Unvarnished opinions on Whiteflash sought

[Imdanny]

I'm thinking about recommending Whiteflash to a family member after reading many posts from customers who have been satisfied with them. However, I understand there's been some changes at Whiteflash not too long ago and I haven't been able to read the forums very much lately. I'd appreciate hearing about your recent experiences with Whiteflash.

Thank you.

 

[Lestat]

I''m not too sure how recent you want, but I purchased my diamond at Whiteflash in October, and the service was excellent. They were very patient with me seeing as I was a first time diamond buyer, and answered all my e-mails very quickly (sometimes within half an hour!) which was a huge plus for me as I''m in Australia and the time difference meant I was usually e-mailing in the early morning just before I left for work, so I could usually get a few e-mails through to them every day if needed.

They provided all the information and photos I needed to post on Pricescope and get opinions. Payment was painless (as much as possible when you''re handing over thousands of dollars anyway lol) and very easy. I wasn''t asked for any money up front, only when it came time to pay for my diamond. When I had questions I could even log into the live chat feature of their website and get to someone straight away. The speed of their replies always surprised me!

When I had my diamond shipped in off a virtual list (it was hard for me to find emerald cut diamonds in stock anywhere), I noticed that the price jumped over $400 over a few days while I was deciding, and Whiteflash honored the original price they quoted me. They were very quick to ship the stone to my chosen ring designer for no cost, and had it verified for free before they did so. They have even followed up in the weeks since to ask how my ring was going and they''ve asked to see pictures when it''s all finished!

If anything, the only downside I noticed in my case was the fact that I had to pay return shipping (minimal cost) on the other two diamonds I had shipped in off the virual list for analysis that I turned down. Fair enough, I made them ship the stones in and rejected them, so I pay the shipping back. It''s probably the same at most vendors, so I didn''t see that as a major negative. If you''re looking at rounds, they probalby have more than enough in stock to avoid the virtual list anyway.

All in all, I was most impressed with the quality of service I received at Whiteflash and I''d recommend them to anyone, especially if you''re asking opinions of the diamonds on Pricescope before buying.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/29/2009 12:40:14 AM
Author:Imdanny
I''m thinking about recommending Whiteflash to a family member after reading many posts from customers who have been satisfied with them. However, I understand there''s been some changes at Whiteflash not too long ago and I haven''t been able to read the forums very much lately. I''d appreciate hearing about your recent experiences with Whiteflash.

Thank you.

Hi Danny

The main change as far as I am aware took place last New Year, Brian and Lesley left to start their own company

www.briangavindiamonds.com

It seems that things at Whiteflash are going well and it has been business as usual.

 

[LD]

I was looking to buy a diamond (about 4-5 months ago) and contacted Whiteflash to ask for more details on a particular stone. They didn''t respond so I wrote again. I then didn''t get the information I''d asked for. I had to ask again. I then got the information but decided that the diamond wasn''t for me so asked if there were any others they would recommend within certain boundaries (nothing too strict). The email I got back had diamonds of all sorts of shapes and sizes and bore no resemblance to my wish list. At that point, I gave up and haven''t bothered contacting them again.

I know that Whiteflash is generally highly regarded by consumers on this site but I can''t say I had a positive experience with them but I may just have been unlucky!

 

[coda72]

I upgraded a diamond with them in August, and it was a very smooth experience. They have made their upgrade process quicker than it used to be. Also, I had Sheerah research earring jackets for me, and although I didn''t end up getting them, she went to a lot of trouble and did extensive research on my request. I will definitely be buying from them again at some point.

 

[reigndeerz]

I''m in the midst of liaising with Liza from WF to purchase a diamond, and she has been more than helpful in replying my queries. Though I must say that lots of my emails have for some reason or another found their way to her junk mail. Perhaps the filter thought I was a stalker or something!

 

[Lynn B]

WF is still at the top of their game

; I would recommend them (and do!) without hesitation!

 

[Sundial]

I purchased a gorgeous diamond bracelet from Whiteflash a few years back so I decided to use them again for a small diamond pave heart pendant that I want to replace one I gave to my daughter. I was on their website on the weekend trying to use Live Chat, but something came up and I had to terminate before they could respond. Juliana sent me an email on Monday asking me what they could do to help me. I began an email correspondence about upgrading the chain on their stock pendant. When the first price quote came in higher than I wanted to spend for this project she came back promptly with pictures and prices of other chain options. We just completed the order the day before Thanksgiving. I was very impressed with the time and effort they put into helping me with my relatively small purchase. I wouldn''t hesitate to use them again or to recommend them to others.

 

[kenny]

Date: 11/29/2009 5:25:54 AM
Author: Lorelei
The main change as far as I am aware took place last New Year, Brian and Lesley left to start their own company

Before Brian and Leslie, John Pollard left Whiteflash too.

Seeing all three leave really got me wondering what could be going on over there.

Before the exodus we bought an ACA and adore it.
Today if I was buying a round it would not be an automatic ACA slam dunk.
I'd give John Pollard's and Brian Gavin's companies, WF and GOG a shot at my business.

 

[elle_chris]

I''ve purchased from WF while Brian was there, and after he''d left.

Their ACA''s have not changed. Pre-Brian, Post-Brian, they''re all beautiful stones.

 

[neatfreak]

Their stones are still beautiful and some of the sales associates are great. However I do feel that they've dropped the ball a bit recently on the right kind of customer service and have been engaging in some sales tactics that myself and many others here haven't appreciated.

So if they have something specific your friend wants, I would still purchase with them-their goods are very high quality. Otherwise I personally am taking my business elsewhere especially for custom projects where communication is very important. I am having a ring made as we speak and I decided to go with Brian Gavin Diamonds because they are a small company who really cares about each one of their clients-I have not gotten that same warm fuzzy feeling from WF recently.

 

[Fly Girl]

I recently made my first purchase at Whiteflash, and the service was absolutely great. I was also one of the first to get their cool new 2010 calendar.

 

[btrflygrl23]

I got my e-ring and several other pieces from WF when Brian and Lesley were still there and I was over the moon happy. I was treated wonderfully and my SA was a total doll (she has since left WF too). Based on those interactions I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone and everyone.

Having said that, the interactions mentioned above happened as I said some time ago however I recently upgraded my center stone and decided to go with WF and was very happy with the service I received and this was just about a month ago. I had a deadline and they were very cooperative and kept to it.
As someone else mentioned their upgrade process though it matters not for your purposes has been streamlined and is very quick and efficient.
I was worried about details since Brian and Lesley''s departure but my SA was very reassuring and helpful and informative along the way and I had A LOT of questions. Sheerah was my SA and of course Vera is such a nice woman and she really keeps all the logistics of shipping/receiving accurate and understandable. I live outside the US and had to ship my ring back to WF and they made the whole process seamless.
All in all I was very happy and my ring came back beautiful and better than I had imagined and their stones are gorgeous!

I would still recommend them to anyone...

 

[Laila619]

I think it depends which rep you get. I've had a bad experience with one and a good experience with another. Also, sometimes e-mail communication can be slow. You also have to watch them because they aren't always good at remembering what you asked for when it comes to the custom design aspect (ie certain details that were discussed are left out).

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Danny, while the ACAs are still the ACAs, I''ve been a little disappointed with customer service now that Lesley isn''t in charge. I haven''t bought anything since that point, so I may have the wrong impression of how things are now, but I won''t buy from them again.

I had a polite enough email when Lesley left, introducing a new sales person. A while after, I had another, asking if there was anything they could get me. I don''t like that type of approach, but (for some reason, and I''m not even sure why) I said yeah, go for it - let''s upgrade my ACA studs. Here''s what I''m looking for blah blah blah., sent a couple of emails about it. I didn''t hear anything again. I followed it up and got nothing. Maybe my emails went to spam or something, but that''s fine, there are other people selling diamonds. I live in another timezone, not up for phoning.

I left the studs alone and spent the money elsewhere.

 

[D2B]

I purchased some earings a few years ago and loved them, great service.

I am now doing a custom piece, and orginially started with another vendor, but due to my own time line and availability of stones, swapped to WF, their Customer service so far has been superb, they have helped sort out a few tricky bits and pieces and I am working with their designer Joe for my custom piece. I have been very impressed so far, Joe listend, and reallly took his time to understand what I wanted, I am now waiting for the CAD.

I was slightly nervouse going with them for a custom piece 3 stone upgrade e-ring, since Lesely and Brian have left, but so far have felt reassured and totally happy. Will keep everyone posted on the CAD and final product. Sheerah has also been fantastic. I live in Australia and have had a few queries over the last year which have not turned into purchases, figuring out what I wanted and what was viable, and each time she was great.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 11/29/2009 9:02:42 AM
Author: Lynn B
WF is still at the top of their game

; I would recommend them (and do!) without hesitation!

Yes, I feel this way too.

Some people, including myself, have had some interactions with reps that were less than desirable, but when I voiced my feelings the response was appropriate. The rep who I didn''t favour seems to be gone and in my recent interactions I have been *very* smooth with Sheerah.

That said, I also very much like Brian and Lesley and have worked with BGD. But for some things I think at the moment WF is still better - their stock pieces are very well priced, and they have a very large inventory of diamonds to choose from at any given moment. But if you want personalized service and want to go straight to the horses mouth, so to speak, BGD is much better. And for custom I think they are much better.

All this to say that I would recommend WF

.

 

[Rachel9]

My experience with WF was very smooth with great communication, couldn't beat their prices locally.

 

[4ever]

I contacted whiteflash in late July this year asking about a diamond pendant I wanted to have made and some questions about their stock setting. I eventually got an email back saying my message had been recived but never got a reply.

I sent a similar email to BGD and got a detailed responce soon after.

I went with BGD.

 

[bgray]

so if you want ACA stones you have to go through Whiteflash? what if you want ACA stones but want to go with BDG???

 

[kenny]

Just tell Brian that you liked the ACA look.

BTW, I think that look is not patented, just the name.
Even ACA proportions vary over a range.

Anyone trying to cut a round 58-facet diamond with the best light return will arrive at similar proportions. No?

 

[bgray]

Date: 11/29/2009 5:58:18 PM
Author: kenny
Just tell Brian that you liked the ACA look.


BTW, I think that look is not patented, just the name.

Even ACA proportions vary over a range.


Anyone trying to cut a round 58-facet diamond with the best light return will arrive at similar proportions. No?

not sure about this. I hate to sound like a dope but does ACA have a look? I thought that were just optimally cut for light return but otherwise they looked the same????????

 

[yssie]

Date: 11/29/2009 6:15:02 PM
Author: bgray

Date: 11/29/2009 5:58:18 PM
Author: kenny
Just tell Brian that you liked the ACA look.


BTW, I think that look is not patented, just the name.

Even ACA proportions vary over a range.


Anyone trying to cut a round 58-facet diamond with the best light return will arrive at similar proportions. No?

not sure about this. I hate to sound like a dope but does ACA have a look? I thought that were just optimally cut for light return but otherwise they looked the same????????

I definitely think the ACA has a "look", vs. say, the Infinity. Arrow thickness is the first thing that comes to mind...

Imdanny, I had WF custom an e-ring in August. It turned out beautifully, and I had absolutely no problems with communications.

 

[MissGotRocks]

My son bought a diamond from WF for his fiancee and had no problems at all. I talked to the sales rep too and she was more than happy to deal with the both of us! He needed my advice!! That was just about a year ago.

We have missed seeing you around Imdanny - I did buy the Tiffany Bezet band and waited and waited for you to see it!

 

[bgray]

Date: 11/29/2009 7:16:36 PM
Author: MissGotRocks
My son bought a diamond from WF for his fiancee and had no problems at all. I talked to the sales rep too and she was more than happy to deal with the both of us! He needed my advice!! That was just about a year ago.


We have missed seeing you around Imdanny - I did buy the Tiffany Bezet band and waited and waited for you to see it!

anyone care to verbalize the difference between the most common rounds? --including a plain vanilla well cut non branded round?

 

[ponder]

I helped my mother purchase an ES from WF in Aug/Sept 2007. I dealth with Lesley as my sales contact and we were shown the diamonds by one of the bench guys, Leon. It was a smooth and seamless transaction.

In October 2008 I had WF create a custom ering to reset my stone. Again I dealt with Lesley as my sales contact and dealt with Brian for the design of my ring. It was a lovely experience. I had very little anxiety in the custom design process, because of Brian''s experience and taste. He was able to take my ideas and make them fabulous. The design/structural areas I was unsure of he was able to fill in with with amazing results. I was so happy with the result that I actually got teary eyed.

Last week I purchased diamond stud earrings from BGD. Why BGD and not WF? First of all BGD had the stones I wanted. Second, Lesley and Brian were my WF experience and I already had an established relationship with them.

Also, I believe that Kenny is correct. The name ACA is pattenable, but I dont believe the cut is. You can purchase high quality H&A diamonds ("the look") at any PS vendor. Heck you can even get them at Jared

I too would like to see an explanation to your question bgray.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 11/29/2009 7:34:19 PM
Author: bgray

Date: 11/29/2009 7:16:36 PM
Author: MissGotRocks
My son bought a diamond from WF for his fiancee and had no problems at all. I talked to the sales rep too and she was more than happy to deal with the both of us! He needed my advice!! That was just about a year ago.


We have missed seeing you around Imdanny - I did buy the Tiffany Bezet band and waited and waited for you to see it!

anyone care to verbalize the difference between the most common rounds? --including a plain vanilla well cut non branded round?

I think you should start a thread about this, it is an interesting question.

And just FYI, WF continues to sell ACA diamonds and presumably they have other diamond experts in house helping to pick and choose diamonds that meet the criteria they have chosen for their premium cuts -- all the ACAs have similar angles and table sizes and depths. They are also cut by the same cutting houses that have always made ACAs I believe. Brian originated the ACA and now that he has set up his own shop he sells Brian Gavin Signature diamonds that are cut to his favoured diamond parameters. Whether these look exactly like the ACAs he chose while at WF is anyones guess. His tastes may have changed.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 11/29/2009 8:46:23 PM
Author: ponder
I helped my mother purchase an ES from WF in Aug/Sept 2007. I dealth with Lesley as my sales contact and we were shown the diamonds by one of the bench guys, Leon. It was a smooth and seamless transaction.

In October 2008 I had WF create a custom ering to reset my stone. Again I dealt with Lesley as my sales contact and dealt with Brian for the design of my ring. It was a lovely experience. I had very little anxiety in the custom design process, because of Brian''s experience and taste. He was able to take my ideas and make them fabulous. The design/structural areas I was unsure of he was able to fill in with with amazing results. I was so happy with the result that I actually got teary eyed.

Last week I purchased diamond stud earrings from BGD. Why BGD and not WF? First of all BGD had the stones I wanted. Second, Lesley and Brian were my WF experience and I already had an established relationship with them.

Also, I believe that Kenny is correct. The name ACA is pattenable, but I dont believe the cut is. You can purchase high quality H&A diamonds (''the look'') at any PS vendor. Heck you can even get them at Jared

I too would like to see an explanation to your question bgray.

LOL!

 

[ponder]

Date: 11/29/2009 8:54:01 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 11/29/2009 7:34:19 PM
Author: bgray

Date: 11/29/2009 7:16:36 PM
Author: MissGotRocks
My son bought a diamond from WF for his fiancee and had no problems at all. I talked to the sales rep too and she was more than happy to deal with the both of us! He needed my advice!! That was just about a year ago.


We have missed seeing you around Imdanny - I did buy the Tiffany Bezet band and waited and waited for you to see it!

anyone care to verbalize the difference between the most common rounds? --including a plain vanilla well cut non branded round?

I think you should start a thread about this, it is an interesting question.

And just FYI, WF continues to sell ACA diamonds and presumably they have other diamond experts in house helping to pick and choose diamonds that meet the criteria they have chosen for their premium cuts -- all the ACAs have similar angles and table sizes and depths. They are also cut by the same cutting houses that have always made ACAs I believe. Brian originated the ACA and now that he has set up his own shop he sells Brian Gavin Signature diamonds that are cut to his favoured diamond parameters. Whether these look exactly like the ACAs he chose while at WF is anyones guess. His tastes may have changed.

Well said Dreamer, this too is my understanding.