New York Diamond District
 

I am going to New York City at the end of Jan. and will be looking to buy a diamond. Does anyone have any suggustions of stores. I would like to pay as close to wholesale as possible. I would like a GIA CERT., Color F, VS2-clarity, or about 1.30 c. I understand this may be hard to find. Please let me know of any experiences you have had with the diamond district. Thank you.

You will get a much better deal in NYC, but be prepared with cash.

I have no stores in particular to recommend but I can tell you that it probably will help a lot that you know exactly what you are looking for. It seems that most of the shops operate the same way. They offer very little information or service until you tell them how much you want to spend - and then they'll start talking. If you know what you want, they might assume you know what you want to spend and that can cut thru a lot of BSing. And I don't think it would be hard to find a diamond such as the one you described.

Most of the stores on 47th St. will only show you the rings that they have pre made in the display case. Humor them and look at a couple and then tell them that you want to see the loose diamonds from the vault. Tell them exactly what you are looking for. get yourself an education by reading books and looking in the various local jewelry stores. Always take a look at the diamond through the jewelers loupe, this will show you imperfections not visible to the naked eye that will effect the value of the stone. Again, a good way to practice is to visit your local stores. Most if tge 47th St. merchants are reputable, but always get an independent appraisal. If possible, negotiate the independent appraisal into the purchase, you know, you can return it if it doesn;t meet your expectations etc. I do business with some stores on 47th St. since I work in midtown, but I hesitate to give out any names. (sorry)

I agree with all the posters above. You have to go in looking like you know what you're doing -- just giving them a list of your requirements and sitting back is not enough. There are 4 ways to prepare yourself: <BR>1) Get a loupe (you can't judge a diamond without one and it looks impressive, too;) <BR>2) Do a lot of background reading on diamonds and their properties; <BR>3) Spend a lot of time in your local jewelry stores BEFORE you arrive, comparing the various stones and educating your eye; <BR>4) Spend a lot of time in the diamond district AFTER you arrive, comparing one store to another and taking the time you need to get a good bargain. <BR> HAPPY HUNTING!

bookmarking

This thread is over 10 years old! You may want to research more current information.

47th St is still the place to go for bargains - but you need to know a lot about diamonds, what they are worth and what you want to spend. (There are a lot of online resources - and you can even check out Tiffany's while in NYC - to see what high quality stones go for retail.)

If you are looking for something basic and inexpensive -(don;t walk in and ask for something for $1000) this is not the place to go - you're better off at a home town jeweler.

nytraveler, thanks for the feedback and fair warning. this and the other post i bookmarked were unfortunately the "most recent" i could find using the search function in this forum.

i plan to just window shop and get some ideas/inspiration for what i might ask from santa this christmas. kinda long shot really. if i ever do buy something i just cant resist, it will probably be some basic gold jewelry. i feel more comfortable buying gold jewelry from total strangers because they're easier to test, marked clearly and pricing is more straightforward. i think what im hoping for is some good buys on some not too pricey gold jewelry. we'll see...

i plan to post something on this topic when i return from nyc. will be there in september and will be staying at doubletree in times square.

thanks again for the feedback.