As part of my engagement ring process, I am sharing experiences I have had. I am doing so in pieces, as I have yet to take photos of the ring, for one big post. The ring I did purchase was a 1.56 ct SCHA from GOG set by Leon Mege. The ring came out great.
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I had spent much time trying to find a local vendor in Orange County or Southern California and failed. However, when searching for an appraiser, on Yelp, I came across Liberty Diamonds. I interfaced with Troy Lob ([email protected]) and was very very impressed. I am surprised they haven't been mentioned on this forum at all, given a few posts of folks looking for an Orange County / SoCal vendor.
It's a family run operation in a nice store tucked away in a non-descript office complex in Irvine, California. They do have another office in Los Angeles but I am not familiar with it. If I had known about Liberty Diamonds earlier, I would have definitely considered using them as my actual vendor vs. just appraiser. It would have been at least nice to see stones/settings in person.
Troy's appraisal was fantastic. It was the best $75 I got in the entire shopping process. He was very knowledgeable to the point of being too curious. He is energetic and prides himself on being knowledgable. Troy can be blunt, but I like that. I like knowing all the pros/cons of what I am getting. Some may be offended, but not me (I appreciate it as long as I feel I'm not being sold on something else for selfish reasons) FWIW, Troy disagreed with the terminology one vendor used, and wouldn't budge (this did not affect appraisal).
Troy did note an issue with the diamond I picked as it had a feather/natural on one side of the SCHA's thick girdle. He gave this advice before I purchased the diamond. After being set, he was spot on the issue. I don't think I would have changed my purchase decision (I am happy with the ring) but upon setting I had actually thought the diamond was scratched.. I was shocked to learn this was the same feather/natural Troy had highlighted weeks earlier. Troy put everything under a microscope, even to evaluate the quality of the melee.
FWIW, Troy has an interesting alternative to the SCHA. He calls it his Signature Brilliant diamond or something. I am not sure what it is, but its definitely brilliant and is cheaper than the SCHA (since SCHA is so deep). The issue is inventory and sourcing it > 1 carat. Troy does not like the SCHA, he is turned off by 1) how deep it is, and 2) the extremely thick girdle. Both points were good ones, and he thought I was crazy to go that route but I am happy with my decision (my girlfriend says its the sparkliest ring of all her friends by far).
I am giving Troy a shout out because i) he is a Southern California/Orange County/SoCal option that people may appreciate, ii) he is very knowledgeable, iii) he is forthright and iv) I would at the least use him as an appraiser again.
p.s. If you wonder why I have typed SoCal so many times its in hopes that someone in the future searching for what I was looking for, will find this. (If you do visit Liberty Diamonds, stop by Harry's Deli for a nice little sandwich too).
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I had spent much time trying to find a local vendor in Orange County or Southern California and failed. However, when searching for an appraiser, on Yelp, I came across Liberty Diamonds. I interfaced with Troy Lob ([email protected]) and was very very impressed. I am surprised they haven't been mentioned on this forum at all, given a few posts of folks looking for an Orange County / SoCal vendor.
It's a family run operation in a nice store tucked away in a non-descript office complex in Irvine, California. They do have another office in Los Angeles but I am not familiar with it. If I had known about Liberty Diamonds earlier, I would have definitely considered using them as my actual vendor vs. just appraiser. It would have been at least nice to see stones/settings in person.
Troy's appraisal was fantastic. It was the best $75 I got in the entire shopping process. He was very knowledgeable to the point of being too curious. He is energetic and prides himself on being knowledgable. Troy can be blunt, but I like that. I like knowing all the pros/cons of what I am getting. Some may be offended, but not me (I appreciate it as long as I feel I'm not being sold on something else for selfish reasons) FWIW, Troy disagreed with the terminology one vendor used, and wouldn't budge (this did not affect appraisal).
Troy did note an issue with the diamond I picked as it had a feather/natural on one side of the SCHA's thick girdle. He gave this advice before I purchased the diamond. After being set, he was spot on the issue. I don't think I would have changed my purchase decision (I am happy with the ring) but upon setting I had actually thought the diamond was scratched.. I was shocked to learn this was the same feather/natural Troy had highlighted weeks earlier. Troy put everything under a microscope, even to evaluate the quality of the melee.
FWIW, Troy has an interesting alternative to the SCHA. He calls it his Signature Brilliant diamond or something. I am not sure what it is, but its definitely brilliant and is cheaper than the SCHA (since SCHA is so deep). The issue is inventory and sourcing it > 1 carat. Troy does not like the SCHA, he is turned off by 1) how deep it is, and 2) the extremely thick girdle. Both points were good ones, and he thought I was crazy to go that route but I am happy with my decision (my girlfriend says its the sparkliest ring of all her friends by far).
I am giving Troy a shout out because i) he is a Southern California/Orange County/SoCal option that people may appreciate, ii) he is very knowledgeable, iii) he is forthright and iv) I would at the least use him as an appraiser again.
p.s. If you wonder why I have typed SoCal so many times its in hopes that someone in the future searching for what I was looking for, will find this. (If you do visit Liberty Diamonds, stop by Harry's Deli for a nice little sandwich too).
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