Michael C Fina in NYC

[nrvus]

They seem to be the only retailer that carries Michael B. Has anyone purchased a diamond from them? They say that they charge 20% over wholesale?

I actually called Michael B yesterday and spoke with the man himself. I wanted to talk about sending the stone to him to set in one of his settings. I am sure that this is a concern that many people have when dealing with Michael B. He basically said to send it with insurance and there shouldn''t be any problems. He also told me if you had a 1.5ct stone or below just have the store call him to give the dimensions and they can have a setting ready to fit your stone. He said it would then take a few days to set and send it back. The rings that take weeks are for the larger stones.

I can''t seem to find the dealers in NYC that buy rings?????Help

 

[Joane]

On The Price Is Right about a week or two ago somebody won a diamond ring from Michael C. Fina. It was a RB solitaire set I believe in a plain 14k white gold ring and was a little over one carat. The value was about $2,000 but they did not specify anything about the quality of the stone. Not totally relevant to your query, I know, but I mentioned it because I noticed the name Michael C. Fina.

 

[dani13]

Try Pearlman''s jewelers... www.pearlmansjewelers.com- they carry Michael B, and I''ve heard they are very nice to work with...

 

[dazedland]

http://www.solomonbrothers.com/ Edited to add: I just realized that I posted about Daniel K I meant Michale B the names confuse me , but solomon brothers also sells Michael B. Sorry

They carry Daniel K, I don't know if you have considered going with a custom design, but I found a Daniel K. that I really loved, it was a simple halo with 3 sided pave for a 1.5 carat asscher cut stone and the price of just the setting was $13,000 and the price of the ring as a whole buying their diamond was $24,000. Those were the prices given to me by Michael C. Fina. I contacted Solomon Brothers and they told me that they don't sell the setting seperately. Michael C. Fina told me the same thing, but then they called Daniel K. and told him it was an heirloom diamond. I am having something similar made for 1/3 of the amount they quoted me for the Daniel K. setting. His settings are gorgeous though and if you can afford them I am sure they are worth it.

 

[lenhejo]

About this time last year I was in the market for a 3 - 3.5 carat E-F VS2 H&A stone. I initially went to Michael C. Fina in NY and scheduled an appointment at which time they said they would have a handful of Hearts on Fire stones meeting my specifications. I returned, from California, and during the meeting the informed me that there were no Hearts on Fire stones anywhere that met my specifications and they presented me with a bunch of non-branded stones that were no where near my spec requirement. In conclusion, I was very upset at the way they misslead me. In retrospect, however, I am happy because I ended up finding Pricescope as a result and hooked up with Jonathan at GOG and ended up purchasing an 3.0905 ct E VSR H&A gorgeous diamond from GOG. As far as the setting was concerned, I went with a Michael B - 3 sided pave setting with diamonds going up the prongs - the diamonds on the prongs really make the ring. I had the stone sent to Bill Pearlman at Pearlman Jeweler''s - whom I can''t speak of highly enough - and he subsequently sent the stone to Studio City in California to have it set by Michael B. The settting is the most exquisite setting I have ever seen and my wife gets numerous compliments, on a daily basis. I ended going to Michael B personally, in Studio City, Calif, and met Michael B and his wife- at which time I purchased the matching 3-sided pave wedding band. He and his wife are very nice people. So, in short, go to Jonathan at GOG for the diamond (had I got a comparable stone at MC Fina it would have cost me an extra 10K-15K plus when I started talking about crown and pavillion angles they looked at me as if I was from another planet) and go to Bill at Pearlman''s for the setting or you can insure the stone yourself and send it to Michael B. You can view my ACTUAL ring on Pearlman''s site - under Michael B - 3 sided pave - he was so impressed with the ring he took a picture of it and slapped it on his site - In the caption he wrote "A beautiful ring for the beautiful Karen" - my wife loves that. Well, I hope this helps you in your search. Good luck!!

 

[dazedland]

I forgot to mention the lack of diamond knowledge at Michael C. Fina, I had the same experience. The guy that we were working with had no clue when I asked him questions, but at least he was honest and didn''t try to make up some BS answer.

 

[nicoly]

When I was shopping for my ring last year, I went to Michael C Fina in NYC and was not all that impressed. They were pressuring me a lot and wasn''t all that helpful in helping me to find what I liked. It was more like they were trying to sell me something that they were taking the time out to show me. I didn''t get a good feeling when they asked if I already had a wedding registry, and tried to coax me into registering my gifts with them. I thought that I came in to shop for a ring, and not to shop for wedding registry gifts. Just my expeirence.

I bought my diamond from USA Certed, Martin, whom I highly recommend. The stone that I was interested in was actually in NYC, and so I went over to take a look at a couple of stones prior to making my purchase, which I am 100% satisified with.

 

[glitterata]

We actually did register our wedding gifts with them, and it was a terrible experience. They kept getting things wrong and nobody seemed to know how to fix it. We spent hours on the phone with them and in their store trying to straighten things out. We ended up with duplicates, the wrong things, etc. Very frustrating.

I know this isn''t directly related to diamonds, but I can''t stand that place!

 

[Orange]

Personally, I would not buy a diamond from Michael C Fina-- you will pay a huge premium. I could be wrong, but I think that Mark Turnowski of Engagement Rings Direct (in NYC) can get Michael B settings at a discount.

 

[dazedland]

My friend bought her Tacori engagement ring there. I didn''t know about PS then, and not much about diamonds. It''s a 1.5 princess with princess sidestones. She was saying she wished it was little larger. I wouldn''t tell her now, but I bet they paid ALOT for that ring! It pays to do your research!

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

I also purchased my three-sided pave Michael B. (sans diamond prongs) ring from Bill Pearlman at Pearlman''s Jewelers. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. I purchased both the stone and setting from Bill. The whole ring is exquisite. I get compliments on it all the time. Most people comment on how it is the most beautiful ring they have ever seen and ask if my husband has a brother :0)! Contact Bill, you won''t be dissapointed! He Rocks!

 

[curlygirl]

I personally would never buy a ring from Michael C. Fina. They are absolutely clueless--it would be smart for them to get on this site and educate themselves before trying to sell anything. And the mark-ups are insane. It's fun to go there and try things on to get ideas but that's where it ends. Just my humble opinion, of course. I'm sure there are others who have had good experiences there but with all the other options available to us these days, I just think it's wiser to shop around.

 

[Efrem & Erica]

We absolutely love the 3 sided princess by Michael B. I am wanting a 1.5 to 2.0 carat center stone. If you purchase the ring directly from his store how much do you save than from buying it from a retailer who marks up the price 15 to 20%?
Also, how do you contact Michael B himself?
Thanks for your help.

 

[mrssalvo]

michaelbjewelry.com but I believe he still charges retail prices whether you buy directly from him or not. always worth a shot though.