August 23, 2006 Originally posted on DiamondTalk.com over here: http://www.diamondtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72606
I finally have a few spare moments after some crazy weeks, so I believe this is long overdue. So, I did some more online research and I found diamondtalk.com. I generally like "people" reviews because then you know something has a genuine following and has a proven high standard of service. And it was this that pointed me in the direction of Exceldiamonds. I jumped onto their website, found a few favorites and then visited their office myself to inspect the stones. When I arrived, Barry did an interesting thing. He pulled out three diamonds that I was interested in and put them in front of me and said, "Tell me if there is any difference among any of these." I couldn't find a difference and he said that I should pick the least expensive one, because why would you pay for a more expensive diamond if you can't tell the difference with your naked eye. I ended up going with a larger diamond and then we talked about diamonds for a little bit longer. He then showed me the brilliancescope machine that they utilize and I personally think the brilliancescope measurements should be the determining factor in selecting a diamond. Pavilion angles, table %ages are nice, but the light return to the eye is the big payoff. So, with hat in hand, I was off to plan the proposal while the ring was being prepared. Now comes the fun part... I had been throwing around proposal ideas for a while and trying to find other stories that I might be able to borrow from. There were some good ones, but I think the most valuable piece of advice I uncovered was to make the proposal personal. My girlfriend is a scrapbook addict--she loves making photo albums. So, I came up with the idea of running an ad in a scrapbooking magazine which would say "Will You Marry Me". I called up a few magazines and one was willing to help me for free. The ad exec said she would run it by the editors and I waited for the ball to get rolling. Unfortunately after a few months I found out that she had left the company. I was crushed, but her replacement took up the job and agreed to help me out. They requested the advertisement in a Photoshop format and I kept pushing it back because I had no time and no Photoshop experience. Eventually I had to do it because I had one day left before the deadline, so I learned Photoshop in about a day, put together an ad, and emailed it to her. Well, she made it happen and they sent me the advanced copies and said it would run nationwide in a theme issue to be on stands all summer. So, after I had the magazine, Barry (just on time) gave me a buzz and said the ring was ready. I picked it up and I couldn't stop staring at it during work and on the train ride home. Now the only thing left to do was to propose. I told my girlfriend that I had to attend some award ceremony for an old professor from college up in Boston University. I asked her to come with me (BU is where we first met). There's a lot of funny details about the commute there, but I won't make a long story even longer. When we got there I said the ceremony must not have started yet because no one was around so, we should just sit outside and wait. We picked out a bench to sit on (the same bench that we used to sit on during our nightly walks during school) and I told her that I would get a drink and be back. I came back with the drink and I "happened" to stop by a convenience store and picked up a scrapbooking magazine. I asked her if she just wanted to flip through it while we killed time. She eventually did, saw her name, and that's when I knelt down and pulled out the ring. At that point a friend came around with a guitar (pre-arranged) and I sang her favorite song from the Wedding Singer, "Grow Old With You". We spent the rest of the time in Boston before we came back. It was the perfect ending to a great experience. I'll try and upload some pics for you to see.
Thanks to Barry, Memory Makers magazine and all of you, here at Diamondtalk.com. You all made it very special. » See our testimonials
Unrivaled Diamond Shopping Experience
We are a family business and diamond manufacturer going back 4 generations and with over 30 years of experience in the diamond trade. We are not simply a few MBA's in suits who know nothing about diamonds and decided to set up a website. We share a commitment to the same old world values shown by our parents and grandparents. We work intensively with each one of our clients to find their most suitable diamond and diamond engagement ring and are honored and gratified to be part of such an important purchase and momentous occasion. We have built a "brand of trust" on the Internet and are here for you way after the sale. Please read more about our history in the about us page. Lowest Prices on The Internet
We offer the absolute lowest prices on the Internet for the finest in loose diamonds, ideal cut diamonds, hearts and arrows diamonds, engagement rings, diamond rings, wedding rings and custom engagement rings! Unlike many other diamond retailers, we do not "pad" our prices in the anticipation for a discount, so that we can lower the price and fool you into thinking you got a "good deal". Indeed, there is nothing "retail" about the prices for our loose diamonds and exquisite diamond jewelry. You will find that they are the lowest prices anywhere for comparable diamonds and jewelry! We back up the rhetoric with our famous Diamond Value Guarantee. Lifetime Upgrade Policy On All Diamonds!
Exceldiamonds is so confident in the diamonds we sell and in the certainty of your satisfaction, that we offer you a lifetime upgrade policy for all of our listed diamonds! This upgrade policy, is defined as a 50% increase above your original purchase price. Your original purchase price is applied to your upgraded diamond and you simply pay the difference! All diamonds listed on our website are eligible for this policy See Before You Buy We want you to be completely comfortable making this important purchase. You can visit our showroom in NYC, or we can ship our diamond at no charge to an Independent Appraiser on your behalf. You can then meet with the appraiser in person to view the diamond with no obligation to buy! Click here to schedule an appointment to visit our N.Y.C. showroom. Click here to find an Independent Diamonds & Jewelry Appraiser in your City. Easy Payment Options Excel Diamonds provides several easy payment options conducted over our secure servers, for your convenience. Payment options on our shopping cart include, All major Credit Cards (except for AMEX), Bank Wire (for a 2% discount) and Google Checkout. We will also accept bank checks for your transaction. Please call us for more details. For International orders we accept payment by bank wire only.
We Do Not "Drop-Ship" Our Diamonds!
Did you know that most companies selling diamonds on the Internet have absolutely no idea what the diamond looks like before (or after) you actually buy it!! Yes, it does sound kind of amazing that you would pay thousands of dollars for a loose diamond that the vendor has never actually inspected prior to your purchase! Instead, these vendors act as middlemen to have your loose diamond "drop-shipped" directly from the manufacturer, to you the customer. Therefore, the vendor you are buying from cannot possibly talk with any authority on the beauty, quality, or physical characteristics of the diamond which he has never seen!! At Excel Diamonds, we never "drop-ship" the diamonds we sell. Every single diamond is brought in-house at our own expense for our comprehensive evaluation prior to your purchase. We need to be confident in the quality of the loose diamonds we sell. Money Back Guarantee We are extremely confident that you will be thrilled with your purchase from our company. However, just in case you don't fall in love with your diamond or jewelry item, we offer a money back guarantee, no questions asked. Click here for more information. Free Shipping We offer free shipping for all purchases anywhere in the Continental U.S. For International orders there is a $100 shipping/insurance charge. Click here to see our Shipping Policies. Safe and Secure Payment At Excel Diamonds, we are extremely security conscious. Our goal is to insure a safe and secure shopping environment for your purchases. To this end, we have partnered with Scan Alert , the most trusted Internet protection against identity theft and credit card fraud. We are proud to say that Excel Diamonds is a completely "Hacker Safe" website and is tested daily. Our shopping cart checkout counter is Verisign protected with the latest SSL encryption technology. You are assured of the ultimate protection for your diamond purchase online. We accept VISA, Mastercard, Discover and payment by Bank Wire (we offer a 2% discount for bank wire payments). We do not accept AMEX at this time. We are also a featured 'Google Store' and invite you to purchase via Google's secure Checkout! For payment by certified bank check, contact us for more information. International orders are accepted with payment by bank wire only.
Privacy Assured Our company, Baruch Gutwein Diamonds, Inc. (www.exceldiamonds.com) is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. We do not sell customer information. Click here for more information. All of your private information, like shipping/billing address and e-mail account is held in the strictest confidence! Finest Ideal Cut Diamonds & Our Exclusive SuperbCert Diamond Brand.
In addition to our extensive selection of the finest Ideal Cut Diamonds, we are the manufacturer and exclusive on line home of the famous SuperbCert Super-Ideal Cut Diamond!! Of all the Hearts and Arrows Ideal Cut Diamonds, SUPERBcert® Brand Diamonds are quite possibly the most beautiful diamonds in the World. Our branded diamonds are among the most precision-cut and consistently well-crafted diamonds available. You are assured of the highest quality, craftsmanship, and above all, consistency. Click here to learn more! Best Tiffany Replica Engagement Rings and Custom Jewelry.
We manufacture the most popular Tiffany replica diamond engagement rings on the market. There is no better quality Tiffany style ring than our exclusive classic ‘Tiffany’ solitaire engagement ring; just ask our thousands of happy customers! In fact, we encourage you to conduct a Google search for any keyword combination of our SuperbCert Tiffany Replica Settings and see what kind of results you come up with... ;-) We manufacture one of a kind custom made jewelry to suit every style and budget. We employ master jewelers and craftsmen who will meticulously create the custom jewelry design of your dreams! Please browse our custom jewelry gallery.
There are many companies on the Internet selling loose diamonds and diamond engagement rings. Simply conduct a Google search and you will find scores of diamond vendors all vying for your attention. To be sure, some companies are better known than others and have stellar reputations on the Internet. However, the real question is, why should you buy from Excel Diamonds over our competition? Is it our lowest prices? Our selection of ideal cut diamonds and exquisite engagement rings? How about our thousands of satisfied and documented customers on the Internet? Sure, those are all good reasons. However (and in fairness), we do not stand alone on these counts. So what would be the most compelling characteristics which sets apart our company from virtually 99% of the other diamond stores on the Internet? Read this Article and find out! Free Diamond Toolkit
We provide a free diamond toolkit so that you can examine your diamond at your leisure. You'll be able to see the SuperbCert® quality for yourself! Click here for more information.
A Reputation Of Quality,Value, & Customer Service.
Wherever you research our company on the Internet, you will find that we have built a stellar reputation for the highest quality of our merchandise, our rock bottom prices, and our unequalled customer service We do not take our customers for granted and strive to make your purchase both enjoyable and memorable! Please read a selection of our many thousands of testimonials! We also have some fantastic testimonials posted to a popular independent consumer feedback forum called iVouch. Check out these testimonials here. 1. Is it safe to buy diamonds and jewelery on the internet from you? Yes. Please check our Affiliations. We are members in excellent standing with the JVC (Jewelers Vigilance Committee) and Truste. Your information is held in the strictest confidence and is fully protected. Our shopping cart is Verisign protected with the latest SSL encryption technology. In addition, we provide you with a comprehensive array of quantitative and qualitative Reports on all of the diamonds we sell. We are for full disclosure and want you to be comfortable and secure with complete information. You know exactly what you're buying from us. All reports and photographs are the original and specific to the listed item. All of our SuperbCert diamonds are owned by us and in-house and we can therefore easily and quickly provide you with additional photo collages upon request. 2. How long have you been in business? We have been in business for close to 30 years and our website for 7 years. We are 4th generation diamond cutters and manufacturers. Read more in About Us 3. Do you own the diamonds you sell and are they in your physical possession? Yes they are. All of our SuperbCert diamonds listed on our site are of our own manufacture and in our possession. We can therefore immediately answer any specific questions you may have and provide additional information and photos. The database diamonds we do not own are always shipped in to us for examination prior to sale. Once the merchandise is sold, every diamond gets shipped out from our address. 4. Are the diamonds you sell clarity enhanced, laser drilled, or fracture filled? Furthermore, can I be assured that they are Conflict-Free? All of the loose diamonds we sell are guaranteed to be non- clarity enhanced, laser drilled, fracture filled, or otherwise artificially enhanced in any manner. We also guarantee our diamonds to be conflict-free and secured through legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. Excel Diamonds is extremely sensitive to these issues and we do our utmost to insure that we act in accordance with the Kimberly Process and the USA Patriot Act. 5. Why are the diamonds you sell, so much cheaper than comparable diamonds I have seen in the jewelry stores? I know what you must be thinking...what's the catch?..right? Sounds too good to be true..right? Why are we selling diamonds for so much less than in the stores? Click on our video link and find out why! 6. Do you charge Sales Tax? No. We do not charge Sales Tax on items shipped outside the State of New York. 7. Do you charge for shipping? Shipping is free to all of the United States. Because of high shipping/insurance costs, there is a nominal $25.00 Shipping charge to our Hawaii and Alaska customers. If you decide to return your loose SuperbCert diamond to us for setting, all subsequent shipping and insurance costs are paid by you. Cost of International shipping and insurance starts at $100.00 and is paid by you. International Customers are responsible for paying all of their Country's Customs, VAT, GST taxes, etc. as applicable. Contact your Fedex or Customs Office to determine the exact amount. The final total cost for shipping and insurance will depend on your Invoice of the items purchased. 8. Are your diamonds laser inscribed? All of our signature SuperbCert diamonds are laser inscribed. The inscription is our trademarked SuperbCert Logo and the GIA or AGS Report number, as applicable. 9. If I purchase diamond and setting from you do I pay an extra fee for setting the stone?
No. We do not outsource our settings but have our own factory and therefore can maintain excellent Quality Control. Your price for the diamond and ring includes all labor. 10. What payment methods do you accept? We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover (Credit Cards) and Bank Wire Transfer for all US domestic orders. You receive a 2% discount off the list price for bank wire payment. We do not accept AMEX at this time. On International orders we accept Bank Wire Transfer payments only. Our shopping and Checkout Cart is protected with the latest secure SSL encryption technology. Your checkout is secure, fast, and easy and you will receive immediate e-mail confirmation of your order. 11. How soon will I receive my loose diamond or jewelery? Loose diamonds are shipped the same day we receive your funds. SuperbCert Rings and Settings may take from 3-14 days depending on our workload and heavy seasonal orders. Vatche rings and Vatche settings between 2-4 weeks. 12. Do you provide appraisals or insurance coverage? No we don't. We see this as a clear conflict of interest. What do you expect the jeweler who has sold his diamond and setting to you to say regarding his merchandise? How can you be sure that the Appraisal is not inflated causing you to pay higher insurance premiums than necessary? Basically, we believe it is unethical to offer a "free 3rd party" diamond or jewelry appraisal to our customers like some other diamond and jewelry companies do. These companies are often colaborating with the "3rd party appraiser" to provide you with these "feel good", inflated, and essentially worthless appraisals. We strongly advocate for you to have your loose diamond appraised by a competent, and completely independent jewelry appraiser of your choosing. We have policies in place that are designed to facilitate this for you either before or after you make your diamond purchase with us!! 13. How do you ship your diamonds and jewelery? We ship via UPS or Fedex Priority Overnite with full insurance coverage. For your protection, we will only ship our merchandise to a local FEDEX or UPS holding station where you will be able to pick up your package. A proper signature and photo ID will be required for the package release. 14. What is your return/refund policy? We give you a 10-day examination period which begins from the day you receive your diamonds and jewelry. If you wish to return the item you must contact us during this 10-day period for instructions on return shipping. Read Our Guarantee for more detailed information. 15. What kind of customer care can I expect after purchase? If you have purchased your diamond and setting from us, we give you a Lifetime Guarantee on the ring if we did the setting. Any necessary subsequent work on your ring will be free of charge. If someone else sets the stone in our ring, we will charge for all labor involved in fixing the ring. This Lifetime Guarantee also holds for all Vatche rings and settings IF Vatche does the setting of your stone. 16. If I buy a diamond from another jeweler can I still purchase your beautiful ring settings, or Vatche settings? You sure can! We are also happy to set your diamond into one of our exclusive ring creations. Setting fees are as follows: Up to 1 CT = $65.00 1.01-1.50 CT = $75.00 1.51-2.00 CT = $85.00 2.01-2.50 CT = $100.00 2.51-3.00 CT = $125.00. We will also ask that you cover the portion of insurance related to the value of your diamond in the return shipment. This amount is calculated by the Invoice amount of your diamond and your shipping location. We ship via Fedex or UPS Priority Overnight Service. Indicate this information for us in the Instructions Box on the Checkout Page. 17. I see that your SuperbCert Signature Diamonds have either GIA or AGS Certs. Why? GIA and AGS are the top diamond grading laboratories in the world. They are known for their very strict color and clarity grading and for their consistency. Indeed, GIA is the foremost educational and gemstone research organization in the world. A GIA Lab Report allows you to buy with confidence. 18. Do you have an Upgrade Policy on your diamonds? Yes. We give you a Lifetime Upgrade. Use your original purchase price towards the upgrade and just pay the difference. Please note: Upgrades are a minimum of 50%. and apply to all diamonds listed on our website. 19. Can I only "see" and buy your diamonds and jewelry from your website? Shop with us in our beautiful showroom in our New York City Diamond District offices where we see clients by appointment. 20. What does your SuperbCert brand stand for and why do you believe it's better than other ideal-cut branded and un-branded diamonds on the market? Our SuperbCert brand, in a word, stands for Consistency! SuperbCert is a Super-Ideal Hearts and Arrows Cut diamond that is consistently and uniformly excellent both in it's Cut precision and Brilliance. Any company can say that their diamonds are the best but do they back up their talk? We back up our talk with clear proof by giving you a host of Lab Reports, full color-photo's, and Optical Light Performance results. We eliminate the guesswork and uncertainty by providing you with comprehensive information showing you that our SuperbCert brand stands for the highest quality! Read more about what sets our "Super-Ideal Cuts" SuperbCert Diamonds apart from all other diamonds, in our "why buy SuperbCert" section. 21. Barry, I read on the Internet that fluorescence in a diamond is a bad thing and should be avoided. Is this true?
This is not true. The fact is that less than 1/2 of 1% of all polished diamonds display fluorescence (reaction to UV light) that makes the stone look hazy, milky, or oily. In just about all cases, especiallly in well-cut diamonds, fluorescence has a positive effect in the diamond's face up appearance. As a matter of fact, years ago, fluorescent diamonds were known as "blue-white" diamonds and sold at significant premiums. GIA back in 1997 did the definitive study on the effects of fluorescence on diamond transparency and their results will really surprise you! A MUST READ! The link is here: 22. Will You Be Able To Resize My Ring If Necessary? Of course! We offer free resizing for rings returned to us within 20 days of receipt and only when the size discrepancies are within 1 size of what you ordered and received. Rings returned after 20 days will be resized with a charge for the labor and costs.
With so many companies competing for your business, why should you choose ours? The answer is very simple: We offer the highest quality merchandise on the Internet, with the most comprehensive level of information and data, at the very lowest prices GUARANTEED! The 'Bricks & Mortar" jewelry stores cannot compete with us on quality, selection and most of all, PRICE. Our competitors on the Internet do not provide the same level of diamond information that we do. We offer a better selection, better prices, and more actual data and information than any other website on the Internet! We are possibly the only company on the Internet that does not engage in blind "Drop-Shipping" of the diamonds we sell. Rather, we personally inspect and evaluate every diamond prior to your purchase so that we can be confident of its quality and value. We have earned a sterling reputation on the Internet. We have many thousands of happy customers to our credit. We are absolutely crazy about customer service and support! Try us and see for yourself! The Gutwein name has been synonymous with diamonds spanning four generations.
We use the latest technology to let you see our loose diamonds, diamond engagement rings and wedding rings with full documentation and photographs on every one of our Loose diamonds and beautiful engagement ring settings. The SUPERBcert® Brand of diamonds and our hand-crafted Tiffany replica settings have garnered praise from thousands of satisfied customers who have appreciated the superb level of service, attention, information, and value they have received from us.
We are a family business with a commitment to the same old world values shown by our parents and grandparents. We work intensively with each one of our clients to find their most suitable diamond and diamond engagement ring and are honored and gratified to be part of such an important purchase and momentous occassion! Loose Radiant Cut 0.38 Carat H SI2 diamond - Diamond Value GuaranteeUpon doing your research for diamonds online you will find many vendors boasting a diamond database of anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 diamonds. Many times the same diamond listing will appear on multiple websites from different vendors. Truthfully, none of these vendors owns the loose diamond, much less have it in stock. They merely act as a "drop-shipper" to sell diamonds from diamond wholesalers. When an order is placed on the website the diamond is shipped directly from the manufacturer to you, the customer. These diamond vendors never physically see the diamond and offer you little help with any questions you may have about the stone. Indeed many of these online diamond merchants have very little knowledge about diamonds altogether. Below is a diagram that we have put together to illustrate the drop ship diamond method: 
At ExcelDiamonds.com we are the home for our Exclusive Collection of SuperbCert Hearts & Arrows Super-Ideal Cut Diamonds which are manufactured by us and are here in house. These are not drop shipped diamonds and are only available through our company. You will not find these magnificent diamonds on any other diamond website. We are also a family owned and operated business of diamond cutters and experts in our field. We know diamonds intimately and look to supply our customers with the very best diamonds at excellent values. Added Value With ExcelDiamondsOn our website you will find in addition to our exclusive collection of branded ideal cut diamonds, we also offer databases with thousands of wholesale loose diamonds from many different manufacturers. There are however a few major differences between us and many of our competitors who similarly provide lists of thousands of loose diamonds for your consideration:
You will get all of our amazing services including the most extensive scientific qualitative and quantitative reports and photos immediately at your finger tips, plus the very best price on the diamond! The choice is easy and we hope you will shop with us for your dream diamond! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Specifications
