Appraiser / Cutter / Setter in Toronto

[holepunch]

Hi everyone,
I've been lurking on the site for over a month now reading up and following lots of useful discussions and had almost decided to buy online from WF or another such reputable dealer for an e-ring for my girlfriend of three years.

Now, as a poor university student in Toronto, I had definitely been looking at going small, ~.5 carats, H-J, SI2 or thereabouts, in a simply Tiffany-style 4-prong solitaire setting. But I just learned that I may be able to use a family heirloom stone that may be up to 1 carat (havn't yet seen the stone myself).

So, getting to the point, my question is could people living in the Toronto area point me towards a reputable appraiser first of all? (I've read about Harold Weinstein being a good appraiser; any idea what the cost of an appraisal is?) I'd like to get the stone looked at to see if I'd like to use it as-is, or possibly get it re-cut, to get more closer to an 'ideal' (as I suspect it's not a very good quality cut, at least from the relative I talked to). For that I'd need someone to re-cut it - any suggestions there also? Then there's the setting, has anyone seen nice Tiffany-style settings at local jewelers in Toronto?

I'll post more details about the stone itself once I see it and ask for advice as to whether or not to re-cut, but we'll see I guess.

Sorry to post so many questions at once, but hopefully some of the fellow Torontonians around here can help me out.

Cheers

holepunch

 

[ello]

Hi Holepunch
Welcome! I’m also a Torontonian – brrrr, the weather is driving me crazy lately. Any-who…I don’t have much advice other than “I’m still looking to find a local TO jeweler as well” – I have learned so much from Pricescope and from what I see/read online it’s hard to get the service from any local jeweler in TO unless you double your budget. The online vendors are very knowledgeable and they have great options for settings and could probably answer some of your questions about diamond re-cutting etc.

Apparently USA CERTED DIAMONDS are located in Thornhill.
USA CERTED DIAMONDS
137 Rodeo Dr.
Thornhill, Ontario
Canada L4J 4Y6

Phone: 905 731-4247
http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/usagia/index3.html


Good luck – hopefully you’ll get feedback soon!

 

[anchor31]

Hey! I''m a Montréaler, but I was recommended Diamond Exchange Toronto (diamondexchange.ca). They have ideal cut H&A''s, and they have a B&M store if you want to go and check the stones out yourself.

Good luck!

 

[jadove]

I had my ring set at a place called Classic Creations. It is at Yonge and Finch. They do a great job and have done the rings of two of my close friends. They are very reputable and have been in business for a long time. I highly recommend them.

 

[holepunch]

Thanks for all the advice guys ... but for all the sentimental value that the stone has, it''s not really that nice (a poor cut, I3. It''s 0.8 carat but chipped ). The inclusions are so large that it would prevent it really being cut down any nicer, so I''ve been looking for another stone / setting ... I''ll post soon about what I''m thinking about

holepunch

 

[togal]

I recently upgraded my diamond at a place called "Diamonds for Less". It is located in the diamond district (Yonge/Dundas) and sells just loose diamonds -- no ready-made jewellery or settings. It is not a store per se, but rather a large office. The selection is vast, as they supply diamonds to the retail trade as well as to consumers.