Which vendor?

[blurrblurr]

Hi all

I am from Singapore hunting for diamonds in internet hoping to get a better deal.
True that I can get 100% better deal if compare to the local jewerlly shop here.

I had a big headache now I came across
Goodoldgold.com
Diamondideas.com
Whiteflash.com
Dirtcheapdiamond.com

My findings are these 4 site are most recommended. However price for Goodoldgold is more on the high side while Dirtcheapdiamond is on the lowest. How about the quanlity? are they the same if compared? What make the price such a big difference.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Date: 3/8/2005 4

1

9 AM
Author:blurrblurr
Hi all

I am from Singapore hunting for diamonds in internet hoping to get a better deal.
True that I can get 100% better deal if compare to the local jewerlly shop here.

I had a big headache now I came across
Goodoldgold.com
Diamondideas.com
Whiteflash.com
Dirtcheapdiamond.com

My findings are these 4 site are most recommended. However price for Goodoldgold is more on the high side while Dirtcheapdiamond is on the lowest. How about the quanlity? are they the same if compared? What make the price such a big difference.

Hi blurrblurr:

I particularly like WF and GOG. I am a past customer from both vendors so I can attest to the quality of their diamonds and the excellent customer service I have received from both companies.

Tomatoe who lives in Singapore also has purchased from GOG and I believe WF. Maybe she can shed some light on her experiences since both of you have the commonality of being from the same country..

When comparing service I would compare product and quality of services. Both are way up there in my book.

Jonathan sells un-branded Hearts & Arrows diamonds and WF sells branded hearts and arrows diamonds. Both vendors sell and have the availability to any shape diamond you might fancy.

GOG is more of a techy guy with a large plethera of evaluation tools and access to many different brands of diamonds (jubilee,solfera,Queen of Hearts, etc....) Jonathan stocks his stones in house and can get you stones to your liking which they might not have.

WF also stocks their own diamonds and also sells branded ACA Hearts & Arrows diamonds. They also sell fancy cuts and any other shape your heart could desire. They also post blown up photos, sarin data, and idealscope photo''s. You can also talk to Brian Gavin who is the cutter for the most in depth insight with a particular diamond.

Both vendors are very well regarded and very well liked. I would prioritize what your in the market for..Talk with both vendors and see which one appeals to you and go from there. picking a vendor is a personal choice and I have been happy with both.

What kind of diamond are you in the market for?

 

[strmrdr]

Jost pretty much covered it.
When you compare apples to apples GOG and whiteflash are pretty much in the same price class on super-ideal h&a diamonds.
They just get there different ways.
Dcd plays a little bit in the super-ideal territory but most of there inhouse stuff is one notch down the ladder and their virtual drop ship diamonds which are the lowest price are further down the cut/quality ladder with a few exceptions.

 

[bar01]

You should do very well with the vendors listed - along with others often discussed here on PS.

I would say you should first check to see who has the diamonds and settings you want. Remember to use HCA and AGA as part of your diamond selection process. Also do compare prices.

Second - and this is important - I think you should see who really wants your business. A few emails and or phone calls will reveal those with quick(er) reponses, information, and suggestions - a seller who wants you as a customer.

I am a whiteflash customer. I think the quality of their diamonds and custom settings are outstanding. Very competitive prices too. Friendly people. I am so very pleased with the e-ring we got. I recommend them. That said however, my only concern with WF is still with me - reinforced again recently - I felt like I had to pursue them and their business. Perhaps with a high quality, reputable vendor (like WF) who is up to their armpits in work - this will happen sometimes.

Check the various vendors inventory, use the cut tools, compare prices and buying policies - then make some calls and emails and see who impresses you.

 

[windowshopper]

hi
i purchased a 3 carat emerald cut from Dirt Cheap Diamonds after searching for several months and talking with many vendors. I found they had the best prices and I found more stones that had the right cut parameters. I couldnt be more pleased and I spent quite a bit of money.

 

[flee12]

Hi,

I''m from S''pore too. Just bought a diamond from WF, I''m very pleased with the quality of the stone but I don''t seem to get all my questions answered thru email, maybe phone calls would be a better way of communication?

 

[windowshopper]

also--whiteflash seems to mainly focus on rounds of very high quality........................i think they are probably the bets for a round but not necessarily for fancies

 

[strmrdr]

Good point windowshopper GOG rules when it comes to cuts other than h&a rounds with the widest selection and most shapes.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Date: 3/8/2005 10:58:41 AM
Author: windowshopper
also--whiteflash seems to mainly focus on rounds of very high quality........................i think they are probably the bets for a round but not necessarily for fancies

I would tend to respectfully disagree windowshopper

I respect your opinion, but have seen the many testomonials on this sight from people who have purchased fancy-shapes like princess, radiant, Asscher, marquise, oval etc.. all from Whiteflash.

I think one thing to keep in mind is most the vendors here have created a "niche" in the on-line market, but have access or stock many different varieties of diamonds.

Just wanted to point this out to you...

Take a look at the show me the ring thread and you will find many happy WF customers who have bought a fancy shape diamond. Again I don't want to seem like I am harping on you Window, but I just wanted to try to clear a little generilizing when you state "i think they are probably the best for rounds but not necessarily fancies"

 

[blurrblurr]

so beside windowshopper any on else trade with dirtcheapdiamond before? I found my diamond with them most properbly will get from them as they offer the cheapest among the rest.

Flee12:
Is there any tax or other charges if I want to ship diamond back Singapore? Which bank has better FX rate?

 

[Hest88]

I''ve never bought anything from dirtcheapdiamonds, but they do have a good reputation and many people have been happy with them. They know what a good diamond looks like and they can provide you with a Sarin and some of the other info that the others provide.

 

[windowshopper]

Date: 3/8/2005 11:27:44 AM
Author: Colored Gemstone Nut

Date: 3/8/2005 10:58:41 AM
Author: windowshopper
also--whiteflash seems to mainly focus on rounds of very high quality........................i think they are probably the bets for a round but not necessarily for fancies

I would tend to respectfully disagree windowshopper

I respect your opinion, but have seen the many testomonials on this sight from people who have purchased fancy-shapes like princess, radiant, Asscher, marquise, oval etc.. all from Whiteflash.

I think one thing to keep in mind is most the vendors here have created a ''niche'' in the on-line market, but have access or stock many different varieties of diamonds.

Just wanted to point this out to you...

Take a look at the show me the ring thread and you will find many happy WF customers who have bought a fancy shape diamond. Again I don''t want to seem like I am harping on you Window, but I just wanted to try to clear a little generilizing when you state ''i think they are probably the best for rounds but not necessarily fancies''

not at all and you may be right BUT--it seems that most times when people are looking for rounds they seem to be dealing with WF. who has a very good selecvtion and seems to focus on that. they have no inventory to sepak of in fancies either........so they are drop shipping all of those as well

 

[pqcollectibles]

Date: 3/8/2005 11:57:23 AM
Author: windowshopper

Date: 3/8/2005 11:27:44 AM
Author: Colored Gemstone Nut

Date: 3/8/2005 10:58:41 AM
Author: windowshopper
also--whiteflash seems to mainly focus on rounds of very high quality........................i think they are probably the bets for a round but not necessarily for fancies

I would tend to respectfully disagree windowshopper

I respect your opinion, but have seen the many testomonials on this sight from people who have purchased fancy-shapes like princess, radiant, Asscher, marquise, oval etc.. all from Whiteflash.

I think one thing to keep in mind is most the vendors here have created a ''niche'' in the on-line market, but have access or stock many different varieties of diamonds.

Just wanted to point this out to you...

Take a look at the show me the ring thread and you will find many happy WF customers who have bought a fancy shape diamond. Again I don''t want to seem like I am harping on you Window, but I just wanted to try to clear a little generilizing when you state ''i think they are probably the best for rounds but not necessarily fancies''

not at all and you may be right BUT--it seems that most times when people are looking for rounds they seem to be dealing with WF. who has a very good selecvtion and seems to focus on that. they have no inventory to sepak of in fancies either........so they are drop shipping all of those as well

WF is not a drop shipper. If an individual contacts them about a Virtual list diamond, WF will do further investigation with the broker of the stone. If the diamond sounds good to them, WF will have the diamond shipped to them for a complete evaluation. Once the diamond has met their standards, WF will offer the diamond to the prospective client, only after they have seen the diamond themselves.

You are correct that WF tends to offer more rounds, in stock, on hand. But WF does stock Princess cuts and Asschers in their Expert Selection on a regular basis. And I''ve also seen posts where people have bought Pear and other shaped cuts from them as well.

 

[icekid]

Date: 3/8/2005 4:58:51 PM
Author: pqcollectibles

WF is not a drop shipper. If an individual contacts them about a Virtual list diamond, WF will do further investigation with the broker of the stone. If the diamond sounds good to them, WF will have the diamond shipped to them for a complete evaluation. Once the diamond has met their standards, WF will offer the diamond to the prospective client, only after they have seen the diamond themselves.

ohhhhh ok, i didn''t know quite what the difference was before. THANKS

and on that note, do you know which of the popular ps vendors ARE drop shippers? we''re going to start looking seriously for a cushion soon, and it seems ridiculous to keep sending for stones when the vendor doesn''t know what they look like. what vendors would be able to send pictures of a prospective stone? only those who stock the particular stone, or also those who are not drop shipping?

 

[moremoremore]

Don''t forget about Mark (engagementringsdirect)...No bells. No whistles. Just really good stones, honest opinions, and great super fast service!

 

[YoungPapa]

icekid,

Every vendor who participates and/or advertises on Pricescope (except for maybe Bluenile) should be more than willing to bring in and further analyze any diamond you're seriously considering. While shipping diamonds around the US can be a costly endevour for any internet diamond company, it's a cost that most of us our willing to cover in the same of customer service.

With that said, however, your vendor will be able to find out quite a bit of information BEFORE the diamond is ever shipped in. While we may not have the diamonds sitting in front of us, that doesn't mean that we're not asking lots of hard questions to our suppliers! Cushions are in a class by themselves and are the hardest to buy "sight-unseen". Even with a cushion though a good vendor can make sure the diamond is eye-clean, get a good descriptive review from the supplier, and make sure the diamond meets all of the other quality requirements of the client.

Enjoy your search for a cushion! It's a beautiful shape thats making a great comeback in 2005!

 

[flee12]

Hi blurrblurr,

There is a USD60 shipping fee and you have to pay 5% gst. I used DBS, think they offer a good rate.

 

[blurrblurr]

Thanks flee

Wow I can''t believe it! those vendors which I had mention earlier are really great dealers. Always keep me updated on the stuff I want. Now I really cannot decide who to get from. Worried that they would get

if I did not get anything from them after so many emails. My head is really spinning. Whose diamond the best!

 

[tomatoe]

Josh (& anyone else reading this thread): Just to clarify a point, I have only bought once from an online vendor, GoodOldGold aka GOG. Anything else of mine on here has been purchased locally.

Thanks!

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 3/8/2005 11:57:23 AM
Author: windowshopper

They (Whiteflash) have no inventory to sepak of in fancies either........so they are drop shipping all of those as well

I''m not sure where your information is coming from on this, but I do have to point out this is incorrect information for two reasons.

1. They DO in fact have fancies in their inventory.....a quick check of "Expert Selection" stones will bear that out. Whether or not you would call their inventory "extensive", it''s a misstatement to say *all* of their fancies are "virtual" inventory stones. They DO have some inhouse.

2. Whiteflash is emphatically NOT a "drop-shipper".

Confusion around this issue (drop-shipping/virtual inventory) seems rampant lately. Virtual stones and drop shipping do not mean the same thing, and they are not interchangable phrases.

Virtual inventory means that stones aren''t in the possession/physical inventory of the vendor but can be purchased through that vendor. That''s *all* it means.

Drop shipping means that a vendor sells a stone without ever laying eyes on it....that it is shipped directly from the vendor''s supplier to the vendor''s customer.

Whiteflash does offer stones for sale that they don''t own (virtual inventory), but they NEVER drop-ship. If you purchase a stone from Whiteflash that is part of their virtual inventory, they bring the stone in and inspect it. Once it passes inspection, it is then sent to the customer.

The distinction is this: all stones that are drop-shipped are "virtual inventory", but NOT all virtual inventory stones are drop-shipped.

 

[Regular Guy]

Buying a diamond ring is both emotional, and rational.

- I can be and have been a whiner about nits of customer service, and fit&finish
- My experience did motivate me to prepare these shopping hints
- and consistent with them, I'm in agreement with many who have written here already, particularly Storm, and I've developed a particular appreciation for White Flash over time.

But, and despite three previous diamond purchases, I've only once purchased on-line, and it was with Jim Shultz at DCD, aka DirtCheapDiamonds.

I understand that each vendor here, for some of them, they have sometimes unique relationships with the distributors they work with, such that, for some of them, a given vendor is the only one who will be able to represent diamonds for the given distributor. And this is independant from those diamonds only in-house, and visible (or not) on the search by cut database....and accordingly, they may be in the quick search database.

When I bought my wife's replacement engagement ring last summer (it's our money now!) I felt I could only conscionably go so high. The one option I did find in the quick search (actually, I tracked it in DCD's database, quite a nice one, and only later found it was also uniquely with DCD in the Quick search) that I felt I could go forward with was from DCD, and no other vendor did offer it. Also, looking on line again today, the only other option I would obviously want to consider in it's place and go forward with would cost more than twice what I paid with DCD.

An e-mail to Jim the day I saw it (and I'd never been in touch with their office previously) asking them to hold it for me produced a follow up note the same day, saying: sure.

Just last night, my wife remarked how recently, a supermarket checker took her hand, and commented on the beauty of her ring, and that never once had she received that kind of response from the original e-ring I had given her and she had worn for the previous 15 years (although it did have the same other ostensible qualities...G, VS2, and the original was slightly larger, at just over a carat.

Zukerman's advice today is in terms of standard deviations...

- going with any internet vendor here will put you beyond 1 standard deviation from the mean.
- when you go with whichever vendor, use the HCA to check, and be assured you'll go beyond 2 standard deviations
- to go beyond 3 standard deviations...you can do it, but you may have to pay more, narrow your vendor search, and it's tbd as to your ability to clearly know the difference. Clearly, the value in going from 2 - 3 standard deviations would have to be studied somewhat closely before you decide to do it.

I frequently give Jim at DCD a hard time on this board...but...I do think the result was remarkable...and depending on circumstances, I'd certainly closely consider working with him again.

With best wishes,

 

[solange]

We bought a 4.10 stone from Whiteflash and were very pleased with the service and the excellent value.

The stone we bought was not in Whiteflash''s inventory nor was it on the multiple listing. Pricescope vendors get updates on available stones several times a week and many excellent stones do not make it to the multiple list because a vendor has a customer for it as soon as the listing comes in as was the case with my stone.

Vendors probably get overwhelmed with emails and may fall behind in responding. I called several vendors and spoke with them before I had any stones called in. I decided I would stick with one vendor and told Lesley of Whiteflash that I was only going to deal with her. I waited but she found me exactly what I wanted at a terrific price. I think if a vendor knows you are seriously considering buying from them, they may devote more time to finding what you want.

Whiteflash does not drop ship and Brian, the cutter, examines every stone and will discuss it with you at length. I am also under the impression that although some diamond dealers will only permit certain vendors to list their stones on multiple listing, these stones are usually available to any other vendor upon request, unless it is in a vendor''s private inventory.

Whiteflash has a 100% upgrade policy which is a great advantage that many vendors do not offer. Other than that, I am sure you will do well with any of the vendors listed since they are all reputable.Good luck with your purchase.