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What is your interpretation of "PS Quality?"

  • Thread starter Thread starter Queenie60
  • Start date Start date
Q

Queenie60

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When a vendor tells you that you're getting PS Quality. What is your interpretation of the meaning? Quality/cut of stones? Quality of workmanship? Or both?

I would like to know your opinion.
 
First and foremost I interpret is as having to do with cut of stones, since many (especiallg B&M )vendors don't think beyond gia xxx.

But also I think of it as customer service and understanding that we can be a particular / picky set of customers.

Workmanship as well, but I think of cut/stone quality and service as the primary aspect.
 
Depends on the vendor. I know for IDJ it means ideal cut but not certed stones....
 
Will pass the loupe test - both for diamonds and for workmanship.
 
I thought there was a thread recently that mentioned asking David Klass for Pricescope quality.
 
I personally think its a ridiculous concept. If a vendor is recommended by this site, then shouldn't all projects be PS quality? When I was shopping around, I felt it was a secret code word that once mentioned, then vendors knew to bring their A-game. With the money we pay, shouldn't a trusted vendor deliver their A-game regardless? With that being said, I am glad I found out about it and am grateful that it means I get a top quality deliverable.
 
The Stig said:
I personally think its a ridiculous concept. If a vendor is recommended by this site, then shouldn't all projects be PS quality? When I was shopping around, I felt it was a secret code word that once mentioned, then vendors knew to bring their A-game. With the money we pay, shouldn't a trusted vendor deliver their A-game regardless? With that being said, I am glad I found out about it and am grateful that it means I get a top quality deliverable.
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Um, no. Jewelers have all kinds of clientele. They can have uncerted stones all the way up to ideal cut stones. It's up to the buyer to know what they want to buy.

If someone wants an easy choice, I recommend Whiteflash ACA and High Performance Diamonds CBI. Otherwise, you'd better be selective and knoweldgeable about what you want.
 
I only know of IDJ using that term. But to me it means a fairly well cut stone, probably SI clarity, maybe uncerted or maybe GIA, because people seeking that usually are hunting for a deal. But as in everything, you get what you pay for.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
Um, no. Jewelers have all kinds of clientele. They can have uncerted stones all the way up to ideal cut stones. It's up to the buyer to know what they want to buy.

If someone wants an easy choice, I recommend Whiteflash ACA and High Performance Diamonds CBI. Otherwise, you'd better be selective and knoweldgeable about what you want.
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+1
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
I only know of IDJ using that term. But to me it means a fairly well cut stone, probably SI clarity, maybe uncerted or maybe GIA, because people seeking that usually are hunting for a deal. But as in everything, you get what you pay for.
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David Klass uses it as well. When I talked to the assistant over the phone, and mentioned PS quality, she knew exactly what I was talking about.
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
Um, no. Jewelers have all kinds of clientele. They can have uncerted stones all the way up to ideal cut stones. It's up to the buyer to know what they want to buy.

If someone wants an easy choice, I recommend Whiteflash ACA and High Performance Diamonds CBI. Otherwise, you'd better be selective and knoweldgeable about what you want.
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Ahhh okay. So it’s more of a stone selection concept and less related to quality of workmanship
 
Ideologically I'd agree with @The Stig - I do feel all paying clients should be treated to the same quality of experience and merchandise, with or without a 'secret passcode'.

That said, I think @diamondseeker2006 is completely correct about how things work in The Real World - if a vendor caters to a range of clients and knows that a certain subset will be extra picky, it does make good business sense to ensure extra care is paid to those clients' projects. Many beloved PS outfits don't distinguish between PS and non-PS clients - they have one "setting", excellent, and they charge excellent-worthy prices across the board. Other establishments explicitly cater to different tiers of demand and budget, and from that perspective - well, if one is interested in jewellery it's very easy to find PS, and if one finds PS it's very easy to learn the PS-global 'passcode'. So I guess my question would be... where does personal responsibility start and end?
 
I actually like the idea that there are vendors who cater to multiple price points and clientele. IDJ and DK and Ivy & Rose come to mind here. IMHO it doesn't mean *anyone* will get poor quality products, but there is an implicit understanding that the PS consumer is more "savvy/picky/particular"--or whatever we want to call it--about cut and details, so vendors who don't exclusively deal with ultra high-end stuff need to know that.

Of course I also appreciate the lovely work by vendors who produce 100% high end work all the time (thinking of VC, WF, HPD, and others here), but as someone with less $$ than most posters on PS I find myself loving vendors who can cater to everyone.

EDIT. I realize my last sentence looks like I don't "love" the other vendors, which isn't true at all. Just that less people can afford to work with them, and I can appreciate the POV of jewelers who want to please a variety of buyers.
 
To me, “PS Quality” means “above average” when compared to ones found in department stores or regular jewelry stores. Since I am too picky and want something that I buy only once and adore/own for a long time, “PS Quality” is simply not enough for me. I would normally shy away from the jewelry.
 
Thank you for your input. This puts my mind at ease a tad bit! You see, I purchased a dbty bracelet and dbty necklace last summer, wear them daily as they are staple pieces for me. They're beautiful. Earlier this year, a diamond mysteriously fell out of my braceleto_O I sent it back and had to pay $300 or so to have the diamond replaced. :-o I didn't fret too much as I thought that I could have possibly knocked the station on something and the stone fell out however, there was no evidence that anything was wrong with the station????? So I let this go. A few weeks ago, as I was removing my necklace before going to bed, a stone was mysteriously missing from my necklaceo_O At this point, I felt as though the workmanship wasn't up to par (I received PS quality at time of purchase.) I invested $250 to replace this stone. So now, I'm into this for an additional $500 and am a bit fearful that another stone may fall out. I take ownership for the bracelet as it is on my wrist and I could have possibly damaged it even though there was not evidence of damage. However, the necklace, I can't figure for the life of me how a stone fell out. Mind you, I am very gentle with my jewelry, don't wear it under any harsh circumstances and never allow it to be compromised in any way.

It is interesting to find the differences of opinion regarding PS quality. I will caution myself about PS quality in the future. And most of my recent purchases have been made by CVB and I certainly know that the quality is excellent.

We live and learn - I've certainly learned.
 
Awww, I am sorry to hear that, @Queenie! I honestly have to say, I have never heard of someone losing stones out of DBTY bezels. So since you have lost 2 stones, I would greatly question the workmanship. There is no way wearing a necklace that you could have caused a stone to drop out. I think they certainly should have replaced that stone and bezel and checked all the others.
 
lovedogs said:
I actually like the idea that there are vendors who cater to multiple price points and clientele. IDJ and DK and Ivy & Rose come to mind here.
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Basically, the jewelry stores all offer a range of goods. They may deal with more than one bench, and sometimes people request the most highly skilled bench and are willing to pay the premium. Others are not. Good Old Gold is another jeweler with a range of goods. The niche diamond sellers (H&A, AV, VC) and custom ringmakers are a different story because they all specialize in particular things.
 
FancyDiamond said:
To me, “PS Quality” means “above average” when compared to ones found in department stores or regular jewelry stores.
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That ain't saying much. :lol: You want way, way above the department store quality. Have you ever seen WalMart and Sears quality? :bigsmile:
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I would think ideal cut and eye clean. Stupid question: why would a vendor have an ideal cut not certed stone?
 
AprilBaby said:
I would think ideal cut and eye clean. Stupid question: why would a vendor have an ideal cut not certed stone?
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Depending on the size. Not worth doing with meeles.
 
Queenie60 said:
When a vendor tells you that you're getting PS Quality. What is your interpretation of the meaning? Quality/cut of stones? Quality of workmanship? Or both?

I would like to know your opinion.
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To me, "PS Quality" refers to diamond quality only, and generally means eye-clean well-cut diamonds which may/may not be certed (depending on size and on purchaser's specific budget & requirements).

I think "Quality of Workmanship" must be ascertained by the purchaser based on perusal of the specific vendor's finished pieces. Depending on vendor, the quality may vary depending on piece, as some vendors utilize different benches for pieces of difference price points (i.e., basic vs. heirloom-quality pieces).
 
@Queenie60 I am sorry to hear about your DBTY necklace and bracelet experience. If you don’t mind sharing, who is the vendor that created the two pieces?
 
Queenie60 said:
When a vendor tells you that you're getting PS Quality. What is your interpretation of the meaning? Quality/cut of stones? Quality of workmanship? Or both?

I would like to know your opinion.
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Both.

I’m sorry to hear what happened to your pieces. Frankly I think it’s unacceptable for a dbty bezel to fail. A “PS quality” one at that.

SimoneDi said:
@Queenie60 I am sorry to hear about your DBTY necklace and bracelet experience. If you don’t mind sharing, who is the vendor that created the two pieces?
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I think is IDJ?
 
Since I've been here, I've interpreted "PS quality" to mean a cut of diamond that generally falls into the following category:
  • 54-57 table
  • 60-62.4 depth
  • 34-35 crown (maybe 35.5 with 40.6 pavilion)
  • 40.6-40.9 pavilion
  • Excellent symmetry
  • Eye clean
  • Normally associated with non-certified stones, but could certainly apply to certified stones as well
I think vendors familiar with these terms also tend to put forth a little more customer service, as they realize the product & service they deliver will likely be talked about on these forums, and that will either be good or bad advertising dependent upon their own ability to deliver.

The harsh reality is it's a "slang term" without real definition among the industry or all vendors. To ensure you get the cut quality, customer service and craftsmanship an individual expects, they must outline that to the vendor to ensure they can either meet it or not.
 
SimoneDi said:
@Queenie60 I am sorry to hear about your DBTY necklace and bracelet experience. If you don’t mind sharing, who is the vendor that created the two pieces?
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I would rather not tell as I don't want to leave a bad impression to others as this vendor has been good to me in the past and has produced good quality. However, let it be known that I did stress that I want high quality workmanship as well as excellent quality stones. They did not deliver on both pieces that were purchased at the same time. :confused: I will reveal in the event another stone falls out of one of the pieces. This last time, I sent both back for inspection, asking that each station be scrutinized. I received both back and have been told that they are in excellent condition. Time will tell.
 
I am appalled that you were asked to pay to replace the diamonds that fell out of your dbty, especially the necklace! I mean there really is no way for a person to be "rough" on a dbty necklace, to result in a stone falling out, is there?!
 
PS Traditionally it means melee of h color or better, eye clean and good looking under IS with reasonable face up symmetry. ie arrows and matched in make and size.
But it is something you have to ask the vendor how they define it.
 
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As a beginner prosumer and lurker in past years, I just generally assumed it meant, “I’d love to give you my money, Vendor, just please be sure I can proudly show this off to my online friends.” :)
 
I would ask them to clarify what they mean.
 
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