where to shop in the bay area, CA

[madvaz]

I plan on heading to a few Diamond and Jewelery stores in the bay area this weekend. I already plan on paying a visit to Derco in Santa Clara. I have tried a few of the places in the malls but I felt they were way to expensive. Are there any other recommended places in the bay area that I should check out? This diamond serching is so stressful! I''m ready to throw down several thousands dollars but yet I always feel like I''m about to get cheated. At least that is how I felt in the mall a few weeks ago.

I''ve been to Shanco (way over price I think), Ben Bridge (not helpful), Crescent, Tiffany (out of my range), and Samuels (did''nt like thier customer service). Any other recommendations in the bay area?

Thanks in advance!

 

[FireGoddess]

You could try the Jewelry Exchange in Redwood City. They have a lot of loose diamonds in the "diamond room."

1286 Oddstad Dr.
Redwood City, California 94063

I haven't been to the new Derco in San Jose, just the one in the SF Jewelry Mart. Please let us know how it is after you go! I got my husband's w-band at the Derco in SF.

 

[ragtop]

hi mad-

when you go to derco, avoid the saleswoman named victoria at all costs. i have friends who are longtime happy customers of the store & have heard lots of other good things about them, but she really gives them a bad name. she tried to tell me that all diamonds are hearts & arrows - "all it is is a special machine, & you look through it to see them"!!!

if you want to see a huge selection of settings, joe escobar''s in campbell is the place to go. they''re friendly, were willing to look at a variety of stones with me, & didn''t try any hard sell tactics.

good luck!

-ragtop

 

[Mara]

Definitely visit Joe Escobar in Campbell, they have tons of settings and alot of great diamonds on hand, staff is very helpful...and they are familiar with the internet and PScope. I love that place!

also I recommend Willow Glen Jewelers (it's got another similar name now) on Lincoln Avenue for some Eightstar eyecandy but it is a small boutique so not too much going on there. They do have a Consignment store next door so they may have some interesting pieces there.

Derco at Santana Row is worth visiting, definitely...also Toppers in Burlinggame has been recommended by a few people as well..they do some custom work as well.

We have a jeweler in Aptos who did my e-ring, Garrett Jewelers, who I highly recommend as well, they have some interesting and unique jewelry pieces and sell alot of A.Jaffe rings and items.

That said...the Jewelry Exchange in Burlinggame? NO WAY! They are the ones who have those horrible cheesy TV ads about a 1c diamond for $499 and 1/2c diamond studs for $199 or something horrible. They remind me of Zales or some other horrible maul store. Maybe their 'diamond room' is where they hide the good stuff but honestly, I would not want to shop with a store that sold $499 1c diamonds regardless of what they have in the good room!

Oh and lastly, don't shop at a maul store for a diamond!! If you are in the market for a diamond, I recommend Joe Escobar as they have some stones in stock, and/or find a jeweler who can call stones in from the virtual engines for you as well. Be sure to go in armed with your criteria and research ANY diamond before purchase, aka come to PS and ask about it. Make sure to get Sarin report with specs and details on the stone. Buy informed.

Good luck!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hi - just thought I would add my own recommendation for Zwillinger & Co in San Francisco. They are in the Phelan Bldg, 760 Market St, on the 8th floor. There is a woman who works there named Barbara who is a graduate gemologist/geologist, and she really knows her stuff, will not try a hard sell, and will really take the time to look at different shapes, sizes, colors, clarity etc... with you. She also used to be an appraiser for a living, so she is very good at giving you an honest opinion on stuff. She took me through all the clarity grades I was considering under a microscope, which I really appreciated as a science graduate student, and laid out lots of different colors, sizes, etc... for me to see next to each other to compare. The people there are all very nice and very willing to work within your budget and specifications (when we first came in we though we wouldn''t be able to pay for my ring for 6 months and they were willing to put it on layaway, no interest, and we could change our minds at any time). Also, they have none of that "Jeweler''s lighting" but have natural light in the store and especially in the stone viewing area, which really helps you know exactly what you are getting. Their prices are very fair, IMO - we got our 1.12 ct G Si1 diamond (I will be posting pics hopefully in a few days, depends on when bf proposes...) for a price that was pretty comparable to internet - maybe slightly over, but it was worth it to me to have someone who took such time and effort making sure I understood everything, knew exactly what I was getting, and showed me lots of different options and also someone who really looked around for what I wanted in both the stone and the setting as well as other items we asked about.

Best of luck in your diamond search, and if you do end up going tell them that Rebecca and Jamie sent you - I think we have probably been in there a dozen times just to get this diamond for my e-ring right!

 

[FireGoddess]

That said...the Jewelry Exchange in Burlinggame? NO WAY! They are the ones who have those horrible cheesy TV ads about a 1c diamond for $499 and 1/2c diamond studs for $199 or something horrible. They remind me of Zales or some other horrible maul store. Maybe their ''diamond room'' is where they hide the good stuff but honestly, I would not want to shop with a store that sold $499 1c diamonds regardless of what they have in the good room!

You absolutely cannot purchase any diamonds from them that are not in the loose diamond area...the cheapy deals are literally crap in a mounting, but they do have some nice loose stones in the back room, which is where they deal strictly with diamonds. Caveat emptor, but there are nice stones to be had there.

 

[madvaz]

thanks guys..I will make sure to hit up Derco and Joe Escobar. OH and I do plan on staying away from the malls stores.

 

[Regular Guy]

Madvaz,

You may find this page helpful.

 

[madvaz]

Well I check out Derco in Santa Clara and unlucky me i got stuck with Victoira

I did not find her helpful at all and I felt like she did'nt take me serious. After showing me a few diamonds the prices seems ok. Overall I felt like I was in this LA upcale place. I think if I had somebody else helping me out, I would have probably have a better overall visit..but i agree with the person who says stay away from Victoria....

I check out Joe escobar and I must admit I came away very impress..got some free coke and water on top of that! Prices looked fair, was not force to anything. Thanks guys for recommending this place.

I was curious to know if anybody knew if Joe Escobar did any price matching to online vendor such as Blue nile?

 

[CareBear]

I''ve been to Derco in Santa Clara. First time I got stuck with Victoria. She knows absolutely nothing. I was so annoyed and frustrated. Second time, we spoke to Tom. He was a lot more knowledgible. I would just do a search online at their website www.dercodiamonds.com and if you find one that you like, call up the store and ask for Tom.
If you don''t find anything you like on their website, you won''t find it in the store