canadiangrrl
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2003
- Messages
- 787
My better half and I are in the beginning stages of looking for an engagement ring. I began this process by seeking out information on diamonds via the internet. I visited numerous sites and have lurked here for awhile. I''ve researched Hearts and Arrows (branded and non), EightStar, AGS000, etc. etc. I now consider myself to be a fairly well-educated diamond consumer.
Most of my friends who''ve become engaged have begun their respective searches at jewelry stores. I chose not to go this route, as we have definitely decided to purchase from an internet jeweler once we''ve made our decision, for reasons having to do with quality, detailed information, and cost. However, I was at the mall today, and I visited a couple of well-known chains (I''m in Toronto) just for fun. It was actually not fun - in fact I would classify the experience as disheartening, to say the least.
I was approached several times by salespeople, looking to sell their wares. No problem with that - but the rings they produced were sad. Sad pieces of dull, lifeless rock, being marketed as quality diamonds. I asked to see detailed specs on several rings - not all were available - but when they were, some of the rounds I looked at had tables of up to 70% and depths in the ranges of 65-70%. One merchant attempted to "talk up" an I2 stone by telling me that the inclusion was small and barely noticeable - it was a giant-looking chip/gouge that made me wonder if the stone was structurally sound. Another merchant told me that the stones being sold on the internet were all "crap that no one else will buy." He went on to say that his chain would never sell "rejects" like that.
These chains stay in business because people keep buying from them. This would be easier for me to swallow if their prices were in line with the junk they are selling. I witnessed one anxious young couple in the throes of purchasing a 1 carat diamond e-ring that clearly represented a major purchase. He proposed the night before (Saturday) and wanted his fiancee to have a beautiful ring. I wanted to grab them both and point them in the direction of pricescope, whiteflash, goodoldgold, dirtcheapdiamonds - and after getting a reasonable diamond education, if they chose to purchase the crappy maul ring, so be it.
As someone who has been in consumer marketing for a couple of years now, I find the sales approach/disinformation by these chains to be unconscionable. I know the difference between leading the consumer and lying to them, and to me, what I saw today amounted to pure snake-oil selling. I am so glad I found this site, and the sites I mentioned above -we can now make an informed, un-pressured choice about how to spend our hard-earned dollars. My uneducated guess is that as consumers become increasingly internet-savvy, chains will either be forced to lower their prices or bring in better quality diamonds. Or - call a spade a spade - an I2 an I2 - and sell it like it is.
For the sake of consumers who still believe that chain=quality, I hope this happens sooner rather than later.
Thanks to you all for your good works.
Most of my friends who''ve become engaged have begun their respective searches at jewelry stores. I chose not to go this route, as we have definitely decided to purchase from an internet jeweler once we''ve made our decision, for reasons having to do with quality, detailed information, and cost. However, I was at the mall today, and I visited a couple of well-known chains (I''m in Toronto) just for fun. It was actually not fun - in fact I would classify the experience as disheartening, to say the least.
I was approached several times by salespeople, looking to sell their wares. No problem with that - but the rings they produced were sad. Sad pieces of dull, lifeless rock, being marketed as quality diamonds. I asked to see detailed specs on several rings - not all were available - but when they were, some of the rounds I looked at had tables of up to 70% and depths in the ranges of 65-70%. One merchant attempted to "talk up" an I2 stone by telling me that the inclusion was small and barely noticeable - it was a giant-looking chip/gouge that made me wonder if the stone was structurally sound. Another merchant told me that the stones being sold on the internet were all "crap that no one else will buy." He went on to say that his chain would never sell "rejects" like that.
These chains stay in business because people keep buying from them. This would be easier for me to swallow if their prices were in line with the junk they are selling. I witnessed one anxious young couple in the throes of purchasing a 1 carat diamond e-ring that clearly represented a major purchase. He proposed the night before (Saturday) and wanted his fiancee to have a beautiful ring. I wanted to grab them both and point them in the direction of pricescope, whiteflash, goodoldgold, dirtcheapdiamonds - and after getting a reasonable diamond education, if they chose to purchase the crappy maul ring, so be it.
As someone who has been in consumer marketing for a couple of years now, I find the sales approach/disinformation by these chains to be unconscionable. I know the difference between leading the consumer and lying to them, and to me, what I saw today amounted to pure snake-oil selling. I am so glad I found this site, and the sites I mentioned above -we can now make an informed, un-pressured choice about how to spend our hard-earned dollars. My uneducated guess is that as consumers become increasingly internet-savvy, chains will either be forced to lower their prices or bring in better quality diamonds. Or - call a spade a spade - an I2 an I2 - and sell it like it is.
Thanks to you all for your good works.
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