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James Allen Rings

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Minga

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Mar 29, 2007
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If anyone out there has ever purchased a ring from James Allen would you please give me your feedback on the experience?

If you have pictures of the ring that would be great; I''m trying to get an idea of the qualifty of stones he sells.

There''s a diamond on their site I was wanting to take a closer look at, and when I called I requested the representative to send me some pics and a copy of the GIA cert. They told me that because the diamond wasn''t onsite that if I wanted pictures they''d have to charge me.
 

IronMikey

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 16, 2007
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Obviously I do not know how much money you might be looking to spend but if someone asked me to pay to see pictures of a stone I wanted to drop a few thousand dollars on it would really turn me off. I know that doesnt address your main concern about the quality of the vendor but that was just the first impression I got reading your thread.

It seems like a lot of other vendors have numerous photos of stones available on their sites so maybe you could find something similar elsewhere and not have to waste money on looking at pictures.
 

Maisie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 30, 2006
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12,587
I haven''t had any dealings with James Allen but I think they have a pretty good reputation round here. I''m not sure why they are charging you for the GIA report... I think someone with more knowledge will probably chime in sometime soon
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hikerchick

Brilliant_Rock
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Nov 29, 2006
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They have a pretty good reputation around here. They are charging you to bring the diamond in because it is NOT in-house. Most vendors list both in-house diamonds and diamonds on a list that isn't physically in house. JA, like other vendors here provides info on their in-house diamonds and charges shipping to bring it in if it isn't already in-house. . . most vendors do this I believe. If you don't want to pay to bring it in, find a in-house diamond instead. Good Luck.
 

boston_jeff

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Jan 30, 2007
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Date: 4/16/2007 2:29:57 PM
Author: Maisie
I haven't had any dealings with James Allen but I think they have a pretty good reputation round here. I'm not sure why they are charging you for the GIA report... I think someone with more knowledge will probably chime in sometime soon
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Well, Maisie, I'm not sure how much more knowledge I have, but I'll chime in anyway...

I think that JA charges $25 to bring in stones that are not in-house to them and scan the cert and take pictures. Personally, I agree with the poster above that this is a little bit steep, but OTOH it is obviously a business decision that JA feels is beneficial to them...

I would not work with JA if I was not purchasing one of their in-house stones, because the $25s can add up if you are in a deliberate search. Other vendors will call in stones without charge.

ETA: I'll defer to hikerchick on the general market practice of charging for shipping, but since many of the stones are in NYC, my vendor did not charge me to bring them in (because they were local).
 

hikerchick

Brilliant_Rock
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Date: 4/16/2007 2:39:45 PM
Author: boston_jeff
Date: 4/16/2007 2:29:57 PM

Author: Maisie

I haven''t had any dealings with James Allen but I think they have a pretty good reputation round here. I''m not sure why they are charging you for the GIA report... I think someone with more knowledge will probably chime in sometime soon
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Well, Maisie, I''m not sure how much more knowledge I have, but I''ll chime in anyway...


I think that JA charges $25 to bring in stones that are not in-house to them and scan the cert and take pictures. Personally, I agree with the poster above that this is a little bit steep, but OTOH it is obviously a business decision that JA feels is beneficial to them...


I would not work with JA if I was not purchasing one of their in-house stones, because the $25s can add up if you are in a deliberate search. Other vendors will call in stones without charge.


ETA: I''ll defer to hikerchick on the general market practice of charging for shipping, but since many of the stones are in NYC, my vendor did not charge me to bring them in (because they were local).

I could be wrong here but this was what I was told by 3 different PS vendors. And if JA charges $25, that actually might be the lowest quote I have heard to bring in a diamond. But like I said, I could be wrong so maybe someone who is certain can chime in.
 

antiqueasscher

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
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66
I purchased my diamond from JA and am currently working with them on the ring. They, like GOG, Whiteflash and others do charge to bring stones in. It''s a crazy amount and saves them from having people ask them to bring stones in for pics and Idealscope and then purchasing elsewhere. JA will waive the cost of calling the diamond in if you purchase the stone. If you are looking at numbers and doing a good job of sorting through diamonds you most likely won''t call in more than 3-5 diamonds max. I personally looked at 2 in house and had another 2 called in. So in the end I spent an extra $25 to make the right decision, not a bad deal in my opinion. I dealt with Dave and he was great. I''m currently dealing with Jim on my ring purchase. So far I''d recommend JA to anyone. They have given me good options, worked with me on the phone and email, responded promptly, sent me pics and allowed me to talk with a gemologist who was handling the 2 diamonds I narrowed my search down to on the phone as she explained what she was seeing. Good luck Minga.
 

kcoursolle

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
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10,595
I purchased my stone from JA and am very happy with the stone quality and also their service. Charing for non-in house stones is very common, and because of this I decided to restrict my research to only in house stones on all of the vendors I was interested in. Also, JA has an upgrade policy that only applies to in house stones, so this might be something else to consider. I knew that I would eventually want to upgrade my stone, so I didn''t want to buy a stone that wasn''t applicable for this.
 

sunshine14

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jul 2, 2005
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247
Date: 4/16/2007 3:06:46 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I purchased my stone from JA and am very happy with the stone quality and also their service. Charing for non-in house stones is very common, and because of this I decided to restrict my research to only in house stones on all of the vendors I was interested in. Also, JA has an upgrade policy that only applies to in house stones, so this might be something else to consider. I knew that I would eventually want to upgrade my stone, so I didn''t want to buy a stone that wasn''t applicable for this.
I also purchased my stone from JA and found it to be a simple and relatively painless procedure. My sales rep was very good in working with me on getting the money wired etc. However, I was probably an ''ideal'' buyer, as I knew which stone I wanted, called in, ordered it, paid for it, and that was it. I never really asked for advice, for him to search and find something, etc.

I did ask them about getting something custom made, as I originally wanted a custom setting from WF but they would not insure my stone during the setting process, and I was worried about damage. My customer rep at JA did get me a quote, however he kind of pushed me to getting the setting done elsewhere. He said "we are known for diamonds, not custom settings" and that the chances of my diamond being damaged during setting were very slim, so I shouldn''t worry all that much.

While I did end up getting custom through someone else who WOULD insure my stone during setting, I did appreciate his advice on going elsewhere. I appreciate it when someone tells me "hey...this is what I''m good at. If you are looking for something else, there are better candidates out there."

He could have just promised me perfection and taken my money...

I have seen quite a few recommendations for JA''s instock designer settings though.
 

Margarw

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
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I purchased a 2.03 ct rb (J, vs2, ex. ex. ex) from James Allen. and had them set it in one of their Dahnov (ME2) halo settings. The entire process went smoothly, from the bank wire instructions, to confirmation of the order, to staus updates, to receiving shipment of the ring.

The ring is exquisite, I receive compliments on it all the time. A local jeweler referred to it recently as, "stunning."

The stone was "in house", so I was able to view the cert on line, prior to ordering.

They have a 30 day return policy, so I did not see the stone in person prior to ordering. I was confident that if it didn''t meet my expectations, I would be able to initiate the return w/i the 30 days.

Independent appraisal confirmed the quality and GIA cert, and in fact, the stone, when mounted, is very close to I rather than the J listed on the GIA cert. My JA experience was a very positive one, and the finished product appraised independently, well above what I paid. I trust the independent appraiser, and feel that I made out well on this purchase.

JA also offers a PS discount and a bank-wire discount. If you decide to purchase from them, be sure to ask about both of these discounts.
 

JenStone

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
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490
If the picture of the ring and a scan of the cert is online, does that mean the stone is in-house?
 

sunshine14

Shiny_Rock
Joined
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247
Date: 4/17/2007 1:28:50 PM
Author: JenStone
If the picture of the ring and a scan of the cert is online, does that mean the stone is in-house?

Yes, but their version of ''in house'' is not in MD. It is in New York. However, you can request idealscopes and further pictures if you need to, and their New York location will do that and email it to you.

As far as I know, it is only for the stones that have no cert and no picture that need to be ''called in''.

So that oval you were looking at would be considered in house, but the sales rep would not be able to have it in his/her hands. But any requests you make are easily accommodated by their New York office.
 

Minga

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2007
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12
I spoke with a rep at JA and they informed me it''d be $30 to request the stone from New York for them to take picture of it and forward those to me. In addition I''ll be charged another $30 to send it back to New York if I decided not to order it. Now if I chose to order the stone after seeing the pictures then they''ll waive the fee.
 

kcoursolle

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
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Date: 4/17/2007 4:23:33 PM
Author: Minga
I spoke with a rep at JA and they informed me it''d be $30 to request the stone from New York for them to take picture of it and forward those to me. In addition I''ll be charged another $30 to send it back to New York if I decided not to order it. Now if I chose to order the stone after seeing the pictures then they''ll waive the fee.
Are you set on seeing this non-in house stone? Why not just keep your options to in-house stones? Then you don''t have to pay this and you get the benefits of the upgrade policy.
 

antiqueasscher

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
66
I don''t know if there is some misunderstanding going on here, but this was not how it was for me just 2 weeks ago. The price was $30 (I mispoke earlier when I went w/ $25) to have the ring called in. They have it called in to the NY office as they don''t ever handle the diamond at their location where you talk to the reps, so I don''t understand the talk of shipping the diamond back to NY. I know for a fact their camera is at the NY office because that''s where their gemologists/appraisers look over the diamonds. You can talk to the appraisers at the NY office once the diamond gets there. I had to pay the $30 for the call in, but nothing more if I rejected the stone, so what you are being told or understanding doesn''t match up with how it was for me. I would ask about this. Good luck to you.
 

chickflick

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
312
I bought my ering from JA and had a very good experience. It's the Danhov E1 setting in white gold with a 1.09 ct. RB, ex/ex/vg (am I missing one "ex" there? I think it was just the polish that was "very good" and the cut was ideal). It's a gorgeous ring, amazingly well-crafted, and I had no problems whatsoever. I thought that the price was excellent, particularly given the discount for PS and the savings on sales tax (the reason I didn't buy from WF as we live in the Houston area). I did buy an in-house diamond that Carrie found for me after my preferred diamond was sold before I contracted them about it.

I don't take very good pics but this will give you a feel for my ring.

6572ring.jpg
 

YoungPapa

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
445
Minga,

The cost to bring a non inhouse diamond into one of our offices for photography and analysis is a one-time fee of $30. This fee is credited back towards your purchase, so in effect you'll pay nothing as long as you complete the sale. The only time a customer is responsible for multiple shipping charges is when we send a diamond out to an independent appraiser for presale inspection. I think your sales rep may have confused these two different policies, so I'll have a quick meeting with everyone this morning and make sure we're all clear on the differences.

I hope this information is helpful, and appreciate your interest in our company.

All the best,
 

2CarrotPrincess

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
30
I am in the process of pruchasing a princess cut from James Allen, and spoke with James earlier today. It has been a great experience so far. He and his staff (I have spoken with Heather, Dave and James) are very quick to reply to e-mails, and phone calls. It also really impressed me how much time and patience James himself has had in answering all of my questions. I have spoken with a few other vendors along the way like Excel and Abazias, and I am glad that I ultimately chose to purchase my diamond from JA. There was a $30 fee quoted to bring in the diamond which was not in-house. It was waived since I purchased it. I understand the fee, since it costs in shipping and insurance fees, for a diamond to be brought in which is not in house. Also, this can add up, if someone wants to bring in more than one stone.The service I have received thus far has been top notch, so even if I had to pay $30 if I hadn''t purchased the diamond, I would not have minded!
 

Gwyn

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
745
I too just purchased from Jim Allen. My sales rep was a little confused on the call in policy as well. I was going to recommend you just talk to James, but I see now he already posted.

I got my diamond from him and my setting from Danhov (which i went through JA to do). I dont have the pictures just yet b/c my boyfriend is currently holding my ring hostage!!! but he did let me try it on to make sure the custom setting fit okay and i absolutely love it (1.1 asscher). James was great to work with, very prompt with returning calls/emails. He also was the one who told me about the PS discount, I didnt even know he offered one =)

Pricing was good as well. If you live in or around the LA area Danhov was a good experience too. Shant, who my boyfriend and I picked out our setting with was very calm and patient. He must have showed me a few hundred rings. ALl of his work looked well crafted and prices seemed fairly competitive. We went with a custom setting for around 3k but he mentioned he could do a cheaper version using a different method. I felt very comfortable working with them.

Lots of places charge to bring stones in, if they didnt, people would be requesting stones like crazy. The fee is waived if you do buy the stone and shipping to you is free. plus, i am pretty sure they offer a full refund if you dont like your stone. James even said we could drop our stone off at the local danhov and have them send it back.

I would definitely recommend them.
 

MarinaSF

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
1
I purchased a 2.00 ct asscher (H, vs1, vg,vg) from James Allen in December 06 and had it set it in the Dahnov ME2 halo setting.
I had seen the setting in a local B&M and absolutely loved it, so I decided to do some more reseach on the internet. Through Pricescope I found James Allen, and their price was much less for the setting compated to the B&M. The entire process went great. I talked with Jennifer and Jim.

The ring is incredible and I had Independent appraisal confirmed the quality and GIA cert.

They have a 30 day return policy, so I did not see the stone in person prior to ordering. I was confident that if it didn''t meet my expectations, I would be able to initiate the return w/i the 30 days.

 

CJ2008

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
4,750
IronMikey, and boston_jeff, I agree with both of you...I wouldn''t work with JA unless I wanted one of their in-house stones. OTOH, if I had been searching for months, know exactly what I want, and their stone seems like THE ONE I might take a chance on it.
 
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