wayne7639

Any suggestions on stores where I can get a good deal on quality diamonds in NY? Also, let me know if you have any tips on the best way to do diamond shopping.

wayne

mclaurie

While there may be "deals" on 47th st., I wouldn't chance it. First go to Tiffany's-seriously. Get their book on how to buy a diamond & look at their selection and prices. Then walk down the street to Fortunoff. Then decide.

Remember the 3 c's-cut, clarity & color. Good luck!

abram

I love 47th St. My dad shopped there for my mom when I was a kid growing up in NY. Whenever I've bought anything with diamonds there, the appraisal at home is at least double what we spent.

Scarlett

The people that I know who buy from the Diamond dealers, usually get a referral to one from a friend or relative that uses him. There are so many and it is difficult to know if you are getting good prices or not.
I think mclaurie gives the best advice!
You won't get anything less in quality from Tiffanys. I got my first diamond studs from Tiffanys years ago and I remember how well I was treated. The whole experience should be fun and memorable and I am not sure going down into the district will be that charming.

Scarlett

http://www.ice.com/customer/how_to_buy_diamonds.jsp

Read this page on how to buy a diamond. Especially the part about cuts.
And remember the certificate!

Have fun!

Debfab

You can't go wrong at Fortunoff's. They stand behind all their merchandise and even offer an upgrade policy on a diamond solitaire purchase. Good luck!

syd1

Tiffany's is great for the photo op. That's about it.
Go to David S. Diamonds on 47th street. He's honest and has very reasonable prices. Not too creative in terms of design, but if you're just looking for a good deal on a diamond, he's your man. Also, he's one of the only places open on Saturday so it'll be less hectic if you wait and go then. If you want to design something unique, check out Mimi So a few doors down. Their diamonds are expensive but their designs are beautiful.

LoriNY

Ianelli Diamonds, 45 W 47th St. Open Saturdays, ask for Anthony. Fair, honest, and just great guys to work with.

AHaugeto

Hey Wayne. I might get some heat for conveying this, as it's just hearsay, but in the past 2 years I have heard from three different sources that Tiffany's is slipping. Not their diamonds, mind you, but their settings and their stylings. The caveat here being that I heard this from a gemologist in NH (where I got my bridal set), one in NY, and from a friend who was with her fiance when they bought her engagement ring in Houston (they mentioned to the dealer they were headed to NY and he said stay away from their settings...the quality they used to have just isn't there). So take this as you will. Anyway, have fun with it, make sure you know what cut, color, clarity, and carat weight you want (don't forget that 4th C!), don't be afraid to ask about whether certain styles are "trendy" if you want something timeless, and enjoy your bling-bling

Loki

Look at prices at Bluenile.com, see if you can get comparable in the DD. Typically not for anything under 2ct. Depends exactly what sort of stone you're looking for. Do a lot of research ahead of time, particularly on the cut, watch the table size, they tend to cut them fat to make them look bigger but they really become a crappy cut. Start with stones that are AGS000 or "Eightstar" to see what an ideal cut stone looks like and work from there. Don't buy anything EGL or IGL certified, only AGS or GIA. If you want to at least appear as though you know what you're doing, get a photographers loupe at any photo store for about $10 should be 8X or 10X, and bring it with you into the store. Also, you don't want to evaluate the cut of the stone under bright jewelry store lights. You should go into a dark area and view it by candle/match light. Do this once and you'll see exactly what I'm suggesting you look for. The shimmmer of a well cut stone is very obvious in low light, in bright light they all start looking the same. I've always been curious about the diamond district and asked some cutters from Israel and Antwerp about it and the consensus seems to be that it's only a bargain for large stones. I bought a beautiful stone cut in Tel-Aviv that my wife always gets compliments on. I'd seriously recommend looking into bluenile as they've become a benchmark for diamond pricing all over. The most important thing is the cut, it's obvious to the naked eye where as Clarity is only visible worse than SI1. With color, they say H or better shows no discolor.

Good luck, I researched diamond cutting for about 6 months before buying. I was able to learn a bit from diamondtalk.com and actually met, in person, some of the jewelers who post on there.

curiousgeo

Regarding Tiffany's, I don't think there is any question on the selection and quality of their diamonds, as well as after purchase servicing as they stand behind their products. You will however pay a high premium for the Tiffany name.

My first preference would be a personal referral to a reputable dealer. If that wasn't available then shopping somewhere like Tiffany's would give me peace of mind. Good luck.

djkbooks

Unless you live in NY, or have a really special reason for wanting to purchase the diamond while there, it's often better to purchase it locally - assuming you're buying one in some sort of setting or an engagement ring.

Your local jeweler will service you for a lifetime - clean it anytime you like, check the prongs regularly, and so forth, replace the prongs when needed - at no charge.

If you do your homework and plenty of shopping while in NY, though, you'll know enough to negotiate the best possible price with your hometown jeweler.

bugswife1

Unless you know someone who can get you upstairs, any place that you walk into on the street level of 47th street is still retail. You will not get any better of a deal there than anywhere else. What you WILL get is variety.