Opinions on Diamonds by Lauren?

[LGail]

For any of you who have seen my "numerous" posts before, I am looking for a 1.5-1.7 ctw princess, radiant or cushion (I haven''t decided yet) H-I, SI1 with a very good cut at minimum. I saw some of their settings online and liked them and was wondering if anyone has purchased a diamond or setting from them. I would prefer GIA certified or EGL-USA at minimum. Do you think I could have good luck with this vendor?

 

[jillORL]

I purchased 2 rings from Diamonds by Lauren and love them both. 2 very different rings but I was extremely pleased with both. The first was a find, 1.5 ct radiant light pink diamond set with emerald cut side stones. The second is a cutie, 5 small asscher babies (1.24 ct tw)set in a common prong band. Both rings were excellent values.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

David is..... absolutely wonderful.. He is a complete professional.

 

[Jennifer5973]

David sells very well-made pieces, will work with you until you are happy, and his prices are fair.

While I ddn't make a purchase (decided to wait for my own reasons) I spoke with David and visited him in NYC and he was great. I'd do business with him in a minute.

 

[strmrdr]

decent vendor but um rather quirky on the forum.
Im not sure if id buy from him or not if what I wanted was available elesewhere but you could do a whole lot worse than buying from him.

 

[Superidealist]

I do think I've seen a setting on his site that I thought looked good. I'm afraid I can't say the same of his diamonds. It may just be the way they're photographed, but he's had some really bad looking rounds and princesses on there.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

Maybe he should get a better camera?? I don't know, but I have seen some of his finished pieces. And I must say, his diamonds are gorgeous~!

 

[glitterata]

I think he uses too much flash in his photos--the settings sparkle as much as the diamonds. It makes me wonder what they'd look like in real life. Would they have any sparkle? I don't know, I've never seen them in person, just in his overlit photos.

Some of the settings are kind of nice, though.

 

[marriahlyn]

David is wonderful. I bought a 3 stone from him and it wasn't anything he had listed. He got me exactly what I wanted and I'm sure he can find you anything you want!!!

Call him up on the phone and the minute you start talking to him, you will fall in love, he's so cool.

HI DAVID!!!!

Jaime

 

[moremoremore]

I agree superidealist....For example, he has a D IF princess on his site...but it's like a 68 depth 76 table or something like that. It just looks like a bad stone. I've never liked the quality of his pieces....but I'm sure he is a nice man and he has a good rep....

 

[elmo]

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On 7/20/2004 10:17:31 PM strmrdr wrote:

decent vendor but um rather quirky on the forum.

Im not sure if id buy from him or not if what I wanted was available elesewhere but you could do a whole lot worse than buying from him.
----------------

With all the praise otherwise it's good to see that someone else here has the same impression I do Strm

. It's not that I have a problem with DBL, I'm sure they're a reliable ebay vendor, just that I wasn't impressed with the sales pitch and there are other folks I'd rather do business with for color.

 

[Jennifer5973]

If his stones have numbers that are not attractive to someone, that's one thing, but he openly discloses the stats, so as with any diamond vendor, you need to know your stuff. but as vendors go, i think he is honest adn will work with you. Plus, I believe he specializes in fancy light yellow stones, which have a distinct market. That's why I did not purchase--once I saw what light yellow looked like, it wasn't for me but they were ebautiful stones nonetheless.

If I had to bottom-line it for someone, I'd say that i don't think you will get cheated by him and I would trust him to do busienss. Perhaps some of the hedging I hear in other members' voices stems from the fact that David isn't necessarily a disciple of some of the cut and numbers philosophy here.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

On the "feedback" section of ebay, one is able to contact buyers who have made purchases from individual vendors--by clicking on their user names and sending them a message. It would appear that DBL has a 100% positive feedback rating on ebay, hence some customers may be able to shed some light on their purchasing experiences and level of satisfaction.
Worth a try to get another perspective.

cheers

Sharon

 

[moremoremore]

I just don't like his stones....

... But again, he is a featured vendor on Diamond Talk...so he must be doing something right I guess!

 

[Hest88]

Featured vendor only means he pays them advertising. So I guess he's doing well enough at least to afford some internet ad space.

I've heard good things about his customer service, but I wouldn't say I respect him enough to give him my business.

 

[Rank Amateur]

Featured?

That's funny.

David has the odds and ends that don't seem to find homes elsewhere. Ebay is perfect for him.

 

[moremoremore]

LOLOLOLOL........omg...you said it, I didn't (even though I wanted to!!!)


http://diamondsbylauren.com/AvailableItems/DBL_Diamond_21.htm

 

[LGail]

Thank you all for your input. I think the 2nd post up from this one said kind of what I felt but I was wondering what everyone else thought since I had seen some stones posted here from his website. I am not looking for fancy colored stones (or J and K colored) so maybe it isn't the best place for me to be looking. Thank you for all the input!

 

[moremoremore]

 

[moremoremore]

But LGail...my own opinions aside...if he has a stone you like, and it's a reasonable price...there is no reason you shouldn't buy it. I hate his stones, but I think he is probably honest...

 

[LGail]

No, he hasn't found any that I like. I'm just starting to become overwhelmed by all my options. I've been speaking with Icestore, Whiteflash and am looking at some dirtcheapdiamonds right now. So far I feel "comortable" with these three vendors but I feel like Whiteflash has responded to my inquiries the best.

 

[moremoremore]

I think that Whiteflash would be a good decision. They may be a teensy bit more expensive than dirtcheap...but they let you upgrade and they don't just drop ship...they can give you some analysis at least! Don't freak- pick a vendor, pick a shape, read the gemappraisers cut chart, read the GOG site, and post questions! You are on your way!!!

 

[moremoremore]

I really don't see many out there...I just did a search...well, here are a few anyway....I saved the best for last...

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-732452.htm

http://www.uniondiamond.com/diamonds/diamond_details.php?lot=2699342
White flash can get any stone I believe...

Smaller in carat weight...NOT in size!!!
http://www.goodoldgold.com/new_page_69.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-737562.htm
This one is smaller than you want, but check out that depth!!!!!

 

[Jennifer5973]

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On 7/21/2004 5:25:25 PM moremoremore wrote:

...if he has a stone you like, and it's a reasonable price...there is no reason you shouldn't buy it. I hate his stones, but I think he is probably honest...----------------

Key words: if he has a stone you like. I think if you like somethinjg he has and understand what iut is, you should not be fearful to buy from him. Based on my interactions wiht him, I think he is an honest vendor...they key is liking his stuff. There are a lot of sheiksters (sp) out there but I think he is an honest person.

If you don't know a bad stone from a good one when all stats are shown, then shame on you not him.

Edited to add: Clearly, MMM does not have this problem!

 

[glitterata]

----------------
If you don't know a bad stone from a good one when all stats are shown, then shame on you not him.

----------------

Yes, but he says to ignore the stats and trust his eye. That's what lots of people here object to--especially when his eye thinks that princess is pretty.

 

[Mara]

Uh oh MMM better be careful..I recall him logging on in the past to complain about the re-posting of one of his pictures. He may re-surface to slap your bad little hand!

I will say that some of his light yellow fancies have looked lovely in the past when he has posted pictures, but I do disagree with much of how he ensures you 'hear' his point. Because I prefer to respect the person I spend thousands with and know that they did not think I was just a foolish customer who didn't need to know more than the expert, I would look elsewhere.

GOG hand picks theirs, WhiteFlash (did you look at their expert selections?), and SuperbCert (they have their own Princess branded cut). Lots of great options..good luck!

 

[Jennifer5973]

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On 7/21/2004 6:44:38 PM glitterata wrote:

----------------
If you don't know a bad stone from a good one when all stats are shown, then shame on you not him.

----------------

Yes, but he says to ignore the stats and trust his eye. That's what lots of people here object to--especially when his eye thinks that princess is pretty.----------------

It was a light-hearted comment. Sometimes it gets a bit heavy around here.

Edited to add: If you don't see stats on his site, either ask for them or move on.

 

[valeria101]

Wouldn't take a bit more than Pricescope to shave off a third of that flawless material and get AGA 1A specs ?

There must be many who would just love that diamond...



Anyway, there are few princess cuts sold with tests of brilliance in place. Numbers do not tell as much about a princess cut (or any non-round). So if you do care for top ligth return, than it may be useful to decide how far do those numbers go to predict it.

For example, I don't think there is any analysis available to relate the AGA rules to brilliance. But one example there is HERE I think that those example should demonstrate that AGA 1A princess cuts with top grades can be more or less brilliant (at leats as much as the Bscope says). In all honesty, both look nice! But THIS
is a rather scary number. It would be nice to have them lined up (at least in a picture!) but in the meantime, the Gem Adviser makes a good sort of looking glass

Hope this helps.

 

[valeria101]

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On 7/20/2004 5:25:41 PM LGail wrote:



I am looking for a 1.5-1.7 ctw princess, radiant or cushion (I haven't decided yet)

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These shapes definitely have different potential to yield top brilliant stones. Does this matter in the decission? And for each type, there is at least one branded verson cut for brilliance as well.

If one shape is overall more brilliant, would that matter to you? just curious... since they seem so different (= incomparable) to me.

 

[Rank Amateur]

----------------
On 7/21/2004 5:18:49 PM moremoremore wrote:

LOLOLOLOL........omg...you said it, I didn't (even though I wanted to!!!)


http://diamondsbylauren.com/AvailableItems/DBL_Diamond_21.htm

----------------

The pic of that stone looks blue to my eye so I wondered about its fluorescence. I looked it up, and yep, medium blue. I wonder if it has that tint to the eye in real life. It's an odd mix to offer for sale.