NYC/Philly help

[MakingTheGrade]

A very good friend of mine is entrusting me to help him buy a Ering for his fiance (one of my bridesmaids and good friend). He wants to work with someone face to face, so our options are jewelers in NYC or Philly. Which is great because NYC is arguably diamond capital of the world.

Anyways, he would preferably like to get the diamond and setting from the same place, and would want a custom designed setting if possible.

I would be very grateful for any suggestions of places to go. I''ve heard some good things of ID jewelers, and it''s on my list. I also think James Allen has headquarters there, although I don''t think they do as much custom work? Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Also, aside from reading the Diamond Tutorial articles here on PS, are there any other articles/tutorials I should read to try to educate myself a bit? Thanks!

 

[rickster123]

I think you would be doing your friend a big favor if after eyeballing rings in person in nyc/philly that you have him compare to some of the reputable companies such as Whiteflash, Blue Nile, etc. You''ll probably save him a lot of money, at least run it by him. If he wants to pay more in person, so be it. Can''t help you on local places, living in the Deep South myself. Good Luck

 

[xander8888]

Been researching and shopping online and in Philly over the last couple of months. Also just visited Id Jewelry today in nyc.

First of all, Id have been fantastic. Ask for Yekutiel, he's great. Very willing to provide lots of information quickly, very patient and no pressure. They also have a great selection online which you can search and then talk to them about over phone/e-mail. Then visit the store if you want. Nice mix of online and B&M shopping.

In Philly I visted a number of B&M's on jewelers row. Surprisingly none were high pressure - although I provided some information (phone & e-mail) to most, not a single one called me to follow-up or anything unless I had asked a specific question. I had been expecting more 'so are you still interested in xyz' or 'what can we do to put you in this diamond' kind of calls.

For some reason I really liked Barsky. Although I'm not going to buy from them, they had a reasonable selection online and in the store. Plus they've been in business for 100+ years which seems to say something. Family owned and very professional. Huge selection of settings as well. Price seemed reasonable but I couldn't narrow in on a stone with the specs I'm looking for, so will buy somewhere else.

Another one that stood out was Steven Singer. It was not a horrible experience, but they definitely put on more of a show than most of the others. There was a bit more of a sales pitch and fast talking going on. Plus the sales guy drew out the 4 C's on what seemed like a paper place mat. Kind of odd too me. Then he writes out a price of like $12,500 but crosses it out and says that I will actually pay $9000. a) out of my budget range and b) why not just quote $9000 to begin with and not be so dramatic about it.

Here's a quick list of some other places in Philly I remember visiting and a letter grade for each to give some indication of what I thought overall...

Robbins - C
Max Weiner - B-
Golden Nugget - C+

Bottom line is do a lot of research online while visiting these stores. You will find you will get an education along the way and it helps a lot to read online and then see in the stores. And don't be afraid to ask for images, reports, detailed specs, etc. Many will provide most or all of this, some will not, but there's no harm asking.

Hope that helps.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I definitely plan on spending time doing this right, it won''t be a one day expedition resulting in a purchase, lol.

Some online jewelers do have physical stores though, and my friend seems pretty adamant about dealing with someone face to face. Of course if the price isn''t right, it isn''t right, but I have to try!

 

[Kaleigh]

ERD is in NYC, and a short trip to Long Island will bring you to GOG. I have bought from GOG twice, Jonathon is great to work with. It''s worth the trip for sure.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/26/2009 10:07:33 PM
Author: Kaleigh
ERD is in NYC, and a short trip to Long Island will bring you to GOG. I have bought from GOG twice, Jonathon is great to work with. It''s worth the trip for sure.

Ditto Kaleigh. Contact Jon and make an appointment, you will have a wonderful time and he will take great care of you.

 

[elle_chris]

While I''m NY, the others have already mentioned vendors here I trust.

But, we winded up buying our wedding bands from Linde Meyer in Phila. 1625 Chestnut St.

She''s a great person with a beautiful store and she sells designer pieces.

 

[GracieP]

I can highly recommend ID Jewelry if you want to deal with someone face-to-face. They have a storefront right on 47th street. Yekutiel was extremely helpful and responsive without any pressure. He also had the tools to examine the diamonds right there and also plugged numbers into the HCA. As far as price, he could not be beat. My center stone (1 carat) was less than any of the other pricescope vendors and one of my sidestones was about 20% less than Blue Nile had it listed for. The experience could not be beat and I fully intend to use ID Jewelry for all my future purchases.