What's up with IDJ?

[Indylady]

I have a pair of studs from them and had a great experience. However--I recently read HOT's DBTY thread, and saw references to others that were unhappy with IDJ (though I didn't have enough information to actually find the threads posted). I don't stand on other side of the fence. Can anyone give me the scoop?

Thanks in advance!

 

[iLander]

I have no idea about the DBY thread, but I've been frustrated with their quotes lately. I've been trying to get a small ruby set, and no matter which setting I send them (from Unique Settings of NY catalog, which I know they order from) the quote is $1600. 1/2 carat diamonds? $1600. 1/4 carat diamonds? $1600. Last year, I got my sapphire set with a full carat of diamonds for $1600! Last year they said an upgrade to 18K gold was $75. This year, it's $200, even though it's FAR less grams of gold! So, I don't know if they're costs have risen, or they just don't want to deal with me, but I'm getting quotes all over. PLUS, I was quoted $900 for a setting, then 2 weeks, and multiple emails, into the process and it's suddenly $1900, because of a "typo". What the heck?

But I will say I got my best prices from Tami at the counter (I actually went there), as opposed to LuAnn who does the internet orders. I'm not sure LuAnn wants to give me a good deal.

 

[justginger]

I don't know what 'their deal' is, but after HOT's experience, I would never, ever recommend them to international customers.

They knew it was a partially PS-funded project, they sent rubbish.
HOT was very explicit with her expectations of eye clean, they sent rubbish.
They sorta acknowledged the issue, promised to make things right, offered 'close, personal inspection,' they sent rubbish.
It was KNOWN that she would be responsible for 10% NON-REFUNDABLE GST on the goods, they sent rubbish.
Their workmanship was horrendous on their 'fix up' - they sent rubbish.

They were given every opportunity to make the situation right, and they chose not to. They were non-responsive to emails, and rude in what little communication did occur.

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER.

 

[Enerchi]

I have had nothing but GOOD experiences w Luann and Yekutiel!! Sometimes emails take a while to be answered, but all the items I've purchased have been wonderful and the pricing has always been very reasonable. My RG DBTY was made by IDJ and it turned out perfectly, IMO. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again!

Nothing deep to add, other than that... carry on....

 

[iLander]

I don't know what 'their deal' is, but after HOT's experience, I would never, ever recommend them to international customers.

They knew it was a partially PS-funded project, they sent rubbish.
HOT was very explicit with her expectations of eye clean, they sent rubbish.
They sorta acknowledged the issue, promised to make things right, offered 'close, personal inspection,' they sent rubbish.
It was KNOWN that she would be responsible for 10% NON-REFUNDABLE GST on the goods, they sent rubbish.
Their workmanship was horrendous on their 'fix up' - they sent rubbish.

They were given every opportunity to make the situation right, and they chose not to. They were non-responsive to emails, and rude in what little communication did occur.

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER.

I'm not sure I would throw the baby out with the bath water. I think they've done a zillion projects for PSer's and have done very well on the Vast majority of them. I'm mostly frustrated because I have such a tight budget on this project (the tuition bills at my house are unbelievable) and I'm trying to duplicate past IDJ experiences which have been superlative. I'll go back to them every time I can afford to do so.

I feel bad for HOT, but there MUST be some way to get a refund on the GST from the government, that's ludicrous. I know US retailers return billions of dollars of goods every year, and I suspect Australian retailers must also do the same. If I were HOT, I would contact the government; http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4646.asp#e1160

 

[Circe]

I've had a number of very positive experiences with them, some of which weren't even purchases. For example, when I bought a vintage band with burnt diamonds (something I didn't know when I ordered it), Yekutiel was great about trying to help me fix it. He was patient, prompt, and, when it didn't work out, charged only a nominal fee, if any at all (it's been a few years, so I can't remember the exact number or lack thereof).

I have the sneaking suspicion that any big company is bound to have some dreadful mishaps that just seem to snowball ... like, the place that did the ridiculous mess-up of a "repair" job on my anniversary ring has a fair number of satisfied customers on here. It's just that the internet keeps the botched jobs at the top of the pile, as they're the ones that garner the most attention.

Personally, I wouldn't give my business to anybody who'd messed up with me before. And I wouldn't give specific kinds of jobs to people who I knew weren't the greatest at them. But if, a) they have a good overall track record, and b) demonstrate good faith efforts to repair their mistakes, and, c) haven't done anything so egregious that I lose every last particle of faith in their honesty, morals and scruples ... sure. A company that, say, switches somebody's cherished heirloom for a CZ? Dead to me (not to mention getting prosecuted). Workmanship SNAFU? ... it depends.

From where I stand, IDJ is generally good and I'd recommend them. But I can definitely understand Ginger's position, especially given that it's Australia, what with all the resulting complications ....

P.S. - HOT, if you happen to come across this, we all miss you. I hope your deeply unpleasant experience hasn't put you off jewelry.

 

[yennyfire]

I too, have had all positive experiences with IDJ. I have done several projects with them (albeit over 2 years ago), but other than a few slow email responses, their workmanship and customer service was exemplary. I think if you add up the # of snafus from other well known PS vendors, I think IDJs % is rather low (at least what's reported here)....

 

[Indylady]

I have no idea about the DBY thread, but I've been frustrated with their quotes lately. I've been trying to get a small ruby set, and no matter which setting I send them (from Unique Settings of NY catalog, which I know they order from) the quote is $1600. 1/2 carat diamonds? $1600. 1/4 carat diamonds? $1600. Last year, I got my sapphire set with a full carat of diamonds for $1600! Last year they said an upgrade to 18K gold was $75. This year, it's $200, even though it's FAR less grams of gold! So, I don't know if they're costs have risen, or they just don't want to deal with me, but I'm getting quotes all over. PLUS, I was quoted $900 for a setting, then 2 weeks, and multiple emails, into the process and it's suddenly $1900, because of a "typo". What the heck?

But I will say I got my best prices from Tami at the counter (I actually went there), as opposed to LuAnn who does the internet orders. I'm not sure LuAnn wants to give me a good deal.

Oh my gosh! I had a VERY similar experience--I saw a pair of diamond earrings on the the IDJ site, and quickly emailed IDJ multiple times about the earrings, but did not receive a response for a single email that I sent about those earrings. Later on, I called in about another piece, mentioned the earrings as well, and a rep. told me that they had gotten my emails, but that the website was being updated and the prices were old prices that were less than the current price. It kind of felt like a bait and switch, and I was frustrated that they didn't just tell me through a quick email that they had made a mistake, but I just shrugged it off and wrote it off as part of the experience of working with a small business.

 

[Indylady]

I don't know what 'their deal' is, but after HOT's experience, I would never, ever recommend them to international customers.

They knew it was a partially PS-funded project, they sent rubbish.
HOT was very explicit with her expectations of eye clean, they sent rubbish.
They sorta acknowledged the issue, promised to make things right, offered 'close, personal inspection,' they sent rubbish.
It was KNOWN that she would be responsible for 10% NON-REFUNDABLE GST on the goods, they sent rubbish.
Their workmanship was horrendous on their 'fix up' - they sent rubbish.

They were given every opportunity to make the situation right, and they chose not to. They were non-responsive to emails, and rude in what little communication did occur.

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER.

I really feel for HOT. I love my jewelry, and really put a lot of thought and care into choosing and designing a piece. There's a lot of sentiment tied up in jewelry for me, not to be terribly sappy, but I wouldn't want a piece that reminds me of a long and disappointing journey with the vendor.

I saw the fix-up--even the yellow tones of the parts that were not re-dipped in rhodium were incredibly visible, not to mention how wonky the bezel was overall.

 

[justginger]

I don't know what 'their deal' is, but after HOT's experience, I would never, ever recommend them to international customers.

They knew it was a partially PS-funded project, they sent rubbish.
HOT was very explicit with her expectations of eye clean, they sent rubbish.
They sorta acknowledged the issue, promised to make things right, offered 'close, personal inspection,' they sent rubbish.
It was KNOWN that she would be responsible for 10% NON-REFUNDABLE GST on the goods, they sent rubbish.
Their workmanship was horrendous on their 'fix up' - they sent rubbish.

They were given every opportunity to make the situation right, and they chose not to. They were non-responsive to emails, and rude in what little communication did occur.

Never, ever, ever, ever, EVER.

I'm not sure I would throw the baby out with the bath water. I think they've done a zillion projects for PSer's and have done very well on the Vast majority of them. I'm mostly frustrated because I have such a tight budget on this project (the tuition bills at my house are unbelievable) and I'm trying to duplicate past IDJ experiences which have been superlative. I'll go back to them every time I can afford to do so.

I feel bad for HOT, but there MUST be some way to get a refund on the GST from the government, that's ludicrous. I know US retailers return billions of dollars of goods every year, and I suspect Australian retailers must also do the same. If I were HOT, I would contact the government; http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4646.asp#e1160

No, she spent weeks going through the wringer with all of customs over this experience. There simply is no option for GST refunds for residents. You buy, you pay, end of story. IDJ knew she was footing a $200+ bill just to receive this item, and she happily gave them the chance to fix it (again, footing international shipping and insurance, which must have been in excess of $150 - the value is similar to an item I had to FedEx the other day for $180). And despite the attention here, and the expense she had undertaken to give them the opportunity to correct the issue, they sent some of the shoddiest workmanship I've seen in a DBTY. She could have bought one here of better quality, and that's saying something.

I've always been a believer that companies have off projects, drop the ball, make mistakes - it is the effort they undertake to correct these issues that counts. Their effort in HOT's situation appeared to total somewhere around 'DILLIGAF.' I have no interest in risking a 10% (plus service fees) loss on shoddy products from IDJ. If I were in the States, risk free, it would be another matter - just not worth the streas or lost funds down here; I'd certainly direct other Aussie PSers to American PS vendors who provide more dependable services for a fraction more. International customers need reliability, not rabbits out of the hat.

 

[Indylady]

I have had nothing but GOOD experiences w Luann and Yekutiel!! Sometimes emails take a while to be answered, but all the items I've purchased have been wonderful and the pricing has always been very reasonable. My RG DBTY was made by IDJ and it turned out perfectly, IMO. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again!

Nothing deep to add, other than that... carry on....

My studs, ordered about 2-3 years ago, were absolutely perfect, and one of the best prices that I could find. The cut is great, the settings are beautiful and secure. Thank you for sharing--I am definitely interested in getting the full picture, and really appreciate getting a more positive perspective.

 

[Enerchi]

I have had nothing but GOOD experiences w Luann and Yekutiel!! Sometimes emails take a while to be answered, but all the items I've purchased have been wonderful and the pricing has always been very reasonable. My RG DBTY was made by IDJ and it turned out perfectly, IMO. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again!

Nothing deep to add, other than that... carry on....

My studs, ordered about 2-3 years ago, were absolutely perfect, and one of the best prices that I could find. The cut is great, the settings are beautiful and secure. Thank you for sharing--I am definitely interested in getting the full picture, and really appreciate getting a more positive perspective.

I'm glad that you had a good experience, too!!

The beautiful WG IDJ setting I bought for my OEC last November, when we were in NYC, was delivered 2 weeks later to a second trip US trip I had planned. I noticed after about a day, it was missing one of the melee stones on the setting and emailed Yekutiel right away. He said no problem, either send it back now, have it done at a local place and he'd pay, or on my next trip to NYC, they will fix on the spot. I chose the latter, and when I visited this April, they replaced the missing diamond as well as adjusted one of the diamonds on my 1/2 eternity, I had also purchased from them. I also picked up my RG OEC DBTY bracelet at that time, and to me, I found the workmanship on my **knowingly WONKY** stones, was just perfect!! (those stones were all over the place in shape - "round" was a very loose term ) All to say, I've had great customer service and have always been really pleased.

With any vendor, there are things that happen. I am sorry that HOT had to incur a non-refundable expense. That sucks. I had no idea the duty wouldn't be returned by the Australian government.

 

[tigian]

It was HOT's thread that made me really hesitant about ordering my 5 stone ring from IDJ. Their prices are unbeatable, but I also have that nagging voice in my head, "you get what you pay for." And seeing how the situation was handled, I was less than excited to do business with IDJ.
Anyways, we were in NYC for memorial day weekend, and I ended up stopping by to see Yekutiel...his warm personality and enthusiasm, along with the stones he showed me, convinced me to go ahead and order the ring. He quoted 3 weeks for delivery, but it is now 4. Hopefully, it shows up this week. I'll update this thread on the quality of my ring.

 

[charleston1]

I bought my diamond tennis bracelet from IDJ and have to say the email responses were great and the finished product is gorgeous. When WE screwed up and first ordered a 7-1/2 inch bracelet then later called in a panic to change to a 7 inch bracelet, they were very kind. We ordered it via email and picked it up in person in NYC.

The diamonds in the bracelet are pricescope quality and if I remember correctly were an extra $200 (on a 6.5 carat bracelet). The diamonds are so white and so sparkly; I am beyond happy with the bracelet.

I am sad to hear other people did not have a positive experience when I found then wonderful to work with and absolutely love the bracelet.

 

[JaneSmith]

I too have read the good, bad, and ugly reviews. If HOT's thread had come up before I bought my eternity ring, I'd have given them a miss.
When I bought my eternity ring from them last year, their quote was far better than three other vendors. I love a deal, so I went with them, fully aware that they have been hit and miss (as far as I could discern from the available reviews). I must admit, I was nervous.

They had excellent response times for all emails and even called me a couple of times to verify details.
I unfortunately did not get my ring in time for my anniversary due to two factors. One, the first cast of the platinum came to them too porous, so it had to be re-done. Then they closed for a Jewish holiday (my fault for not factoring this into the timescale). Neither delays were their fault, and I was glad they had caught the quality control issue.

I specified eye-clean, and told them that eye-clean to me means nothing visible with my eye practically touching it.
Most of the 15 pointers are eye-clean, but three are not. Little black boogers. Blah.
Fortunately two are right next to each other so I just put those at the bottom when I wear it. I did not want to go to the trouble of eating the cost of shipping and possibly loosening the setting to get them switched out. Most importantly, this is not the final eternity for me, so I don't mind these small flaws in a somewhat temporary ring.

I love love love that I can upgrade with IDJ in the future, and will make sure I go and inspect things in person when the final upgrade comes.

The prongs all look lovely and uniform until you press your face up to it, then it is evident that some are a little more squished in than others. I did not pay for high end workmanship, and if you look closely, this is obvious. Apart from those little carbon spots, I am extremely happy with my ring. It is a comfy ring that looks as beautiful as anything from Tiffany. It is extremely fiery!

 

[stepcutgirl]

I just placed my first order with them this afternoon and now I'm scared! I didn't realize there were issues with this vendor.

 

[Mico]

We got my engagement ring through IDJ, and I've referred multiple friends to them for their E-ring purchases. They've all been very satisfied, and have work with different people. I believe my family is also going through them for some wedding gifts.

So far so good from my end, sucks that people have had bad experiences

 

[Indylady]

I just placed my first order with them this afternoon and now I'm scared! I didn't realize there were issues with this vendor.

As long as you're in the States, I would not worry about it. I'm sure they would do a return if you wanted one, and who knows, maybe soon you'll have something positive to add to this thread!

 

[justginger]

I just placed my first order with them this afternoon and now I'm scared! I didn't realize there were issues with this vendor.

As long as you're in the States, I would not worry about it. I'm sure they would do a return if you wanted one, and who knows, maybe soon you'll have something positive to add to this thread!

Exactly - if you're in the country, a return won't cost you more than domestic shipping. I think they've had enough positive reviews to use if you're in the States.

It's international customers who have a lot more to lose. You get stung with an unfavorable exchange rate by transferring into USD, and again when transferring back to your native currency. You lose import taxes and GST. You are responsible for international return shipping and insurance, which from Australia is extremely expensive - and in fact, cannot be done on items worth more than $5000, unless you FedEx at an astronomical rate.

You can see why IDJ has lost my favor as a vendor for international customers. I can't afford (or perhaps am unwilling) to waste money on a company that sends out diamonds that do not meet customers' carefully described definitions of eye cleanliness or ones that send bezels at are incomplete and undipped.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Like Enerchi--no issues and we are both \international customers. I would recommend them again as I did for my sisters diamond earrings.

All vendors have problems, unfortunate that HOT had a string of them on the same project.

cheers--Sharon

 

[butterfly 17]

Hi Ladies,
Well, I haven't posted in a while, but seeing this and reading HOT's thread, made me decide to join in. I had a horrible experience with them last year. I ordered a few of stackers from them for a big milestone birthday.
In particular, there was one that I was most interested in because it was custom made for me, while the others were just stackers that were already on their website. A platinum, bezel set milgrain eternity band with 17 11 point diamonds in it.
I received the ring and it was too small and the milgrain was worn out. LIke someone had worn it already or they just did a poor job doing it. There were parts that were missing milgrain and other parts that had double milgrain, like someone went over it twice. The bezels themselves were horrible and completely uneven. There was more metal around some diamonds and almost no metal around others. Plus, the ring had engraving on the side profile and the engraving didn't even fit so some of it got inside of the band. My initials are MKM and I swear, the bottom of some of the letters didn't fit and I think it was because the band itself was not even all around. Also, when I put the ring up to the light, I could see light between the diamonds and the bezel, like the bezels weren't even completely around the diamonds.
The diamonds themselves were okay. I did see some black carbons, but I wasn't as worried about that as the actual metal work.

So, of course I returned the ring to IDJ. I asked him to fix the milgrain and to make the ring larger.

Well, I got the ring back and guess what? The milgrain was still a mess, but the worst part was that they had thinned out the band on the inside to make it thinner and it wasn't even. So looking at the ring from the top down while it was laying flat, the inside circle was an egg shaped circle, so the ring had different widths and that's why the engraving didn't fit. I actually measured it with my digital caliphers and sent it to Yekutiel because I couldn't believe there was such big difference. I believe the difference went from 1.9 mm up to 2.4 mm. A difference of at least half .5mm if not more.

Anyway, I did return the ring for a full refund.

I eventually purchased a ring from LOGR and I have to say, the quality was better.

 

[butterfly 17]

And because a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are pictures of the botched up milgrain.
In the first picture, it's the ring in the middle. The top ring is from LOGR and the bottom one is from Beverley K. I had just gotten the ring, but you can see how horrible the milgrain looks compared to the other rings. This was taken on my iphone. I was taking a picture of the ring between the other two and not so much of the milgrain, but when I looked over the pictures I had taken, I noticed how bad it really did look.
In the third picture, you can see where the engraving didn't even fit because the profile width of the ring was so uneven.
In the last picture you can see how some areas of the profile are thinner and some are wider.

Now, in their defense, I have owned three of their other stackers and they were beautiful and in perfect condition. The milgrain, the stones, etc., so I don't know what happened with this. But because this was for a special milestone birthday gift and I did tell them how picky I was and I was a PSer, I thought I would have received a better end result.

 

[butterfly 17]

And for comparison, here is my LOGR ring with the same rings as above, which cost me a third of the price, even though I did have them upgrade the diamonds, make it in platinum and customize it to have 17 diamonds as well.
The diamonds are smaller, but everything looks nice and the milgrain does not look worn out at all.

 

[makemepretty]

I purchased a ring that took a couple months to receive. When I did get it, I was unhappy because it sat so high up and it was the wrong size. I sent it back and they lowered the profile but you could see where it was sized horribly. I just took it to a local jeweler to have it sized after that. The thing that bothers me is that you have to ASK for good diamonds. WTH?

Those diamonds in her necklace were horrible and diamonds that size should be cake to find eye clean. Would I buy from them again? Probably not. I think you can find similar quality in a good price range on eBay.

 

[jeweln]

I have been dealing with IDJ for a couple of years for different projects .pendants , earrings , and recently a bezel bracelet . their emails maybe a little slow , but I am happy with all my projects . I have returned/exchanged items with no problem too . their workmanship is not the same as the top notch vendors . but you get what you pay for . I love their PS quality diamonds and their prices . I can get get more bang for my buck from them .

 

[JLW05]

Just had to add my two cents. I have had mixed success with IDJ. I love my IDJ jackets and I have a custom diamond pendant from IDJ and I am extremely happy with it. However, I have an antique setting that was damaged and the center stone had been removed. I purchased a diamond from IDJ (very happy with the stone) and then I had them fix the setting and set the diamond. This is a few years back, before I found Pricescope (IDJ was recommended to me by a friend ). The resoration of the setting was awful. Very sloppy work. I could post a photo if anyone is interested. I should have insisted the work be redone but I was incredibly unknowledgeable at the time. I rarely wear the ring because it looks unattractive to me.
Also, I replaced a diamond in one of my pendants. I explained that the small diamond(.20) in the pendant was not the quality I was looking for and I wanted to upgrade. When I picked up the pendant, the new diamond had a lot of punch and I was in a hurry. I paid and left. When I got home I used my loop and was very upset. The diamond was definitely not close to Pricescope standards and not what I had asked for. I did speak to Yuketiel and he admitted that the diamond was an SI2 at best and suggested I upgrade! I just let it go but I was super annoyed.

 

[Indylady]

Would you trust them to set an outside diamond or colored stone?

 

[CrazyBirdLady]

Another lost customer here. I won't be spending another cent with them. Brian and Lesley are getting my business now.

 

[Circe]

Would you trust them to set an outside diamond or colored stone?

Personally? Yes, I would. They did a *really* good job on my bezel earrings - the milgrain is delicate, fine, and even, and they followed all of my instructions perfectly (thin as possible, matte, finest milgrain possible). I've spent much more on other projects and received less satisfactory results. I would just be very, very careful/explicit to ask that they send it to their best craftsman.

 

[Sakuracherry]

I don't know much about their craftsmanship, but I believe they have great prices for diamonds and designer settings. Yekutiel quoted a few hundred dollars less compared to WF when I was looking at the Vatche Caroline.