This one is long.. YIKES! But in my opinion, the beauty of pricescope is that you can get detailed reviews of vendors you might be considering... so just bare with me please
So the beginning of my story plays out like most people''s on pricescope.com, so I''ll spare those details, and instead I''ll give credit where credit is due. I might come across as picky and/or blunt about certain things, but I feel I''m giving an honest opinion. The important thing is that regardless of any ups and downs, the ring turned out perfect.
First.. the ring:
Diamond: USACerteddiamonds.com
The first step was to get the diamond. To do so, I enlisted Martin over at USACerteddiamonds.com. When I first saw his website my initial thought was "you''ve got to be kidding me.... how could I ever make a purchase from a site like this". For those who''ve seen it... it''s well.... a bit scattered and difficult to navigate. I orginially went to his site because I was looking into superbCERTs, and he deals with them. Unfortunately, I couldn''t find a superbCERT within my size and budget, but Martin was able to make some excellent recommendations on other diamonds he had in "stock". I say in "stock" because what I realized is that USACerteddiamonds.com, like many companies, uses a listing service... so the diamonds he was showing me were also available through other vendors. Anyway, Martin was very friendly and professional, but at times moved faster than I was ready for. Perhaps it was because I started working with him between a Candian and religious holiday, so he was trying to offer me the best service possible within the limited time he was going to be in the office. Once I told him he was moving too fast for me, he let up and the rest of the process went smoothly. I did have to take it with a grain of salt when he''d say things like "Oh... this diamond is just excellent... I know you''ll love it!".... he was saying this based off numbers alone without actually having the diamonds in front him. After obtaining a sarin report, I felt comfortable having the diamond sent to an appraiser near me to get checked out. Payment was a breeze and the diamond was mine in no time.
Bottom line: I would absolutely suggest USACerteddiamonds.com to anyone who is willing to put a little extra effort into doing some of the leg work themselves. Through the pricescope.com diamond search, I found 4 other instances of the same exact diamond with other vendors (verified by GIA #). 2 of the vendors were cheaper than what Martin was offering, so I asked him what he could do and he happily beat the lowest price. I ended up getting the diamond for LOWER than the appraised WHOLESALE value.
Appraisal: Martin Fuller and Associates
I would highly recommend Martin Fuller to anyone. His no frills office shows that he means business, but he and his staff were very friendly and accomodating to my schedule. The appraisal cost me $200 for a 1.08ct diamond... this appraisal included an additional add-on consisting of magnified photos of all aspects of the diamond (for insurance purposes). After the ring was complete, I had a follow-up appraisal which cost $75. They then put together a lengthy bound report outlining my ring, as well as providing estimates, etc. I realize his rates may be a little higher than most, but I feel it was well worth the money... especially after he showed me the pictures of the Hope diamond he had while he was working on it... he obviously gets respect in his line of work.
Setting: Quest Manufacturing
Since I''m local to Martin Fuller, he referred me to a business in the DC area called Quest Manufacturing. This small second floor shop custom makes all of their clients jewelery to whatever crazy specs you can think of. Operated by 3 brothers, they were very professional and friendly as well. I liked how they only handled one client at a time so that you had their undivided attention. The setting I was after was a channel setting with 5 princess diamonds down each side. I do realize there aren''t many ways to create this style of ring, but since I went in there expecting to have a brainstorm session for ways to make this ring unique, I was disappointed when he handed me a catalog of rings he''s done in the past. After trying to get him thinking with me a little bit, I finally gave up and settled on a design on my own. They kept touting how each ring is made from scratch and custom designed, but since I just picked things out of the catalog he could have easily used an existing design. Since I was in no hurry, we settled on a 2 week due date. After 1 week I was supposed to email him, which I did, to obtain some CAD models of the ring design. 5 days after I emailed him (2 days before the ring was supposed to be done and I STILL hadn''t seen a model!!! AHHHH!), I gave him a call and they freaked out that they forgot to send me those designs and apologized all over the place. At this point I was pretty ticked off, but he assured me that the ring would be done by the scheduled day.
The following day (the day before it was due) I called to get an estimated time for me to come by and get it. 4pm.. no problem. Fast forward to the next day... due date. At approx 2pm I get a phone call from them saying that the ring won''t be ready at 4 and they could use until 5:30.... at this point I really freak out because I realize they are rushing to get it done. I tell him that I don''t want this rushed... he assured me that it wasn''t being rushed and they just wanted the extra time to clean it up properly.
Bottom Line: The price I received was EXCELLENT. I ended up getting 3x as much ring for $400 less than a similar setting on bluenile.com. Overall I was pleased with the service and desire to make me a happy customer. I would use them again, and probably wouldn''t freak out this time if I found out they were working on it down to the wire... that''s just the way they work I think.
The total package:
H VS2 Ideal
6.62 x 6.66 x 4.07
Cut: Round
Weight: 1.08 carats
Table % 55
Crown Angle 34.8
Crown Height % 15.5
Pavilion Depth % 43
Girdle Thickness: Thin to Medium - waxy
Total Depth % 61.3
Polish / Symmetry: Excellent
Perfect H&A, although not labelled as such.
The setting has 10 princess cut diamonds totalling .72ct set in platinum.
My proposal took place at the location mentioned (and pictured) in this link... I was actually giving this advice to someone else when I decided that this is how I wanted to propose too.
And THAT''s my review. WHEW!
So the beginning of my story plays out like most people''s on pricescope.com, so I''ll spare those details, and instead I''ll give credit where credit is due. I might come across as picky and/or blunt about certain things, but I feel I''m giving an honest opinion. The important thing is that regardless of any ups and downs, the ring turned out perfect.
First.. the ring:
Diamond: USACerteddiamonds.com
The first step was to get the diamond. To do so, I enlisted Martin over at USACerteddiamonds.com. When I first saw his website my initial thought was "you''ve got to be kidding me.... how could I ever make a purchase from a site like this". For those who''ve seen it... it''s well.... a bit scattered and difficult to navigate. I orginially went to his site because I was looking into superbCERTs, and he deals with them. Unfortunately, I couldn''t find a superbCERT within my size and budget, but Martin was able to make some excellent recommendations on other diamonds he had in "stock". I say in "stock" because what I realized is that USACerteddiamonds.com, like many companies, uses a listing service... so the diamonds he was showing me were also available through other vendors. Anyway, Martin was very friendly and professional, but at times moved faster than I was ready for. Perhaps it was because I started working with him between a Candian and religious holiday, so he was trying to offer me the best service possible within the limited time he was going to be in the office. Once I told him he was moving too fast for me, he let up and the rest of the process went smoothly. I did have to take it with a grain of salt when he''d say things like "Oh... this diamond is just excellent... I know you''ll love it!".... he was saying this based off numbers alone without actually having the diamonds in front him. After obtaining a sarin report, I felt comfortable having the diamond sent to an appraiser near me to get checked out. Payment was a breeze and the diamond was mine in no time.
Bottom line: I would absolutely suggest USACerteddiamonds.com to anyone who is willing to put a little extra effort into doing some of the leg work themselves. Through the pricescope.com diamond search, I found 4 other instances of the same exact diamond with other vendors (verified by GIA #). 2 of the vendors were cheaper than what Martin was offering, so I asked him what he could do and he happily beat the lowest price. I ended up getting the diamond for LOWER than the appraised WHOLESALE value.
Appraisal: Martin Fuller and Associates
I would highly recommend Martin Fuller to anyone. His no frills office shows that he means business, but he and his staff were very friendly and accomodating to my schedule. The appraisal cost me $200 for a 1.08ct diamond... this appraisal included an additional add-on consisting of magnified photos of all aspects of the diamond (for insurance purposes). After the ring was complete, I had a follow-up appraisal which cost $75. They then put together a lengthy bound report outlining my ring, as well as providing estimates, etc. I realize his rates may be a little higher than most, but I feel it was well worth the money... especially after he showed me the pictures of the Hope diamond he had while he was working on it... he obviously gets respect in his line of work.
Setting: Quest Manufacturing
Since I''m local to Martin Fuller, he referred me to a business in the DC area called Quest Manufacturing. This small second floor shop custom makes all of their clients jewelery to whatever crazy specs you can think of. Operated by 3 brothers, they were very professional and friendly as well. I liked how they only handled one client at a time so that you had their undivided attention. The setting I was after was a channel setting with 5 princess diamonds down each side. I do realize there aren''t many ways to create this style of ring, but since I went in there expecting to have a brainstorm session for ways to make this ring unique, I was disappointed when he handed me a catalog of rings he''s done in the past. After trying to get him thinking with me a little bit, I finally gave up and settled on a design on my own. They kept touting how each ring is made from scratch and custom designed, but since I just picked things out of the catalog he could have easily used an existing design. Since I was in no hurry, we settled on a 2 week due date. After 1 week I was supposed to email him, which I did, to obtain some CAD models of the ring design. 5 days after I emailed him (2 days before the ring was supposed to be done and I STILL hadn''t seen a model!!! AHHHH!), I gave him a call and they freaked out that they forgot to send me those designs and apologized all over the place. At this point I was pretty ticked off, but he assured me that the ring would be done by the scheduled day.
The following day (the day before it was due) I called to get an estimated time for me to come by and get it. 4pm.. no problem. Fast forward to the next day... due date. At approx 2pm I get a phone call from them saying that the ring won''t be ready at 4 and they could use until 5:30.... at this point I really freak out because I realize they are rushing to get it done. I tell him that I don''t want this rushed... he assured me that it wasn''t being rushed and they just wanted the extra time to clean it up properly.
Bottom Line: The price I received was EXCELLENT. I ended up getting 3x as much ring for $400 less than a similar setting on bluenile.com. Overall I was pleased with the service and desire to make me a happy customer. I would use them again, and probably wouldn''t freak out this time if I found out they were working on it down to the wire... that''s just the way they work I think.
The total package:
H VS2 Ideal
6.62 x 6.66 x 4.07
Cut: Round
Weight: 1.08 carats
Table % 55
Crown Angle 34.8
Crown Height % 15.5
Pavilion Depth % 43
Girdle Thickness: Thin to Medium - waxy
Total Depth % 61.3
Polish / Symmetry: Excellent
Perfect H&A, although not labelled as such.
The setting has 10 princess cut diamonds totalling .72ct set in platinum.
My proposal took place at the location mentioned (and pictured) in this link... I was actually giving this advice to someone else when I decided that this is how I wanted to propose too.
And THAT''s my review. WHEW!
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