Update- NSC Raised prices 15%, won''t honor old price!

[PrecisionGem]

I had a look at "The Guide", and it is showing the price of sapphire (wholesale) going up around 15% from last years price book to this years.

However, usually these price increases go along with the increase in the price of the rough. So if the stone is from old stock I wouldn''t think you would increase the price. I see this with tsavorite and Aquamarine. A few years ago, I could buy the rough for about half of what I pay for it now. So when I cut one of the older stones, it will be marked at a lower price than one from newer rough. This only seems fair.

 

[rockzilla]

Can''t comment on the price increase, but I bought a sapphire from them a few years ago (not nearly as high $$$ wise) and they gave me ~10 days or so I believe to inspect/return the stone. I can''t recall if they even charged my credit card until I gave them the "OK" that I wanted it (checked around some other local jewlers first) I think they just charged me for shipping. The customer service was great and they answered all my questions.

Sounds like a pretty drastic change in their business practices. (I''ve also noticed they stopped posting video on many of the stones) A shift in customer service and policies like this makes me think twice...as opposed to a retailer with relatively inflexible/ stringent practices but that have been consistent over time (e.g. Fay Cullen''s poor return policy, Leon Mege''s "particular" working style) In these cases, you can evaluate whether or not the hassle is worth it to you to deal with them, but the fact that this seems relatively different from NSC''s past practices concerns me.

As a business person, I''d think either a) they''ve had a management change, not for the better or b) the company is not financially healthy, perhaps low on cash and/or having credit issues. In the second case, these are just symptoms of a larger problem, but probably enough to make me hesitant to work w/them.

Hopefully someone from NSC can chime in, don''t know if they post here though.

 

[cushioncutnut]

I agree, I would not do business with someone who changed the price on a stone that may have been sitting in the inventory for quite some time and has a terrible return/exchange policy. While I was persuing a sapphire awhile back, I considered NSC but I have to say, I was not impressed with there prices compared to what I have seen elsewhere. I ended up with a gorgeous stone from Simply Sapphires. They have a great return policy. I know you are looking to get engaged soon, but I wouldn''t rush the process when finding that perfect sapphire. They are harder to find than a diamond. Anyone of the vendors mentioned in this thread could provide you with a lovely stone as well! I can''t wait to see what you decide!

 

[T L]

I went to their website and read their return policies. You only get five days to inspect and return the stone from the invoice date. I'm unsure why they wouldn't give you the same inspection period?

 

[T L]

Date: 1/1/2009 12:28:51 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
I had a look at ''The Guide'', and it is showing the price of sapphire (wholesale) going up around 15% from last years price book to this years.

However, usually these price increases go along with the increase in the price of the rough. So if the stone is from old stock I wouldn''t think you would increase the price. I see this with tsavorite and Aquamarine. A few years ago, I could buy the rough for about half of what I pay for it now. So when I cut one of the older stones, it will be marked at a lower price than one from newer rough. This only seems fair.

Well Gene,
You have great prices and you''re a super fair guy!!

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 1/1/2009 1:00:42 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Well Gene,
You have great prices and you''re a super fair guy!!

+1000!

movie zombie

 

[coatimundi_org]

te:[/b] 1/1/2009 1:07:27 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover


Well Gene,

You have great prices and you''re a super fair guy!!

[/quote]

True this!

 

[Harriet]

Date: 12/31/2008 10:58:25 PM
Author: brendaman
Thanks, Harriet! Sorry, I was in a rush to go to dinner, but didn''t want to miss a PS post

.

Leon does custom jewelry, and I think TL was talking about a post by someone who was asking about finding sapphires in the NYC Diamond District.

Hope this helps you.

Happy New Year, Everybody!!

No worries! I understand. haha.

 

[Harriet]

Re: Change in management at the NSC
As far as I know, Michael Arnstein, whom I''ve been told is in charge, is still around.

 

[brendaman]

Maybe it''s worth it to talk to Michael A. at NSC, to see whether he would honor the old price (assuming it was not Michael A. with whom you dealt with before). Of course, seems kind of cruddy they''re treating customers this way.

I''m struck by what ER Doc Mike had to say about his visit to NSC in his search of an e-ring for his FI:

"Anyway, I have to say that I was not impressed with this place. Their main selling point seemed to me to be the fact that their sapphires are unheated. I was told that they had lot of sapphires, but they only showed me a handful of round stones.
I realise that one should buy a sapphire because one likes the beauty of it, but the salesman seemed to me to be reluctant to discuss details of the stones, such as origin, and instead wanted me to focus a lot on how beautiful I subjectively assessed the stones to be."

And this was back in November 2007 . . . seems their service needs improving! I understand they don''t sell to the wholesale market (is this true?), so how long can they survive with middling customer service. But then agian, not every sapphire buyer out there is PS-aware. If only they all were!!!

 

[Harriet]

Well, I see that the pink with the huge inclusion has been sold.

FYI, the SA refused to let me handle any stone with a tweezer. That made it a leetle difficult to loupe their stones.

 

[lamowery]

not to beat a dead horse on this issue, but for clarification on a few points-
the stone was in their inventory for 3 years.
the policy at the time was that there wasn''t a return policy because we had "inspected" the stone already during that one visit in the store. If you buy online, you get 5 days toiinspect it and return it, but they weren''t offering that to us while we were there. They basically said "do you need 2 minutes to talk about and decide?".
When my boyfriend said he wanted the night to think it over, they threatened prices were going up the next day and that there would not be an exception made for us if we came back to buy it. And sure enough, the next day the stones were raised in price on the website and Steven Bliss emailed me to remind me that the prices were going up and again, no exceptions would be made.

so, i am over it. I hesitated because of a visible inclusion on the top surface, so it probably worked out for the best. it might have bugged me forever otherwise if i had gotten it!

thanks all- I got in touch with several recs and will let you know what happens!

 

[Linda W]

Like Rockzilla said, it also sounds like a drastic change in their business policies. The last time I purchased from them was in November,2007 and I had more then 10 days to inspect 2 padparadscha sapphires. They did not charge my credit card either.

I have noticed since then, that they have gone down hill with their cutting. The rings that I have and the pendants are gorgeous. The cutting is perfect. It would look like to me that they have new cutters at their store, or whatever is going on with them I have no idea. I also did notice that their prices took a huge jump.

Mike A. did write a note on their website that they were not suffering due to the economy, or words to that effect. Who knows though.


Linda

 

[Harriet]

Lamowery,
I too felt that I was being pressured into an on-the-spot decision, and I didn''t care for that.

 

[anne_h]

My own experiences with NSC have not been all that great.

My feedback:

- WRT to the two purchases I made (one kept, one returned), the color in the photo and in the listing was (IMO) noticeably superior to the actual stones.
- I feel that many (most?) of their inventory is not all that well cut
- I feel that their stones are overpriced
- In one instance, I asked if I could buy some studs without the jackets they were shown in. At first I was told a definitive no, and then I was told yes (but at a price that barely reflected the exclusion of the jackets), and then at my further request, one last quote that still was too much IMO.

I have been to their retail location several times. Their office is private and pretty. But the goods I have seen on their website and in person consistently disappoint. Currently, I seldom consider NSC anymore when looking for colored stones.

I mean no offense to any fans of this retailer. These are just my own experiences and opinions.

A.

PS - I must say they have always been courteous and professional, if a bit "selly".

 

[RubyCharm]

I don''t think the NSC has changed its business policies regarding customer service and satisfaction. I''m currently working with their design team to create the engagement ring of my dreams with a star ruby that they requested from Palagems on my behalf. I think their prices are quire reasonable. They offered me a special discount about a month ago (in mid-January) that was supposed to last for one week only. However, they honored that discount until I finally found the perfect stone for my e-ring about a month later. So far, I''ve never felt pressured to make a quick decision and they''ve always dealt with me very patiently and professionally (even after I decided to get a stone from another dealer''s inventory and not theirs). I''m sorry you didn''t have the same positive experience. I think it''s very important to have good communication with them and make sure that they know that you are serious about your purchase. I made that clear from the beginning through emails and phone calls and I had no problem extending the discount period.

 

[BWise]

If I had your budget I would have bought this one from KB. Yes it is heated, but other than the owner, who can tell the difference. This one is much bigger at 5ct, and the color is just beautiful.

(my 2 cents)

 

[T L]

From what I''ve read, there seems to be some inconsistancy with how they deal with customers. I have never purchased anything from them, but this is just my feeling from reading several posts. Does anyone think it might have to do with the salesperson that is assigned to you? Maybe some are more abliging, and others are not?

 

[brendaman]

I just visited their offices a few days ago, looking for a blue sapphire e-ring, and it was quite a pleasant experience. They really didn''t have anything in a loose stone in the color I wanted, but they did have one that was set which seemed to me to have a pretty sleepy blue color. They were willing to sell it as a loose, and I was told that they normally don''t like to do that, but it was supposedly a rare color that if I wanted they would do it. The price of the stone loose would be about $13K.

I had my appointment with Livia and Susu came in and sort of looked through the inventory for more stones and generally hovered and helped. I''m not quite sure how knowledgeable they were as they really didn''t state details of the stone and often had to look at their computers as to the stones source, clarity, etc. But then again, I''ve been at this for months now, and I have some idea of the range of color I want.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Just thought I''d add my review. When I went there, I had a very modest budget, and I didn''t feel any pressure at all to buy from Livia, she was perfectly helpful and sweet and patient I ended up liking a stone that was set in a ring, and she said it was no problem to sell it loose, which brought the price down by 500$ or so.

And I''ve been happy with their customer service as well. I found some small chips in the girdle, and they offered to repolish the stone or let me refund it even after 5 days even though they didn''t have to.

In terms of price, I can''t really say if it was overpriced because I bought a pad sapphires, and there just aren''t many out there that carry unheated pads, so I didn''t have much to compare it with. I thought it was fair though compared to the heated ones I''d seen.