los angeles area jewelry marts

[Stylisch]

i live in simi valley, ca. and wanted to know if anyone can give some advice about the los angeles area jewelry marts (there are several). i know a few other people who have bought diamonds there and claim that they are about a 2/3 the cost you would find at say a... robbins brothers, any mall, basically any chain store. i wanted get some unbiased peoples opinion.

btw, i just found this site today, and it is AWESOME! very nice for a newbie like me, thanks!

matthew

 

[caratgirl]

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On 1/8/2004 10:38:34 PM Stylisch wrote:

i live in simi valley, ca. and wanted to know if anyone can give some advice about the los angeles area jewelry marts (there are several). i know a few other people who have bought diamonds there and claim that they are about a 2/3 the cost you would find at say a... robbins brothers, any mall, basically any chain store. i wanted get some unbiased peoples opinion.

btw, i just found this site today, and it is AWESOME! very nice for a newbie like me, thanks!

matthew----------------

I'll be darned! Someone else from Simi - never thought I'd see the day. Do yourself a favor, though. Read through this site, then read Niceice.com, then Goodoldgold.com first. Ask people on the board a bunch of questions, then decide if you want to buy in LA or buy online. I have to say it depends on your personality.

I purchased online, even though I frequent the Jewelry Mart a lot! It was simply a matter of the right stone at the right price at the right time. Plus, I didn't want to pay the sales tax. Since my stone was a lot, that would have been the cost of a nice setting with diamonds.

If you do want to try the Jewelry Mart, don't get sidetracked by the sheer number of stores. I can give you a list of the 'better' brokers that will be happy to show you their stones. But, very important, know what you want ahead of time as far as priority (size, color, cut, clarity). It is absolutely true about the pricing. It is even better in certain cases than the online dealers, but sad to say, they won't have as much information.

If you still want to pursue that route, buying an Idealscope and learning to use it is a must. If you don't, you really are at the mercy of just their opinion on the quality of a stone.

By the way, what specs are you looking for?

 

[derekinla]

Don't forget that 8.25% sales tax. When you're spending thousands of dollars, that sales tax can hurt! Ouch! I visited downtown LA early on in my diamond search but in the end, I decided that it was safer for me to go online

 

[carbon lover]

I've had good luck with a place in the Jewelry Mart downtown:

Capri Jewelry
601 S. Hill St. #A1
Los Angeles CA 90014
(213) 627-0459

Ask for Chris. My best advice, do your research first; know the size, cut, clarity, color, carat weight and price ranges. They're good and have lots of inventory.

They've been voted best buy for diamonds in LA by consumer reporter, Alan Mendelson, Channel 9 News for the past six years.

Hope this helps.