tonyjlopez
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2013
- Messages
- 41
Hello everyone, this is my first post here.
I am looking for a diamond for my wife for our 20th wedding anniversary this month. We just moved to Los Angeles and have not physically looked here yet. We went to the 47th street Diamond district in New York last month and were not impressed. The process of being treated really poorly to get a decent price was not something I tolerated for very long.
When I was younger I worked in the jewelry industry (25-30 years ago), and so am (or rather was) knowledgable about diamond grading, but in those days also had access to wholesale diamonds. In buying a diamond today, with the internet as an option, I am really uncertain how to buy.
I am looking for a certified 2.0 carat plus princess, H or better, vvs2 or better. I have found them in the $15-20,000 range, but some can run up to $50,000 which is beyond my budget. She wants a channel setting similar to those seen at BlueNile - but the ones they have for a larger stone have smaller Ascher diamonds surrounding, and not Princess, and I prefer Princess.
The main dilema is that the prices at the online houses seem to be better by far than the retail sites. Then again, buying a diamond site unseen is scary. I worry mostly about the lack of brilliance. I have actually seen some stones within my criteria for closer to $10,000, but usually with florescence or a depth greater than 75%.
Solomon Brothers seems to have the best prices as well as B2C. Blue Nile seems to be a few thousand dollars more for similar stones. Any suggestions/recommendations on whom to buy from?
So from there let me just open it up to any advice, all of which is welcome. Is there a Brick and Mortar store in the LA Area that has prices comparable to those seen on the internet, where they also treat you like a human? I don't want an Anniversary gift purchase to feel like a merger negotiation.
I am looking for a diamond for my wife for our 20th wedding anniversary this month. We just moved to Los Angeles and have not physically looked here yet. We went to the 47th street Diamond district in New York last month and were not impressed. The process of being treated really poorly to get a decent price was not something I tolerated for very long.
When I was younger I worked in the jewelry industry (25-30 years ago), and so am (or rather was) knowledgable about diamond grading, but in those days also had access to wholesale diamonds. In buying a diamond today, with the internet as an option, I am really uncertain how to buy.
I am looking for a certified 2.0 carat plus princess, H or better, vvs2 or better. I have found them in the $15-20,000 range, but some can run up to $50,000 which is beyond my budget. She wants a channel setting similar to those seen at BlueNile - but the ones they have for a larger stone have smaller Ascher diamonds surrounding, and not Princess, and I prefer Princess.
The main dilema is that the prices at the online houses seem to be better by far than the retail sites. Then again, buying a diamond site unseen is scary. I worry mostly about the lack of brilliance. I have actually seen some stones within my criteria for closer to $10,000, but usually with florescence or a depth greater than 75%.
Solomon Brothers seems to have the best prices as well as B2C. Blue Nile seems to be a few thousand dollars more for similar stones. Any suggestions/recommendations on whom to buy from?
So from there let me just open it up to any advice, all of which is welcome. Is there a Brick and Mortar store in the LA Area that has prices comparable to those seen on the internet, where they also treat you like a human? I don't want an Anniversary gift purchase to feel like a merger negotiation.
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