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Where to buy? (Canadian)

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kitguyy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Messages
11
Hi all. First post!

I was wondering what online store would you recommend for someone shopping from Canada. Given the currency conversion is it still a good bargain to order from the US? Are there any good Canadian stores?

Right now I've narrowed down to the "popular" ones, BlueNile and JamesAllen (they offer free shipping to Canada, good reviews, I like their settings, all the costs are upfront).

Thanks.
 
BN is probably your best bet for online - they have a number of duty free items. It's a terrible time to be buying in USD, but you will still likely get a better deal.

I'd rec you head to some local stores and see what pricing is like, then compare with online. Will also help you narrow down what you're comfortable with for colour/size/etc.
 
I am from canada too and I like James Allen. But any of reputable online stores is good. Most ship for free. A simple diamond and a ring setting are duty free under nafta. I chose James Allen because they do not collect gst/pst/hst. You pay sales taxes thru fedex. This can be good or bad. Dealing with fedex adds another step and can delay delivery due to custom clearance. But you have an option of paying James Allen with USD or CAD. This is a consideration if you have some USD. If you shop from Blue nile, the only option is CAD, because they collect sales taxes. And I dont like exchangr rates these companies apply.
 
This might sound like a dumb question but how much sales tax? I assumed 13% HST because I live in Ontario but the online calculators on carrier sites only apply 5%.
 
Throw away #2 & 4. They are not well cut.

#3 is probably my favourite, #1 is ok.

The price difference is marginal, but if you're ok with an H I'd lean toward #3 (LD02638973)

4n2t0 - if it says 5% it's only calculating GST. You may have to enter your province before it adds PST, or you may have to pay it upon arrival.
 
Why is #3 a better cut than #4? Also #1 and #4 seem very similar to me :P.
 
Do a little work - open up the GIA certs for each stone, and plug the numbers into the HCA https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca. You want a number under 2, but once under 2, lower is not better. It's rejection tool, not a selection tool.
 
4n2t0|1447955267|3951767 said:
This might sound like a dumb question but how much sales tax? I assumed 13% HST because I live in Ontario but the online calculators on carrier sites only apply 5%.
Click to expand...

You basically pay whatever tax you pay if it were bought locally. nothing more nothing less. In BC, that's GST and PST. I am not too familiar with other provinces.
 
ecf8503|1447971387|3951857 said:
Do a little work - open up the GIA certs for each stone, and plug the numbers into the HCA https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca. You want a number under 2, but once under 2, lower is not better. It's rejection tool, not a selection tool.
Click to expand...

http://www.whiteflash.com/a-cut-above-diamonds-specifications-and-qualifications/

In addition to HCA, do some reading on how the best diamonds are selected.
Looks at the table of ideal proportions and see how the numbers compare to the stones you have chosen.
 
kitguyy|1447974355|3951882 said:
The difference makes more sense now. Thanks!

I also found this one in the same price range, but G instead of H.
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/build-your-own-ring/diamonds?stockno=LD04967347

Is there anything I should compromise to go bigger in size (within the same price range)? Or should I stick with G/VS2 and similar cut.
Click to expand...

This is a good stone I must say. All numbers in the ideal range. HCA is good. 40.6 pav- 35.0 table combo is good as well.
G/VS2 combo is attractive. Ask bluenile to hold this stone for now, and see if any photo is available.

Compromising the color to J will get you 0.7 carat. But I am not too sure if that's what you want. Downgrading to I or H does not give you any value either, at least based on my quick search under 1700 USD
 
They don't have photos, but they said I can call in to ask if a visual can be provided. What info can I get from the visual?

Do you guys know how long the whole process normally takes? Ring creation, shipping, customs etc. Is it a matter of months or weeks?
 
A visual will give the gemologists opinion of the diamond.

The process depends. Getting closer to xmas it will take longer - xmas is engagement/diamond season. If you already have a setting in mind, know her size and don't want to see the diamond first (you can have the diamond shipped to you, then ship back to set) it shouldn't take too long. Obviously that depends on how many other orders they have.

eta - there is no way to predict customs. I've had things stuck in customs for 3+ weeks. Sometimes they slide right through. As long as BN has all the correct paperwork it should make the process go smoother.
 
kitguyy|1448034006|3952095 said:
They don't have photos, but they said I can call in to ask if a visual can be provided. What info can I get from the visual?

Do you guys know how long the whole process normally takes? Ring creation, shipping, customs etc. Is it a matter of months or weeks?
Click to expand...

Mine got ordered, payed, shipped, taxed, custom cleared, delivered and picked up in less than a week from James Allen
Custom clearance took 24hours. It could have been a few hours if I had my paper work done beforehand.
But, the holiday is approaching.. so.... hard to predict around this time
 
Are there any good deals around black friday? Is it worth to wait until next week?
 
I believe there were some deals LY. If you have the stone on hold, might be worth it to wait.
 
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