Online buying process

[shredder]

Hi there. After spending some time on these boards, I feel more comfortable with the online buying process. I live in New York City, but after one trip to the Diamond District, it just doesn''t suit me (I''m headed back there today with a friend, we''ll see how that goes).

I''m wary about buying a diamond sight unseen. So I''m wondering what the whole online buying process is like, from start to finish. It must be a bit more involved than buying a book on Amazon?

 

[Regular Guy]

There''s a number of threads that review this which you might search for, but here''s two that may help.

 

[ecf8503]

Living in New York City you definitely have the luxury of seeing many stones in person, but I can understand why the "in-person" aspect of the transaction can be uncomfortable. Personally, after having spent a lot of time in local stores here dealing with SALESpeople, many of whom don''t know as much as I now do (thanks PS!), I actually prefer to be able to look - at my leisure, online - at all the info on any stone I am considering. There are some very reputable online vendors, and some of whom are in NYC or not far away (SuperbCert / Excel Diamonds is on 46th St, Good Old Gold on Long Island - there are probably more, but I don''t live anywhere near NYC!). You could "check out" some of these stones online, then go see them in person if you choose.

I recently purchased a diamond online, and couldn''t be happier. I knew what I was getting though, as I purchased through a vendor who suppiles tremendous amounts of info online, and their customer service both via e-mail and over the phone when needed was excellent. And no - it really doesn''t NEED to be more involved than an Amazon transaction! You pay for it, they ship it, and it''ll be on your door quicker than any book from Amazon... Bottom line - don''t be afraid to buy online - just choose your vendor carefully.

What kind of stone are you looking for?

 

[solange]

I bought my ring on line from Whiteflash and it was a really easy thing to do.

I wanted a stone that was hard to find and I told Lesley at Whtieflash that I was willing to wait for the right one. She found me a gorgeous stone at a great price and had it shipped to an appraiser in NYC where I live.

The appraiser agreed that it was a beautiful stone. He even said that if his mother were looking for a larger stone, he would not hesitate to advise her to buy this one.

The appraiser then sent it back to Whiteflash for setting. Since the stone is large, the setting had to be made to fit the stone. When it was ready, Whiteflash sent me photos of the set stone for my approval. I did not have to pay Whiteflash for the ring until the day before it was shipped. I received it the next morning by overnight Fedex.

Whiteflash also has a lifetime full price upgrade which is a very nice feature that not all vendors offer. I would highly recommend them.

 

[shredder]

Thanks for the help. Some of the names you mentioned I'm seeing over and over again. It sounds like its worth a trip out to Long Island to see Good Old Guys! Today is just a fact finding trip to the Diamond District, but I'll try to spot some of those local vendors as well.

If you're interested, I'm thinking of getting an ideal at 1 carat, G color, VS2.

 

[denverappraiser]

Hello Hello,

The process chosen by most clients is:
1) Shop around and find a stone that you like. Educate yourself online about the various quality and value attributes of stones.

2) When you find a stone that seems suitable, investigate the dealer through BBB, Jewelers Vigilance Committee, referrals from friends and neighbors and forums like this one.

3) Place a deposit on a credit card and have the stone shipped either to you or to an appraiser of your choosing (assuming that both the dealer and the appraiser will agree to this). In some cases, the dealers will agree to ship to one pre-approved appraisers without you having to prepay for the stone. (Note: This ‘approval’ process has to do with mutual creditworthiness on the part of both the dealer and the appraiser). The dealers will normally give a 10-30 day inspection period where you or anyone else you wish can examine the stone and you return it for any reason and for no penalty.

4) Schedule an appointment with your appraiser for an examination and consultation. Based on their consultation, your own observations and whatever other information you wish to use, you decide if the stone meets your requirements.

5) If you buy the stone, you take it or ship it to a jeweler of your choice for mounting into a ring. You can buy the ring from that jeweler or from any other source you like. The jeweler can and often is the same company as the original diamond dealer. They set the stone and return the final piece to you. You take it back to the appraiser and get an ‘update’ to your appraisal that now includes the entire ring and all other stones. This final appraisal also confirms that it’s the same stone as the first one you saw, that it is undamaged and that the craftsmanship on the piece meets your standards. You take the ring an go your merry way.

6) If you choose not to buy the stone, you (or the appraiser) ship it back to the dealer and you get a refund of your deposit, if any. There is often a return shipping fee and the appraiser will charge you for their service but there should be no other costs to you. Each dealer should be happy to explain the details of their own policy.

The diamond dealer, the ring manufacturer, the setter and even the shipping company can all be the same company or you can use different suppliers if you wish. It will depend on where you live, what you are looking for, etc. Some setters are picky about setting a diamond that they didn’t sell into a ring that they didn’t sell and may either decline the job or charge extra for this service but they should be happy to explain their policies to you in advance if you ask them.

It''s not really all that different from buying a book. Actually, Amazon sells diamonds.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 5/4/2005 12:12:22 PM
Author: HelloWorld
Thanks for the help. Some of the names you mentioned I''m seeing over and over again. It sounds like its worth a trip out to Long Island to see Good Old Guys! Today is just a fact finding trip to the Diamond District, but I''ll try to spot some of those local vendors as well.

If you''re interested, I''m thinking of getting an ideal at 1 carat, G color, VS2.

Just to share what you can see for yourself, based on what you''re looking for, at least using the options here to compare against, it would appear you could spend anywhere from $5500 to $8000, such that prices above and below that should be looked at with caution. But...it''s a wide middle, and options here with even one vendor will provide still a $1K spread, for which a rationale is reasonable to spend $7 vs $6K. Make sure you check out the tutorial here, too, so you have that background in your hip pocket.

Best wishes,

 

[jillxx75]

Everyone here has given you great advice, on my end, we searched and searched and found a great stone. Before we had to put any $$ up front, the dealer sent the stone to a local independent appraiser (who does not sell jewelry or work in a jewelry store), we got to see all reports and the stone. The appraiser then sent the stone back to the dealer for setting. We then paid AFTER seeing the stone and the full reports.

Made us feel 100% secure with the online process.

 

[shredder]

Just as a follow up. A friend and I went to NYC''s Diamond District today. I didn''t feel as pressured as my last trip, but I was overwhelmed. So many dealers, where is my perfect diamond?

We spent a lot of time at this one counter, where I was shown a lot of diamonds, but really liked one in particular. It was a 1.01 carat, G color, VS1, for about $7000. I''m sure he could come down from that, but since its one of the first I''ve looked at, I refrained from committing.

Seeing that I was so overwhelmed today, and I''m on a time crunch (1 month), I was thinking of changing tactics. If I do go the B&M vendor route, rather than wander from store to store, I was thinking I''d sit down with a few reputable dealers and have them show me their stuff. I could then combine this with my online search and figure out where to go from there.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 5/4/2005 9:46

1 AM
Author:HelloWorld
I''m wary about buying a diamond sight unseen. So I''m wondering what the whole online buying process is like, from start to finish. It must be a bit more involved than buying a book on Amazon?

Not really - imagine buying a book or CD - you need to know stuff about the author / preformers etc.
If you went on amazon and bought a book, any book - chances are you would not like it. Especially if your criteria was the heaviest book at the lowest price