WARNING! Enchanted Diamonds Scam! Buyers Beware!

[MK Malone]

Interestingly, I used rarecarat for about 2 months. I bought two diamonds from Yadav. I sent both diamonds back and I was not happy, at all, with the level of customer service or the beauty of the two rounds I bought. It was bad. (I reported my issues to RareCarat in much more detail than I’m giving here). Then I bought a diamond from Enchanted Diamonds. It was a far worse experience than Yadav. I barely got my money back (filed a BBB complaint and got lucky) and the level of dishonesty was overwhelming. Endless excuses about customs issues and being told for over two weeks that the check was in the mail. That original check never arrived. Then I found PriceScope. I found two beautiful brilliant rounds to chose from and a fantastic vendor (B2C Jewels) with high quality customer service. I didn’t have to wait weeks for a diamond or leave repeated messages. Actually, I learned quickly that all I had to do was send an email and I would receive a phone call very quickly. The two experiences (Rarecarat and Pricescope) were completely different. As a novice, i needed a search tool that actually locates beautiful stones, leaving much of the guess work out and I needed the PS community who understand diamond specs, to guide me properly. I will never recommend RC to locate a beautiful cut stone. I will wholeheartedly recommend Pricescope to anyone looking for a beautiful diamond.

I am standing behind everyone who has been robbed by Joshua and I believe that people in this forum tried to call him out several years ago for unethical business practices. Thanks for trying!!

 

[bmfang]

@Swirl68

Here is the link to the thread where @Rockdiamond , @Paul-Antwerp and other vetted PS professionals were attacked

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cut-score-on-enchanted-diamonds-website.221988/

I just re-read that entire thread and cripes, I wonder whether he was actually understanding what rockdiamond and paul were actually saying before a response went back on some occasions.

 

[JPie]

Garry, been a member here and embarrassed by the way you and other long time members are politicizing what happened to these people to help your business.

If you've been a member here, is there a reason why this is your first post and you joined today?

 

[lovedogs]

I'm fairly sure you need to pay Pricescope to show up in the search engine.

Garry, been a member here and embarrassed by the way you and other long time members are politicizing what happened to these people to help your business. We all know that James Allen and Pricescope have a financial relationship.

Your search engine is a direct competitor of Rarecarat with a similar business model. By the way the vendors who pay to list here often list the same GIA number stones as Blue Nile and James Allen in the same way. Example:


Please let this thread be focused on helping those affected by this disaster.

What are you talking about? Garry isn't from James Allen, nor has anyone politicized anything. ED is (and has been) super shady. Vendors have called them out in the past for this nonsense.

And I don't think PS is anything like rare carat. I think you are misinformed.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I'm fairly sure you need to pay Pricescope to show up in the search engine.

Thanks for pointing out an ambiguity in my post.
Trade members may participate in the forum discussions- like this one- without being a paid sponsor. This is separate from the listings on PS. It would be easy to make a case that discussions like this are far more valuable to consumers than a list of diamonds.

 

[gm89uk]

If you've been a member here, is there a reason why this is your first post and you joined today?

People say you hide behind an alias on the internet. This is an alias to hide an alias to hide a person!

 

[Thomas Lau]

Thomas here - the guy who started this thread last Saturday. I thought I could come here to get some help or support on how to handle the situation with Enchanted Diamonds... It seems like very clearly affiliated people have taken this over and turned it into an chance to market themselves.

I think maybe we should take our problem elsewhere because clearly this isn't about the victims anymore...

Oh and since you all seem to care - I didn’t use a “diamond search engine” or whatever they’re called. In fact one of the many ways I “validated” Enchanted Diamonds was from other threads in this forum (and others, professional diamond reviewers, etc).

For all those who actually offered constructive ideas and sympathies, thank you...

 

[arkieb1]

I don't see anyone marketing themselves in this post, they are simply stating the process that ED used and why they do or don't like it.

Jewellers and stores around the world use virtual inventories, in theory there is nothing wrong with that a LOT of people do it. However, when they take people's money and don't bother to actually give them a diamond or tell them the diamond they selected isn't available then that is fraud.

I purchased some triple Ex cut diamonds for earrings for a friend from Blue Nile, the first diamond I selected I was told was already sold, the second set, had to be sourced from where ever suggesting that it was virtual inventory they were calling in, despite that they had the stones set and to me within a week, and were the cheapest by for for PS standard super Ideal cut diamonds.

My point is there is nothing wrong with that model not all small businesses have the cash to carry massive inventories, but in the case of ED they were lying to their customers and not delivering the promised products, ie taking their cash probably using it for personal expenses and not giving them anything in a timely manner, until it got out of hand and they are so far down the black hole of debt they now (I'd guess) can't afford to get out of it.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I also don’t see anyone marketing themselves or self-promoting here. At most, a couple vendors who called out ED a few years ago are chiming in to add clarity to the processes ED used, and/or validating what they said then has essentially now come to light/become reality. Please don’t misconstrue their input as self-promo; they ARE helpful, respected & trusted contributors to the PS community, and that’s what (I see) they are trying to do here.

 

[lovedogs]

Thomas here - the guy who started this thread last Saturday. I thought I could come here to get some help or support on how to handle the situation with Enchanted Diamonds... It seems like very clearly affiliated people have taken this over and turned it into an chance to market themselves.

I think maybe we should take our problem elsewhere because clearly this isn't about the victims anymore...

Oh and since you all seem to care - I didn’t use a “diamond search engine” or whatever they’re called. In fact one of the many ways I “validated” Enchanted Diamonds was from other threads in this forum (and others, professional diamond reviewers, etc).

For all those who actually offered constructive ideas and sympathies, thank you...

There are many many pages of constructive ideas and sympathies. We are all horribly sorry about the situation. I completely disagree that this thread has been "taken over" or that anyone has politicized anything. That makes no sense at all.

 

[MollyMalone]

* * * Your search engine is a direct competitor of Rarecarat with a similar business model.

Um, no. Pricescope is not, never has been, an affiliate site. Unlike rarecarat, PS does not make a commission on any diamond found and purchased through its search engine. More info here:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...tion-pricescope-discounts-commissions.202031/

 

[MollyMalone]

@Thomas Lau @MK Malone @CaseyC @fp92 @Rebecca Zuzula @Phee1 @Und1234 @JeffP @B200 (hope I didn't miss any victims who have posted here) -- have you contacted the NY County (Manhattan) District Attorney's Financial Frauds Bureau as the number I posted at post #15? And/or have you had any contact with the senior person at the U.S. Attorney's Office that the RC CEO has indicated is the law enforcement/criminal prosecution agency he reached out to? If so, would you kindly update us on the feedback you received from either/both of them?

 

[Und1234]

@Thomas Lau @MK Malone @CaseyC @fp92 @Rebecca Zuzula @Phee1 @Und1234 @JeffP @B200 (hope I didn't miss any victims who have posted here) -- have you contacted the NY County (Manhattan) District Attorney's Financial Frauds Bureau as the number I posted at post #15? And/or have you had any contact with the senior person at the U.S. Attorney's Office that the RC CEO has indicated is the law enforcement/criminal prosecution agency he reached out to? If so, would you kindly update us on the feedback you received from either/both of them?

I haven't yet as I'm going through my bank and a Canadian. I don't want to join that fight if it may jeopardize my banks efforts. I paid by CC so I'm in a little bit better situation than others who wired money. I would have wired money, but I didn't see an option with my bank.

It's going to take them 2-3 weeks to assess my claim and then they give Josh's bank and him 45 days to dispute the claim.

 

[MollyMalone]

@Rockdiamond and @Diamond_Hawk -- I don't know if those in the trade are being/could be adversely affected by ED's malfeasance, but if so, perhaps you know of an efficient way to alert your colleagues, if the word isn't already out "on the street." Also if there are trade members who have been adversely affected, I recommend that they too contact the Financial Frauds Bureau at the Manhattan DA's Office.

 

[RSZ]

My story illustrates how emotional an engagement ring can be. We got engaged in 2009, while my then, boyfriend, was playing bridge at the world championships, in Sao Paulo ,Brazil He was going to propose, and we were to pick a ring together. Unfortunately, just after he proposed, he developed swine flu (H1N1), went into a coma for 4 weeks, and nearly died. Due to many complications, we were nearly bankrupt, so a ring was out of the question. We saved up for the last 10 years, I did months of research, and using rarecarat.com convinced me that I not only had a "great deal", but it was smart to save money by wiring the purchase price. (The $1500 rebate, was a good incentive for going to Enchanted Diamonds) Now, we're out $11,430 My husband still wants me to have a ring, so he bought one at a local jeweler, for $12,000 using a credit card TEN years we saved up, only to have our money taken, and NOT ONE WORD from Joshua What kind of person steals from people, knowing what a heightened emotional state they're in?


(QUOTE="Bron357, post: 4565284, member: 75027"]Hi Martin, while we all hope this is the case unfortunately other evidence indicates that ED has closed and the principals uncontactable.
Apart from the phone being disconnected and frantic clients being unable to get an response by email or web chat, the CEO from Rare Carat actually visited the business premises and found the office closed and emptied out.
Staff were apparently told last Wednesday to not come in / find new jobs and one has stated he is owed around $5,000 in back pay. He is also unable to contact the owners.
While ED in 2017 and 2018 seemed to be operating well, given the numerous positive client reviews, that seems to have changed by March 2019. There are very few “positive” reviews after this and this might be a combination of both less than happy clients but moreso I believe “less” clients.
It is an interesting offer that was offered by ED in late April / May. In exchange for glowing client reviews tagged across social media, after 120 days the client was to receive up to $1,500 rebate off the setting purchase.
I would interpret that as an overly generous way of marketing the business and generating new clients. The 120 day “wait” obviously gave ED the benefit of great marketing and huge positive social “vibe” without currently costing them anything at the time. This being opposed to say an upfront 10% discount.
Obviously no client at this time has made it to the “120 day mark” to benefit from this offer and at least 2 affected clients (paid but no diamond/ no ring) said this offer encouraged them to go with ED as it meant even better cost saving.
My suspicion is that ED has significant cash flow problems by March this year. Their outgoings exceeding their incomings. They were probably hoping to “trade their way out” and the “delays” in completing orders was probably due to money sent by clients being spent elsewhere and older orders being eventually completed using newer clients monies. It’s possible that a combination of James Allen removing their certs off line (meaning the benefit of shopping with an agent like ED reduced) the new MMD offers and generally a slowdown in the jewellery/ engagement ring market caused their business to falter. Their margins were always slim and so they needed continuing high volume to succeed.
The tragedy is that the engagement ring business is an emotional one.
It is usually the first (and only) time a huge sum of money, often saved over many years, will be spent on what is usually a woman’s most special and important piece of jewellery.
The engagement ring, that symbol of two people deciding to “join up” and become a team, create a family. A symbol of promise and a great future.
Any type of scam or financial loss hurts and is hard to bear but this type of loss, even moreso.
My heart hurts so much for these people.

)[/QUOTE]

 

[RSZ]

Have you been in contact with RC? Please contact them. There is an atty representing the people affected by this situation. RC can put you in contact, if you’re not already.

 

[Runningmama]

His wife is still active on IG. I wonder if she’s getting bombarded with messages about her scumbag husband.

 

[RSZ]

@Thomas Lau @MK Malone @CaseyC @fp92 @Rebecca Zuzula @Phee1 @Und1234 @JeffP @B200 (hope I didn't miss any victims who have posted here) -- have you contacted the NY County (Manhattan) District Attorney's Financial Frauds Bureau as the number I posted at post #15? And/or have you had any contact with the senior person at the U.S. Attorney's Office that the RC CEO has indicated is the law enforcement/criminal prosecution agency he reached out to? If so, would you kindly update us on the feedback you received from either/both of them?

I’ve been in contact with RC and am one of the people being represented. In addition, I have contacted the NYDA’s office (been playing phone tag with them.) They have an agent assigned to us. My diamond was actually found by another vendor!!! ED never even purchased it.

 

[lovedogs]

I’ve been in contact with RC and am one of the people being represented. In addition, I have contacted the NYDA’s office (been playing phone tag with them.) They have an agent assigned to us. My diamond was actually found by another vendor!!! ED never even purchased it.

Ugh that is INFURIATING!!! I'm so sorry for you and hope you get your money back asap!

 

[RSZ]

Thomas here - the guy who started this thread last Saturday. I thought I could come here to get some help or support on how to handle the situation with Enchanted Diamonds... It seems like very clearly affiliated people have taken this over and turned it into an chance to market themselves.

I think maybe we should take our problem elsewhere because clearly this isn't about the victims anymore...

Oh and since you all seem to care - I didn’t use a “diamond search engine” or whatever they’re called. In fact one of the many ways I “validated” Enchanted Diamonds was from other threads in this forum (and others, professional diamond reviewers, etc).

For all those who actually offered constructive ideas and sympathies, thank you...

RC is offering to pay for atty for all of us affected not just RC’s customers. Please go to their site and get in touch with them. We are in the same boat. I’m so grateful you shared b/c it helped to motivate Molly to post on yelp and we all found out because of your courage.

 

[RSZ]

Which loss? The specific listed stones could not be sold by ED.

But it left an impression of ED being the cheapest. Bait-and-switch, possibly?

Live long,

I just want to point out that there are several of us who wired money for GIA certified diamonds and the stones were never purchased. Other vendors took the time to find them for those of us who still want them.

 

[Rockdiamond]

@Rockdiamond and @Diamond_Hawk -- I don't know if those in the trade are being/could be adversely affected by ED's malfeasance, but if so, perhaps you know of an efficient way to alert your colleagues, if the word isn't already out "on the street." Also if there are trade members who have been adversely affected, I recommend that they too contact the Financial Frauds Bureau at the Manhattan DA's Office.

Thanks for being you Molly. I very much appreciate the sentiment and you always seek to add such valuable and informed thought .
Looking back to the older thread both Paul and I indicated that the people we'd spoken to had never even heard of the offending seller. In continued discussions over the years nothing has changed.
Furthermore- as a rule, prominent/ successful cutters and dealers are extremely cautious. This is part of the healthy scepticism both Paul and I expressed years back. It's not easy to earn and maintain trust at these levels of the biz. They will need multiple references and in many cases demand cash up front before even showing a stone- let alone leaving it on memo.

In terms of Law Enforcement- hopefully the injured parties will have better luck than those in the trade who've been stiffed over the years. It always seems to fall to civil court.

To the OP
Again I Express my dismay over what has transpired. The thread from 2016 was a warning- and I know both Paul and I were issuing it in a true attempt at consumer education as opposed to plugging our own companies.
The moderators of the forum are quite strict on trade members- understandably - we're not allowed to make negative comments about other dealers. So we all have to tippy toe a bit.
I am sorry to hear of what happened to you. We want to make sure others are warned

 

[RSZ]

Hi all,

I have to share a terrifying experience that’s going on. I thought the advice and everything on Enchant Diamonds was legitimate. Turns out, huge scam! As of the last month or so they ran away with mine and a lot of other people’s money. Don’t believe me? Horror stories can be found on google yelp and Instagram- sort by date.

Their chat doesn’t work anymore phones have been down for over a week no replies to emails. I lost years of savings buying a diamond only to have my money stolen and now have to legally fight a battle along with all these people that also got scammed like me.

Please if you got hit by this also, post here. If you didn’t but can help - please any advice is appreciated!

Can you get in touch with me? Are you in touch with RC or with the legal group helping the victims? Let me know. We’re not alone in this.

 

[Phee1]

I've sent RC attorney, Cane, all of my pertinent info, contacted ITC, BBB, my bank, NY attorney general and FBI

(QUOTE="Rebecca Zuzula, post: 4566051, member: 110253"]Have you been in contact with RC? Please contact them. There is an atty representing the people affected by this situation. RC can put you in contact, if you’re not already.[/QUOTE]

 

[bmfang]

Thanks for being you Molly. I very much appreciate the sentiment and you always seek to add such valuable and informed thought .
Looking back to the older thread both Paul and I indicated that the people we'd spoken to had never even heard of the offending seller. In continued discussions over the years nothing has changed.
Furthermore- as a rule, prominent/ successful cutters and dealers are extremely cautious. This is part of the healthy scepticism both Paul and I expressed years back. It's not easy to earn and maintain trust at these levels of the biz. They will need multiple references and in many cases demand cash up front before even showing a stone- let alone leaving it on memo.

In terms of Law Enforcement- hopefully the injured parties will have better luck than those in the trade who've been stiffed over the years. It always seems to fall to civil court.

To the OP
Again I Express my dismay over what has transpired. The thread from 2016 was a warning- and I know both Paul and I were issuing it in a true attempt at consumer education as opposed to plugging our own companies.
The moderators of the forum are quite strict on trade members- understandably - we're not allowed to make negative comments about other dealers. So we all have to tippy toe a bit.
I am sorry to hear of what happened to you. We want to make sure others are warned

@Rockdiamond : when I was reading back, yours and Paul’s logic made a lot more sense. What’s that old saying again? A bird in hand is worth 9 in the bush?

I don’t think Josh ever got that logic in his replies to both of you. A cutter is always going to prefer to actually sell a finished stone to someone now that they know will pay upfront rather than have it open for a potential sale to someone else tomorrow.

Especially if that potential sale is to someone that he/she doesn’t know, is not sure about whether payment will be forthcoming and is someone that they have never dealt with compared to a preferred set of customers they have dealt with before. And they sure as hell won’t sell to someone who is supposedly on-selling that stone to a end customer but who is not even on their own list of customers, at a price that is at or less than what they are charging those in the trade potentially.

My heart still breaks for all of those who have lost funds at this point in time. I’m hoping they get their cash back. Needs to get more traction on national media IMHO.

 

[MollyMalone]

I’ve been in contact with RC and am one of the people being represented. In addition, I have contacted the NYDA’s office (been playing phone tag with them.) They have an agent assigned to us. My diamond was actually found by another vendor!!! ED never even purchased it.

Oh, I'm happy to hear the DA's Office has assigned an investigator. My best contact in the Investigations Bureau has retired, but I was going to make some calls to the Office if none of you had received a response.

RC CEO's offer of legal representation is a sweet one, but I think I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't say that I don't see how civil litigation will be more efficient-productive than going through law enforcement. Civil litigation drags on, seems often to involve "hurry up and wait... and wait." (That's the primary reason I left civil litigation for the criminal arena). Even if ED has been carrying some kind of liability insurance, I'd bet my next paycheck that the insurance doesn't cover liability arising out of criminal conduct. I.e., it's very unlikely that there's an insurance company involved who might be inclined to pay out relatively quickly so as to settle as many claims as possible with a minimum of litigation costs on their part.

Also, RC's blog post states that they will pay "the expenses" of a lawsuit. In lawyer parlance, that typically means the lawyers' out-of-pocket costs such as court filing fees, the costs of a process server, and other such incidentals. But "expenses" doesn't usually (I'm inclined to say never) include what's charged for the lawyers] and paralegal time In lieu of billing the client monthly for such non-"expenses," there can be a contingency retainer agreement for litigation seeking monetary damages. Under a contingency kind of agreement, the plaintiff-client agrees that the law firm/lawyer will receive X% of the monies -- if any --that are won (expenses are also usually deducted from the initial pot). Have you all been asked to sign such a retainer agreement? There's nothing inherently wrong with that; it's the means by which many folks are able to hire a lawyer. Just want to be sure it's been made clear what you signed up for.

There is no charge to you, of course, for services rendered by the DA's Office, US Attorney's Office, NYPD, FBI and other public servants -- that's our tax payer dollars at work.

Sending you all lots of empathy and heartfelt wishes that oodles of positive energy, and the returns of your funds, are coming your way!

 

[MollyMalone]

His wife is still active on IG. I wonder if she’s getting bombarded with messages about her scumbag husband.

I hope you'll remove this post with the screenshot of her IG. None of us has any informed reason to think she is complicit in this.

 

[RSZ]

Oh, I'm happy to hear the DA's Office has assigned an investigator. My best contact in the Investigations Bureau has retired, but I was going to make some calls to the Office if none of you had received a response.

RC CEO's offer of legal representation is a sweet one, but I think I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't say that I don't see how civil litigation will be more efficient-productive than going through law enforcement. Civil litigation drags on, seems often to involve "hurry up and wait... and wait." (That's the primary reason I left civil litigation for the criminal arena). Even if ED has been carrying some kind of liability insurance, I'd bet my next paycheck that the insurance doesn't cover liability arising out of criminal conduct. I.e., it's very unlikely that there's an insurance company involved who might be inclined to pay out relatively quickly so as to settle as many claims as possible with a minimum of litigation costs on their part.

Also, RC's blog post states that they will pay "the expenses" of a lawsuit. In lawyer parlance, that typically means the lawyers' out-of-pocket costs such as court filing fees, the costs of a process server, and other such incidentals. But "expenses" doesn't usually (I'm inclined to say never) include what's charged for the lawyers] and paralegal time In lieu of billing the client monthly for such non-"expenses," there can be a contingency retainer agreement for litigation seeking monetary damages. Under a contingency kind of agreement, the plaintiff-client agrees that the law firm/lawyer will receive X% of the monies -- if any --that are won (expenses are also usually deducted from the initial pot). Have you all been asked to sign such a retainer agreement? There's nothing inherently wrong with that; it's the means by which many folks are able to hire a lawyer. Just want to be sure it's been made clear what you signed up for.

There is no charge to you, of course, for services rendered by the DA's Office, US Attorney's Office, NYPD, FBI and other public servants -- that's our tax payer dollars at work.

Sending you all lots of empathy and heartfelt wishes that oodles of positive energy, and the returns of your funds, are coming your way!

Oh, thank you for the info. I’ll encourage the others to come take a look so, this can be considered.

 

[MollyMalone]

Yeah, who knows, but looks genuine. I asked a lawyer (who checked and confirmed he did not see a bankruptcy filing for Enchanted Diamonds btw) * * *

Would you mind asking him if he would do a PACER search for Online Diamonds International; that's their true corporate identity (incorporated in Delaware), Enchanted Diamonds is their "doing business as" ID. Thank you -- and please thank him for us!

 

[RSZ]

For those of you affected there is a helpful community of affected people who have been organizing all communication. You can reach out to them at enchantedupdates.gmail.com You will be asked to share proof of order/wire and status in order to be included.