The feeling of buying something so special over the Internet.

[hot4teacher]

Greetings from Japan all!

So here I am, 6,000 miles away from home (NY) and found the one I''ve been looking for. A best friend I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with.

The time has come to take it to the next level. That''s right! Ring time!

Having been previously married before, and making the "Zales Blunder", I am very leery of "mall jewelers". We went to Tiffany & Co. here in Japan. We saw some things online she really liked, but the store didn''t have anything that interested her. We''re over the Tiffany name, and now the fun part of making our own ring! Especially after going to some local dealers and seeing what they had for the same price, we''ve opted to make our own. I see it''s not Friday, so I won''t get into the Tiffany debate.

Now I love to ''shop'' for the best product at the best price. I love to research all big purchases until I feel I am completely educated (as I''ve been already burned with the whole Zales deal 7 years ago).

Here''s where I am having trouble. To me, buying from the Internet isn''t very personal. I would feel very different if I was in the states and drove all over finding the perfect stone. After all, our love isn''t something you can "Add to Basket" with a click of the mouse. It took time and we''ve both overcome a lot...and I want that to reflect in the ring...

I really want the best diamond within our budget ($4-5K) but I''m not sure I would feel comfortable telling her that I purchased the stone from the Internet (I''m okay with the setting, as we can play around with those). Granted I''ll be spending LOTS of time going through the mentioned online dealers, as I''ve heard many positive things about so many of them.

Does anyone share this feeling of purchasing over the Internet? Ladies, did you know beforehand that your stone/setting/ring were purchased over the ''net?

First post...still lots of reading to do!

Dana

 

[reader]

Nice thing about the net, there is email. Vendors do respond to emails, and can send designs back and forth...it can be as personal as a local jeweler if you keep up your end of the conversation. In fact, you more often than not get better service from net jewelers, they have a much wider reputation to uphold.

Side note: most women don''t care if their ring was purchased on the ''net, as long as it looks great, her taste was THE consideration for the ring, and its not wholly worthless due to poor cut, clarity or color. Bit different if she has a family stone to use.

 

[drk]

Congrats on finding the one! My DH and I ended up buying our diamond over the internet (from GOG) and got a custom ring made for it in our hometown afterwards. It would have been less nerve-wracking to get the whole thing done by the diamond vendor, but we wanted a loose stone appraisal and liked what a local store had to offer for a setting. I had no problem at all buying over the internet, but that was maybe because we also took a weekend trip to New York to look at diamonds in person, and picked out the one for us while we were there. I was all about getting a great stone with all the techie details to confirm it was great (H&A views, imagescope, brilliantscope, sarin) at a good price. I love a "bargain", and wanted the biggest bang for our buck.

One of the other pricescope members (Kaleigh) did an interesting thing lately with Good Old Gold that might be an interesting cross between purchasing sight unseen and having the opportunity to "see" the stones yourself. See here thread below - Jon at GOG made a video to compare 4 different stones for her so she could pick out out with her eyes. http://www.goodoldgold.com/videos/LisaOvals.wmv

I have no idea if Jon would be willing/have the time to do this for anyone else, but it might be an option for you? See some stones locally so you have an idea of what size/color/clarity works for you, and then consider buying something over the internet that you know has an amazing cut.

Good luck!

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome to PS

You will find that many online vendors really go out of their way to " tailor your experience" to exactly the way you want and they really do care not only about you finding the perfect diamond and ring, but that the whole process is trouble free and memorable where possible. Why not use the search tool to read up on the experiences many have had with online purchasing to give you some idea? I think with most vendors you will find the personal touch is very apparent and will have no further thoughts of " add to cart and proceed to checkout!"

Also many guys come here and put a lot of time into finding the right diamond for their fiance, but there are many ladies who like to be in on the process - whatever works for you as a couple is right for you! Also make sure you learn about cut and make that your top priority when choosing your diamond, everything you need to know is under the advanced tutorial.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would have to agree with drk that dealing with Jonathan at Good Old Gold is not like buying a diamond from some virtual inventory from a person who knows nothing about diamonds. His is a family owned jewelry store in NY, and he is sincerely just a really fine person as well as being passionate about diamonds.

 

[oldminer]

I think you''ll find the best of the on line vendors will make you feel personally attended to even better than some regular stores might do. We see people all the time who have left a retail store having felt pressured or ignored by sales staff. You likely won''t find that with the best of the on line sellers. The Internet vendor has to come across as interested and helpful. The last thing they want to convey is an "attitude" that they somehow are superior to their customers. Retail stores have failed this simple test so many times, but the best stores and the best Internet seller have learned how to make people feel good about the experience.

I think you may enjoy the experience much to your surprise. If nothing else, you''ll make some new, hopefully small mistakes, this time. It wouldn''t be an adventure without some risks.

Good Shopping!

If you need advice during your search, come on Pricescope or contact one of the many advisers here. We all enjoy sharing with people who are going through the buying experience.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Here is an excerpt from a sage post by Paul Slegers (Paul-Antwerp).

"How about this luxurious shopping experience.

From your cosy home, you can visit a high number of high quality stores, find out what they have in stock, get free education from them and then compare their pluses and minuses.

After choosing one of them as your assigned jeweler, you can visit them online countless times, overload them with all kind of questions, and they will continue to treat you as if you are their only customer.

Do not forget that you do not only talk to a sales-clerk, but also to the diamond buyer, the owner of the shop and possibly even to the actual cutter of the stone, who might be on another continent.

Once you have your mind set on one stone, you can have it put on hold, and then go on a forum, where a lot of friends from all over the U.S., but also from Canada, Europe and even some nut of Australia will comment on your choice, and will make you feel even more comfortable about your pending purchase.

What a great shopping experience, wow."

Original thread



We wholeheartedly agree with what's been said in this thread. We employ many people who worked in retail B&Ms before joining our click & brick. They unanimously agree that bonds built with internet clients are every bit as personal - sometimes more-so - as we get to know many dimensions of clients through emails and calls (sometimes at odd hours).

Just as remarkable is this PS community. As a shopper or diamond enthusiast you'll find others here who share your concerns and passions. As a trade member the exchange of ideas is inspiring and uplifting. I've experienced it on both sides of the counter and my life is enriched by the crazy friends and colleagues I've made around the world.

 

[niceice]

Welcome to PS Dana and congratulations on finding your life mate!

Date: 10/23/2006 5:46:00 AM
Author:hot4teacher
Now I love to ''shop'' for the best product at the best price. I love to research all big purchases until I feel I am completely educated (as I''ve been already burned with the whole Zales deal 7 years ago). Here''s where I am having trouble. To me, buying from the Internet isn''t very personal.

Shopping for a diamond via the internet may seem a bit impersonal at first, however I think that you will find it to be a very personal experience if you give it a chance. I realize that by "personal" you are referring to the feeling created by being able to see and compare diamonds face-to-face so that you can pick the perfect diamond that is as special as the person it is being chosen for. However the success of this endeavor is dependent not only upon the quality of the diamonds being offered, but on the person who is providing you with the guidance and service necessary to select the right diamond and thus I am going to answer your question in two parts...

When I purchase soemthing of importance, I like to feel that there is some sort of connection between the vendor and myself, it creates a feeling of understanding as to the importance of the item being purchased... If I''m buying a CD, I don''t really care who I buy it from, a shopping cart is fine... However if I''m buying something that is going to be part of my life such as a car, a boat, a house, or in your case a diamond, then I want to be able to work with somebody who is able to custom tailor the selection of that item to my personal preferences. In my experience, most of the diamond vendors here on PS will be able (and more willing) to do that than practically any brick and mortar store that I have had experience with...

First off, you have a better opportunity to "know" each of the vendors personally here on PS and via their individual web sites much more than you might ever be able to know most jewelry store clerks in a traditional brick and mortar jewelry store... We have both an established online presence and a brick and mortar store and can assure you that my online customers know me best because of the level of exposure that occurs over time... Thread by thread, response by response, the true nature of our personalities and nature are exposed here on PS where our words and our feelings are preserved for all to see and read at all hours of the day or night. One way or another, practically all aspects of our business and personal lives (is there a difference?) are shared with the world in similar fashion how the life of celebrities are bared for all to see. If you''re looking for a personal relationship with your jeweler, it really can''t get any better than this.

In terms of quality, the reality is that many of the online vendors represent a top level of quality that many brick and mortar jewelers can''t even begin to fathom. Precision is the name of the game on the internet, price is a secondary concern to most of our clients. Most of the online vendors provide more in-depth, detailed information than you could ever expect from even the best of retail jewelers. Ask the average retail jeweler for a facet-by-facet proportions report beyond the scope of what is provided on the average diamond grading report and most of them will stare back at you blankly and blink a few times and possibly stutter in awe while you explain the concept of what you seek... Ask the average diamond vendor online for the same information and you''ll have it shortly and most likely a lot of other information will come along with it.

It is a fact that most of us incorporate the use of a shopping cart on our sites, we don''t at present, however we have one running in test mode in the background... However the presence of a shopping cart does not in itself create an impersonal shopping experience, a shopping cart is merely intended to enable our customers to be able to conduct a purchase in the middle of the night or at any time they desire to do so regardless of our schedule. However, it is our belief that most customers will elect to complete an order online only after consulting us about their specific needs and desires. In my experience, very few customers make such an important purchase without consulting their online dealer of choice, most customers have questions and concerns that need to be addressed in detail prior to being ready to purchase online - thus the shopping cart becomes merely a matter of convenience at the time of order as opposed to being the primary interface with our customers.

Good luck with your quest, I hope that you enjoy the adventure!

 

[anacgarcia]

Hi, first of all congratulations!!!

and second, about buying a diamond over the internet I think it''s really the best decision.. I love my diamond and bought it at a local jeweler but I really think I would''ve gotten a better price for it on the net...

Here on Pricescope you can find help from lots of experts on the diamond bussiness to guide you trough your search..

try it, i think you and your future fiance will be very pleased!

 

[Ellen]

While I''m sure not everyone has the same experiences shopping B&M''s, I personally found it frustrating, irritating and down right scary. I''ll never make another important purchase in one.

And I ditto all the sentiments of the above posts.

 

[angeline]

Hi there,

I tried both ways, at B&M and recently bought (After returning 3 other diamonds because I changed my mind - see this thread Chronicle of a chronic upgrader!) a 2ct dream diamond.

As others have said I had a far more personal and enjoyable experience over the internet. I received far superior service without being talked down to like I have been in a B&M. Also I wasn''t judged on what I was wearing, or what other jewelery I had on. I was never rushed and the salesperson I was dealing with (Katie at Whiteflash) knew far more than your average B&M person and was willing to find out what she didn''t know or put me in direct touch with their gemologist, or even their master cutter.

I would highly recommend the online experience (at least with WF, I can''t speak for others, but I''m sure the other vendors here like GOG are just as good). There was nothing impersonal about it. I would be more impressed with my FI if he got me the BEST quality for the price, rather than some experience which will be forgotten. The stone will always be there though!

Just my .02.

a

 

[sumbride]

I ended up asking my FI to get our diamond from my family jeweler because I was put off by the B&M jeweler he picked. If we didn''t have that option, we would have used the internet in a heart beat.

Our B&M experience was not bad, but not great. We made the appointment a week in advance, told her what we were looking for, and though she did spend a couple of hours with us, she only had 1 diamond in each shape I asked to see. One. Just one. I said "how am I supposed to know that this is better than another if I''m only seeing this?" And she had little to offer by way of affordable settings. We left there feeling dejected and defeated, happy to be engaged, but depressed that we weren''t able to get what we wanted or afford what they had.

The internet is a whole different ballgame because you can instantly figure out what you can afford and you can choose from many many many stones and settings. It''s like the antithesis of what we went through with the very reputable B&M that we visited.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Thank you for quoting me, John. I was thinking about that old thread, but would not know where to retrieve it. You must have an amazing file on all of us.

Dana, although most reactions here describe the positives of buying on the Internet, this does not mean that a B&M cannot offer the same service. Most internet-vendors also have a store, and there are definitely stores, which are just as well organised as the best Internet-vendors. The problem however most often is to locate these best possible B&M''s.

Live long,