29 Comments

1. JP   January 22, 2015 at 4:10 pm   Reply

   Just wanted to say thanks again for all of the help throughout this process. Buying a diamond is a very intimidating experience for those of us with little to no jewerly/stone knowledge. This site gave me a great basic understanding of the process and potential ripoffs, pitfalls, and also pointers on things to ignore.

   I ended up choosing a diamond from Zoara. They offered absolutely excellent customer service, and I got what I believe to be an amazing diamond at a very fair price. My fiance absolutely loves it.

   I would highly recommend both them and The Diamond Pro to anyone in the market looking to purchase a diamond, especially novices like myself..

   Keep up the good work!

   • Mike   February 28, 2015 at 10:11 am   Reply

     Sounds great. I’m happy to hear.

2. Shaun Maclaughlan   January 22, 2015 at 12:51 pm   Reply

   Hello,
   Just want to say thank you for the help and advice I got from your site, it was priceless. I live in the uk and was researching engagement rings, going down the normal avenues of high street stores, even tiffany (they were very good) but I felt lost and that I really wasn’t getting the ring I so badly wanted wether due to price or just the general look. After reading your tips and taking on board the advice set out my whole thought process changed and I went down the route of choosing the diamond and setting and ended up using ‘James Allen’ !! They were brilliant, got the diamond sorted which was first checked over by one of ‘diamond pro’s’ advisers, chose the 6 prong setting in platinum with a 0.72ct G VS2 (GIA) stunning stone, and my now fiancé was overwhelmed as was I. The ring is stunning and ended up being above and beyond what I first anticipated. Can’t thank you enough, hope others take your advice on board.
   Shaun M.

3. Tommy E.   December 10, 2013 at 8:21 pm   Reply

   Hi Mike,

   I wanted to thank you for all the work you’ve put into this website. You were a money saver, big time! I hope James Allen pays you a referral fee because I have to say I feel a little guilty for not having to pay you for your OUTSTANDING advice.

   I was THIS CLOSE to purchasing a diamond from UD…and something just didn’t feel right. That’s when I learned about GIA vs. EGL on your site. And I was able to pay a similar price for a lesser carat, (but BETTER QUALITY!) diamond from JA.

   Thank you, thank you, thank you! My soon-to-be-fiance will thank you too in a week or so

   • Mike   January 2, 2014 at 1:10 pm   Reply

     HI Tommy,

     I’m glad things worked out and congratulations.

4. Nic   October 19, 2013 at 2:34 pm   Reply

   When I first started looking for my now fiancée’s engagement ring, I felt like I had a huge mountain to climb. I first started looking at chain stores like Birks (Canada’s Tiffany’s) and Tiffany’s itself. I was not impressed with their service, diamond quality or price. That was the biggest thing, the prices….. they were asking way too much for rings whose diamonds are in house certified, and in house appraised. So me and the fiancée finally found the style that we wanted, at a chain store. I needed more information though, because I was not about to pay the price for a new car for an engagement ring with a 1ct princess stone. This is when I found truth about diamonds. This is a super informative site, which shows the consumer how much of a rip off retail stores are. I also found their articles and info in general very informative, especially when I was trying to figure out what makes a good princess cut, and where I could draw the line when it comes to colour, clarity and cut. In the end, I was able to cut my expenses in half by following the advice on this website. Thanks a lot guys, and my fiancée could not be happier with all the effort I put in!
   A couple of points I wanted to pass on which I learned from my experience:
   1- Don’t buy from someone whose diamonds are not certified and who hold their own stock, they will try to push their diamonds as opposed to helping you find the right stone.

   2- Avoid Brick and Mortar retailers, they charge way too much for small and not high quality diamonds. However, they are not a bad place to get ideas for ring design

   3- When searching for a diamond, never buy until you are comfortable with what you are doing, this website is excellent and these guys give honest advice

   4- Custom designs are not a bad way to go, we did this and loved the result. Whether you go through an online vendor or local jeweller, with technology these days, they can copy any design you want

   5- Take the advice on this website, you will save tons and walk away with a much bigger and better stone. If I had gone to Birks in the end it would have cost me just over 18k for an engagement ring with a GIA certified 1ct VS1 E. I ended up only paying just under 8k for the final product

5. Vince C.   June 22, 2012 at 7:01 pm   Reply

   I have a round loose diamond I guess is around 2.5 carats. I see no inclusions with a 10x lupe. By eyeballing it, the proportions seem good but some of the cuts on the crown don’t seem straight. Color looks at least an F. I’m thinking of selling it. Should I get it appraised 1st or should I just send it to GIA to get a certificate? Who wold give me a fair price?

   • Mike   June 25, 2012 at 6:45 pm   Reply

     You should definitely get a GIA.