Private diamond sellers who visit your home............

[Detox]

I have done a TON of research.....................mostly here on this website and a lot of the readings on GOG. I know what I am looking for, and I have determined a budget.

Unfortunately, almost all of the sites that have diamonds I am interested in are in the United States (I am in Canada) which means not seeing the diamond first, duty charges, excise tax etc. My options now are buy online, and visit Martin Sheffield at the Toronto Office or go through a private diamond dealer.

Many of my friends have purchased diamonds through a individuals who have access to diamonds, don''t have brick and mortar stores and sell privately to people. You supply them with your specs and I guess the contact a supplier and arrange to visit your home, or secure location to view the diamond.

The reason I am entertaining this option, is because of a contact through a close friend and the potential cost savings. I have been in email contact with the seller and she is a gemmologist and has been in business for several years. To let her know I have done my research, I was open an honest and sent her a link to this website, along with links to diamonds I liked on GOG and Whiteflash.

All of her diamonds do have certifications and she did state you pay a premium for GIA vs. some of the other labs.

What information should I look to obtain from the seller?

Can it really be that mich cheaper to buy from an individual in comparison to a small brick and mortar like GOG?

What tools can they possible bring with them to view the diamond adequately. Anything in addition to a 10x loupe?

I would really appreciate the input.

Many Thanks

Detox

 

[Regular Guy]

Detox,

I''m guessing that your friend would not have access to a bigger database of options than Martin would have access to, and on the Quicksearch this am I believe I saw Martin (USA Certed, right?) showing an option others he competes with did not show. Possibly your friend''s friend will save you some money, and who doesn''t want to do that? I don''t know if Martin has any apparatus in his shop to measure crown & pavilion angles (sarin, ogi, for example) but that alone could be a reason to go with him, instead. If not, unless you''ll shop with someplace that does have those resources, though I might be predisposed to a) shop with Martin and/or b) select only an AGS certed stone, that will come with those already included...as you say....the fundamentals are the same, and you can probably be well served in either context.

 

[codex57]

The only real advantage is convenience.

As for cost savings... I dunno. They have almost no overhead so that''s savings. however, they likely don''t have as much turnover so if this is their living (rather than stuff they do on the side), they''ll have to charge more b/c they can''t sell as much. You can try it once. Just have an idea of equivalent prices from online stores.

They can''t bring much to you. A store should have a microscope (to look carefully at inclusions) and some other tools. Coming to you, they''ll prolly only bring a loupe and tweezers. Having an idealscope would be a good idea on your part. You can take a white sheet of paper, fold it, and make a color grading trough.

 

[diamondlil]

It sure seems like a hassle and huge expense to get a diamond over the border. By the time you pay all the associated fees, you may be paying more than you would shopping locally. I can see why you would be considering all your other options. Definitely shop around on the net for comparison prices before making any final decisions. Also, I second the idea to go ahead and get yourself an Ideal Scope. With that in hand and the knowledge you have from hanging out here at PS, you will be better able to choose a nice stone whether it be from a local jeweler or an individual.

Good luck and keep us posted.

DiamondLil

 

[Regular Guy]

Another thing to think about is the setting. In the DC area, for example, although there''s perhaps several resources on a smaller scale you can go to, to do customized shopping, they may send you elsewhere to take care of getting the setting for it yourself, and having the setting and diamond put together. Looks like, if you want this additional service, Martin can help you.

Though you might not use him just to make a statement about his web-site being garish and annoying...I could understand that....but you''d have to tell him, or it wouldn''t make a difference.

 

[dastewar]

To the OP, if you do go that route, you should meet the seller at an independent appraiser with a Sarin (or similar) machine in your area. Have the appraiser grade the diamond (without the aid of the cert) in front of you and the seller. Then go from there. It will cost you about $75 - $125 for the appraiser, but it is well worth it.

If the seller objects to this process, I think you know what the next step would be for you

 

[valeria101]

Is this ever one ? (door-to-door diamond retail)

Aside special service by respected private jewelers to their important clients, I''ve never heard of it. Definitely not something I would associate with "discount".

Not that I wouldn''t like to have someone pass by with a briefcase of diamons to peruse. Is this a Canadian specialty ? How does it work ?

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 6/21/2005 2:02:32 PM
Author: crankydave

Date: 6/21/2005 1:39:18 PM
Author: Regular Guy

Though you might not use him just to make a statement about his web-site being garish and annoying...

If not being garish and annoying was a prerequisite, is suspect that quite a lot of sites, and people and their opinions, would get passed over.

Dave

I don''t know Dave...though your brightish yellow is no "mauve," your site, in contrast, seems pretty straightforward...no flashing neon. I''m not the first to comment, I don''t think.

 

[Detox]

To clarify, these individuals are NOT door to door diamond sales people. They (I only know of two different people) are individuals have apparently have access to diamonds and do not work out of a store. They obviously have certain consistentamount of clients, and rely on referrals to fill in gaps. These individuals were referred to me through friends.

Where I was confused was how they could have better access to diamonds than places like US Certed, GOG, Whiteflash etc. Obviously they seek the diamonds from a source because I was told they would need a couple of days to obtain the diamonds in the specifications I requested.

I am a cautious shopper. Hence so much time spent here. I was also open and honest about the places I have done research and direct links to stones I was interested in, so my expectations and diamond knowledge will be clear.

I have not seen the diamonds yet, nor have we discussed prices. I did state my specifications and my budget and have not recieved a response saying "that is crazy" so perhaps something can be done. The dealer is a gemmologist which must help.

I really like the idea of having a stone I am interested in being brought to an independant appraiser to grade the stone in front of us. If she is a reputable gemmologist she should have no problem agreeing to this. My biggest concern was SARIN reports and microscope viewing. Where can I get an ideal scope? How much do they cost?

Perhaps the reason this option is more prevalent in Canada is due to the lack of online diamond dealers IN Canada. They basically aren''t any which means you have to rely on brick and mortar stores for diamonds, or take the risk of shopping online.

All comments are greatly appreciated. I have read good experiences of people who have visted Martin (USCerted) in Toronto. I mentioned USCerted in my email to the dealer, so if she is keen in this industry I am sure she knows exactly what I can get and for what price.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 6/21/2005 2:50:47 PM
Author: Detox

I really like the idea of having a stone I am interested in being brought to an independant appraiser

Appraisal sounds very good indeed, especially since the seller might not be as easily traceable as an established commercial addess be it online or off. Just in theory.

 

[Regular Guy]

Cranky, yowza...that's a helluva site.

edited to add: re mauve...yeah...see this site...I think I was going for more the background color, but maybe it's really the color of the hat, after all.

Detox, where you say...

I really like the idea of having a stone I am interested in being brought to an independant appraiser to grade the stone in front of us. If she is a reputable gemmologist she should have no problem agreeing to this. My biggest concern was SARIN reports and microscope viewing. Where can I get an ideal scope? How much do they cost?

Three points:

1) I'll bet you won't find an independent appraiser with the sarin equipment discussed. I sure can't find it locally in DC, and only a few appraisers do seem to understand it's appropriate to invest in these sorts of resources. Actually, Martin has a nice piece on his website, making "international" appraiser recommendations, to which you can surely add both denver appraiser and Richard Sherwood, both regulars on this board.

2) If you're going to spend the money to meet with an independent appraiser, try to not have your gemologist sitting their with you. They will want you to buy the stone, nullifying the benefit of paying an expert appraiser to also be there.

3) An idealscope is probably an excellent idea; you can learn more about getting it fairly expensively on this site, here.

Best,

 

[DiamondExpert]

I thought mauve was just a fancy shade of puce!