My friend who can''t stand the diamond district in NYC

[kanne]

I know! I can''t believe it either!! lol! We were cruising around NYC yesterday afternoon and just "happened" to be at the mouth of the diamond district. Of course I suggested that we do the "walk of bling" and look in the windows..but she went on this rant about how she makes jewelry and how "cheesy" everything looked. I could tell that she was 0% interested in looking, so we turned around and wandered off the other way.

Granted, there is a ton of cheesy jewelry in the DD (and you will struggle to get a fair price), but some of it is absolutely breathtaking! Guess her fiance is such a lucky man. He won''t have to worry about her buying those pair of "I''m having a crappy day and need emerald cut VSI, F color diamond earrings ASAP".

To each their own!! Just though you''d all enjoy another perspective.

 

[curlygirl]

Lovey, I know exactly what you mean. When I first began the search for ideas for my engagement ring, I went right to 47th Street. Isn't that where everyone in NYC goes?! LOL!!! I have to admit my (now) fiance and I were pretty turned off by all the people on the street trying to woo us into their stores. But when we did go in, most of them were nice and accommodating even though I had no idea what I really wanted. On the flip side, some stores we went into treated us like second class citizens. They would tell us they didn't have asschers or cushions or even princesses! I mean, give me a break!!! I started to get the Pretty Woman complex--just because we weren't all decked out doesn't mean we didn't have money to spend! My FI and I are both successful in the entertainment industry but we like to wear jeans!!!! Needless to say, we felt very discouraged but continued on the quest. We still went into lots of stores and tried to get ideas. Some of them had beautiful antique pieces and although most of the stuff truly was cheesy, we did see some really pretty things.

Ultimately, I did end up getting my ring on 47th Street!!! When we finally clued my parents in to the fact that we were looking, they let us know about a jeweler friend who just happens to be right in the DD--one of the places we did NOT go into because they're closed on weekends. We ended up going to him and getting a beautiful ring custom made and I'm thrilled with it. I know we probably got special treatment because of the family connection but I have to say, they're not all horrible people in the Diamond District. I would highly recommend my jeweler to anyone. A girlfriend of mine just went to him and got her ring made and he treated her with the same kindness and respect. So I guess you never know. To each his own is absolutely right!!

 

[elepri]

I actually kinda hate the diamond district too, it gets pretty horrible, particularly the closer you get to 6ht Ave. I espeicially can''t stand those guys who stand outside or run out of their stores as soon as you pause by their windows trying to get you in. But there are some really nice and noncheesy places there too. Mimi So has a little boutique that looks pretty upscale and modern and there are some others too so I still think it may be worth a trip. I understand where your friend is coming from though.

 

[kanne]

My friend did turn me on to some different wedding bands tho..George Sawyer is interesting. I've never actually purchased anything at the DD, but I think it's fun to look in the windows...also the street culture there is amazing from a sociological perspective. Yes, Mimi So has lovely things.

Let's put it another way..she wouldn't even go into Michael C Fina to see (what I consider) all the non cheesy designer rings. I guess her very militant attitude towards the "pre-fab" was very surprising to me.... Very militant jewelry snob. lol!!

Her e-ring is a simple gold shield ring by Alex Primak, which is lovely, but it wouldn't be my first choice..that's what I meant by to each their own..

Then again, I have to give credit to a girl who hasn't fallen under the spell of the diamond industry.

 

[katrina_33]

It''s pretty similar to the LAJD I presume, which is such a mixed bag. There''s a lot of god awful, tacky, ugly, cheap-o jewelry down there, but there''s a lot more relaly nice upscale jewelry than you''ll find in any other 3 block radius as well! There''s just a lot of everything. It''s just like Loehmann''s and those designer discount stores, great stuff at good prices, but mixed in with a lot of junk, and with shopping conditions that are often less than luxurious. I love it personally, it''s very surreal to me. I stay the hell away from those booth type of places where "everything is 60% off today" and where they physically wave you in of course. There are plenty that aren''t like that at all. Just found a great one in LA today as a matter of fact!

 

[Morticia]

Unfortunately, neither can I. I live and work very closely to it but rarely go. In the past, when I was researching rings, I would go and the majority of vendors were REALLY obnoxious. Especially if I went alone. They could not be bothered. If my boyfriend (now fiance) and I went, they would practically stalk us and try to persuade us to go into their stores. Even looking in the windows was a pain in the a$$ because they would hover over you there too.

One Saturday, my guy and I went to look around after we had gone running in Central Park, and some stalker lady tried to get us to go into a store. She was like "Where are you from?". When I told her "Manhattan - 9 blocks from here.", she goes "Oh. You look like tourists...". I was like "Why is that? Because we''re not dressed up? You shouldn''t assume things. It could be bad for business.". And anyway, what does a tourist look like? Huh?

That''s just one of the rude experiences that I have had. Like I said, most couldn''t be bothered with me if I was alone or with a girlfriend.

The only places that were really helpful and kind and not at all rude were Signed Pieces and http://www.estatediamondjewelry.com/ . The gentleman that works at SP is just an honest, stand up guy. He obviously needs to make a living but does not hesitate to tell you if he thinks a stone is too big (As if that is possible

) on someone. M. Khordipour Enterprises sells beautiful pieces and also has employess who are professional and helpful. They won''t shoo anyone away just b/c they aren''t there without their boyfriends or significant others.

OK, rant over. I love looking at sparklies, don''t get me wrong. I haven''t had much better experiences at Tiffany''s either. The two times I''ve gone to *play*

, the salespeople sucked. Big attitudes.

 

[blueroses]

Morticica, my experiences were pretty similar w/ the DD and at T&Co.

Although, I used to love walking down 47th just for the eye-candy in the windows...most of the time I''d be only minorly hassled b/c I was alone. However, the few times I went inside (w/o the bf) I was either ignored or really condescended to.....another time when my bf and I were just window-shopping, we were STALKED--salesguys at every turn, sticking "on sale-today only" signs in the window IN FRONT of whatever we were looking at. Worse than hard sell! Snotty women at T&Co too, frankly. We had a very helpful salesperson at Michael C. Fina--we''d never buy there, but it was certainly a relief by comparision!

But I can''t say I hate the DD b/c it was just too much fun--I''d "have to" make a Duane Reade or Au bon Pain run and just HAVE to walk an extra block to get blinded by the bling

I do regret that I never went inside M. Khordipour, though.

 

[kanne]

interesting experiences .

I''ll have to check out that estate jewelry place.

I guess the point I was trying to make was, my gf can''t stand what she calls "pre fab" jewelry...that includes the DD, Tiffanys, and most other jewlery stores...oh and Leon. She made a big deal about my ring (but not in a good way..more like in a ''how could you wear that and still be politically responsible'' way). I guess it bothered me a bit. Like I was being politically incorrect by wearing a gorgeous sparkly ring.

We are both recently engaged...I was telling her about some hard times my FI and I have been through in our relationship and she basically asked me "well after all that that how could you marry him"...(um first of all I don''t need to explain my entire 10 year relationship to you). This is a girl I see once every few years, but I felt close to her because we roomed together at college. Mistake. I''ll keep my mouth shut in the future!

I was blown away by how incredibly judgmental she was!!

ugh

 

[Morticia]

Lovey, after I got past the title, posted, and actually read your initial post - I got it. It's not the people (vultures) of the DD, it's what it *represents* in her eyes.

Whatever. To each its own, right? We love the bling and she doesn't. Good for her. I wish I felt the same way.

Yeah, she sounds super judgmental. I know someone who is like that. My "friend" also conveniently forgets the good news most of the time, she only remembers the bad stuff that happened at one time.

Sadly, it's probably best to do exactly what you just said, tell her nothing. It seems as though she just ends up throwing it in your face when it's is unnecessary.

It sucks, b/c they are supposed to be your friend, but that's how I learned not to tell this one girl things anymore.....

 

[AChiOAlumna]

It''s interesting hearing about people''s experiences with the NYC DD. In the LAJD, no one is standing outside asking you to come in...in fact, unless you walk right up to a booth, the seller''s won''t even approach you!! If you walk up to their booths, they''ll leave you alone (for the most part) unless you''re showing genuine interest in something in the display case.

We''ve had good experiences with the LAJD and even bought my new w-set from the LAJD. Like anyplace else, there are the good and bad and it''s a matter of being educated...

 

[blueroses]

Oh Lovey, she sounds like a pain in the arse!! I have a couple friends like that--just malcontent buzzkills that you have been friends with forever but after time together you wonder why you even talk anymore when they just leave you second guessing and lamenting every word.

Don''t listen to her--a beautiful custom ring lovingly designed and hand-crafted is the antithesis of anything cheesy or pre-fab, and how dare she throw back confidences in your face! (I hear you on that--friends with long memories can use info as ammunition re: the LONG relationships.) Bleah!

I had kind of missed the point before--dur. Long story short, she sounds like a total Debbie Downer!!