Robbins Bros Dilemma - Return and go with WhiteFlash?

[jmdgls]

So I went into Robbins Brothers and walked out with a diamond and ring. The diamond is a .70 D SI1 Very Good. It was $3400. WF has an .78 G VS1 ACA (Ideal) for pretty much the same price.

Is it worth the money and the risk to take the ring back and have them swap out the diamond?

I''m thinking that the better cut and larger size is worth more than the color difference between D and G. And since I''m also planning on doing a trade in down the road to something more like a nice 1.25ct, not being forced into RB sounds like a good idea. Given RB doesnt have the best environment to asses and view diamonds, I''m just wondering if the quality different is actually substantial.

My biggest concern is from those on PS who say that jewelers don''t do a good job of setting diamonds they didnt sell. RB also says their warranty will cover the diamond if it falls out and gets lost even if it''s because the ring somehow gets mangled .. is that something insurance policies have?

FWIW, the ring is the Tacori 2620.

Thanks for all the advice. I''m pulling my hair out over here, and am also up against the planned proposal date (Decemeber 15)

 

[kenny]

I'd try to return the whole ring and have nothing to do with them.
Returning only the diamond and expecting them to be nice, professional and do a competent job setting a competitor's diamond is asking too much IMHO.

And yes, a Whiteflash ACA is a great choice.
G VS1 is a wonderful range IMHO.

So many horror stories on Robbins Brothers have been reported here.
Do a search on them above in PS search box.

 

[swingirl]

I don't know what your return policy is on the ring you purchased but I would, hands down, prefer an ACA over anything from RB. Not to say what you have is bad but WF's ACA are beautifully cut and I would take one sight unseen.

I would not want RB to set my ACA. I would want WF to set it.

Can you return the stone and keep the setting? or return the whole thing?

 

[AprilBaby]

I agree, return the Robbins Brothers and start all over with Whiteflash.

 

[Hest88]

Agreed. Return the entire thing and start working with WF from scratch.

 

[jmdgls]

wow! quick responses!

the problem with eliminating RB from the picture entirely is that it''s a tacori ring, and tacori has authorized RB to set the diamond without voiding their warranty. if i have to ship it to tacori to set, then there''s a chance i wont get the ring in time. i suppose i could ship it to tacori after the proposal (ha! my gf would like that), just to confirm that the setting was done properly.

thoughts?

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

have you contacted whiteflash to see if they have the same relationship with tacori? although they have their own settings i know they have gotten designer semi mounts for people pretty often....

 

[swingirl]

Just a few things to think about. If you upgrade the stone to 1.25ct you probably would not be able to use the same setting.

Also Good Old Good has some beautiful stones in your size range and they are a Tacori dealer.

 

[jmdgls]

it looks like I''m going to have to contact tacori to find out about having the setting not affect the warranty and who is/isnt authorized to do it. bottom line is ill just have to be really careful regardless of where it''s set. bob @ whiteflash gave me the run through of the risks involved in setting a diamond.

i already called the only other authorized tacori retailer to find out if they could get me the ring in time, should i want to bail on robbins bros all together. we''ll see. but honestly, as long as i have to be super careful about who sets the diamond, it really doesnt matter if its robbins or not. i''ll have to cross my fingers either way and be super anal about checking the diamond before and after the setting.

im shocked that with companies like WF and BN being so prevalent, more ring mfgs don''t have closer relationships to accommodate those of us who buy independently. maybe retailers wont get into that kind of deal considering tacori set their own prices.

*sigh* here''s to this whole thing working out.

thanks again for all the recommendations!!

 

[Hest88]

Date: 11/8/2009 5:03:43 PM
Author: swingirl
Also Good Old Good has some beautiful stones in your size range and they are a Tacori dealer.

This is a great idea, actually. Look at this one:
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6148/