Input on BN Diamonds

[Gypsy]

I like the other WF stone better anyway. #4

 

[Mike714321]

B2C can also get you images for ASET and idealscope, and pictures of the stone and will do so upon request.
ERD can get you everything as well. Just ask.

I assume both B2C and ERD are respectable stores in with WF, JA, GoG, and the BGD?
Is ERD engagement rings direct?

Looking for more stores to see what they have. I've also started turning on "virtual" inventory, but as I understand, this is a little different process in that they get the stone for you, inspect, then you can decide. I'd prefer to buy in-house, but obviously there will be more selection in virtual but it'll take longer to end up with a stone.

Here's an example from WF I found, but for some reason I can't find the report.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3163698.htm

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Gypsy]

Yes ERD is Engagement Rings Direct. People most often use them for CAD work and fancy diamonds, but they can do anything from Handforged settings to ideal rounds as well.

 

[Mike714321]

Wow, I'm really digging B2C because I can export to Excel my search...
What's going on here, why so cheap with this one? It seems like B2C is turning up a lot more inventory than the others, some already have actual pictures, and you had mentioned they can get you ASET and IS as well as real if they're not posted. If I take a guess, is their customer service or maybe warranties/return policies not as nice/lenient as the others?

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-4622761-1.24-carat-Round-diamond-I-color-SI1-clarity.aspx

EDIT: ERD is also popping up with a LOT more selection than WF, GoG, BGD, and JA.... what's the catch, both these sites feel like BN in how they're returning so many stones...

 

[Gypsy]

ERD doesn't have the ACTUAL stone images shown. And they don't have all the stones in house. If you want a stone, then you need to ask them about it. ANd then they will send you what you need, or upload it.

Best thing to do is call, tell them what you want, and have them propose back three options, WITH pictures and IS and everything.

Every vendor is different.

 

[Mike714321]

Ah, okay. So ERD is just like BN except they CAN get you pictures, IS, ASET, etc. if requested. What's the scoop on B2C? My guess is it's the same as ERD with the exception that some stones already have pictures and the "diamond blueprint" from, my guess, someone who requested them already?

Thanks Gypsy, good info!

 

[Gypsy]

No.

BN is a drop shipper. B2C is much closer to BN than ERD.

ERD is a small business that has a brick and mortar store in the heart of NY with sales people and incredibly knowledgeable professionals with years of experience who will source, vet and yes... run your stone through a battery of tests for you. Read here: http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/team-8.html Mark, Dan, Robert and Chris will sit with you for hours and explain cut, color and clarity to you and show you with stones they have on hand what they are talking about. And have a large stock on in house stones. Also their location in the heart of NY makes them able to get things for you at prices other jewelers can't. And they have a great eye for fancies, which is what they are known for. Similar to GOG. But they do not specialize in MRB and do not list their in house MRB on the site, probably because they move so fast and it would result in constantly having to update their site.

They do high quality custom design in both CAD and Handforged manufacturing methods. EVERY jeweler, including GOG has access to a large database of stone that are not in house, that they can call in. Most just don't list those on their site. It's a quirk of their site that ERD does happen to do that.

But they are NOTHING like either Blue Nile or B2C. Their website just happens to list stocks of stones that they do not have in house. But they do not drop ship those.

And just for the record:
I have never bought from ANY of these three jewelers. But I know MANY people who have bought from ERD and been thrilled, and I've seen their pieces and their diamonds and know the quality of the goods ERD sells.

 

[Mike714321]

Thanks for the record on ERD. I'm kind of surprised by your comments on B2C. I will admit, it seems very... BlueNile-ish in that there's a lot of selection. I've exported a pretty large search criteria into Excel though and have been looking at ones that seem to be good on paper. Some have great HCA scores, real pictures, labs, IS, ASET, already posted. So... it seems like I should be able to get all the info I'd need from B2C to make a good decision. On the flip side, there are oddities I'm finding; for example:

two stones, both GIA trip-ex, hardly ANY inclusions, and pretty much everything looks good on them... They just seem like too good of deals to be true. One of the two already has the lab, real picture, IS, ASET, and H&A pics loaded... unless they're fakes?

3.6 HCA
Real - http://images.b2cjewels.com/images//ActualDiamondimage//597//8ADFED5A.jpg
IS - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images/IdealView/597/8ADFED5AI.png
ASET - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images/AsetView/597/8ADFED5A.jpg
Hearts - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images//Hearts/597//8ADFED5A_Hearts.jpg
Arrows - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images//Arrows/597//8ADFED5A_Arrows.jpg

Maybe I'll see if I can find any threads about purchases from B2C.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[SirGuy]

The images for that last one aren't exactly spectacular, Mike! I think you can do better than that one.

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks for the record on ERD. I'm kind of surprised by your comments on B2C. I will admit, it seems very... BlueNile-ish in that there's a lot of selection. I've exported a pretty large search criteria into Excel though and have been looking at ones that seem to be good on paper. Some have great HCA scores, real pictures, labs, IS, ASET, already posted. So... it seems like I should be able to get all the info I'd need from B2C to make a good decision. On the flip side, there are oddities I'm finding; for example:

two stones, both GIA trip-ex, hardly ANY inclusions, and pretty much everything looks good on them... They just seem like too good of deals to be true. One of the two already has the lab, real picture, IS, ASET, and H&A pics loaded... unless they're fakes?

3.6 HCA
Real - http://images.b2cjewels.com/images//ActualDiamondimage//597//8ADFED5A.jpg
IS - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images/IdealView/597/8ADFED5AI.png
ASET - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images/AsetView/597/8ADFED5A.jpg
Hearts - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images//Hearts/597//8ADFED5A_Hearts.jpg
Arrows - http://images.b2cjewels.com/Images//Arrows/597//8ADFED5A_Arrows.jpg

Maybe I'll see if I can find any threads about purchases from B2C.

Thanks,
Mike

Actually, depending on what you are looking for Mike, this diamond is in no way bad at all. It isn't cut to the strict standards of a branded h&a Superideal but it's certainly a fine make of stone if you don't want or need an absolutely flawless cut. The images are computer generated and give a fairly accurate snapshot of the stone's light return or lack thereof, although personally, I prefer actual ASET or IS. B2C are a trustworthy vendor and you can purchase from them with confidence.

 

[Mike714321]

Thanks you two on the input. I will admit, it doesn't really look like it's "popping", maybe perhaps a little hazy? But overall, it's a nice looking stone. It's under $6,000 bank wire price. I'll be posting some more options I've found. I got some feedback on the 6 I'd found earlier, but there wasn't one or two that really jumped out at me from those, I'm finding more of them at B2C though. And I have some contenders at ERD but need to get pictures and etc. from them.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks you two on the input. I will admit, it doesn't really look like it's "popping", maybe perhaps a little hazy? But overall, it's a nice looking stone. It's under $6,000 bank wire price. I'll be posting some more options I've found. I got some feedback on the 6 I'd found earlier, but there wasn't one or two that really jumped out at me from those, I'm finding more of them at B2C though. And I have some contenders at ERD but need to get pictures and etc. from them.

Thanks,
Mike

No problem Mike, post the info here when you get it then we will help you sort it all out.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Hello all,

Mike – I am glad to see you are finding a great selection and enjoy the downloading properties of B2C Jewels.

I do want to make clear – B2C is NOT a drop-shipper. We do have multiple suppliers but every diamond is inspected in-house by our own gemologists - those with a ‘diamond blueprint’ have been inspected and photographed in our own lab so that we have as much information as possible on our website – this is done to, hopefully, give customers the type of confidence and satisfaction that Mike has expressed in this thread.

Best wishes!

 

[Mike714321]

Hello all,
Mike – I am glad to see you are finding a great selection and enjoy the downloading properties of B2C Jewels.

I do want to make clear – B2C is NOT a drop-shipper. We do have multiple suppliers but every diamond is inspected in-house by our own gemologists - those with a ‘diamond blueprint’ have been inspected and photographed in our own lab so that we have as much information as possible on our website – this is done to, hopefully, give customers the type of confidence and satisfaction that Mike has expressed in this thread.

Best wishes!

Thanks for the post DH. Will B2C take multiple pictures if requested or do you only provide the one picture of the face?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mike714321]

Okay, here's my list from B2C I'm trying to whittle down. Some items have everything, others need some requests. I think once I get this narrowed down more I'll start posting individual ones for input. Maybe start by tossing out all that aren't 2.0 HCA or less except that IF?! This list is too big right now to ask an internet forum for input! There are still the other 6 I posted. I've given up on my OP stones from BN. And I have a few from ERD but all of those will require info requests so I'll try and narrow those down. If anyone sees something in my list that should definitely look into, I'm all ears!

And to think that in the beginning of my post I was complaining about inventory in my price range...

Thanks,
Mike

Link to larger view: http://s28.postimg.org/j15bh1qu3/B2_C_List_6_27_14.jpg

 

[Gypsy]

Hello all,

Mike – I am glad to see you are finding a great selection and enjoy the downloading properties of B2C Jewels.

I do want to make clear – B2C is NOT a drop-shipper. We do have multiple suppliers but every diamond is inspected in-house by our own gemologists - those with a ‘diamond blueprint’ have been inspected and photographed in our own lab so that we have as much information as possible on our website – this is done to, hopefully, give customers the type of confidence and satisfaction that Mike has expressed in this thread.

Best wishes!

OK. That was very helpful.

So B2C is closer to JA then. That's similar to how Jim Schultz describes for us his business model as well. Though you don't have the same level of detail (each stone has a fantastic video) as JA. And it seems that JA can get IS and ASET on every stone they sell, that that isn't the case (several people have posted saying that a particular stone is not able to have an ASET or idealscope at B2C, which is a shame) with all stones at B2C.

 

[BrilliantDummie]

Hi Mike,

I wanted to drop my 2 cents in on B2C. Just made my first diamond purchase ever from B2C. I had the same price range as you and wanted to deal locally at first also. I was looking for a stone between 0.95 and 1.05ct. I got a 1.01ct H SI1 with 34.5 crown, 40.8 pavillion, 55% table and 61.4% depth. Basically all proportions are in the ideal range and it is a Triple Excellent by GIA. The diamond on B2C site cost $7100. Through PriceScope search it was discounted to $6750 and with bank-wire I got it at $6500. All clean under the table with minor twinning wisps at the edges.

Just took it to a local independant appraiser and she actually initially rated it as a G VS2 and had to look really hard to find the other inclusions that got it an SI1 grade. Then she matched it with master stones to verify that it is really an H. If you are looking at diamonds with feathers, most will tell you to take it on a case by case basis but I try to stay away from them if I can. Even my appraiser, when she saw the twinning wisps, said "these are fine, do not worry about durability, it is not like they are feathers".

B2C did not have any pictures of the stone but I purchased it and requested that they pull it from their supplier then hold it at B2C office and wait for my decision. They sent me pictures, ASET images, IS images, and waited for my reply on whether to move forward or not. Then after I agreed, they shipped it UPS priority overnight for free and checked up with me the next day to see if I got it.

I also found the best inventory of what I was looking for on B2C and I am not surprised you ended up there with the same criteria as what I had.

Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for!
FYI: If you decide to pull the trigger, keep in mind that they cannot pull the stone from supplier before you pay them. First you got to purchase it to get them to pull from inventory. As such, they hold it for 24-hours waiting for payment before they put it back in the market. Means you got 24 hours to come up with the dough and then you can get images and whatever else you want. Obviously if you do not like it they do a full refund but I have not had a chance to deal with refunds with them so far.

P.S. B2C as a vendor and their suppliers are different, sometimes their suppliers can provide pictures or ASET images sometimes they cannot. B2C itself can provide all those images if you purchase the stone and ask them to take the images and wait for your decision.

 

[Gypsy]

Drop everything with an HCA over 2.0 (so 2.1 and up).

That's how the HCA is supposed to be used. As a rejection tool.

 

[Mike714321]

FYI: If you decide to pull the trigger, keep in mind that they cannot pull the stone from supplier before you pay them. First you got to purchase it to get them to pull from inventory. As such, they hold it for 24-hours waiting for payment before they put it back in the market. Means you got 24 hours to come up with the dough and then you can get images and whatever else you want.

Wow, thanks for the detailed B2C review. I had just fired up a google search for reviews of B2C. The part I quoted about... so that means that to for sure get pictures, IS, ASET, etc. I have to wire them the money. They get the stone, get the pictures, IS, ASET, etc. and send them to me. If I don't like them they return and I get 100% refund (less the dang send/receive wire transfer fees from the bank). If I do like them, then I proceed on and they ship it to me. Do I have it correct?

 

[BrilliantDummie]

Wow, thanks for the detailed B2C review. I had just fired up a google search for reviews of B2C. The part I quoted about... so that means that to for sure get pictures, IS, ASET, etc. I have to wire them the money. They get the stone, get the pictures, IS, ASET, etc. and send them to me. If I don't like them they return and I get 100% refund (less the dang send/receive wire transfer fees from the bank). If I do like them, then I proceed on and they ship it to me. Do I have it correct?

Yep. You got it spot on. Well, atleast that is exactly how it worked for me. Make sure you tell them exactly what you want though. When I did it, I chatted with them online and my contact was Wilson. I made sure he was aware of the stone I am ordering and exactly what I want to do with it. Then when you purchase they have a box in the purchase order for "Special requests". Wilson assured me that they make sure to follow every step in that box and in there you also have to write in for them to hold the stone, take the images, send them to you, and wait for your reply. When you identify that you want to purchase with bank-wire, you have to complete the purchase order then wait. They will check that your item is still in stock and will then send you an email with wire-transfer instructions (includes their bank account numbers, etc., etc.). After ordering I kept chatting with the guys and making sure when they get the stone that they follow my request to the dot. When I got the images I took a few hours to talk to guys here on PS and decided to continue with shipping.

Here is the post where I link to the images I got from B2C. You can judge how good or bad the images are but for guys that usually do not provide these on their site, I would say the quality is pretty darn good.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/should-i-continue-this-purchase.203329/

I actually found a local appraiser that has an ASET scope and after getting the diamond I went to the appraiser for a second opinion. They will charge a lot less for a consultation ($75) than they do for full-blown appraisals ($225). In a consultation they tell you everything about the stone and check it all out for you. In an appraisal they do the same only more official and with paperwork involved and market values research , etc.

My process is simple:

Find the perfect stone.
Put in the purchase order, with clear imaging instructions.
Wait for images.
Post on PS.
Make a decision.
Recieve the stone.
Get an initial appraisal evaluation.
Get the stone insured in case something happens during setting (insurance is like $100 per year!).
Get it set.
Take back to appraiser and get official appraisal.
Adjust insurance value.
Propose to my future wife!

P.S. For your own sanity, I would take my experience with a grain of salt. Definitely contact them and make sure that they 100% guarantee that if you purchase the stone, they can take the images you want when they get it in to the B2C office.

Good luck!

 

[Mike714321]

Thanks BD, very detailed. I love it. I think I'll do the same process but I have quite a few stones I'd like images of. My first step is to contact them and see if they can get any info from the supplier before I have to buy, otherwise, it seems like I'd have to pony up a lot of cash just to see pictures.

 

[Mike714321]

Okay... so I've narrowed down some that I think are good based on all the knowledge I've soaked up recently. First, a pared down list.
As you can see, there are 32 stones. I picked out 8 that all seem good, ranked from 1 to 8. There are some others in the list that may be good, but that's a lot of asking for pictures, then again, the perfect one could be in there (Excel row 12-22). I'm not sure how practical it is to ask B2C for all they have on all these stones before I have to start buying them to get them to B2C.

Here's the list: http://postimg.org/image/fa0sm62cv/full/
Yes, the 3.6 HCA IF stone made it in, but I'm questioning whether there's a better option in the others I didn't rate because they didn't have pictures... You'll also see that #5 and #8 don't have HCA's because there's no lab reports posted to see what the angles are. Depth and Tables are listed though, not sure if that helps at all.

Comparison picture so far: http://s21.postimg.org/t2vfg82t1/B2_C_Rank_6_28_14.jpg
And here's a picture I made. I looked on B2C then pasted pictures and visually tried to rank them based on actual picture. Obviously I'm missing some IS and ASET images, but I'm going to request as much from B2C from their suppliers.

I'm slightly frustrated because without a real picure, IS, ASET, some of these in the list are essentially no different than how I was originally shopping at BN. I guess the difference is that I can get the stone to B2C for pics and return if I don't like it which is a definite advantage over BN, but it does make the selection process rather tedious and I'd be wasting wire transfer fees!

I'd love to hear opinions on these, re-rank, and red flags, and if anyone thinks there's anything in my list that might be better than the 8 I ranked. Perhaps while waiting for a little input I'll see how these compare to my other selections I posted earlier.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mike714321]

Okay, I got a few more pictures back from B2C. I requested too many stones, so they limited me to 4. I got some stuff but not all, however; I was told to wait till Monday to get more. Rather than "invest" more into all the stones I already had some images of, I opted to get pics on two that I had no info on except labs. Those are the last two on the top right. I also added what I could get from my previous post to my pictures.

Also, and I'm sure there's a difference, but if I didn't have an IS or ASET, I put in an Arrows or Hearts image which I think are less useful, but better than nothing. Green question marks are what I'm still waiting on B2C to get hopefully. Yellow question marks are stones I'd like to get more on after B2C is done getting the info on my first 4.

Comparison pictures: http://postimg.org/image/m7yzlnsgz/full/

So... with that said... anyone think there's a clear winner in here so far?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mike714321]

I'm going to share what I think I'm seeing in the latest pictures, perhaps someone can back me up or perhaps correct me.

- I feel like maybe my 2nd choice (5115883) has better ASET/IS than #1 (4747879), more... balanced/evenly proportion under the table, but there's a fatter "green" star than #1 and red is better than green. #2 is VS2 versus an SI1. Not sure if I should flip/flip 1 and 2.

-3rd (5044712) looks nice, but there's an arrow missing in the real pic, but I assume that's just photography. No IS image but the arrows look nice. The kicker here is that it's M and I'm not sure I want that. Even though in all the stones shown, I think 3 of them are medium blue.

- I think I want to cross out 4th (5106025) as it seems like the arrows aren't centered. SARIN would maybe show that the culet and center of table aren't on top of each other?

- I think I want to take out 5th (5462707) because it's not... I don't know. It's like there's some kinda daggers between the arrows. It's not like the others. But it is kinda eye-catching. I don't have any other pics of it yet and haven't requested. I'm sure the HCA is probably not good. It's the only stone with a depth over 62%, so I'm sure that means something. Deep Steep?

- 6th choice (5037924) looks pretty nice, definitive H&A, but just doesn't seem bright. Can't tell if that's photography or the actual stone. No IS, but the red in the arrows pic seems dark/faint. I don't think I should be treating an arrows picture the same as an IS picture though, so maybe it's ok?

- 7th choice is that IF (5103183). It's nice looking, the IS isn't as nice looking compared to say #1 and #2 and the ASET looks a little crazy and the HCA probably backs that up. It LOOKS like a nice diamond buy technically isn't the best. I think this is a perfect example of "eye clean" vs "mind clean" but in the sense of it looking good but the data would tend to point towards not being the best. It's definitely "softer" compared to #1 and #2, not as much contrast. Maybe it should go?

- I'm thinking 8th place (5142233) should go. I can't see the arrows too well in the real pic, not enough contrast? 62.4 depth and 56 table. I don't have the lab on this one, just a picture, so it's HCA is probably above a 2.0 I'm guessing.

- The last two on the top right (5138487) and (4754030) look good on paper, good HCA's. I did get the ASET for each and an arrows pic of them, but no real pictures yet. I'd guess that 4030 will look better than 8487 based on the arrows, the center looks neater. Fingers crossed that these two look good cause they seem like good contenders so far... Hopefully B2C can get me real pics of them by Monday.

- After spending the last few days looking at the B2C stones, coming back to the 6 (now 5) I posted earlier, some don't look as great anymore. I think I'd toss out GoG #1, GoG #2 and JA #6. None have as much contrast as the BGD and WF stones, and the HCA scores back that up. The WF stone is a VS1 which is awesome as the BGD is an SI1, but the WF has a bit less contrast. That BGD has spectacular contrast. I think though I'd have to pic the WF over the BGD because it's cleaner.

In summary, I think I'm looking to toss out 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, GOG#1, GOG#2, BG#3, and JA#6 all based on what I've learned here and the pictures I have. How'd I do?!

 

[Mike714321]

Does the AGA/NAJA Cut Class calculator hold much weight? I just found this tool as well, wondering if it'll help me narrow down my list at all.

 

[SirGuy]

You seem to be on the right track there, Mike! Seems to almost be an information overload there. I think you have the tools and knowledge at your disposal to make a properly informed decision right now. Remember that these are just images that give a good indication of light performance. Your eyes will be the final judge. I think looking so intensely at the images (enough where you're considering the brightness of the images and the exact shapes of the arrows) can almost be a case of "knowing enough to be dangerous."

You're doing a good job and I think if you were to make a final decision based on your final three, they would all be pleasing to the eye. And honestly, I think if you were to take your top three you've been considering and laid them out in person, you'd be hard pressed to actually tell which one is which.

The best vendors for years picked out stones with nothing more than a loupe. In fact, a lot of grading during one's gemologist education is still done with just a 10x loupe. If you go to a florist and ask for their ten best red roses, none will look like each other and all will look better than the gas station's 50-cent roses. One can discuss how long the petals are on this one, or how the stem looks on that one, but as long as you're shopping at the best floral shop in town, you're in good shape.

 

[Mike714321]

SG, Thanks for the reply. I'll admit, definitely an information overload. So many variables!
I think I'm getting them narrowed down. Just waiting on some more images from B2C, hopefully tomorrow or so. I also just found on B2C that even if the report isn't posted, they do post the report number, so I've been able to include in my options a few more stones that have good HCA scores and their plots look promising. One stone there is 1.12ct, that'd be nice. There's a 1.2ct but it's a VS2 and the inclusion looks pretty visible, just below the table and pretty obvious in the real picture. As tempting as 1.2ct is I think I'm going to have to pass there even though it's got a pretty darn good cut.

I really appreciate all the help and input I've gotten from the PS members, I feel as though I've come a long way. Certainly have learned a lot! I feel like I've put in so much effort for one diamond, seems a shame to learn all this for one occasion! Hopefully down the line I can afford to upgrade and it'll have been worth the effort!

I hope to narrow down to 3 or so stones soon and then I'll either post here or perhaps a new thread, considering how far I've come!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Mike,

I will be able to answer and help you further, it's just I need time to go through your information carefully, it's a lot of diamonds and I don't want to rush and mislead you, so you can make a good choice.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Hi Gypsy

So B2C is closer to JA then.

No and yes. We’re more like BN in volume, but more like JA and other respected PS sellers in not drop-shipping.

An overview: We manufacture and sell to clients on several continents, listing our inventory and that of several partners (thus “B2C”). Our goal from day one was to show the most possible options to the most possible people. We started doing this with no images. That’s the Blue Nile model, which is by far the most successful.

Some time ago Pricescope captured our attention. While small, we recognized this community as highly evolved. Most online diamond sales around the world are still made with no images (just a grading report and maybe GCAL or GemEx or other non-scientific addendum). When looking at PS we truly appreciated the scientific basis of ASET and the community “process” relating to cut-quality. At the minimum we feel we can improve in selling our high cut-quality options by investing here. At the maximum we realize the PS “process” could represent the future of online buying. We hope our participation here may help actualize that future.

…it seems that JA can get IS and ASET on every stone they sell, that that isn't the case (several people have posted saying that a particular stone is not able to have an ASET or idealscope at B2C, which is a shame) with all stones at B2C.

JA is a model example of a seller effectively delivering actual images for a strong inventory. I hope everyone realizes how difficult and labor-intensive that is. It does not happen overnight. We have significantly more diamonds in our inventory, which presents a challenge, but we’re steadily increasing our efforts. Where possible we take photos. In some cases we’re using 3D scans to generate scientific images.

For now if we can put our hands on the diamond - whether in NYC or overseas - we’ll take images for a Pricescope asker ( often of several diamonds - it seems that this is happening for Mike). There are exceptions when a diamond is unavailable or removed and the source-feed was not updated, but that will happen to any online seller listing ‘virtual’ inventory sometimes.

 

[Mike714321]

Hi Mike,
I will be able to answer and help you further, it's just I need time to go through your information carefully, it's a lot of diamonds and I don't want to rush and mislead you, so you can make a good choice.

Thanks for the reply Lorelei! No worries. I'm still waiting on some images from B2C anyway. Want to make sure I have as much information as I can get before I order one and have B2C inspect it before proceeding.

Diamond Hawk,
Great information. So far I've really enjoyed shopping online with B2C. I really like that I can export a search to Excel so I can do more detailed sorting. I also appreciate B2C's willingness to try and obtain pictures for customers. I don't know what's more difficult for B2C regarding customers like myself requesting images of 4 or more stones; hitting up all your diamond partners for pictures or if it's easier to have a customer purchase all the stones they're interested in (provided they can bank roll that) and then return the ones that aren't what they want. My guess is that while it's more tedious to get pictures from around the world, it's probably preferred because from what I can tell, B2C pays all the shipping, so that's cost they'd be eating for stones you don't end up purchasing after receiving. Again, this is my personal guess, buy I could be wrong.

Anyway, great information. I've learned a lot. I wonder if a mod would be interested in renaming my thread to something more like "Beginning diamond search, where to start" so that future diamond buyers can find the thread and maybe learn as much as I have from the PS members as my original post isn't really what this thread has turned into!

Thanks,
Mike