Aurik from -
April 24, 2007
Well, after much agonizing over questions of who, what, when, and where (the why is self-evident), The Ring Is Here!. Well, it actually got here last Friday, but that's another story.
This journey started some months ago when my gf and I started actually talking about the possibility of getting married. Or at least we started not thinking it was as insanely crazy of an idea as we thought it might be 2 and some odd years ago. Or I guess it *really* started a little over 2 years old when she first asked me out to dinner. (Yeah... SHE asked me out to dinner... she didn't feel that I'd get around to it in time before she lost patience with me and strangled me... but that's another story).
Anyhow, THIS part of the journey began a few months ago when she and I started talking about rings, and we started looking online... then we went to a couple local jewelers and she figured out what she wanted. (Funny story... we were in Tiffany's one day, looking at diamond rings & sapphire rings next to each other. She had 2 diamond rings & 2 sapphire&diamond rings on her left hand. She looked at them side by side and decided she preferred the diamond ring. I then like a total doofus said "Great.. now I don't need you anymore!" [Meaning... I can now make this decision.] The Tiffany salesman went white as a ghost.)
Anyhow, while I was researching and looking and searching and agonizing, I was also trying to decide on a jeweler. The local jewelers I saw either had a very narrow selection of non-round, non-princess cut diamonds, so I checked out a few of the network vendors here (and non-affiliated vendors too). After doing quite a bit of research, I decided on Barry & Judah at Excel Diamonds.
Barry quickly helped me find a few good center stones, and he brought a couple of them in to look at and take pictures of. He said both of them were very nice stones, but the smaller one was more "well-defined".. like turning up the contrast knob. We then worked out the details for a setting and I then decided to pull the trigger and ordered it... he said it would probably be about 3 weeks, since they were going to be closed for Passover... that was OK, because at the time I was in no hurry.
Let me tell you, those were the longest weeks of my life, agonizing, waiting, wondering if it would look as beautiful in person as the pictures he sent me. About a week and a half in, I sent him an email asking him how it was coming along, and he said "about another 2 weeks"... since they had just re-opened. Then a week later, I asked him for an update, and to my surprise he said "It should ship out tomorrow". And... 2 days later, the UPS guy knocked on my door with the package in his hot little hands. I rushed to rip it open to find it was even more beautiful than in the pictures. I looked at it in every different light I could think of, and as I move it back and forth, small "bars" of hit my eyes from different points in the stone. You'd have to see it to really understand... but wow does it look good.
I kept trying to get pictures of it but to no avail... I need to figure out what tricks to use for this... but fortunately today I was able to take it to a local independent appraiser, and in the process of doing the appraisal he took a few digital pictures and was nice enough to email to me.
And the best part of the appraisal... the ring appraised for about 30% MORE than what I paid for it. When I told the appraiser what I paid for it, he was honestly surprised.
But... on to the BEST part... the pictures:
May 10, 2007
...I picked it up on the 8th..Barry, this stone is everything I couldn't afford in a retail store.....it's truly a gorgeous stone! Thank You!
Joseph from -
May 21. 2007
I have received the package this morning. Thank you the great service Barry. When it comes time to get the weddings band I will be getting in touch with you.
Take care,
- Joseph
Shawn from -
May 21, 2007
Barry and Judah,
You will be pleased to know that I have selected the
diamond *you* sold to me from all the diamonds I
ordered from various sources!
I had actually narrowed my selection down to your 0.91
carat F VS1 Radiant and a 1.20 carat F VS1 Radiant.
Although the 1.20 carat diamond was very large, very
well cut, and very well priced, the 0.91 carat diamond
you selected to send to me was absolutely stunning.
There was no bow-tie effect whatsoever on the 0.91,
and its very slight presence on the 1.20 made me
choose your diamond even though the other was clearly
bigger.
I couldn't be happier with my selection. Even at 0.91
carats, the diamond looks gloriously large in the
setting I chose from Jared. In addition to impressing
me, it impressed the staff at Jared (who helped me
manipulate all my purchases, let me look at them under
the scope, compare them side-by-side, etc.) as well.
Daisy from -
May 29, 2007
Originally posted on Diamond Talk.com here: http://www.diamondring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86928
Excellent experience with Barry at Excel Diamonds. We were looking for a RB for a new wedding set and were getting all kinds of misleading information from other online dealers. We ended up at exceldiamonds.com after reading some pages on this site. We were looking at the superbcert branded diamonds and found a great deal on a 1.12 E / I1. The experience from start to finish was very enjoyable. Barry called me to verify the order and let me know when it shipped and then called to follow up after I received it.
This diamond faces up so nice... The jeweler who set the diamond for us couldn't believe it was an I1. Here are a couple of pictures. The ring set is from a local jeweler.
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