San Francisco Jewelry Mart/Gift Center

[amc80]

Has anyone had experience purchasing diamonds and/or settings at the San Francisco Jewelry Mart/Gift Center? I have a couple of friends who have gotten their engagement rings there, but I don't really want to ask them how much they spent. Curious to know if there are good deals to be had, or if it is just the convenience of having so many vendors in one place.

Thanks!

 

[Gypsy]

Derco is okay. You have to go in armed to the teeth with knowledge and even then you might hear disparaging comments about internet vendors and such, and I'd leave the wallet at home but you can get good jewelry from them if you know what to demand. It's work though. But they are okay. If you are in the bay area, IMO, I would go to Joe Escrobar in Campbell though. I've always gotten great service there, they are PS friendly, and they have fabulous settings in addition to diamonds. For 'deals' in the bay area, ordering online from a PSer vendor is the most convenient though.

 

[WinkHPD]

When I lived in Culver City while going to GIA (It was in Santa Monica then) I used to go to the 607 building in downtown LA. It is supposedly a wholesale for jewelers only type jewelry mart. One day I went in to get some emerald melee for a ring I was making and a famous TV personality was buying from a parcel of beautiful emerald melee. He picked out the stones he wanted at $600 per carat.

When the clerk started to put the parcel away I said to keep them out as I needed some also.

The famous one left and I asked for a carat of goods and the clerk pulled them out and then started to write the receipt at $600 per carat. I cleared my throat and when she looked at me shook my head. She asked if I was in the trade.

I paid $240 per carat.

You MUST know what you are doing!

Wink

 

[Hest88]

I've only purchased from Derco. I wouldn't say it's a huge bargain, especially if you're already looking at PS vendors, but they were certainly helpful and fairly reliable.

 

[PavePrincess]

Derco is okay. You have to go in armed to the teeth with knowledge and even then you might hear disparaging comments about internet vendors and such, and I'd leave the wallet at home but you can get good jewelry from them if you know what to demand. It's work though. But they are okay. If you are in the bay area, IMO, I would go to Joe Escrobar in Campbell though. I've always gotten great service there, they are PS friendly, and they have fabulous settings in addition to diamonds. For 'deals' in the bay area, ordering online from a PSer vendor is the most convenient though.

I LOVE Joe Escobar! I have been to the SF Gift center and I feel most of them are scammers.. I was looking at stacking rings and their prices were.. horrendous! I've seen some of their site online and the quality of their stones aren't quite up to PS standards. They'll place a J I2 (no mention of cut) into a tacori setting then try to sell it for an outrageous price. Just walk in armed with knowledge and hopefully you'll have a great experience.

That being said, please go in and visit Joe Escobar. They price their diamonds fairly and they have fantastic settings. Good luck!

 

[amc80]

Thanks, everyone. I will definitely check out Joe Escobar. So it seems like you can get a good deal as long as you have the knowledge of what you should be paying.

 

[MrsChil]

I love working with Derco and am currently having a custom ring made by them. I think as long as you know what you are looking for and what current online prices are you can get a deal. The price they quoted us for my setting was comparable to another PS vendor that I used so I decided to go ahead and pay the extra in sales tax to have the convenience of a local jeweler for things like ring cleaning, repairs, etc. They also have EXCELLENT customer service. When I was there to try on my new wax cast they cleaned and replated my 18k white gold wedding band for free! We looked online for a cushion diamond for A LONG TIME and we actually ended up purchasing my diamond at the Gift Center through Chabo's Jewelry. We had stumbled accross his shop in our search and he called in some cushions for us to view. He ultimately gave us a FANTASTIC price on my diamond and we were able to see all of them in person before making a decision. I wouldn't recommend going to him for custom work though. He made a Tiffany style halo ring for us and the quality was NOT good but for buying a diamond his prices were great!

 

[Yimmers]

My husband got my diamond and original setting from the gift center. I did not like my setting, and had it re-set later on. Unfortunately, I don't know how much he paid for the diamond, but when I told him the appraisal price, he was fine with it. They will highly inflate your appraisal, so get an independent appraisal elsewhere.

Derco has a lot of stock settings, so it's a decent place to look to just get an idea of what you may like/dislike. However, the salesperson there told us a lot of crap that I had to tell my friend wasn't true. He tried to dissuade her from even considering a J color. I told her she needed to see on in regular light to determine whether the warmth would bug her. He consistently brought out diamonds that were 58% table width, 60+% depth (so, not the best cut diamonds), told us all GIA triple EX were ideal (which they are NOT), and told us AGS is below GIA (which they are NOT) simply because they don't sell AGS certified diamonds. That being said, he put up with my highly picky friend and they're setting a diamond that she purchased elsewhere. If you go, bring an idealscope or an ASET scope to look at their diamonds. They do not have any ISET/ASET images to present to you. I didn't find their prices to be any better than online, especially with the quality he was presenting. He was definitely making a hard sell with the diamonds. I didn't appreciate that, since they only showed us four, and I didn't really like their initial numbers to get the equipment to take a second look.

 

[wedge]

Does anybody have any experience with Giraux (in the SF Gift Center)? Friends keep telling me they've got great prices... but I don't think my friends are as diamond-educated as the Pricescope community. Thanks in advance.

 

[MrsChil]

Does anybody have any experience with Giraux (in the SF Gift Center)? Friends keep telling me they've got great prices... but I don't think my friends are as diamond-educated as the Pricescope community. Thanks in advance.

We stopped in there when we were looking for my cushion. I didn't care for the sales lady who "helped" us. She was very pushy and rude. We told her we were looking for a 1.5 to 2 carat cushion. After showing us 2 cushions in the 1.5 range that we didn't care for she showed us a 2 carat cushion with huge inclusions right below the table. She said it was a great price and huge! When I told her I didn't like it because of the obvious inclusions she had the nerve to say I was being picky!!! We left right then and there and never went back. Their prices weren't that great either. That was our experience but maybe you'll have better luck and get someone that actually knows something about diamonds and isn't so rude.