Snubbed by Whiteflash or just paranoid? Which other vendors to consider?

[CarlyB.]

I emailed Whiteflash earlier in the week and was seriously impressed when I received a reply within about 30mins. In the scope of a day we exchanged about five emails. We had been looking at James Allen and Blue Nile but after how helpful the Whiteflash diamond consultant was, we thought we would just stay the course and have them source our diamond for us.

In her last email, the consultant asked for my phone number so we could continue over the phone. I disclosed to her that both my husband and I are deaf, and additionally live in Australia so it would make it tricky to get in contact that way. I asked if she wouldn't mind if we continued via email in the initial stages but said I understood she might feel more comfortable calling to verify that we are an actual couple and serious about the purchase. I attached the contact information of my fiance's daughter, who is my former personal assistant and interpreter. I (obviously) trust her implicitly to speak on my behalf and she has done a fair amount of research with me about diamonds so she knows what we are looking for.

I suppose I could just be paranoid, but I am a little surprised that after receiving such rapid, diligent and helpful correspondence in that first day, I haven't heard from them in four days? Is this normal? Should I start looking at other vendors? We're getting married in early January so it would be a relief to get the ring sorted as soon as possible. On top of that, I am just antsy for my ring lol, and would *love* to have it by my 28th birthday, in early December.

Our budget is $130,000 Australian dollars, so that works out to about $80-90k American. I have looked at James Allen and Blue Nile but I don't think they have anything to our general preferences. What are some other websites that I could be looking at?

Thanks,
Carly.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am sure there must be some sort of honest mistake such as overlooking your last email. That probably happens occasionally when a vendor does a high volume of business via email. So I wouldn''t in any way think you are being snubbed by WF.

That said, I have bought from WF and Good Old Gold and found both to be excellent. They both specialize in the finest cut stones and have excellent trade-in polices in case you ever change your mind (which we don''t start out thinking but in a few years, it can happen!). These are the two vendors I''d recommend for your purchase.

Are you looking for a round diamond?

 

[neatfreak]

I really doubt you are being snubbed honey! There are a lot of things to consider, including that your consultant might have had a day off, etc.

I would either email again, or have your fiance's daughter give them a call just to touch base. Emails get lost sometimes, etc. but Whiteflash is a wonderful company, so I doubt it was done on purpose! And I am sure they can work with you entirely via email if that's the necessary mode of communication for you.

And please come back with pictures!!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Incidentally, stones of that size in top quality cut are not common, so it may take any vendor some time to locate one.

 

[CarlyB.]

Thanks for the fast replies! Yes, I had heard *many* wonderful things about Whiteflash and thought the same things myself when I received such fast and helpful advice that first day. Maybe I am just being paranoid.

Yes, I originally thought I wanted an oval with side baguettes, or a pear with a halo but now I am leaning towards a round solitaire...I think I''d like an E or an F, probably SI1 clarity. That said though, I just finished reading an article saying that these two aren''t compatible? I thought I was sooo clever deciding on a "colourless" colour and lower clarity as long as it was eye-clean! No fluorescence, best cut, excellent symmetry and all that. I would *hope* that I could have something that was at least 3 carats, but that may be a little out of our price range now that the Aussie dollar is only worth about $0.69 American.

I could just sit down and cry!! I couldn''t find anything on Blue Nile or James Allen that quite fit with those paramters, but I''ll go to Good Old Gold now and have a look. Thanks so much!

 

[Lorelei]

Ditto Diamondseeker and Neat, they won't snub you, it is possible that your email might have gone into a spam filter etc - you could email them again, try Lesley H - I have worked with her and found her to be extremely responsive and helpful

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Carly, you need to make your parameter''s be a little more open because of the rarity of ideal cut diamonds in your price range. GOG has a couple listed in the $45-47,000 range, but you need to email them to ask them to search for a larger stone from one of their suppliers. Please explain that you found them on PS and that you need to communicate by email mostly due to the deafness and being in Australia. But I am sure you''ll get a response from WF, too, since they will see your post here!

And please come back and report what you find! We love to see beautful larger stones! Incidentally, Jon at GOG is an excellent source if you wanted to look at ovals as well. He does video comparisons which really helps with buying long distance.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/18/2008 10:30:23 AM
Author: CarlyB.
Thanks for the fast replies! Yes, I had heard *many* wonderful things about Whiteflash and thought the same things myself when I received such fast and helpful advice that first day. Maybe I am just being paranoid.

Yes, I originally thought I wanted an oval with side baguettes, or a pear with a halo but now I am leaning towards a round solitaire...I think I'd like an E or an F, probably SI1 clarity. That said though, I just finished reading an article saying that these two aren't compatible? I thought I was sooo clever deciding on a 'colourless' colour and lower clarity as long as it was eye-clean! No fluorescence, best cut, excellent symmetry and all that. I would *hope* that I could have something that was at least 3 carats, but that may be a little out of our price range now that the Aussie dollar is only worth about $0.69 American.

I could just sit down and cry!! I couldn't find anything on Blue Nile or James Allen that quite fit with those paramters, but I'll go to Good Old Gold now and have a look. Thanks so much!

And that can be an excellent approach, there are articles out there saying that this isn't a good combo, but actually many of us disagree and these diamonds can be a great choice if the cut is excellent.

What is your budget roughly in USD? Maybe we could look for you and see what is out there? Also would you consider D to H colour perhaps to broaden the options? DS is absolutely right in saying that larger stones of excellent cut quality are not plentiful unfortunately.

 

[CarlyB.]

Sure I would! (Widen the parameters). And it would be a dream if anyone could help me find something! Our budget is about $80-90k in American dollars.

Thanks so much for the fast replies and ready advice. Of course I will post pictures when it''s all done and on my finger. In the mean time, I need to go and find a suitable avatar. LOL, I am not feeling the love for the cold little blue person in my pic...

 

[stone-cold11]

CarlyB, have you tried Jogia Diamonds? They are based in Perth, might save you something significant in import tax.

 

[sparkles]

Hi there CarlyB.

It maybe the person who handles our end of the world is out sick.... Granted we don''t know what happens behind the scenes and granted if shouldn''t affect business. But having dealt personally with WF on a large stone I would highly recommend WF.

Given the sense of urgency you are feeling , you may want to get your FI''s daughter to make a quick call to Leslie. Just re-iterate who you are and the dollars you are looking at spending and I''m sure all will esculated fairly quickly.

Good Luck.....you should find a fab stone for that amount of money....

 

[Lorelei]

Here you go Carly, well within budget, perfect cut, 3 carats H colour VS clarity -

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-737783.htm#

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 10/18/2008 11:39:07 AM
Author: Lorelei
Here you go Carly, well within budget, perfect cut, 3 carats H colour VS clarity -

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-737783.htm#

Wow, Lorelei! PERFECT!!! I''d say to rush and put it on hold, but then again, I don''t think there are many on here shopping for those specs!

Seriously, you probably can''t do much better than that! I have a much smaller hearts and arrows H VS1 (1.6) and it is gorgeous! I''d want good clarity in a larger stone, especially, because I wouldn''t want to see inclusions from the side.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/18/2008 12:17:27 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 10/18/2008 11:39:07 AM
Author: Lorelei
Here you go Carly, well within budget, perfect cut, 3 carats H colour VS clarity -

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-737783.htm#

Wow, Lorelei! PERFECT!!! I''d say to rush and put it on hold, but then again, I don''t think there are many on here shopping for those specs!

Seriously, you probably can''t do much better than that! I have a much smaller hearts and arrows H VS1 (1.6) and it is gorgeous! I''d want good clarity in a larger stone, especially, because I wouldn''t want to see inclusions from the side.

LOL!!! I also thought to advise Carly to put it on hold, but then I realized there probably weren''t many with that kind of budget around to grab it! * I hope*....

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/18/2008 12:21:31 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 10/18/2008 12:17:27 PM

Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 10/18/2008 11:39:07 AM

Author: Lorelei

Here you go Carly, well within budget, perfect cut, 3 carats H colour VS clarity -


http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-737783.htm#

Wow, Lorelei! PERFECT!!! I''d say to rush and put it on hold, but then again, I don''t think there are many on here shopping for those specs!

Seriously, you probably can''t do much better than that! I have a much smaller hearts and arrows H VS1 (1.6) and it is gorgeous! I''d want good clarity in a larger stone, especially, because I wouldn''t want to see inclusions from the side.

LOL!!! I also thought to advise Carly to put it on hold, but then I realized there probably weren''t many with that kind of budget around to grab it! * I hope*....

You just never know! Carly, I personally would call WF and ask them to hold it as others have suggested! It really is the perfect stone for you! It will be STUNNING!

 

[Allison D.]

Carly, I can assure you that there was no intentional snub at all. I''m guessing it may have been one of two things....either your contact may have been out of the office (we had a few folks sick toward the end of the week) or s/he may not have been able to reach your contact yet.

I''ll do a little homework on your behalf and see what I can learn.

Warm regards, Allison

 

[CarlyB.]

Stone-cold11, I hadn't heard of Jogia Diamonds. Thanks for the link though, I've pulled up their page and will have a look at them right after I post this.

Lorelei and diamondseeker, thank you so much for being so helpful. Sorry I haven't come back earlier to reply, I had to take myself to bed eventually. That diamond does look wonderful, the only thing I have reservations about is the colour. I have seen a lot of beautiful rings through my work and it has always been my thought that the bigger they get, the less white/crisp they look. I always thought that if I became engaged, I would want something that was noticeably white. My mother though, said that I'm unfairly locked in the D/E/F mentality after seeing diagrams where the G/H/I diamonds were coloured more yellow than they would be in real life, and that with a beautiful cut a diamond is supposed to look whiter? Do you know if there are any photo comparisons floating around the internet of D,E,F,G,H diamonds next to each other (that aren't just those diagram ones)? I hope I don't sound ungrateful or snobby- I don't know the specs of the rings some of my clients have had, I just know that I don't want a non-white diamond.

In the mean time, my fiance's daughter found another online vendor and forwarded me this diamond? Is this a good stone? I should mention that our budget is pretty flexible... we don't mind spending less (AT ALL), but if we have to spend more, it can go up to $200K Australian without too much problem.

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/222037.html
Or maybe this? http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/203792.html
http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/220472.html


My last question is how much impact clarity actually has? My understanding was that it just marked the tiny miniscule flaws in the diamond but you couldn't see them generally with the naked eye. Does it really impact to the point where I should be looking at VS1 clarity? Thank you sooo much ladies for your help. And Alison, too for the reassurance.

 

[jstarfireb]

Regarding color, this tutorial is extremely informative! Bottom line, H color should be fine face-up. I usually tell people that they can comfortably go down to I-J for most ideal cut round diamonds and not notice body color from the top. However, you''re right in that the bigger you go, the easier it is to notice a lower color. I think H should still look beautifully white at 3ct in a diamond of this superior cut quality.

Clarity only matters in that it''s harder to find an eye-clean diamond at the larger carat weights, but an SI1 is still an SI1, a VS2 is still a VS2, etc. I believe all of the ACA stones are supposedly eye-clean from 8 inches or so. And a VS2 is virtually guaranteed to be eye-clean from any distance. Sure, VS1 may be more clarity than you "need," but I''d seriously consider any eye-clean clarity within the color/size/price range that you''re considering. There are so few stones available within your other parameters that clarity would become an afterthought for me.

 

[Allison D.]

Carly, I did reach our Director of Sales, Lesley Harris just now on the telephone. She advised that Traci has been out sick for a few days but had asked Lesley to get in touch with your FI''s daughter.

Lesley phoned her at about 4 PM Thursday afternoon (your time) and the phone rang with no answer; she wasn''t able to reach her.

Lesley advised that she''ll be working on email throughout the weekend, and that she''s happy to work through email if that''s easier for you both. Please do get in touch with her at [email protected] if we can still be of assistance to you.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 10/18/2008 10:27:20 PM
Author: CarlyB.
http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/222037.html

Or maybe this? http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/203792.html

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/220472.html



My last question is how much impact clarity actually has? My understanding was that it just marked the tiny miniscule flaws in the diamond but you couldn''t see them generally with the naked eye. Does it really impact to the point where I should be looking at VS1 clarity? Thank you sooo much ladies for your help. And Alison, too for the reassurance.

Those are virtual stones that anyone can call in if WF doesn''t have anything suitable in stock they may be able to call them in.
Clarity in large diamonds can be funky you may find an eyeclean si2 and you may find a vs2 that isn''t.
Which is why you need to deal with a vendor that can eyeball the diamonds for you.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 10/18/2008 10:40:36 PM
Author: Allison D.
Carly, I did reach our Director of Sales, Lesley Harris just now on the telephone. She advised that Traci has been out sick for a few days but had asked Lesley to get in touch with your FI''s daughter.


Lesley phoned her at about 4 PM Thursday afternoon (your time) and the phone rang with no answer; she wasn''t able to reach her.


Lesley advised that she''ll be working on email throughout the weekend, and that she''s happy to work through email if that''s easier for you both. Please do get in touch with her at [email protected] if we can still be of assistance to you.


Hope this is helpful.

Lesley is nice and will put in a lot of effort for you.
If your not soured on WF my opinion is drop her an email.

 

[angeline]

On the photo comparisons of color...check out Good Old Gold Color tutorial for real life photos. They also have real life videos that compare different, warmer colors. Also maybe go to a Tiffs or other major diamond retailer in Oz (try a Hearts on Fire retailer) to see them with your own eyes. Only problem will be getting to see such large stones!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The color pages on the GOG site are great! Tiffany sells D-I color, so I do not think you can consider the GHI range as not white by any means. I chose to go no lower than H. Color and clarity are very personal. In a larger stone, you have to be careful about the inclusions because there is simply more visible area! I wouldn''t want to look at my stone from the side and see inclusions. I certainly think you can find good stones that are VS2 or SI1 in that size. But it all depends on the nature and location of the inclusions. There simply isn''t going to be a large supply of 3+ carat ideal cut stones, so you may not be able to find a particular color and clarity combination. You do have the luxury of going with higher clarity since you have a nice budget.

Since Lesley is going to help you, I''d check out their stone first. If that one does not suit you and they don''t have any other ACA''s coming in that meet your expectations, then I''d check with Good Old Gold and see what they can access.

 

[CarlyB.]

Thank you so much for all the help here. I can''t say it enough. I have been looking around online for a while and have been having so much fun. The tutorials on that site were amazing- just what I was looking for (with the photos instead of drawings.)

I think I am going to start looking at VS2 or VS1 clarity. I knew budget stretching would happen to us again though. Sigh. *SO* naughty. We are looking for a house as well and have widened our budget for the third time. I promised myself I wouldn''t do that with the diamond, and was pretty good about saying to myself "that size/clarity is out of your set budget, so that''s just too bad" in the initial stages, but now I think I''m going to have to go a bit higher.

I have to duck out now, but I will get in touch with Whiteflash again when I come home. I have not soured on them at all. This is a good lesson for me in having more faith in people. Emmaline (fiance''s daughter) is over now as we are all going to the beach together. She says she did have a missed call that afternoon which she tried to return but wasn''t able to. I know I need to be more patient and less paranoid but I haven''t always been deaf - that was a gift from my first husband - and it is so demoralising when I go to stores and people just end up not bothering because it''s too much hassle. I suppose I''m just used to imagining the worst.

 

[Allison D.]

Carly, I can emphatically assure you that we don''t find you a "bother" or a hassle.

We work with many people who prefer email, especially when there are such vast time differences as we have with you.

We''re most happy to work in any way that makes sense to you, and Lesley is looking forward to connecting with you.

 

[MishB]

Date: 10/18/2008 11:30:40 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
CarlyB, have you tried Jogia Diamonds? They are based in Perth, might save you something significant in import tax.

I''d love to be wrong here, but I have always assumed someone always pays the import tax/GST whether it is a person purchasing the stone directly from a OS vendor, or the Australian retailer? So you are saying that Jogia don''t pay import tax/GST on the diamonds they import and sell in Australia, and hence pass this cost on to their customers?

 

[stone-cold11]

It is already in the cost displayed. So you will be paying the price listed on Jogia diamonds instead of, for example a US diamond price and then is tax again for that price. I am pretty sure the US diamond is already import taxed into the US, I might be wrong there so someone more knowledgeable please correct me there if that is not the case.

 

[stone-cold11]

Also, you did save on the exchange rate charged on your CC or wire-transfer, which can be substantial on such a sum.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/19/2008 5:30:44 AM
Author: MishB

Date: 10/18/2008 11:30:40 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
CarlyB, have you tried Jogia Diamonds? They are based in Perth, might save you something significant in import tax.

I''d love to be wrong here, but I have always assumed someone always pays the import tax/GST whether it is a person purchasing the stone directly from a OS vendor, or the Australian retailer? So you are saying that Jogia don''t pay import tax/GST on the diamonds they import and sell in Australia, and hence pass this cost on to their customers?

Mish, SC is correct - with most diamond (and other) retailers in Aust, the 10% GST is already built into the price. But when buying from O/S, you need to calculate it and add it on yourself to your budget - with a large purchase like a diamond 10% can = quite a bit, hence why we always like to remind people of it.
There is also 5% import duty, and usually processing fees from the customs agent.
Jogia and other retailers definately do pay GST and duty, which is why they have to pass it onto customers. Like other costs, it will already be built into their pricing structure.

I hope that answers your question..

 

[nclrgirl]

I''m really not sure what''s going on at Whiteflash right now. I''m trying to buy a pair of diamond studs and jackets and I can''t get the girl who was helping me to answer on question that I had before I buy.