Seeking Advice...

[Ryans67]

I''m trying to pick out an e-ring and finding myself a little frustrated with the local jewelry stores. After doing my own research and finding this site, I figured I''d get your guys opinion on a diamond. My issue is trying to compare the local stores diamond with what I''ve found at online vendors. The ring I picked out is at Jared''s (If anyones familiar...) and I''ve yet to find a comparable one anywhere. The diamond there that fits my specifications is from there peerless collection, which is their ''top of the line''. Its a princess cut, 1.5c, H, vs2, and the report was AGS and it was graded (0); they want $15,100 for it. Online im finding diamonds that seem better but are GIA graded ideal, with better color/clarity/polish/symmetry with a significantly better price. Such as this one http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1109851.asp. Im a little nervous about buying one online, given that I only have 3 weeks to work with and cant afford any issues. Am I missing something that makes the two different? Any ideas on a similar diamond in the sub 12K range that is in the 1.5+c range? Thanks for any advice, I appreciate it! -Ryan

 

[neatfreak]

Hows this one for you? It will be almost sub $10,000 with the pricescope discount! And it is exactly the same as the Jared one in terms of specs (except the clarity which is BETTER here). (If you pay by bankwire, you get a discount)

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-59367.htm#

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 11/30/2007 6:48:14 PM
Author: neatfreak
Hows this one for you? It will be almost sub $10,000 with the pricescope discount! And it is exactly the same as the Jared one in terms of specs (except the clarity which is BETTER here). (If you pay by bankwire, you get a discount)

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-59367.htm#

This is an AGS0 stone with better clarity for $9949 with the discount. I wouldn''t even consider the one at Jared. It is WAY overpriced!!!

 

[jackie_slone]

Jared''s is a great dealer. I would never buy a diamond online. Would you visit a doctor online???? I want to suggest that if Jareds cant come down on prices head over to Kays or Leroys... Where are you from and they can get you a 1.50 ct Leo sol for 12,999 and then maybe they can get you a deal on it ask when there sale is. PLease keep me posted. You know when you buy from Jared''s or Kays, etc. you get a lifetime warranty and lifetime trade-ins. All you have to do is keep up your inspections. You will never get this online. Also, buying online is hard because it may be a treated diamond. Jared''s carries natural stones only.

 

[hoorray]

Date: 11/30/2007 11:58:45 PM
Author: jackie_slone
Jared''s is a great dealer. I would never buy a diamond online. Would you visit a doctor online???? I want to suggest that if Jareds cant come down on prices head over to Kays or Leroys... Where are you from and they can get you a 1.50 ct Leo sol for 12,999 and then maybe they can get you a deal on it ask when there sale is. PLease keep me posted. You know when you buy from Jared''s or Kays, etc. you get a lifetime warranty and lifetime trade-ins. All you have to do is keep up your inspections. You will never get this online. Also, buying online is hard because it may be a treated diamond. Jared''s carries natural stones only.

I pretty much disagree with everything this poster says. (That''s what makes America great... Over the past few years, DH & I have spent a fair amount of $$ through online vendors, and do it partly because we can get good deals through them, but more so because we can get great quality and service through them. Do a little surfing and searching here to bring yourself up to speed with the process of how to buy safely online, with a solid guarantee of satisfaction. It''s important to know how to ensure that you are getting what you are told you are getting whether you are buying in person at a B&M or online. It takes a trained eye to know what you are seeing in the particulars of diamonds that control the prices, so there are some simple things you can do to help validate that a stone is worth what you are paying. Online or in person isn''t the issue.

 

[jackie_slone]

Exactly right...It takes a trained eye to know what you are looking for in a diamond. You have three weeks for purchasing,sizing, and presenting. No time to mess around you should be able to get a 1.50 ct Pc Leo or some 1.50 from anywher for 11,700. Awesome quality, and prices. Also, buy local and ensure that you will get the service that you need, and use a scope and you will see obvious flaws.

 

[vslover]

Having viewed Leo diamonds in person, I wouldn''t necessarily recommend them.

 

[jackie_slone]

Why not the Leo?

 

[gontama]

Date: 11/30/2007 11:58:45 PM
Author: jackie_slone
Jared''s is a great dealer. I would never buy a diamond online. Would you visit a doctor online???? I want to suggest that if Jareds cant come down on prices head over to Kays or Leroys... Where are you from and they can get you a 1.50 ct Leo sol for 12,999 and then maybe they can get you a deal on it ask when there sale is. PLease keep me posted. You know when you buy from Jared''s or Kays, etc. you get a lifetime warranty and lifetime trade-ins. All you have to do is keep up your inspections. You will never get this online. Also, buying online is hard because it may be a treated diamond. Jared''s carries natural stones only.

I have nothing negative about the said vendor (I just do not know about it). And that is great you are a very happy customer there and you have no need to consider on-line vendors. Perfectly fine.

However, you are wrong when you say one will never get online what she can can get from the said vendor. The abovementioned on-line vendors (JA/WF) are very reputable backed by thousands of completely satisfied customers some of who may loudly say they would only consider on-line vendors. Inpsection on stones by an expert, life-time warranty and trade-up policy are not anything special there either. Some of they may even warn that not buying online is hard because it may just be a dog, color / clarity enhanced with no such information provided. It may also be accompanied with a "certificate" with excellent color/clarity grade that others just disagree. The abovementioned on-line vendors will never ever sell treated diamonds as far as I know. If they do (and that is fine), they will never hide the fact. I would prefer making a phone call to a true professional 1000 miles away to just going to see a near by idiot who ofen mistreats patients.

 

[jackie_slone]

Wow hot topic. Just joined this site. In regards to online buying. I should say that someone in a time crunch like the man who posted this original msg should not buy online. He does not have the time for error. I have bought online diamonds. I was so excited to get my 1 ct stone for 1500.00 how cheap! It came in looking terrible. This was going to be a gift for my mom. Turned out I could return it and I did but I had to go to a local jeweler and get what I wanted to have it in time. If time is this mans issue and prices. Give me this one. He is not as seasoned buyer. Buy local ,once he knows more then he can try to buy online for his next occassion. He can get the price he is comfortable with if he negotiates.

 

[gontama]

Date: 12/1/2007 12:44:47 AM
Author: jackie_slone
Wow hot topic. Just joined this site. In regards to online buying. I should say that someone in a time crunch like the man who posted this original msg should not buy online. He does not have the time for error. I have bought online diamonds. I was so excited to get my 1 ct stone for 1500.00 how cheap! It came in looking terrible. This was going to be a gift for my mom. Turned out I could return it and I did but I had to go to a local jeweler and get what I wanted to have it in time. If time is this mans issue and prices. Give me this one. He is not as seasoned buyer. Buy local ,once he knows more then he can try to buy online for his next occassion. He can get the price he is comfortable with if he negotiates.

The OP is seeking for suggestions after having get frustrated with the local jewelry stores. I must say that someone in a time crunch should solicit as many valuable opinions as possible here before spendng a lot of money. We are just seeing 50% price difference here already between the vendor you recommend and other on-line vendors. I see absolutely no reason to buy from the said vendor.

Sorry for your bad experience. But your comments were rather dangerous to those who do not have much experience. Buying at a B&M is perfectly fine and it has own merit. And buying on-line is no less at least, and often much better, as a matter of fact.

 

[jackie_slone]

And what do you presume the buyer do if the diamond comes in of lesser quality or does not meet his expectations.He may be happy he may not. Sounds like buyer is specific about what he wants which is good for online buying but what about the what if''s . This could ruin his entire engagement plans. I am talking about turn-around time. Do you have a vested intrest with online diamond buying???

 

[gontama]

Date: 12/1/2007 1:01:34 AM
Author: jackie_slone
And what do you presume the buyer do if the diamond comes in of lesser quality or does not meet his expectations.He may be happy he may not. Sounds like buyer is specific about what he wants which is good for online buying but what about the what if''s . This could ruin his entire engagement plans. I am talking about turn-around time. Do you have a vested intrest with online diamond buying???

I am just one of those satisfied who purchased on-line. No more no less. I need to clarify. When I say on-line vendors, I mean those vendors that are well recognized here. B&M is fine. After having difficulty with local stores already however, chances are that she/he can get a better (price, quality) stone on-line. It takes one to two days to get a stone on-line (once fund is transferred). If you do not like it you can certainly return. Before getting one you can discuss in detail with the vendor. Turn-around time - lets us make the OP decide. But I dobut it is going to be a problem.

 

[jackie_slone]

well i am not familiar with you abbreviations help me out. who is a good online vendor bc i certainly cannot make the recommendation. Have you ever seen a Leo diamond. My husband got me a 2ct sol and it is fantastic. I had the 1.50 leo pc before i traded up. I got my 1.5 for 11,700. I realize it is not cost but it is comparable priced to many other large box retailers.I would love for him to give the LEO Diamond a look. Go to Leo Schachtner.com (all one work) then go look online. Just take a look I love my diamond and everyone else does too.

 

[gontama]

Date: 12/1/2007 1:24:29 AM
Author: jackie_slone
well i am not familiar with you abbreviations help me out. who is a good online vendor bc i certainly cannot make the recommendation. Have you ever seen a Leo diamond. My husband got me a 2ct sol and it is fantastic. I had the 1.50 leo pc before i traded up. I got my 1.5 for 11,700. I realize it is not cost but it is comparable priced to many other large box retailers.I would love for him to give the LEO Diamond a look. Go to Leo Schachtner.com (all one work) then go look online. Just take a look I love my diamond and everyone else does too.

I am not qualified to list all good vendors. But WF and JA are very good.

I haven not seen Leo diamond. I believe you that these proprietry cut diamonds are better than "average" stones. It may be a very nice looking stone.

They use BS to demonstrate light return. For round, the score does not look any better than top H&A you see, for example, at goodoldgold.com. If it were with extra facets, I am under the impression that Solasfera outperforms all the way.

For princess, I cannot comment on that. Those who wants the Leo look, it is the only option. Otherwise, it is worth considering princess stones from on-line vendors like the above 2. You can also look for inventory at Infinity who also makes a really nice princess. Goodoldgold also has top level princess. If you like "square" stone, You can also consider Princess of Hearts or Square Hearts and Arrow both of which are offered from GOG.

http://www.craftedbyinfinity.com
http://www.goodoldgold.com/
http://www.whiteflash.com/
http://www.jamesallen.com/

 

[Kay]

Date: 11/30/2007 6:48:14 PM
Author: neatfreak
Hows this one for you? It will be almost sub $10,000 with the pricescope discount! And it is exactly the same as the Jared one in terms of specs (except the clarity which is BETTER here). (If you pay by bankwire, you get a discount)

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-59367.htm#

Neatfreak found you a very nice AGS 0 diamond for around $10,000.

I also really like the looks of this one from Good Old Gold: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/pr1574gvs1/
It is 1.574ct G VS1 AGS 0 "IDEAL" CUT for $14,386 ($13,900 if you pay by wire transfer rather than credit card). So it has the same fabulous cut as the AGS 0 at Jared''s, but it is larger and 1 color grade and 1 clarity grade better for less money.

 

[Kay]

Date: 12/1/2007 12:44:47 AM
Author: jackie_slone
Wow hot topic. Just joined this site. In regards to online buying. I should say that someone in a time crunch like the man who posted this original msg should not buy online. He does not have the time for error. I have bought online diamonds. I was so excited to get my 1 ct stone for 1500.00 how cheap! It came in looking terrible. This was going to be a gift for my mom. Turned out I could return it and I did but I had to go to a local jeweler and get what I wanted to have it in time. If time is this mans issue and prices. Give me this one. He is not as seasoned buyer. Buy local ,once he knows more then he can try to buy online for his next occassion. He can get the price he is comfortable with if he negotiates.

I''m sorry, but I can''t give you this one. I am sorry you had a bad experience buying online (you did not say from whom), but quite frankly you cannot expect much if you pay $1,500 for a 1 carat stone. Buying an AGS or GIA certified diamond from a reputable online vendor for a good (but not ridiculously low) price is a very different scenario. Many of the vendors provide a lot of information (brilliancescope, ideal scope, sarin) so that customers can evaluate the quality of the stone''s cut before they order. Plus, an AGS 0 ideal cut is going to be a beautifully cut stone no matter who sells it.

The 4 vendors that Gontama recommended all have excellent reputations here on PS. I have seen many glowing reviews for them in the 4 years I have been on PS. My diamond came from Whiteflash (WF) and is stunning. I got frustrated dealing with local stores who could not tell me enough information about cut quality or could not bring in stones that met my requirements. My rock cost $2,000 less than the best stone I saw locally, which was smaller, a worse cut and lower color. I have since referred 2 colleagues (who admired my ring) to WF, and they are very satisfied.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/1/2007 12:44:47 AM
Author: jackie_slone
Wow hot topic. Just joined this site. In regards to online buying. I should say that someone in a time crunch like the man who posted this original msg should not buy online. He does not have the time for error. I have bought online diamonds. I was so excited to get my 1 ct stone for 1500.00 how cheap! It came in looking terrible. This was going to be a gift for my mom. Turned out I could return it and I did but I had to go to a local jeweler and get what I wanted to have it in time. If time is this mans issue and prices. Give me this one. He is not as seasoned buyer. Buy local ,once he knows more then he can try to buy online for his next occassion. He can get the price he is comfortable with if he negotiates.

Hi Jackie, and welcome!

As the others have pointed out, one can indeed get an outstanding stone online, and in very short order many times. The one neatfreak posted is a great example. There are many of us who have experienced the benefits of buying online from reputable dealers. We did our homework, and learned what to look for.

Stick around and listen to/see the testamonials, maybe read the advanced tutorial section up at the top of the page under knowlege, and see what I mean.

 

[coach_x+]

So let me get this straight, he would be better off over paying for less quality because he is in a hurry?

I completely disagree, this is a very large purchase and IMHO make sure you are getting the best bang for the buck while getting the best quality.

I went into a nicer jewelry store that was considered the "BEST" in town. They wanted $4,100 for a setting my GF wanted, I ended up going back looking closely at the ring finding the designer and found the EXACT ring online for $1,600. I then went back to try and talk them down, and they came down a whooping $500. I''ve talked to some of the top online vendors and lets just say....they were not like a sleesy saleman, I ended up going w/ Mark at ERD because he was

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/1/2007 7:35:52 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 12/1/2007 12:44:47 AM
Author: jackie_slone
Wow hot topic. Just joined this site. In regards to online buying. I should say that someone in a time crunch like the man who posted this original msg should not buy online. He does not have the time for error. I have bought online diamonds. I was so excited to get my 1 ct stone for 1500.00 how cheap! It came in looking terrible. This was going to be a gift for my mom. Turned out I could return it and I did but I had to go to a local jeweler and get what I wanted to have it in time. If time is this mans issue and prices. Give me this one. He is not as seasoned buyer. Buy local ,once he knows more then he can try to buy online for his next occassion. He can get the price he is comfortable with if he negotiates.

Hi Jackie, and welcome!

As the others have pointed out, one can indeed get an outstanding stone online, and in very short order many times. The one neatfreak posted is a great example. There are many of us who have experienced the benefits of buying online from reputable dealers. We did our homework, and learned what to look for.

Stick around and listen to/see the testamonials, maybe read the advanced tutorial section up at the top of the page under knowlege, and see what I mean.

Ditto Ellen. Also many of the online vendors have an excellent return policy, so if in rare instances the customer doesn't like the diamond, they can send it back easily. Also I have to agree with some of the other posters, if you bought a 1 carat diamond for 1500, I am not surprised you weren't pleased with it....

Stick around if you are interested, read the tutorial above and see how it works here, and also all the very happy folk with their stunning diamonds who have bought them online.

 

[sheena]

Buying jewelry online is not easy because you need to know if the jewelry your going to buy is in real quality or fits your selection. Why not try to buy jewelry near the jewelry shop and ask the jeweler or the appraiser if it is in right quality.

 

[ang3199]

Date: 12/1/2007 8:19:47 AM
Author: coach_x+
So let me get this straight, he would be better off over paying for less quality because he is in a hurry?


I completely disagree, this is a very large purchase and IMHO make sure you are getting the best bang for the buck while getting the best quality.


I went into a nicer jewelry store that was considered the ''BEST'' in town. They wanted $4,100 for a setting my GF wanted, I ended up going back looking closely at the ring finding the designer and found the EXACT ring online for $1,600. I then went back to try and talk them down, and they came down a whooping $500. I''ve talked to some of the top online vendors and lets just say....they were not like a sleesy saleman, I ended up going w/ Mark at ERD because he was

That''s kinda the way I interpreted her post too. Ryan: Go online. Plenty of people have gotten their rings in a short amount of time.

FI and I got my ring from a local jeweler, also family friend, and although it is a gorgeous princess diamond (F, VVS2) we slightly over paid after browsing diamonds the same quality as mine on WF, BN, or JA. It it were up to me I would have gone as low as a J SI2, but FI is a perfectionist.

Good luck! And let the ladies on here help you find a beauty for your beauty!

 

[ang3199]

Date: 12/1/2007 9:35:32 AM
Author: sheena
Buying jewelry online is not easy because you need to know if the jewelry your going to buy is in real quality or fits your selection. Why not try to buy jewelry near the jewelry shop and ask the jeweler or the appraiser if it is in right quality.

I agree and I disagree. If it is a reputable B&M jeweler, go for it, FI and I did. IMHO I would never buy from a mall store, though. Those that shall not be named. I don''t say this to offend anyone, I have seen the stone quality and the grading of the stones they sell in the stores, and the incredibly huge mark-up.

If it a reputable online dealer like WF, GOG, JA, or BN, go for it. These vendors are honest and will tell you if it''s eye clean or not. Plus, its returnable.

The word ''online'' encompasses WAAY more than ebay. Never go ebay, I think we could agree on that!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I would not hesitate to buy from any of the PS vendors mentioned. I have had only the best experiences with them.

 

[Rhea]

Date: 12/1/2007 9:35:32 AM
Author: sheena
Buying jewelry online is not easy because you need to know if the jewelry your going to buy is in real quality or fits your selection. Why not try to buy jewelry near the jewelry shop and ask the jeweler or the appraiser if it is in right quality.

Buying jewellery in general is not easy. To some extent you have to take someone else''s word on it and it''s expensive - which (to me) is stressful. This is why it''s important to buy from a reputable dealer no matter if it''s your local store or online.

There are pros and cons of each way.

Online - you can''t see the actual stone - only photos of it, but they are typically less expensive - which can add up to thousands of dollars.

Local store - you can see the stone - but may or may not be able to see it outside of jewellery lighting conditions which are horrible, but they are typically more expensive.

Online really comes in handy because you can compare all the stats and photos side by side that a local store may not be able to do for you (when is the last time your Kay Jeweler''s allowed you to take a photo through a loupe and was able to tell you all the crown angles?) and if you don''t like the stone when it arrives - after you''ve played with it in various lighting conditions of course - you can return it at only the price of having it shipped back, making it still well worth the substantial discount vs local store to most people and try again.

Once you''ve learned a lot about stones it''s really hard to be happy with the quality that most mall stores (and several local stores) seem to provide.

 

[coach_x+]

Date: 12/1/2007 9:39:36 AM
Author: ang3199

Date: 12/1/2007 8:19:47 AM
Author: coach_x+
So let me get this straight, he would be better off over paying for less quality because he is in a hurry?


I completely disagree, this is a very large purchase and IMHO make sure you are getting the best bang for the buck while getting the best quality.


I went into a nicer jewelry store that was considered the ''BEST'' in town. They wanted $4,100 for a setting my GF wanted, I ended up going back looking closely at the ring finding the designer and found the EXACT ring online for $1,600. I then went back to try and talk them down, and they came down a whooping $500. I''ve talked to some of the top online vendors and lets just say....they were not like a sleesy saleman, I ended up going w/ Mark at ERD because he was

That''s kinda the way I interpreted her post too. Ryan: Go online. Plenty of people have gotten their rings in a short amount of time.

FI and I got my ring from a local jeweler, also family friend, and although it is a gorgeous princess diamond (F, VVS2) we slightly over paid after browsing diamonds the same quality as mine on WF, BN, or JA. It it were up to me I would have gone as low as a J SI2, but FI is a perfectionist.

Good luck! And let the ladies on here help you find a beauty for your beauty!

My GF was TOTALLY against buying online, then I showed her the numbers & quality and after going to about 15 different B&M stores she was disgusted w/ 95% of the salesmanship. It blows me away that some of the B&M stores don''t try harder to make a *DEAL* when they knew I was also looking online. Not one jeweler ever said "I''m the person that will do what it takes to get you what you want" instead it was "we can do 12 months same as cash if you buy it today!" I had to argue with a store that I will only pay cash and they STILL insisted to do it on credit. "Mamm, I have $6,000 cash" Don''t get me started, when a jeweler starts telling you how conduct YOUR finances then you have a problem. LEO, come on when the "higher" stores sell a LEO and the mall stores also sell the same LEO, doesn''t that set off an alarm that a LEO in KAY/Zales is the same at Jareds? Yet they are different in prices? Okay, the final thing, when you go into a store and they take a little device and touch the diamond and it makes an annoying noise and they say "This device lets you know that this is a real diamond" WHAT? Umm.......................thats a "LEO" why do you need to prove to me its not fake? Whoever thought this was good marketing/sales pitch was an idiot, more like cheesy. I mean its a LEOoooooo. (sarcasm)

 

[jackie_slone]

RYAN, you should now have enough information to make an informed decision. Last bit of advice.... go with your gut.

 

[risingsun]

Date: 12/1/2007 12:44:47 AM
Author: jackie_slone
Wow hot topic. Just joined this site. In regards to online buying. I should say that someone in a time crunch like the man who posted this original msg should not buy online. He does not have the time for error. I have bought online diamonds. I was so excited to get my 1 ct stone for 1500.00 how cheap! It came in looking terrible. This was going to be a gift for my mom. Turned out I could return it and I did but I had to go to a local jeweler and get what I wanted to have it in time. If time is this mans issue and prices. Give me this one. He is not as seasoned buyer. Buy local ,once he knows more then he can try to buy online for his next occassion. He can get the price he is comfortable with if he negotiates.

I don''t know what you would expect from a 1 ct stone at this price. It was cheap and looked cheap. If you want to understand the online experience at PS, you should spend some time here becoming educated about the quality of diamonds that we recommend. For more informations about the Leo diamond, you can do a search and read about some of the comments that others have made.

 

[Ryans67]

Thanks for all of the advice. I can agree with others experiences dealing with local stores. I''ve yet to be impressed with any of them. The only one thats been good to me has the highest prices of them all. I think im going to go with the online route just because $5k is a significant amount of money, no matter how its spent. Right now I need to make sure I have someone to mount the stone in the setting. I have to get the setting at Jared''s since its the only one I''ve found that I like. The main issue is no one wants to warranty their work unless I buy their diamond. Total BS that the stone purchase has anything to do with the quality of their work. I also dont understand the huge pressure to use their credit plans instead of cash. They were so adamant that paying with the credit and then immediately paying it off made warranty work better. Sounded fishy.

Also in regards to the Leo diamond talk. Jareds had two Leo collections. The top collection 1.5c princess was about $3k cheaper then the peerless collection. Judging purely off price, I suppose the peerless was better?

 

[dolphingirl22]

Hi Ryan!

I just wanted to say that I just bought a loose diamond online and was very pleased with the diamond and the quality of service. I am fortunate that I have an awesome local jeweler, so I hardly ever venture into a maul store but I have heard the horror stories. Would it be possible for you to describe the setting you like? The wonderful people on PS are great at finding anything online. Maybe we can help you find the setting you like at a pricescope vendor.