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Help me save my friend from Kays

A

Amije

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 3, 2015
Messages
2
My friend is shopping for an upgrade as she has the Kay trade in deal where you must spend double your original ring but you get that amount in credit. I am having a hard time getting her not to just buy an 'off the shelf ring' from Kay's, but I have convinced her to at least shop for her diamond individually there and to look outside Kay's if I can find her something comparable for less.
She has a $6200 credit so must spend $12,400 at Kay's. Her budget is up to 15k with a little flexibility if I find her something really good. Wishes are for over 1.5 carat and no higher than I color. So outside Kay's her budget would be about $9000.
I know just enough about diamonds to know I don't know anything and she shouldn't be shopping at Kay's, so please help me help her find something super pretty.
 
Amije said:
My friend is shopping for an upgrade as she has the Kay trade in deal where you must spend double your original ring but you get that amount in credit. I am having a hard time getting her not to just buy an 'off the shelf ring' from Kay's, but I have convinced her to at least shop for her diamond individually there and to look outside Kay's if I can find her something comparable for less.
She has a $6200 credit so must spend $12,400 at Kay's. Her budget is up to 15k with a little flexibility if I find her something really good. Wishes are for over 1.5 carat and no higher than I color. So outside Kay's her budget would be about $9000.
I know just enough about diamonds to know I don't know anything and she shouldn't be shopping at Kay's, so please help me help her find something super pretty.
Click to expand...

Oh boy, have her read @alexeliass's threads about this and hopefully that will encourage her to slow down.

Long story - Kay jewelers diamond

Very long story I’m sorry. So we traded in our original engagement ring to use towards a diamond solitaire. (6k) We ordered a diamond they messed up on the setting so we sent it back. Waited weeks they sent it back and it was hideous we sent it back back and asked to just restart the process...
www.pricescope.com

Help picking diamond kay-

Hi, I know Kay jewelers is a nightmare to work with, but that’s my only option now I have tried to make a dispute with the bank, but they don’t give me a refund and case store refuses to give me a refund. Here’s a link to my previous post, but I was wondering if anybody could please please help...
www.pricescope.com
What shape is she looking for? A round diamond would be easier to shop for virtually.
Am I understanding the situation correctly--she will spend up to $15,000 but that would include the $6200 credit, so if she went with another retailer, she would really have $8,800 to spend?
I would encourage her to see what experts here can find for her within that price range--either $8,800 at another vendor, or $15,000 at Kay. Kay may be able to bring some of those stones in for her. I assume this is the budget only for the stone and not the setting?
 
Does she have any wiggle room for the non Kay option?
Here’s an option: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...-vs2-clarity-round-excellent-cut-sku-a4678019
Slightly more and lower color: https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...olor-vs2-clarity-round-ideal-cut-sku-a4488327

Both of these will knock the socks off any Kay diamond. She could get a cheap but beautiful setting. I’ve got this one and love it.

Valoria Petite Six Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring | 6158

Embrace the classic charm of the Valoria Petite Six Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring. Find your dream ring at Whiteflash and symbolize your everlasting bond. | 6158
www.whiteflash.com
 
lulu_ma said:
Oh man-this one is a J but it hits all the marks otherwise. Superideal cut diamonds also face up brighter from what I have read/seen:

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.603 ct J VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4488327

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.603 carat J color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4488327
www.whiteflash.com
Click to expand...

Yes!! I really would encourage her to consider this option.
 
Also, to consider, Whiteflash has an upgrade policy. Down the line, if she wants to upgrade, she has the option. That can be a really nice feature if she feels she is settling a bit for now.
 
Oh, and she could inquire if there are any diamonds “coming down the line” that might fit her specs and budget. Doesn’t hurt to ask. I’ve worked with Michelle for several purchases and she’s super helpful!
 
this one isn't horrible - bit overpriced since its Kays vs other online sites but would use up the credit. GIA ID 7481672619

Round Cut | Kay

Round 1.53 Carat E VVS2 Ideal Diamond
design.kay-diamonds.com design.kay-diamonds.com

I think @alexeliass's used her upgrade credit for loose diamond and then sent it off for setting
1724188151612.png


1724188066060.png
 
mayaINaU said:
Oh boy, have her read @alexeliass's threads about this and hopefully that will encourage her to slow down.

Long story - Kay jewelers diamond

Very long story I’m sorry. So we traded in our original engagement ring to use towards a diamond solitaire. (6k) We ordered a diamond they messed up on the setting so we sent it back. Waited weeks they sent it back and it was hideous we sent it back back and asked to just restart the process...
www.pricescope.com

Help picking diamond kay-

Hi, I know Kay jewelers is a nightmare to work with, but that’s my only option now I have tried to make a dispute with the bank, but they don’t give me a refund and case store refuses to give me a refund. Here’s a link to my previous post, but I was wondering if anybody could please please help...
www.pricescope.com
What shape is she looking for? A round diamond would be easier to shop for virtually.
Am I understanding the situation correctly--she will spend up to $15,000 but that would include the $6200 credit, so if she went with another retailer, she would really have $8,800 to spend?
I would encourage her to see what experts here can find for her within that price range--either $8,800 at another vendor, or $15,000 at Kay. Kay may be able to bring some of those stones in for her. I assume this is the budget only for the stone and not the setting?
Click to expand...

She's actually not super picky so round is good because she does prefer to shop online.
Yes you are understanding budget correct and only for stone and not setting.
I showed her some white flash stones and she could see the difference, but she is really stuck on 'losing' the 6200.
 
I was just coming to post @alexeliass threads as cautionary tales lol/

What are the specs on her current diamond? Lab report? I'm curious where the bar is in terms of her expectations for diamonds. Because I'm betting its low!

And its not lost because she will still have the diamond and could make a pendant or something with it unless its very ugly.
 
freddyboston said:
this one isn't horrible - bit overpriced since its Kays vs other online sites but would use up the credit. GIA ID 7481672619

Round Cut | Kay

Round 1.53 Carat E VVS2 Ideal Diamond
design.kay-diamonds.com design.kay-diamonds.com

I think @alexeliass's used her upgrade credit for loose diamond and then sent it off for setting
1724188151612.png


1724188066060.png
Click to expand...

This is a good comparison for your friend. Kay's is charging about $2800 more for a comparable diamond, so REALLY if she keeps her current she is only "losing" $3200 (because the upcharge from Kay's could be spent on a bigger diamond from another vendor). $3200 sunk in her current to use in a pendant might be a good value!
 
Amije said:
She's actually not super picky so round is good because she does prefer to shop online.
Yes you are understanding budget correct and only for stone and not setting.
I showed her some white flash stones and she could see the difference, but she is really stuck on 'losing' the 6200.
Click to expand...

She can put the current stone into a pendant. While $6200 is nothing to sneeze at, there is no point in compounding that by another $6200. It will never be the cut quality of a Whiteflash ACA!
 
Amije said:
She's actually not super picky so round is good because she does prefer to shop online.
Yes you are understanding budget correct and only for stone and not setting.
I showed her some white flash stones and she could see the difference, but she is really stuck on 'losing' the 6200.
Click to expand...

Can you explain it to her this way? Sinking the $6200 into an overpriced and sub-par Kay stone is basically like losing it. If you can show her how fabulous an ACA would be for $8,000 and something, she will never look back. Plus, she will be gaining an upgrade relationship with a 10000% better company and getting OUT of the relationship with Kay. It's like the sunk cost fallacy--putting more money into the Kay relationship is not a good use of the funds.
 
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If I could do it over again after joining this forum I would have kept my original diamond and gone for lab grown for sure.

I feel like I lucked out with the diamond price scopers were able to help me find but it took MONTHS I could also have gotten something larger for the price I paid at Kay

Trust this community best of luck
 
Unfortunately, 99% of the public knows little about diamonds.
Sellers know this and take advantage of buyers who are intoxicated by the experience of love and the engagement process.
It's like the funeral industry telling the weeping wife that her dearly-departed husband surely deserves the BE$$T casket and funeral $$ervice.

Tell your friend she's not loosing $6200.
That's yet another deception from Kay and other big low-end mall vendors like Zales. :knockout:
I see her buying a Whiteflash ACA as getting "un-ripped off" by getting a diamond with FAR superior-performing diamond from IMO the best diamond-selling vendor anywhere.
The light performance of Whiteflash's ACAs is astonishing! :kiss2:
I have one, so I know.

Also, shady diamond vendors tell customers that diamonds are investments.
False!
Unlike an ounce of gold, diamonds that are not an investment no matter what a diamond seller tells you!
Why?
You can buy, and then sell, gold for a universally-agreed-to and widely published price which changes daily but is the same worldwide.
A gold transaction includes a relatively small transaction fee of 1% to 10% depending on amount of gold and what form it is in ... Canadian vs. American coins, or bars/bullion of various weights.
I suspect the fee would be even higher for alloyed jewelry and dental work that have to be melted down to recover the pure gold.

Your new car loses thousands in value the second you drive it off the lot.
So do diamonds, all diamonds, from all vendors. Sorry, just a fact.

With diamonds (no matter where you bought them or how "good" they are) you must pay retail, but you have to sell at wholesale. That means you'll only get back 50% to 70% of what you paid ... unless the price of diamonds has fallen since you bought the diamond.

So she's not "losing" $6200.
If she manages to sell it herself (not easy) or via a commission with a pro, she may "lose" maybe $2000 to $4000.
But IMO, overall she'll come out ahead, in spades.
 
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she uses the current ($6200) stone for a pendant. She takes however much she was willing to 'add' to the $6200 "upgrade" and uses that for a new, better stone from somewhere like Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, etc. She gets it set; now she has TWO diamonds, one a pendant and the other a new (much better stone) ring. Somewhere down the road she comes up with more $$$ and upgrades the ' new' stone with that vendor who will have a MUCH better upgrade policy.
 
And there’s the sentimental value of keeping the old diamond..

FWIW my original e-ring was a princess cut from Kay’s. I still have the Kay’s box from the proposal. :) The princess cut was beautiful and I regret “upgrading” to the I-color, low clarity 2-carat that I later ended up switching again anyway. If I had to do it over, I would have kept the pretty princess cut from Kay’s and spent the upgrade money on a better upgrade.

Maybe she cares about something other than cut quality, like size or color. We could find her something that is not perfectly cut but that is larger or whiter for $8000. James Allen has not-super-ideal-but-not-bad I-color, VS2 clarity diamonds in the 1.7-1.8 carat range. If she’ll take an SI-1, there’s a True Hearts cut for $7,340.
 
Fortunately princess lovers no longer have to sacrifice top cut quality and top light performance. :dance:
Every Whiteflash Princess ACA is cut to achieve AGS's top cut grade of AGS 000, the gold standard of diamond cut grading for light performance.

Princess Cut Diamonds: Dive into Our Dazzling Collection

Discover a stunning variety of Princess Cut Diamonds. Handpick the ideal gem that harmoniously combines superior quality and competitive pricing.
www.whiteflash.com

WF currently has 4 in the $8000 range.

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MamaBear said:
She’s not losing…She’ll end up with 2 diamond pieces, not 1. ;)2
Click to expand...

Great point.

Honestly, and ACA J is probably going to look better than most of the H/I stones she can get at Kay's. She really should consider

www.whiteflash.com

Diamond | 1.603 ct J VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4488327

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 1.603 carat J color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4488327
www.whiteflash.com

www.briangavindiamonds.com

1.53 J VS1 Brian Gavin Signature Round

Brian Gavin Diamonds
www.briangavindiamonds.com www.briangavindiamonds.com
 
I totally agree with the WF ACA J.

If I were shopping for a modern round, I would take a WF ACA J over a Kay G/H/I anyday. Not only would I have a gorgeous diamond, but I would be supporting a much better company and have the opportunity to upgrade to another beautiful diamond down the road.

I strongly vote for keeping the original diamond, place her in a pendant and upgrade with Whiteflash ❤️
 
Great advice here. I’d just add that if it was me, I’d probably just drop it if your friend doesn’t seem especially welcoming of the suggestions. That came to my mind because I had a friend who was just stubbornly set on getting herself deeper in on a bad deal and seemed to resent me trying to look out for her. I guess it was some kind of pride factor, where she had a lot invested in being proud of the bad deal she’d made and didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t actually a savvy decision at all. Or something. People can be strange lol.
 
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Amije said:
My friend is shopping for an upgrade as she has the Kay trade in deal where you must spend double your original ring but you get that amount in credit. I am having a hard time getting her not to just buy an 'off the shelf ring' from Kay's, but I have convinced her to at least shop for her diamond individually there and to look outside Kay's if I can find her something comparable for less.
She has a $6200 credit so must spend $12,400 at Kay's. Her budget is up to 15k with a little flexibility if I find her something really good. Wishes are for over 1.5 carat and no higher than I color. So outside Kay's her budget would be about $9000.
I know just enough about diamonds to know I don't know anything and she shouldn't be shopping at Kay's, so please help me help her find something super pretty.
Click to expand...

My opinion
...maybe your friend doesn't want to be "saved" from Kay's...
In my social circle I'm the only one who chooses the diamonds and who gets custom made jewels: everyone else goes to a jewellery's shop and buys premade items...and those people are perfectly happy with their purchases, they're happier than me that overanalyze for months/years on every detail before (and also after!!!) buying...
...maybe your friend wanted only to share with you her excitement for getting an e-ring upgrade and she wasn't expecting you to give strong advice/veto...
You got your friend informed that there are other options than buying at Kay's: it's time for you to get a step aside because it's her choice and it's her money... if she wants your help she'll ask for it; if she wants to buy from Kay's, let her make her choice by her own.
I stopped talking about my small/big problems with family members and friends because everybody felt the urge to impose their solutions.
Again just my experience and my opinion.
 
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