench jeweler". They may be one person (e.g., Victor Canera, Leon Mege, Maytal Hannah, etc.) or multiple people that take on the full design or maybe just aspects of it (e.g., a "bench" might have different folks within the group that do pave, bezel, fragile gemstones, etc.). The output quality of any "designer" is their bench and relationships with benches can change over time. So, we PS members should to be open to updating our own thoughts on a designer or bench as their staff and such change over time.

I think the criticism that we are often recommending super-ideal (or diamonds within a narrow set of parameters) is totally fair. They are gorgeous and a sure thing...and the price differential between non super ideal and super ideal rounds and some princess cuts has really been closed or removed by several vendors. For the popular sizes and specs, certain vendors pricing are within a very small margin of the non-super ideals. The gap still exists for some of the fancies, but I think that will improve with time.

 

[sledge]

Yes. "With great power comes great responsibility"

I think our focus on cut is fair, but also necessary for online work. There are absolutely lots of diamonds in the VG category that would be fine for the average consumer. But, like all diamonds, its all about how the moving parts work together. Online, I find it much harder to see those balances as its less about absolute numbers and more about the visual performance that ASET and IS won't capture. In person, when I have a loupe and my trusting eyes, I help folks with these stones all the time. Here, I feel a responsibility to give folks more of a sure-thing, because I can't see them with my own eyes in 3-D. When I make an unusual/on the edge suggesting, I try to explain and caveat to be clear. I think our focus on a narrow list of a vendor is partially for the same reasons. We know them and their abilities and eyes. We've seen enough of how they describe that we trust them in lieu of our own eyes. That said, I truly wish we could find some good "local" options to source diamonds in Australia, UK, Asia, etc. I think we tend to go back to certain vendors for fancies that are not-super ideal because you can calibrate your eyes to their imaging style to reality.

For the popular custom vendors, I feel the same in terms of responsibility and assurance. I wish we could broaden our list and everytime a new vendor is mentioned, I add them to list to watch. I think, perhaps, where we can be more clear is explaining to custom folks that there are "designers" and "bench jeweler". They may be one person (e.g., Victor Canera, Leon Mege, Maytal Hannah, etc.) or multiple people that take on the full design or maybe just aspects of it (e.g., a "bench" might have different folks within the group that do pave, bezel, fragile gemstones, etc.). The output quality of any "designer" is their bench and relationships with benches can change over time. So, we PS members should to be open to updating our own thoughts on a designer or bench as their staff and such change over time.

I think the criticism that we are often recommending super-ideal (or diamonds within a narrow set of parameters) is totally fair. They are gorgeous and a sure thing...and the price differential between non super ideal and super ideal rounds and some princess cuts has really been closed or removed by several vendors. For the popular sizes and specs, certain vendors pricing are within a very small margin of the non-super ideals. The gap still exists for some of the fancies, but I think that will improve with time.

Like most of your posts on here, this is very well spoken. Thank you!

I particularly liked your last paragraph. While the harsh reality is that dollars will always help drive, and sometimes even control, our decisions the gap isn't massive. I tend to view things from a risk/reward perspective and by utilizing a super ideal vendor, or really any vendor that provides all performance related images, you really minimize the risk you are taking when buying diamonds online (or in-person) as most people don't have trained eyes and anything that sparkles and makes us warm & fuzzy inside must be beautiful. Those images either confirm or deny that feeling and allow us the empirical evidence needed to know we are making good purchasing decisions.

It seems when dollars truly drive our decisions, along with other non-flexible criteria like color, clarity and carat then we put 90%+ of our money at risk for not being willing to spend an extra 10% or so and ensure 100% of our "investment" will be exactly what we wanted and perform to our true expectations.

For certain purchases, this philosophy matters not. I will use myself as an example. I recently bought a cheap $12 60-120x microscope on Amazon for periodic inspections of my girls stone and setting. It will be nowhere near as good as the laboratory grade microscopes that I've heard @rockysalamander and others talk about using daily. But for me and my needs, this will (likely) suffice.

An engagement ring is different. While it is no substitution for love, it will be a piece that you and your SO look at the rest of your life (or until you upgrade) so I think more discretion needs to be used when making that purchase as it holds more importance in (most) people's lives.

 

[KirstLWA]

I’m totally happy with the journey @sledge as it has given me the ability to trust what I ended up with was worth the wait... no second guessing here and I’m awesome at second guessing myself

You’ve intrigued me with all of your contributions to various posts and I can’t work out what you might do for a living! So, what do you do for a living? What industry are you in?

Ps: I’m not a stalker

 

[whitewave]

Before ps, Ross Simons was my jeweler of choice lol.

However, several suggested I could do better with my asscher from Blue Nile, but since I had already ordered it, I decided to wait and see it. I fell in love with it and am still completely obsessed with the stone 5+ years later.

So yes and no.

 

[msop04]

Very true. I recently had some "growing experiences" over a few recent threads like this. No hard feelings as I really understand cultures are different.

That said, here is a little rhyme I composed -- inspired by what many will call a tasteless 80's rap song, Seattle Ain't Bullsh*ttin' by the greatly disrespected Sir Mix Alot...

**If you are easily offended, keep scrolling**

The Westerners say Asians are whack
Size isn't all it's cracked up to be, so trust me 1-point-2 <pause> carats is plenty phat
I buy D's & E's, not F's and G's
Add VS1+ clarity and I snatch'm up faster than happy meals
GIA Triple X certification, I own the motherf*ckin' label
And I promise you, I got the papers on the table
And I'm buyin' just like that
No super ideal premiums so my pocket stays fat
A lot of Westerner clowns tried to convince me otherwise but they didn't
Huh, cause this Asian culture wasn't bullsh*ttin'

I am seriously LOL right now... at work... in the pharmacy. My patients are looking at me like I'm a crazy person. HAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Yes but I think we are all predisposed to like what we like anyway so PS provides the added benefit of steering towards a trustworthy vendor so that we can ultimately just buy what we like.

I bought a rose gold bangle from WF. It was always going to be rose gold and PS just provided the icing by giving me the idea that "Hey I'll get some small ACA diamonds on this bangle to see what the fuss is about."

I would not have bought a white gold one, or a bracelet or something bezelled regardless of advice.

Same as on the coloured stone forum. The ladies there have led me to some trusted coloured stone vendors and educated me on things like windows, treatments etc. Ultimately I buy stones in colours I like which may not be to the taste of everyone else but at least I bought a stone knowing it's characteristics.

I've been trying to buy jade and two lovely PSers have spent almost 6 months educating me, saying yay or nay to various things I post up and show them. I did recently buy a lavender jade necklace that they didn't approve of BUT I learned so much from them and it was able to determine that this was A grade jade, was in a price range that I was comfortable paying, noted the lacking colour (which I personally deemed acceptable) but ultimately thought the necklace was pretty and it made me happy.

 

[bludiva]

Before ps, Ross Simons was my jeweler of choice lol.

However, several suggested I could do better with my asscher from Blue Nile, but since I had already ordered it, I decided to wait and see it. I fell in love with it and am still completely obsessed with the stone 5+ years later.

So yes and no.

Tangent: Ross-Simons was one of the places I first started buying jewelry when I went through a wardrobe revamp a decade ago now. That's when I realized it's not that much more expensive to get something real vs. costume. This necklace was the first "fancy" thing I ever bought for myself at all of $135 a 30th bday gift from me to me....silver, aqua, & topaz. Have had hit or miss experience with RS and most online stores but this piece I still love so many years later....

 

[DiamondBaby]

Having been dipping in and out of this forum for years, and never in a position to buy, it was lovely to come back when I needed some help to actually buy. While the 5 stone ring didn't work out this time, I cot some great advice from people about the diamonds, and funnily enough some fantastic advise from @sledge about not doing something that would affect my life to much. Pulling out of the ring purchase for now was the best decision, but I will be back in a year or so to try again!!

Resulting from that I got my first ever pair of diamond studs, they come tomorrow!! I may not have bought from the initial pairs of diamonds I put up for comparison, but I read every word, and compared all details for everyone. I'm hoping that the result will be great.

Buying sight unseen is my biggest fear, the openness of the diamond market where I live is non existent, so buying over the internet is a new world for me.

I know I'm colour sensitive, my e-ring is a g and under certain conditions I can see a slight tint, I have seen some fab I's and J's here, but I don't know if I would trust myself yet to go down that road!! But more reading and education my change that!!!

As regards vendors, I think I have seen a broad range od advise, and I think some people like and stick with one or two. I think thats a personal thing, but if you like one, and are happy with the work, why move!! I have to say the upgrade thing was new to me, so definitely the upgrade policy did influence my decision somewhat on a vendor.

I know I mentioned sledge here but there are others incl @soxfan among many others who have been fantastic, so thank you one and all.

 

[sledge]

Having been dipping in and out of this forum for years, and never in a position to buy, it was lovely to come back when I needed some help to actually buy. While the 5 stone ring didn't work out this time, I cot some great advice from people about the diamonds, and funnily enough some fantastic advise from @sledge about not doing something that would affect my life to much. Pulling out of the ring purchase for now was the best decision, but I will be back in a year or so to try again!!

Resulting from that I got my first ever pair of diamond studs, they come tomorrow!! I may not have bought from the initial pairs of diamonds I put up for comparison, but I read every word, and compared all details for everyone. I'm hoping that the result will be great.

Buying sight unseen is my biggest fear, the openness of the diamond market where I live is non existent, so buying over the internet is a new world for me.

I know I'm colour sensitive, my e-ring is a g and under certain conditions I can see a slight tint, I have seen some fab I's and J's here, but I don't know if I would trust myself yet to go down that road!! But more reading and education my change that!!!

As regards vendors, I think I have seen a broad range od advise, and I think some people like and stick with one or two. I think thats a personal thing, but if you like one, and are happy with the work, why move!! I have to say the upgrade thing was new to me, so definitely the upgrade policy did influence my decision somewhat on a vendor.

I know I mentioned sledge here but there are others incl @soxfan among many others who have been fantastic, so thank you one and all.

One part of me is sad that I made points that didn't result in your awesome 5 stone ring. Another part is happy that you realized now wasn't the right time and you are being patient until you can get what you truly want without putting yourself in a hardship to do so.

I am reminded of a situation a few years back. A few years back I was buying a brand new 4x4 truck. All the bells and whistles. About a $55k vehicle. I was beating them up on price and had an ex-girlfriend with me. While waiting to get the approval on my stupid low offer (which they accepted) we overhead a couple behind us talking about a Grand Cherokee SRT they were wanting to buy. I didn't hear all the details, but something about $800 something per month for 96 months. Eek! I'm a bit (okay, a lot, lol) speed junkie and understand the appeal of the vehicle they were looking at. In fact I had sold my 6-speed Challenger SRT before coming to negotiate my deal. When running with my Hemi go fast guys, one had such a Cherokee and it ran 9 second quarters!

I was buying with cash that day so had a lot of negotiation power, and I was having a blast. The poor people considering the Cherokee purchase, not so much. They looked stress. I told my girlfriend at the time they should walk on the deal as that was too much money, too much payment and for too long. I nearly went over and helped them negotiate or find the will power to walk, but she pulled on my arm and said it was none of my business and to let it be.

I never heard what happened to them, but I do know I never wanted myself or people I care about to be in that situation. "Things" come and go. If you can afford to buy the stuff, go for it as we have no idea the number of days we have on this earth; however, since we don't know that day count, there is no sense wasting our limited days worrying or stressed out about any material purchase.

 

[Ilovecarbon]

Living near to a PS-recommended vendor sounds simultaneously a blessing and a curse... lol

I really enjoy it, I’m not sure he is as thrilled but it does make life easy, that’s not to say I haven’t been enticed towards Wink and his CBIs or even AV OEC (swoon worthy for sure). Downside is that I’m pretty sure I already have DSS and I haven’t even gotten a ring yet! (Seriously, when I was in the store 1.1-1.25 was ideally sized, now I’m like “but this 1.35 is only $500 more and this other 1.39 is only a dollar more than that one” - it’s a real problem)

 

[yssie]

$800 something per month for 96 months.

Ouch.
Having worked (as a software engineer) for one of the major automotive financing providers... there are exactly three good reasons to lease a vehicle over financing it for outright purchase if you can't deal in cash:
1. You're wealthy enough that you don't care that you're flushing money away, or
2. You make money by driving the Latest and Greatest in cars (ie. high-end real estate agent), or
3. You own a company and there are fiscal benefits to not having vehicular assets on the books.
For literally everyone else - leasing is a guaranteed lose. It's engineered that way.

 

[OoohShiny]

Ouch.
Having worked (as a software engineer) for one of the major automotive financing providers... there are exactly three good reasons to lease a vehicle over financing it for outright purchase if you can't deal in cash:
1. You're wealthy enough that you don't care that you're flushing money away, or
2. You make money by driving the Latest and Greatest in cars (ie. high-end real estate agent), or
3. You own a company and there are fiscal benefits to not having vehicular assets on the books.
For literally everyone else - leasing is a guaranteed lose. It's engineered that way.

I read an ongoing thread on one of the UK-based car forums, in which the latest and greatest lease deals are flagged up and discussed.

From my reading there, and my developing opinion on the option, IMHO leasing should only be considered as an option in a couple of instances:

- if you need a vehicle that is guaranteed to get you to/from/between work and can consider the monthly payment as a fixed business or personal expense required to enable this to occur;

- if you have the money in the bank to buy a new car outright but don't want to lose a load of cash on depreciation, because for the really good lease deals, it is likely that the total cost over the contract will be less than the depreciation that would occur if you bought the vehicle outright.


I have considered the former option on the basis that I'm doing around 22000 miles a year commuting and we do about 35000 a year between us, and the theory goes that a newer should be more reliable than an older car, but as we already have two cars at the very bottom of their depreciation curves (seriously - the trade in value of both cars would be <£500 each), their ongoing maintenance costs are pretty minimal, they get around a reasonable 35 (UK) mpg, and leasing gets very expensive(!) once you increase past the 'standard' 5k or 8k miles per year most are quoted with, I've pretty much written off the idea unless an absolute steal of a deal comes up.

I will never be in the position for the latter option but I can understand the logic. If it's going to cost you, say, £8k to lease a 310bhp Golf R for 2 years but the depreciation on 2-year-old cars brings them down by about £10k from the New list or discounted price, you would theoretically save £2k. You also wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of getting a good trade-in price for the vehicle if you wanted to swap to another new car, or the mind-boggling stupidity of some members of the general public if you wanted to sell your car privately

The added bonus is you get to look all 'flash' and 'loaded' in a shiny new motor every 2 years, which appeals to a lot of people for some reason.


There are a lot of people, though, who don't realise that they will never own the car, and who don't shop around for the best deals, so a lot of people are going to pay a lot of money just to borrow a car for a limited period of time. I see adverts over here for "New Mercedes A-Class - from only £179 a month" or whatever, but the teeny-tiny small print at the bottom of the screen says you have to put the best part of £6k down for the initial lease payment (!!!) and the contract is for 4 years, which means you have to pay for servicing every year, the MOT and any required fixes at 3 years, and any faults that occur outside of the 3-year warranty. It's all a bit crazy, but 'the uneducated masses' are signing up for it in droves because "look what I can drive for £150 a month!!". Just another thing to add to the 'must have it now' short-term-ism of the current generations... (of which I do suffer myself sometimes, but generally for much less expensive items!!)

 

[Dancing Fire]

An engagement ring is different. While it is no substitution for love, it will be a piece that you and your SO look at the rest of your life (or until you upgrade) so I think more discretion needs to be used when making that purchase as it holds more importance in (most) people's lives.

Or till you divorce.

 

[sledge]

Or till you divorce.

Bwahaha.

Nah, you just take the old stone and upgrade it for a new one. That's why trade in policies are so important, lol.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Veteran PS’ers can steer a newbie to helpful websites and information, but the bottom line is: The heart wants what it wants. For example: a color snob will always choose color over size, and even cut, in spite of advice to the contrary. Someone who prefers chubby fancy cuts will get a chubby fancy cut regardless of any advice offered here. When I bought my round brilliant, the choice was between a 1.58 carat H color and a .92 carat D color. I was ready to say that I would take the H, but “I’ll take the D” is what came out of my mouth.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Regarding the subject line I will also say that newbies also influence pricescope veterans!

From a trade perspective, it is really informative to see what motivates new people that come here, what they are being offered,how they are being treated in the broader market, and what value aspects are important to them. It helps us to calibrate our approach and it also validates some of the practices that we feel modern consumers expect from the merchants they trust with their hard earned $$.

Also, I think another salient point for this thread is the fact that veteran members of this forum (and by that I mean anyone who sticks around to help newbies) only see the impact they have on original posters. Their opinions and expertise also influence the lurkers who vastly outnumber the posters.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I absolutely was influenced by members here as a newbie. I came here in search of a high quality diamond, and I found the exact information I needed! My first purchases were superideals from Jonathan and Whiteflash! I've gone on to collect different kinds of diamonds in addition to those, but all are superior cuts, thanks to being here! I also have had custom settings made by vendors I found here such as Victor and Caysie.

As to bias, well, I think when I have had excellent experiences with certain vendors, my advice is more credible than if I recommend someone I have never dealt with. So I will always recommend the vendors mentioned in this post. However, I have confidence in a few others and recommend them based on the experience of other members here . And if someone is coming here wanting excellent and not ideal cut, I certainly do my best to help them find a well cut diamond within their budget even if it is not what I'd personally buy. I really won't recommend stones that are not well cut. Even with OECs you have variation in cutting skill, because like now, there were great cutters and not so great cutters and the stones prove that.

 

[HappyNewLife]

Yes. but I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I'm obviously a WF fangirl because of my AMAZING experience with them. That doesn't mean that I'd ever steer someone away from HPD or BGD or another superideal vendor. I push what I know - superideals with amazing customer service