diamondexchange.com.au

TCM on 25/07/2016 - 19:16

I'm looking to get a diamond for my wife and have come across this site: diamondexchange.com.au which a couple of people on OzBargain have mentioned they had some good experience in the past. The worry for me is the payment of thousands of dollars for something that has the potential to be a big mistake.

I was at a jewellers today to get them to make a ring for my wife and the lady was quite concerned about me trying to get a diamond off the internet. She wasn't trying to sell me one as I made it clear I would be sourcing it myself but she was saying I should see it in person first and I should look around locally.

One thing that struck me was when she said she couldn't even source stones at those prices. This was a concern for me as she would be getting them at wholesale prices, which should in theory, be cheaper than the ones I'm seeing.

I know there's a couple more sites like Diamond Exchange so it'd be good to hear from anyone who has had experiences buying from them and whether you got your diamond verified that the quality matches that of the certificate.

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diamondexchange.com.au
diamondexchange.com.au

Comments

  • fruit on 25/07/2016 - 19:29
    1. Diamond Cartel
    2. Lets say you bought them off this website how would you know they are real/of the quality you want and if they were not what could you do about it?
    • TCM on 25/07/2016 - 19:43

      All the diamonds that I've looked at come with a GIA certificate with a laser inscription. Now, I know that you can forge certificates and get laser inscriptions added but the fact that you can verify the certificate on the GIA website and if a jeweller looks at the diamond to check the clarity, cut and colour against the diamond (in particular the location of the inclusions to match those as pictured in the certificate). I'm guessing using everything listed above you can be sure.

      Now, all that being said, I don't want to be in a position where I get a diamond and find out there's an issue with it not matching the description, having a forged certificate etc….

      The recourse would be a Paypal claim or a credit card chargeback but I'd prefer not to have to go through that.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/07/2016 - 21:25

    I personally have used Zoara, family friend jeweller and an independent valuer verified authenticity of diamond and GIA certificate. My banggood diamond and moissanite testers also gave it the thumbs up :-) Blue Nile is one of the best known online ones but slightly pricier.

    A risk you take is stones that look good on paper don't necessarily sparkle brightly in person, the domestic route is more expensive but you can see exactly what you're getting. Luckily my one exceeded my expectations, very happy with it.

    • TCM on 25/07/2016 - 23:21

      Zoara prices looks pretty good but I think the catch is that even though it is a .com.au site, the company and its products are situated in the US so all the prices, even though in AUD, will still be subjected to another 10% GST.

      Apparently the FTA between the US and Australia means there's no customs duty on diamonds (according to their website). That must be pretty recent as I purchased a US$1,500 diamond about 7 years ago and still had to pay both GST and customs duty.

  • hasselbladsnapper on 25/07/2016 - 21:59

    Purchased some diamonds on Ebay from supplier in Antworp - Diamond Direct, they were exactly as described and very happy with the purchase. I looked at many suppliers based in India but that appeared risky!.
    The choice is yours, but Blue Nile seem to have a good reputation or buy from a European source, a little bit safer.

    • altomic on 25/07/2016 - 22:03

      Blue Nile gets some good feedback from Ozbargain members as well

  • blitz on 25/07/2016 - 22:17

    I used Blue Nile and the diamond is beautiful. However, I did careful research beforehand into diamond quality indicators so I knew exactly the type of diamond I was after.

  • 2jzzzz on 25/07/2016 - 22:35

    I used B2C Jewels and they were awesome. They had the same diamond listed on 4 websites (Blue Nile etc), B2C was cheapest and great service.

  • wandererbubu on 26/07/2016 - 00:04

    i used jamesallen, you can see diamond in 360 degree HD photos. i had great experience with them. they did proper paper work when they shipped to AU, i did not have to pay duty (otherwise i would have to pay duty and apply for refund). check out GIA and AGS certified diamond. mine one sparks like crazy :)

  • TCM on 26/07/2016 - 10:02

    Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll check them all out but appears diamond exchange is not very well known so that might be an issue…

    • andyman1908 on 31/07/2016 - 13:04

      I have bought from diamond exchange for my (now) wifes engagements ring. Diamond was about 12k and got the ring made and fitted by a reputable jeweller in sydney cbd. He was very honest jeweller and said i got a good deal and he couldnt have sourced the diamond for the same price.

  • TCM on 27/07/2016 - 00:08

    Just looking at a few more previous posts, I found one called GS Diamonds which has a shop in QVB Sydney. I've decided to give them a go as their prices are very similar to the online ones but they also provide an added service, which is that you can pay a small deposit for the stone to be transported to their showroom, then after inspection you can pay the balance to take it away.

    In addition, they can also check the stones on their supplier database where they will see additional information like cloudy/hazy/oily or other things like brown tones, which are all things that do not appear on the GIA certificate but are very important aspects that affect the look of the diamond. This is only available on certain stones that come from their direct suppliers but there's no indicator on the list to show this so you'll just have to ask for each one.

    That being said, they tend to want the client to be very sure about the exact specification of their stone before looking into the supplier database because its a time consuming exercise. They were probably a little bit annoyed with me as I didn't know this until they mentioned that usually they only look up about half a dozen diamonds for each client. I'm guessing that number is variable depending on how they view the client and whether or not they think the client's a serious buyer.

    The funny thing is, if you buy online and pay using PayPal, they must send it to via post. The diamond will come from overseas to their store and they will first inspect it there and at this time you are also welcome to go into the store to inspect it but you won't be able to take it away as they will have to post it to you.

    • Suspect420 on 02/09/2016 - 00:28

      Sounds like the a stupid way tonrun a business.

      Gregorya have always done well by me.

      They've designed a few items for my wife and the quality is amazing.

      After aale care is exceptional and the pieces still look brand new. Its the only gold she has that doesnt get dirty or tarnish includng the white gold.

      I think its got todo with the amount of palladium that is used

      Bluenile definitely looks interesting.

      Where did you end up buying from? What size, specs and how much?

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