Montrealer considering USAcerted

[Mounia]

Hi everyone!
I''m very new to PS; my boyfriend (fiance?) proposed a few days ago, and he hadn''t really planned it (it was so romantic!), so I get to choose my own ring! I tried local stores here in Montreal, but the prices just seemed obscene for tiny diamonds, and the selection was pretty limited, so I started looking online. I was extremely overwhelmed, and I have to say this forum saved me!

I first looked at vendors like whiteflash or superbcert, both of whom had adorable reps who called or emailed right away and answered all my questions, but since I am in Canada, I would prefer to avoid paying the customs and duties to ship from the US.

Many people on the forums said great things about USACerted, so I checked it out, but it''s SO overwhelming. the price is way cheaper than any other vendor I''ve found, but I''m not quite sure I understand how it works exactly. Do I only buy the diamond from them and then have it set here? do they ship it to montreal? is there a way I can look at it here in Montreal before I decide to buy? I read something about them sending it to local vendors or appraisers (I''m so confused by all of this I have no idea lol).

Anyway, I''m sorry for all the questions and I apologize in advance for my incoherence!

Thank you all very much!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Hey Mounia, I can''t tell you about USA certed, but I can tell you that if you order jewelry from the US all you pay is federal and maybe provincial taxes. There are no import duties at all! I am canadian too and found out that in Ontario, at least, all you pay is 5% GST. In Quebec you may need to also pay the PST but I am not sure. The duties were eliminated in 2006. So I would recommend you think about WF or Good Old Gold again, since with both of those vendors you get amazing customer service and a 100% trade-up policy, which you may not care about now but you will care about it after spending some time on pricescope! haha

I ordered from whiteflash last week and I am eagerly awaiting my new ring!

I''ll see if I can find those posts on here about the GST/PST in Quebec, I saw it once... hold on...

DD

 

[Dreamer_D]

I knew I could find it: Here is the list of taxes you pay in different provinces:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/canadians-buying-diamonds-and-settings-online-from-us-qs.64849/

The main other issue that you deal with ordering from the US is that if you need to ship it BACK to return it, or get it fixed, you cannot easiely get insurance in Canada to ship it accross the border. If you live near the border, like I do, this is easy: you drive accross and ship it from the nearest FedEx place. If you live far from the border I am not sure of the solution, maybe others can chime in here. Also, if you ship it to the US and bring it back after being polished etc. then you technically have to pay taxes on the full price of the item again: they consider a buffed ring a "new" purchase?? How you deal with this partocular rule is up to you, but technically you would pay taxes upon bringing it back. Finding a local trusted jeweler would solve this issue.

DD

 

[Mounia]

Thank you for the quick answer!!

The tax doesn''t seem that terrible (13% for quebec), so I''ll be considering that. The only thing about usacerted is that they''re just so much cheaper, and if I''m not mistaken, only the gst applies. I just don''t know if I''m quite seasoned enough to buy a loose stone, finding an appraiser, etc. I might just go with the easy solution and pick up a ring on WF or GOG.

Here is one of the usacerted stones that caught my eye:

ROUND BRILLIANT
Carat 0.82
Color H
Clarity SI1
Price $ 1963.08
Measurements 6 x 6.03 x 3.71 mm
Depth Percentage 61.7 %
Table Percentage 55 %
Polish VERY GOOD S
ymmetry VERY GOOD
Fluorescence FAINT BLUE
Other Notes IDEAL PLUS H&A
(didn''t say anything under Girdle, crown or pavillion)

Let me know what you think!

 

[lyra]

USA Certed is actually located in Ontario. You should give them a phonecall.

 

[pocahontas]

Hi Mounia,

My BF and I are from Toronto and we just bought a ring from Excel Diamonds in NYC (which I highly recommend). We’re having Barry FedEx our ring to a station in Buffalo for us to pick up to avoid paying any additional taxes. Obviously, Toronto is much closer to Buffalo than Montreal, but don’t give up on your idea to work with either GOG or White Flash or some other online vendor just yet. Ask around and see what other solutions your vendor of choice has to offer. Good luck with your search