NO good vendors at Sydney. AT ALL!

[echelon6]

Are there any jewellers in Sydney who know what a super-ideal cut round diamond is?

I'm so frustrated at the total ignorance in Sydney here. Its like Sydneysiders don't appreciate quality in diamonds! I've searched for countless hours, and it seems this market is totally untapped! No sydney vendor offers idealscope images, ASET images, Sarin reports, Brilliancescope results, 40x closeups etc on their site. No sydney vendor offers AGS certificates demonstrating 000 for cut/proportion/symmetry. They all carry sh!tty DCLA certificates which I don't trust. Or worse still, HRD or IGI (wtf are they?!) certs.

If it weren't for Customs charging me 16.5% total import tax, I'd happily buy a diamond from GOG or WF.

I'm at my wits end here. I've scoured the whole PS forums, searched every possible thread that relates to Sydney or Australia, and found nothing. THis has been asked many times before, with no replies. I just hope that SOMEONE from Sydney who has purchased a super-ideal H&A diamond (and is happy with it) can either:

1) Point me to a trustworthy Sydney diamond vendor who can provide me with what I'm after, or
2) Tell me how they managed to totally avoid the pirates at customs from ruining the price competitiveness of US vendors

 

[risingsun]

http://www.preciousmetals.com.au/default.asp

It''s not Sydney, but you''ll avoid the import taxes!!

 

[echelon6]

Gary seems like the only jeweler who knows what he''s on about in the whole of Australia. Too bad he isn''t stocking what I''m after. Great guy, very friendly, highly recommended, especially if you''re in Melbourne.

As for the Sydney jewellers, I don''t recommend any of them to be honest. Not if you''re after super-ideal cuts with H&A patterns and optical symmetry. I think the general rule in Australia is that (with the exception of Gary) jewellers don''t know the difference between AGS-Ideal / GIA-Excellent and a diamond with optical symmetry. Half are rude arrogant old men giving me the "I''ve been in the business for xx years" pitch. 75% are dropshippers, which wouldnt be half bad if they actually had scope images / Sarin data uploaded onto their sites. Half are dodgy used-car-salesmen types who push the "our diamonds sell within hours, so hurry". Yeah, right, and these are diamonds with 2 year old IGI (what are they?!) certs...

Totally fed up.

Decided to go with WF in the end. Will get chopped by GST and Customs duties, but still worth it.

 

[risingsun]

WF is terrific. I got my ACA from them and I am so pleased with their diamonds and service. Sorry about the import tax

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

If Gary does not stock what you want, have you tried out Melbourne Diamond Exchange, who also have a Sydney-office. Johan is often collaborating on this forum, and he might be a local option for you.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 7/6/2007 3:18:23 PM
Author: risingsun
WF is terrific. I got my ACA from them and I am so pleased with their diamonds and service. Sorry about the import tax

Ditto. In addition, if you wire the money and mention that you''re from PS, WF will give you a discount. It''s not 16.5%, but every bit helps, right?

 

[echelon6]

I tried Melbourne Diamond Exchange. They were unable to provide Sarin reports and scope images, and most of their certs are non GIA/AGS. I mean, even if its GIA Ex Ex / AGS000, I still have no guarantee about optical symmetry without any scope images. They needed me to pay the full amount just so they can bring it in for me to have a look myself.

I think only about 1 - 5% of their diamonds are AGS certed, which is what people look for when buying a Super-ideal. Also their staff gave me the "our diamonds sell very fast so hurry up" pitch, which turned me off immediately.

 

[simplysplendid]

Perhaps even after taxes buying from WF would still be cheaper than buying from a B&M store ? Would that make you feel better?

 

[stebbo]

Date: 7/6/2007 12:37:30 AM
Author:echelon6
Are there any jewellers in Sydney who know what a super-ideal cut round diamond is?

Not enough competition or awareness here unfortunately

I''m so frustrated at the total ignorance in Sydney here. Its like Sydneysiders don''t appreciate quality in diamonds!

They would appreciate quality if they saw quality.

I''ve searched for countless hours, and it seems this market is totally untapped! No sydney vendor offers idealscope images, ASET images, Sarin reports, Brilliancescope results, 40x closeups etc on their site. No sydney vendor offers AGS certificates demonstrating 000 for cut/proportion/symmetry. They all carry sh!tty DCLA certificates which I don''t trust. Or worse still, HRD or IGI (wtf are they?!) certs.

DCLA and HRD are no less accurate than GIA or AGS. The are the major labs respectively in Australia and Europe--they simply just don''t have the GIA or AGS ''brand name'', which might only help in resale.

The times I''ve had the DCLA spec diamonds, they''ve matched the GIA''s specs within satisfaction--a pretty good feat considering that the AGS and GIA don''t always agree, nor has always the same diamond submitted twice to the same lab.

The HRD might have been rumored to be a bit soft on clarity, but they were also rumored to be stricter on color at the same time, so you can see it''s not blatantly intentional like some other labs.

If it weren''t for Customs charging me 16.5% total import tax, I''d happily buy a diamond from GOG or WF.

I''m at my wits end here. I''ve scoured the whole PS forums, searched every possible thread that relates to Sydney or Australia, and found nothing. THis has been asked many times before, with no replies. I just hope that SOMEONE from Sydney who has purchased a super-ideal H&A diamond (and is happy with it) can either:


1) Point me to a trustworthy Sydney diamond vendor who can provide me with what I''m after, or

2) Tell me how they managed to totally avoid the pirates at customs from ruining the price competitiveness of US vendors

I''m sure they are many trustworthy Sydney vendors, just not any who carry anything decent. Unfortunately the vendors are still at the stage of color and clarity. I was at a diamond auction a couple of months ago here, the highlight was a GIA E/VVS1 VG/VG round brilliant with 66% depth. Forget angles.

One option that might work for you is to work out the total cost of taxes, customs handling, shipping and insurance and see if it''s worth enjoying a ''subsidized'' holiday to the States instead. You''ll be able to see the diamond and take advantage of the return periods. Buy it from a state with low or zero state taxes, or get it delivered interstate. Of course, mail the docs back home, and get the diamond mounted on a cheap old ring or pendant so it doesn''t look new.

If you''re trying to keep the purchase a secret from someone, take them along too and propose or gift them overseas. A diamond is even more beautiful if given overseas!

I found working with an Australian agent a real pain in the butt. It took them days for them to check if a diamond was still available or not, which it usually wasn''t, and even when I finally got one after 4 rounds, there were a few things misrepresented. Heck, I was even charged GST (tax) twice!

 

[echelon6]

Thanks for the replies. I''ve decided to go with WF in the end. Its not about price so much as it is about finding the right diamond. (I''m into perfection above clarity / color / carat) The fact that Sydney stocks none at all in any B&M stores is reason enough for me to import from the US.

Stebbo, I''ve in fact heard many good things with regards to DCLA, but I just feel that the AGS scale of rating cut/polish/symmetry going up to Ideal is most appropriate for one looking for a super-ideal cut. DCLA is great for most purposes, but their scale is a bit too broad in the higher end, similar to GIA''s "excellent". When I get my ring, I''m planning to take it to DCLA for verification. But I wouldn''t want my stone''s primary certificate to be anything other than AGS for preference.

 

[echelon6]

A funny thing the other day actually. Went to a B&M store with my fiancee to window shop. Its amazing how many B&Ms in Sydney stock clarity enhanced / fracture filled stones, rated by noname labs (non DCLA). I mean, imo if you''re selling stones in Sydney, you have no excuse to not have a DCLA cert since their lab is just on Pitt St.

On one occassion, I asked the lady if she could tell me about the cut, and she said "it''s round".

Seems like Sydney B&M jewellers aren''t too big on workmanship either. It was commonplace to notice prongs were not aligned / symmetrical, even to the naked eye. Some settings were obviously cast, very poorly as well. Out of all the shops in the CBD high-end jewellers district, I can say that only Tiffany''s has workmanship I''d pay for.

 

[stebbo]

Date: 7/7/2007 11:16:17 PM
Author: echelon6
A funny thing the other day actually. Went to a B&M store with my fiancee to window shop. Its amazing how many B&Ms in Sydney stock clarity enhanced / fracture filled stones, rated by noname labs (non DCLA).

The funny thing about this is clarity enhancement is touted as a bonus!

I mean, imo if you''re selling stones in Sydney, you have no excuse to not have a DCLA cert since their lab is just on Pitt St.

Why pay more for a less flattering report?

I''m sure you''ll be very happy with WF, especially if an ACA is on the way.