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Overall Score:3.33 | | ||||
Price:2.5 | | Selection:3.5 | | Customer Service: 4 | |
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| Other Recommended Retailers |
Bottom Line Recommendation
Gregory Jewellers were one of the best shoppes we secret shopped during our time in Australia. They had some nice diamonds (all GIA, some weren’t exactly great choices), pretty good service and a nice atmosphere in the stores. That said, I’d have preferred if the prices were a bit cheaper. They were by no means a rip-off, but you can get far better value buying from a reputable online jeweller like Blue Nile or James Allen.
If you are adamant about purchasing at a physical store, Gregory Jewellers are an excellent choice. There is no way a physical retailer can compete with the prices you can find shopping on-line. That said, I’d prefer to see a premium of 20-25% at a physical retailer. As you will see below, Gregory Jewellers had premiums over 30%. That said, it’s nice to see a store with a nice selection and excellent salespeople.
The History
Gregory Jewellers was founded in 1967 by Lahdo and Christopher Gregory. Today, the company operates more than 10 brick-and-mortar locations throughout Australia selling fine jewellery. Gregorry Jewellers are also major sellers of luxury watches, with partnerships with brands such as Panerai, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Zenith, IWC and Breitling.
Parramatta Mall
The Experience
Why you should trust us
To help you with the diamond buying process we lean on our expertise and experience. The author of this article, our CEO, Mike Fried has over 20 years of experience in the diamond industry. Mike started from the bottom, sorting and evaluating hundreds of thousands of diamonds to learn every facet (pun intended) of diamond quality and value. Mike followed that up by spending years buying and selling diamonds on the wholesale market as well as selling tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds to diamond retailers.
Despite being in a busy mall with discount retailers, Gregory Jewellers still managed to retain a dignified vibe befitting a higher end jeweller. The store had a bright, modern look with well stocked showcases. We wandered around a bit before the saleswoman came on over to say hi. She was quite affable and was quite helpful.
The one drawback was they did not allow photographs in the store. Especially when you are shopping around, its best to have as much information catalogued so you can make a decision. Another issue was not being able to easily see the GIA certificates. We were limited to two.
The Product
We saw an interesting array of round diamonds while we were there. All of the diamonds were in simple 18kt white gold settings. The first diamond was a 0.80ct D color, VVS2 clarity GIA certified diamond. This diamond looked absolutely fantastic and cost AU$6,700.
The second diamond we saw was a 1.00ct H color, VVS2 clarity diamond for AU$14,200. Unfortunately this diamond did not live up to the standards from the previous diamond. This diamond was poorly cut (65% depth) which caused the diamond to look extremely dark and lack brilliance.
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The third diamond we saw was a 1.00ct G color, SI2 clarity solitaire for AU$10,990. This diamond was certainly an improvement cut-wise but it did have a noticeable white inclusion. We do like recommending SI2 clarity to get the best bang for your buck, but you need to find an eye-clean one.
See how to recognize it in our guide to diamond clarity.
Bondi Shopping Centre
The Experience
As it was at the Parramatta Mall, Gregory Jewellers exuded a confident, luxurious vibe. This felt more at home in the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre which was definitely a more upscale mall. Whereas the Parramatta location had a bright, modern vibe, this location had a more old-school vibe to it.
Once again, the salesman was friendly and helpful. They had signs saying no photography, but the salesman said its ok for us to take pictures. This allowed us to look at a more interesting option (it’s easier to describe a round diamond in a solitaire setting without photos).
The Product
The diamond we saw was a 1.80ct F color, SI2 clarity pear shape diamond in a white gold solitaire setting. This diamond was absolutely stunning. Perhaps it was the nicest diamond we saw in Sydney. The shape was a perfect teardrop with no noticeable bowtie and, unlike the 1.00ct SI2 we saw at their other location, the SI2 clarity was eye-clean. Congratulations to the diamond buyer who picked that one out. The price for the ring was AU$27,100
The Value
Let’s start with the smallest and work our way up. The first diamond we saw was the 0.80ct D color, VVS2 Clarity round diamond in an 18kt white gold solitaire setting for AU$6,700. The diamond was nice, so we will find a comparable diamond. Here is a 0.70ct D color, VVS2 clarity round diamond from Blue Nile. It is virtually identical to the one we saw and the price is AU$4,533. If you add this diamond to a comparable setting to the one we saw at Gregory Jewellers, the total price is AU$5,538. That is a savings of 17%.
The second diamond we saw was the 1.00ct H color, VVS1 clarity round diamond for AU$14,200. This diamond was very disappointing cut-wise. Here is a similar (if not better) cut diamond from Blue Nile. It’s a 1.01ct H color VVS1 diamond for AU$9,472. Adding it into this simple 18kt white gold solitaire and you save 26%.
The last diamond we saw at the Parramatta Mall was the 1.00ct G color, SI2 clarity round diamond in an 18kt white gold solitaire setting for AU$10,990. This diamond was better cut than the previous but had a noticeable inclusion. Here is a similar 1.00ct G color, SI2 clarity diamond from Blue Nile for AU$6,080. If you place the diamond in this solitaire setting, the total cost is AU$6,790. That is a savings of 35%.
Lastly we have the stunning 1.80ct F color, SI2 clarity pear shape for AU$27,100. As I mentioned before, the diamond buyer really outdid himself on this one. I wasn’t able to find a comparable 1.80ct, but here is a beautiful 1.70ct pear shape from Blue Nile that is similar to that one except for the size difference. This one is significantly cheaper, but it’s not a fair comparison so I won’t price compare.
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
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