WF ACA vs CBI Pricing

[Wewechew]

Um, the ED guy was a complete crook. End of story.

I will not even dignify the possibility that either vendor we are speaking about here, can even be compared to the ED fraud. So not sure how ED was brought up on this thread?

 

[Arcadian]

So I say all of this as a mostly non diamond person (I have diamond studs but well...you know...) So you can take it all with a grain of salt. But it might be a different take on things...I don't know.

I saw both WF and CBI. CBI's makes my eyes happy.

Imma bout to get raw y'all... but CBI's for me are sexy mf's. For me, they're exciting. I would have never thought I could pick them out like I did easily as I did. So that tells me that at my next stud upgrade, I will get stones from them.

WF has great stones. beautiful cuts, obvs, appealing, but visually to me, they're different. They have a romantic look to me. (I really can put it any other way) If romance turned me on more than a roll in the hay, that would be my next diamond purchase.

CBI's though? Thats hot sex in the backseat of a car.

Just to reiterate, I'm NOT a diamond person. I spend most of my time in colored stones and hangouts...lol I buy colored gemstones where the cut is not always the best and, for me, its really all about the color (unless there's a window that you can yodel through and thats a whole other thread!)

What I will say is if you can, see them in person. Let your eyes decide. You may not be able to discern any difference at all. do it to get it out of the way. There's going to be fans of both here. (and thats expected, they're the top of the heap for natural cut diamonds.

My own experience is that buying by numbers is great to an extent. It helps take some duds out of the equation, but from my own experience, when you're dealing with a natural product, your eyes pick up things that the numbers don't always tell you, of those, you should see some in person to see what makes your eyes happy.

 

[Wewechew]

@Arcadian we are excited you will be joining our CBI family on your next upgrade . Can’t wait to toast your SMTB thread with some kool-aid

 

[the_mother_thing]

In the interest of transparency, I’ve only seen one CBI with my own eyes, and it was beautiful. But I think @Arcadian hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t put my finger on it when I saw it, and it was very close to my WF diamond side-by-side (and both were same color, eye clean, etc.). That said, there was just *something* different about it that - while it was gorgeous - didn’t ‘push me over the edge’, and my eye and taste was more drawn to the cut of my ES. Maybe her ‘hot sex’ vs. ‘make love’ analogy is about is good as any. The nice thing is - there is a diamond flavor (or type of sex ) out there for everyone! It’s a blessing to be in a position to know about and be able to consider a diamond from either vendor, really.

 

[lovedogs]

Appreciate the post but don't even waste your time. The Kool-Aid is too strong on this forum - there's really no point in trying to provide truthful, candid responses to people. All they wanna hear is rah-rah-rah spend your hard earned money on a superideal from vendor XYZ and if your opinion is different then somehow you're an *******.

Will be really interesting to see what happens if diamond prices drop in the future to due changing standards for cut excellence, proliferation of MMD, or even big shifts technology or consumer/social preferences. I can promise you no company here is sitting on mountains of cash waiting to repay 80% of the value of diamonds that have plummeted way beyond that in value. And then there's ED... but that can never happen again right?

It's sad that you're choosing to judge rather than check facts. We have an entire forum for man made diamonds and another for lab gems and moissanite. There are huge fans of both. I love moissanite and wear mine daily. We don't only say "buy from super ideal vendors", despite them having clear advantages. Recent threads have recommended blue Nile, b2c, and other virtual inventory for ppl who are only able to work with local Jewelers. If you hate the forum so much and think we all drink Kool aide, feel free to use the door. No one is stopping you.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think it is valid not to buy based on upgrade or buyback policies alone. I have a diamond right now from another former trusted vendor who I will not name that I cannot upgrade because they chose to not stock diamonds above a certain value to prevent people like me from upgrading. I have more confidence in WF because they are a larger company and can absorb a few upgrades if prices trend downward. Buy backs are riskier for smaller jewelers and I wouldn't count on it in times of deep recession, etc. I've seen another popular vendor of old cuts (not a PS sponsor) refuse to honor their upgrade policy after diamond prices declined.

(I didn't read all the posts leading up to this. But I don't drink kool-aid, either. I personally buy high quality diamonds but recommend non-superideal for those who need to balance nice cut and size with a certain budget. This post was specifically asking about CBI and WF, however.)

 

[marymm]

If you have the option to buy a WF and a CBI so that you can compare the two in hand, I suggest you do so. I agree with the posters who have said they perceive different flavors among super-ideals and their eyes can differentiate and prefer one vendor's super-ideals above another's. If you want to to test this out yourself, you could probably get a base feel for your own preference if you were to buy a half-carat super-ideal diamond in same color/clarity from the super-ideal vendors you are considering. Just make sure you return them timely.

FWIW, I will say that I have been and remain a WF fan. I have never seen or purchased a CBI. As it happens, I have several BGD signature stones (all sub-carat) and have found that my eyes prefer the BGD over the WF ... not sure why, but there it is.

 

[Wewechew]

As it happens, I have several BGD signature stones (all sub-carat) and have found that my eyes prefer the BGD over the WF ... not sure why, but there it is.

I'm the opposite- I had an ACA when BGD Black came out so I had to purchase one. I was less than impressed with it next to my ACA. Still a beautiful diamond, but didn't wow me like my ACA did. Have you compared the proportions of your ACA vs BGD? I think my preference boiled down to different LGFs between the two.

 

[snowballs mom]

FWIW, I will say that I have been and remain a WF fan. I have never seen or purchased a CBI. As it happens, I have several BGD signature stones (all sub-carat) and have found that my eyes prefer the BGD over the WF ... not sure why, but there it is.

I have found the same. I have Whiteflash studs and a small BGD solitaire, and prefer the BGD stone... I have not compared the specs.

 

[distracts]

I think it is valid not to buy based on upgrade or buyback policies alone. I have a diamond right now from another former trusted vendor who I will not name that I cannot upgrade because they chose to not stock diamonds above a certain value to prevent people like me from upgrading. I have more confidence in WF because they are a larger company and can absorb a few upgrades if prices trend downward. Buy backs are riskier for smaller jewelers and I wouldn't count on it in times of deep recession, etc. I've seen another popular vendor of old cuts (not a PS sponsor) refuse to honor their upgrade policy after diamond prices declined.

What is the purpose of not naming them? How does that help consumers? PS search is so useless that I can't figure out who you're talking about, if there have been previous posts on it. I don't think it does anybody any good to obfuscate when discussing these things. It feels polite, yes, but it is just going to result in people who don't know getting in a situation they could have avoided. While this thread is about specific jewelers and not others, many people lurk and gather info without ever posting threads of their own.

 

[flyingpig]

What is the purpose of not naming them? How does that help consumers? PS search is so useless that I can't figure out who you're talking about, if there have been previous posts on it.

I do not know which PS vendor DS is referring to. But some people had trouble upgrading with Good Old Gold, which had huge presence here in the past, but nobody talks about them anymore.

 

[flyingpig]

I think it is reasonable to bring up ED's story, bankruptcy, and upgrade policy.
We have seen it. Some go out of business, some change their upgrade policy and terms, while other don't even offer trade-in anymore. I am talking BE, GOG, and OWD, all of whom were very talked about here and recommended in the past. Market conditions change and people look for new opportunities or retire happily. You never know what will happen to small (and big) businesses. What if Bryan of WF and Brian of BG retire, and Paul and John of CBI decide to work for a different company? Can you still bet on these companies delivering the same level of service and quality products? Again, we have seen it. Jon moved from GOG to AV and nobody talks about GOG anymore.
Having that said, despite market turmoil, CBI, BG, and WF have consistently delivered excellent products and service. While it may appear a cookie-cutter advise and boring, recommending such reputable vendors is highly responsible of PS members. I have seen people complaining that PS is biased and gives the same advise. Well... those people just complain, and rarely stick around to help other members.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

@flyingpig Good guess on post #41. I just didn't want to take the thread on a rabbit trail, @distracts. But I understand that making such a statement might cause people to wonder.

@flyingpig I would agree with you on the future of CBI and WF. They'll continue without Wink and John or Bryan when they retire (although they would be greatly missed!). None of them are the owners of CBI or WF.

I also agree that the best vendors are often recommended since they are the ones many here have personally bought from!

 

[Dancing Fire]

I have a diamond right now from another former trusted vendor who I will not name that I cannot upgrade because they chose to not stock diamonds above a certain value to prevent people like me from upgrading.

Think I have one from the same vendor..

 

[kmajid]

I saw both WF and CBI. CBI's makes my eyes happy.

Imma bout to get raw y'all... but CBI's for me are sexy mf's. For me, they're exciting. I would have never thought I could pick them out like I did easily as I did. So that tells me that at my next stud upgrade, I will get stones from them.

WF have a romantic look to me. (I really can put it any other way) If romance turned me on more than a roll in the hay, that would be my next diamond purchase.

CBI's though? Thats hot sex in the backseat of a car.

haha loved the raw response! Totally made my day haha Thanks so much for sharing your experience : )

 

[kmajid]

In the interest of transparency, I’ve only seen one CBI with my own eyes, and it was beautiful. But I think @Arcadian hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t put my finger on it when I saw it, and it was very close to my WF diamond side-by-side (and both were same color, eye clean, etc.). That said, there was just *something* different about it that - while it was gorgeous - didn’t ‘push me over the edge’, and my eye and taste was more drawn to the cut of my ES. Maybe her ‘hot sex’ vs. ‘make love’ analogy is about is good as any. The nice thing is - there is a diamond flavor (or type of sex ) out there for everyone! It’s a blessing to be in a position to know about and be able to consider a diamond from either vendor, really.

There certainly is a different flavor for everyone haha And you're right, i feel very fortunate to have so many great options!

 

[kmajid]

If you have the option to buy a WF and a CBI so that you can compare the two in hand, I suggest you do so. I agree with the posters who have said they perceive different flavors among super-ideals and their eyes can differentiate and prefer one vendor's super-ideals above another's. If you want to to test this out yourself, you could probably get a base feel for your own preference if you were to buy a half-carat super-ideal diamond in same color/clarity from the super-ideal vendors you are considering. Just make sure you return them timely.

FWIW, I will say that I have been and remain a WF fan. I have never seen or purchased a CBI. As it happens, I have several BGD signature stones (all sub-carat) and have found that my eyes prefer the BGD over the WF ... not sure why, but there it is.

That's a great idea. Thanks so much for your suggestion and for sharing your experience!

 

[ccyk]

if policy is not in concern, and if you can physically see them both to compare, then get the one you can actually see and love.

and if you cannot physically see it, I'd say get the cheaper one. Saving 10% is saving 10%.