Where to buy in Dallas/Fortworth Metroplex?

[Prakash]

Hello All
First, thanks for such a great site. Very very informative and well laid out. I had seen many of the posts in the forums and am impressed by the sincere advices given by you all. I am looking for an engagement ring. The last few days we went to local jewelers, mall stores and still looking. Can anyone suggest us some good jewelers in Dallas area?

Also, one of the jewelers we went are having a sale (upto 40%). They are pretty reputable I am told. But why would they have a sale? Is it a bargain to find a nice ring in a sale? Or are there any catches with sales in general?

Thanks a lot.
Sincerly
-Prakash

 

[jetcaptain]

Two jewelers where I have received excellent, courteous service, and where the prices are comparable to what you will find on the internet, are First People's Jewelers on the square in Denton and McRae's Jewelers at the corner of I-35E and Hwy 377 in Denton. I have spent money both places, and will again in the future. In fact, after I purchased, then returned, a real dud diamond from one of the vendors who advertises on this forum, these are two of the places I went. I am replacing the dud with a real beauty from First People's. Although these stores are fairly small, which limits their inventory, if you're looking for a loose diamond, they can probably get you whatever you're looking for through their suppliers. First People's brought in seven or eight diamonds that were all similar to what we were looking for. They then spent well over an hour with us patiently showing us how each of the stones were different, and let us decide which one(s) we were interested in, if any. It took us three visits to narrow our choice down to one. If none of them had worked for us, I'm certain they would have kept trying. Strangely enough, we selected the only uncertified stone in the group. Of course, it was not only cheaper than the similar, certified stones, it was A LOT cheaper. And it looked every bit as good to us, even under magnification. When we expressed our reluctance to buying an uncertified diamond, they offered to have it GIA certified at no additional cost, and under no obligation to purchase. What did we have to lose? The diamond just came back from the GIA yesterday. The supplier thought it was a G-VS2. The GIA certed it as F-VS2. Are we pleased? Of course we're pleased. It was an excellent deal to begin with. Now it's even better. On the other hand, how nice the diamond looks means much more to us than the certification.

Just so that there is no confusion, I do think that you can get a great diamond at a great price on the internet. But just like at the brick and mortar stores, the rule is caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). But unlike the B&M stores, where you can walk away from an ugly diamond at no cost, to return a diamond to an internet vendor is likely going to cost you shipping (maybe $50 or so), plus it will tie up your credit limit on your credit card for awhile (charge it anyway, don't do bank wire), and it's a hassle! For this reason, I like the internet sites that provide pictures and as much technical information as possible. Sure, sometimes it's almost information overload, especially for those who don't have the experience to understand the significance of it all, but the basic information on a GIA cert just doesn't tell you enough. You might just end up with a dud like I did, even though I had seen a copy of the cert. There is less chance that you will have to return a diamond to one of the internet vendors that show you pictures and tell you more than what's on the cert, because you have a better idea of what you are buying.

Good luck to all of you who are searching for that special diamond for that special someone. It's an exciting ride, whether it's for an engagement ring, an anniversary (like me), or some other reason. My advice is to start looking early, take it slow and do it right, so you don't regret it later. Fully use the resources that are available in your search. Thanks to all who contribute in this forum, especially those who have no financial interest here. And thanks to the diamond vendors who are striving to assist their customers in making a fully informed decision. Your efforts are what will ultimately decide the level of success of diamond sales on the internet.

 

[jtrichel]

THIS IS EASY....


D/FW Diamonds. go their website www.dfwdiamonds.com

I dont work there, or get anything out of referring people there. But I just went through them this month for my diamond. The owner, Mike, is a bit of an industry watch-dog. He is very very honest and helpful. He is a certified gemologist with a Brilliance Scope onsite so that diamonds can be compared objectively. He also has a firescope and other tools for evaluating.

I was incredibly pleased with the experience. I would check out the website, and stop by to see him. They are in the shopping center at Tollway and Beltline in Addison (SE corner).

Believe me, I looked around a lot in Dallas, and this is your best overall deal.

 

[diamondsman]

I think that you should consider buying on line,many advantages:
1) compare prices without leaving your home
2) huge selections
3)if you are not in the same state you save on sales tax.
4)free incentives(like free solitaire,overnight shipping,return policy)
consider all the above facts as they are to your advantage.


diamondsman

 

[ready]

I am going to investigate this source. He spent some time with me on the telephone and seemed very professional. The only thing that I took note of is that he mentioned an IGI graded stone - which seems to go against a lot of opinions on this board. However, after looking at many sources, I am of the opinion that one should buy the diamond and not the piece of paper. The price on the IGI was higher, however, than a similar (actually higher graded) EGL - LA stone I had been looking at. He has a BrillianceScope on site and provides reports from same. Hoping he'll come back with some alternatives to the IGI this afternoon.

 

[ready]

Sorry, I refer to DFW Diamonds in my previous post.

 

[jtrichel]

yes - I would not be as worried about the IGI. You are way beyond certifications at this point.... if you go see Mike, you will be evaluating brilliance scope and fire scope results, table and depth and pavilion percentages, etc. You can be sure that any stone he vouches for will be the right one (by the way, he was trained by GIA). I feel confident in saying this because he could have sold me more expensive stones, but turned them down because they were not "brilliant" enough... even though they had the right GIA papers.

Trust me now, thank me later - this guy really knows his stuff. Additionally, he is a broker for Superbcert.com diamonds, which I think are the best in the world in terms of brilliance vs. value.

email me at [email protected] if you want any more info on this guy anonomously.

 

[ready]

Thanks, I just sent you an email.

 

[jetcaptain]

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On 12/7/2002 9:05:06 AM

THIS IS EASY....


D/FW Diamonds. go their website www.dfwdiamonds.com

I dont work there, or get anything out of referring people there. But I just went through them this month for my diamond. The owner, Mike, is a bit of an industry watch-dog. He is very very honest and helpful. He is a certified gemologist with a Brilliance Scope onsite so that diamonds can be compared objectively. He also has a firescope and other tools for evaluating.

I was incredibly pleased with the experience. I would check out the website, and stop by to see him. They are in the shopping center at Tollway and Beltline in Addison (SE corner).

Believe me, I looked around a lot in Dallas, and this is your best overall deal.
----------------

Is D/FW Diamonds really the best overall deal in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Your post made me curious, so I contacted them yesterday. Mike responded promptly. The diamond he offered was the same color and clarity as the one at First People's, and .04 ct smaller. His price was $1,700 HIGHER. An alternate choice that was two color grades higher but one clarity grade lower, and .03 ct smaller, was $2,100 HIGHER. But my situation is somewhat unique, since the diamond at First People's was originally uncertified. I'm certain that D/FW Diamonds is a great place to shop--you obviously did your homework and shopped around for the best deal you could find, which is what anyone looking for a diamond should do. But D/FW Diamonds may not always be the best overall deal. My recommendation is to shop around, and make it plain to the sellers that you are doing so. Reputable vendors aren't threatened by legitimate competition.

 

[jtrichel]

Yes it IS your overall best deal. You need to get beyond clarity, color and certification papers if you are wanting to take your buying experience to a new level around cut.

In your post, you mentioned color and clarity only. While those attributes are important, they are only the very tippy tip of the ice berg.

A stone that is 2 clarity grades less may be much more expensive because it has EX EX symmetry and polish, a table between 55-57%, and a depth between 60.5% - 61.7%, register all very high on the brilliance scope.

For some, they do not need to elevate the buying experience to this level, but if you are wanting the most beautiful stone for the $$$, then you should.

 

[jetcaptain]

----------------
On 12/8/2002 9:58:15 AM

Yes it IS your overall best deal. You need to get beyond clarity, color and certification papers if you are wanting to take your buying experience to a new level around cut.

In your post, you mentioned color and clarity only. While those attributes are important, they are only the very tippy tip of the ice berg.

A stone that is 2 clarity grades less may be much more expensive because it has EX EX symmetry and polish, a table between 55-57%, and a depth between 60.5% - 61.7%, register all very high on the brilliance scope.

For some, they do not need to elevate the buying experience to this level, but if you are wanting the most beautiful stone for the $$$, then you should.
----------------

Okay, you are entitled to your opinion. I certainly don't disagree that there is much more to a diamond decision than carat weight, clarity, and color. I only provided these particular parameters in my comparison because that is all Mike gave me in his e-mailed response to my inquiry. He never even mentioned cut! But even the "experts" can't agree on a definition for a perfectly cut fancy shape. There are some guidelines available that seem to work much of the time, but sometimes a diamond that should look great doesn't, and another that shouldn't look as good actually looks great. In my opinion, extensive information on angles and percentages doesn't elevate the buying experience, only the price. The bottom line is this--either the diamond looks great or it doesn't, and THAT is what is important. You are certainly welcome to spend your money however you see fit. But your advice to the person that started this thread seems to be to go only to D/FW Diamonds, and I think this is lousy advice. Although you keep claiming that D/FW Diamonds is the best overall deal in the D/FW area, you can't know for certain. Sometimes it might be; other times you might get a better deal elsewhere. The only way to know is to shop around, which is my advice. I am not trying to promote any particular vendor, or brick and mortar stores over internet retailers. I have related my personal experience only as an example of the point I am trying to make. Shop around!

 

[jtrichel]

You misunderstand my posts. I am not trying to push DFW diamonds or any other Internet or brick and mortar shop. And I actually agree violently with you that at the end of the day, it is all about how brilliant the stone looks to the buyer... not a piece of paper. So I dont think we are in disagreement at all. You should definitely shop around too before buying... but for myself, I like to learn from others who have done the shopping already.

Based on what I have seen with my eyes, I have some distinct opinions now. That is what this board is for - to share them. I shopped and shopped and shopped and liked what I found at DFW diamonds, so I am going to let people know to help save them time.

And I still believe it is all about cut. Show me a stone on paper that is a branded super-ideal, hearts and arrows, with excellent polish and symmetry, table 55-57%, depth 60.5-61.7%, no flouresence, the appropriate pavillion angles, very high scores on a brilliance scope and no light leakage on a firescope, with good HCA results..... and it would be VERY difficult for that to be anything but a beautiful diamond if color at H or higher and clarity at SI1 or higher. To me, that is just a fact based on what I have seen when shopping stones. So, I think you can make some judgement based on what you see on paper to narrow down choices.

Again, just my opinion. I am not a diamond expert... just an enlightened buyer that now believes color and clarity have far less to do with diamond brilliance than the cut specifics.