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My experience in Downtown LA

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ctettam9

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
3
Okay.....I''m looking for a diamond and pretty brand new at this, so I peruse the internet and found PS. What a great site this is! I read most if not all of the articles and print out a bunch of stuff because I''m going to be taking a trip to LA. My mom swears by the Jewelry Mart in the downtown area, but she mostly buys just gold stuff. Armed with all of my info (in my head and on paper), I head on into the first big store (inside, there are many little dealers) and find a lady that greeted me almost immediately as I walked in. Most of her inventory was bridal sets so I figured that''s who I should be at least starting with. I told her that I was looking for a diamond and that I''ve been searching online for one. I told her what I wanted in size, color, quality and price was looking for. She pulled out a box full of wrapped gems.

As we were talking, I mentioned that I wanted a "graded" diamond. Either a GIA or an AGS. She immediately told me that the only graded diamonds that she had were from GIA or EGL. Mostly all of them were from EGL. None were "double-graded". I also asked if any of them had any other printouts such as H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope. She looked at me as if I were from another planet. I kinda explained the different reports to her to the best of my ability, which probably showed even more how much I didn''t know about diamonds. She also said something similar to the effect of "You can''t trust anyone other than EGL or GIA. Give them a few dollars and they will type up anything you tell them you want. Money talks." I''m not sure that she was understanding what I meant about the H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope reports. I then asked about the HCA. She asked what that was and I tried to explain that to her.
33.gif


So, I decided to just look at her selection anyway. Every diamond that she pulled out, she exclaimed "This one is beautiful" or "This one is almost perfect". The weights ranged from .5 to 1.05 and prices were just as varied...the cut and clarity were all over the place as well, although she didn''t show me one higher than a G. I looked a few with a loop and saw some with feathers, and some with big black carbon spots, and some with "bubbles" and some perfectly clear (to at least my eye). I heard so many prices and saw so many diamonds, I couldn''t keep them straight....so I decided to pick one and take home the "specs" and price and see if they even are a good deal. I picked one out and looked at the EGL sheet and got all of the dimensions needed for an HCA inquiry. (It ended up being a 4.4)

I took the info and left after I told her that wanted to check around a bit. Okay....I was full of emotion at that point. Mostly confused by the whole ordeal. It seemed that I was being bombarded with the 5 c''s info (cost included) from this vendor. I can totally see how people can be swayed into just buying whatever just because they saw a diamond that was in their price range and it looked nice. By the end of looking at just ONE vendor, I was thinking, "No one is going to look at my future wife''s stone with a loop....what the heck am I doing...what is the difference if there are a few light feathers, or the angles aren''t exactly perfect, or I don''t have a certain piece of paper that shows the pretty diamond under a red light". Needless to say, I left the area fairly disappointed. I figured that the 9,000 other vendors in this two block area, would have the same song and dance.

Part of me wants to get a good quality diamond and have all the necessary paperwork to back that up (and pay a bit more) and the other part of me just wants to buy the clearest largest diamond and not worry about how "perfect" it is (nobody I know even HAS a jeweler''s loop...hahaha). I''m sure that there is a middle of the road somewhere. I''m more than likely going to buy one online, because the vendors here aren''t afraid to give full disclosure via paperwork and closeup pics.

So here are the questions.
1. Does it matter that a diamond doesn''t have a ton of paperwork to go along with it (ie. idealscope or multiple grades)....this question is directly related to the upgrading of the diamond at a later date. This vendor told me that he would give me full price of what I paid for a larger stone in the future, but I''m stuck with buying again from him.
2. It seems to me that the diamonds that are for sale on this website have tons of paperwork, but may be a few bucks more. Is it worth it to buy online?
3. The lady told me NEVER to buy diamonds online...because some are "treated". I''m sure that there are reputable dealers and not-so-reputable dealers out there. Are the ones that have a listing on this site on the up-and-up?
 

jerichosmom

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
241
I''m in LA and love to go down to the Jewelry district just to look. We did buy our wedding bands at Icing on the Ring (607 Hill St, 3rd floor) and trust them whole heartedly. However, I''m now looking for a 2 ct+ stone and most likely will buy from GOG instead primarily because of the information that Jon provides and because of their upgrade policy.

I probably spent at least 20 hrs walking around DTLA speaking to various vendors and almost all of them would speak to me as if I had an IQ of 20. Most of them don''t know what they''re talking about and i have yet to find a vendor who could provide ASET images, HCA reports and such. The only thing they''d tell is ..."this is very beautiful, good quality, blah, blah blah". Nothing to back it up . Even IOTR had an idealscope which I used but that was about it. Most of them concentrate on selling settings so they do not invest in the technologies that WF & GOG use to grade loose diamonds. By reading up on PS, you probably know more about diamonds than 95% of the people in DTLA. Just my opinion though.

To answer your questinons....

Policiies - check and see what the upgrade policy is. I''m also meeting with a broker on Monday who does not offer a refund/upgrade policy and does not provide reports other than GIA or EGL. There are a LOT of EGL stones in DTLA. Try to avoid them if you can. IOTR''s policy is that the upgraded stone must be 50% more than what you are returning. That''s a lot especially since I''ll be in the 5 digit range. GOG''s policy is only $500 more AND they have a 75% buy back policy! That is completely unheard of in this day & age. If you think that your GF will want to upgrade in the future (and who wouldn''t?), then you need a place that is flexible. If I were to buy from the broker who doesn''t offer anything, the chances of me making another diamond purchase will be very far away since I''d have to save up from scratch. At least with GOG I can return the diamond and get a pair of earrings if I wanted to. It''s like Costco & Ebay. We bought a baby monitor from Ebay, saving $40 over Costco''s prices. A month later it stopped working. Had I bought it from Costco I would have been able to get all of my money back to buy something else but because we bought from a discounter from Ebay, there were no returns. The $40 savings turned into a $100 mistake.


Prices - you''ll find that the most talked about online vendors here are very competetive. I''ve been looking at stones in LA that are both more & less than the ones being offered by GOG. Even the broker''s prices were higher than GOGs. However, the performance is questionable with these stones as i''m only looking at them with the flourescent & spot lighting that is in their stores. A lot of the places in DTLA have no windows (unless you go to one of the bottom floor places )so you cannot look at the stones in other lighting. Just be very aware of this because you cannot tell what the quality is like.

Online buying - that lady is trying to scare you away from buying online because she knows that you can get a better diamond for less. Do a quick search on PS and you will see who the most popular vendors are. There are plenty of reviews from people who''ve bought sight unseen from them. There is another vendor who used to post here regularly who only sells super-ideal stones but I haven''t heard from them in a while. You can guarantee that you are buying the cream of the crop. They are NiceIce.com and if you do a search you will find them. If I was looking for a round, I''d buy from them but because I''m looking at cushions, I''ll go with GOG.

Hope this helps a little. I still recommend Icing on the Ring as they have one of the largest engagement ring selections, their work is gorgeous and their prices great. They were a breathe of fresh air in the jewelry distruct. They specialize in hand engraving and the quality is so much better than what I''ve seen elsewhere. My husband has a 21 gram platinum ring that is incredibly detailed and one of kind from them. We call it the "one ring to rule them all".

Good luck with your search and if you want someone to go with you to navigate, let me know. I''ll be there this Monday afternoon to meet the broker.



Date: 10/5/2008 1:56:45 AM
Author:ctettam9
Okay.....I''m looking for a diamond and pretty brand new at this, so I peruse the internet and found PS. What a great site this is! I read most if not all of the articles and print out a bunch of stuff because I''m going to be taking a trip to LA. My mom swears by the Jewelry Mart in the downtown area, but she mostly buys just gold stuff. Armed with all of my info (in my head and on paper), I head on into the first big store (inside, there are many little dealers) and find a lady that greeted me almost immediately as I walked in. Most of her inventory was bridal sets so I figured that''s who I should be at least starting with. I told her that I was looking for a diamond and that I''ve been searching online for one. I told her what I wanted in size, color, quality and price was looking for. She pulled out a box full of wrapped gems.

As we were talking, I mentioned that I wanted a ''graded'' diamond. Either a GIA or an AGS. She immediately told me that the only graded diamonds that she had were from GIA or EGL. Mostly all of them were from EGL. None were ''double-graded''. I also asked if any of them had any other printouts such as H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope. She looked at me as if I were from another planet. I kinda explained the different reports to her to the best of my ability, which probably showed even more how much I didn''t know about diamonds. She also said something similar to the effect of ''You can''t trust anyone other than EGL or GIA. Give them a few dollars and they will type up anything you tell them you want. Money talks.'' I''m not sure that she was understanding what I meant about the H&A, Idealscope, or Firescope reports. I then asked about the HCA. She asked what that was and I tried to explain that to her.
33.gif


So, I decided to just look at her selection anyway. Every diamond that she pulled out, she exclaimed ''This one is beautiful'' or ''This one is almost perfect''. The weights ranged from .5 to 1.05 and prices were just as varied...the cut and clarity were all over the place as well, although she didn''t show me one higher than a G. I looked a few with a loop and saw some with feathers, and some with big black carbon spots, and some with ''bubbles'' and some perfectly clear (to at least my eye). I heard so many prices and saw so many diamonds, I couldn''t keep them straight....so I decided to pick one and take home the ''specs'' and price and see if they even are a good deal. I picked one out and looked at the EGL sheet and got all of the dimensions needed for an HCA inquiry. (It ended up being a 4.4)

I took the info and left after I told her that wanted to check around a bit. Okay....I was full of emotion at that point. Mostly confused by the whole ordeal. It seemed that I was being bombarded with the 5 c''s info (cost included) from this vendor. I can totally see how people can be swayed into just buying whatever just because they saw a diamond that was in their price range and it looked nice. By the end of looking at just ONE vendor, I was thinking, ''No one is going to look at my future wife''s stone with a loop....what the heck am I doing...what is the difference if there are a few light feathers, or the angles aren''t exactly perfect, or I don''t have a certain piece of paper that shows the pretty diamond under a red light''. Needless to say, I left the area fairly disappointed. I figured that the 9,000 other vendors in this two block area, would have the same song and dance.

Part of me wants to get a good quality diamond and have all the necessary paperwork to back that up (and pay a bit more) and the other part of me just wants to buy the clearest largest diamond and not worry about how ''perfect'' it is (nobody I know even HAS a jeweler''s loop...hahaha). I''m sure that there is a middle of the road somewhere. I''m more than likely going to buy one online, because the vendors here aren''t afraid to give full disclosure via paperwork and closeup pics.

So here are the questions.
1. Does it matter that a diamond doesn''t have a ton of paperwork to go along with it (ie. idealscope or multiple grades)....this question is directly related to the upgrading of the diamond at a later date. This vendor told me that he would give me full price of what I paid for a larger stone in the future, but I''m stuck with buying again from him.
2. It seems to me that the diamonds that are for sale on this website have tons of paperwork, but may be a few bucks more. Is it worth it to buy online?
3. The lady told me NEVER to buy diamonds online...because some are ''treated''. I''m sure that there are reputable dealers and not-so-reputable dealers out there. Are the ones that have a listing on this site on the up-and-up?
 

arjunajane

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 18, 2008
Messages
9,758
Ummm.sorry, but why don''t you just buy from one of the vendors recommended here, and save yourself the drama?
If you''ve been reading on here, you must have heard of GOG, WF, ERD, and Wink Jones/Infinty?

If not, do a quick search, and choose 2 or 3 you''d be happy to work with. Email them with your specs - it will all become clear pretty quickly.
1.gif
 

ctettam9

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
3
Arjunajane, I think that you are correct and it would be best that I purchase from an online source with a few certs. I have heard of the vendors here and trust the forum users in what they say. Like I said, I''ve been trolling around here for a bit so I''d feel comfortable purchasing from them.

Also, thanks for the offer to meet in LA (jerichosmom). I''m from Las Vegas and this time I''m only here til this afternoon. I do make it down here about 6 times a year, but thought this might be a good time to shop without the little lady tagging along.

Just from this one experience, I''ve learned a lot about diamond retailers here in LA, that''s for sure.
 

stone-cold11

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
14,083
Date: 10/5/2008 11:50:00 AM
Author: ctettam9
Like I said, I''ve been trolling around here for a bit so I''d feel comfortable purchasing from them.

I don''t think you meant that... :razz: Lurking is the correct term... Trolling is just attention seekers... You are definitely not trolling as you never post before with controversial/inflammatory opinion that generates alot of flames... :p
 

kcoursolle

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
10,595
Yeah...I''ve had a similar experience downtown LA and I didn''t like it. I am treated much better at pricescope vendors and their prices and selection of well-cut stones are much much better. I''ve personally worked with whiteflash, jamesallen, and pearlmans and all three were excellent!
 

ctettam9

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
3

Thanks for all that helped out.


BTW, I meant lurking! (it was late!!!) Trolling means something COMPLETELY different. HAHAHAH! :)




 
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