Los Angeles Jewelry District

[Serendipitous]

[You can ignore this - I should have searched first, asked questions later. Sorry]

Thoughts, comments, recommendations? Pricing and trustworthiness. Should I stay away from the place totally or does anyone have any specific vendors for stones or settings?

Thanks

 

[dimonbob]

If you are going to Hill Street in LA you should be armed with all the information you can gather here on Pricescope. Like any other place the Jewelry District in LA has some nice guys and some crooks. Know exactly what you want and how much it should cost. If someone will not work with you, walk. There are a ton of diamond dealers down there. Take only GIA or AGS diamond grading reports and get someone to verify that the diamond and the certificate match. When you tire of the bull, come back to one of the Pricescope vendors and let us put a smile on your face.

 

[hoorray]

And, don't forget. Even if you find an honest person offering you a good deal, you'll pay sales tax. They admit that it is tough for them to compete when they have to add the tax. This may change in the future, but for now, it's another good benefit of the internet vendors.

(Down side is not getting to compare several stones side by side...)

 

[Serendipitous]

Thank you both - and your two responses hit my quandary on the head. If it's no better than "likely" that I'd get a better deal in the District, I'd rather buy on-line and skip the hassles. I might be able to compare a few stones that one dealer has, but then I'd wonder how they'd compare to a different dealer 2 blocks and 3 stories down the street

In the end there is always some leap of faith that has to be taken.

 

[hoorray]

My husband and I have shopped in the LA Jewelery district for years, and NY a little. We have bought some really nice pieces, and,a few times, in hindsight, we have gotten completely ripped off. I believe that if you know the good people to deal with, they will deal with you honestly and provide good value. If you go down there cold, you have to figure out how to sort out the many vendors blind. That's a tough thing to do.

Using the net, and this as a sounding board, you have a MUCH wider selection of vendors and high quality stones. Bring your questions, and final selections here, and the experts will help you through the selection process. Send your final selection to an independent appraiser and don't pay until they verify it, and the whole process is safe. We just bought a significant stone this way, and will never go back "blind" to either jewelery district. (We will go back to those we trust.)Good luck!