Bailey Banks & Biddle

Just wanted to forewarn anyone who was thinking of going there for rings....many people on here have posted that they bought rings there and had them later appraised -- at half the value!!

Personally I had a bad experience with them last night, and we bought all 3 wedding bands there (platinum, diamonds, and titanium).

This is just an FYI for those of you looking for a reputable jeweler -- stay away, IMO!!

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

hi my FH purchased my engagement ring from them and has had no problems. We have had it appraised and it is at least $1500 -$2000 more. I am sorry you had a bad experience there though.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

i don't know how they are for rings, but i got my FI's pocket watch there on sale and it was a great deal, not to mention my David Yurman jewelry from there which i love (but is proly overpriced for what it's made of!-still love it though.)

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

A friend of mine purchased his wife's band there about a year ago and had a horrible experience! I was really surprised because I had always heard great things about them! He had purchased her a ring and it was about 3 months before he was going to propose. He went back about a month later to find out what was going on and it wasn't ready. he kept going back until finally 2 nights before they were going away and he was going to propose they STILL didn't have the ring so he lost it and cancelled the ring. He had to run around and find another jeweler because he couldn't cancel the whole proposal because he had this whole thing planned out already! He was furious for which I don't blame him. I have no idea what was going with them though. He was very upset.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

Yikes. My fiance said he almost got my engagement there and liked the sales people, but wound up falling in love with a ring at Helzberg Diamonds. I'm so glad now he didn't go with BB&B. He really liked the service at Helzberg, so maybe that's a good place to go?

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

Helzberg does have great selection and great service -at least when we went there..but they dont budge at all on prices, what you see on the price tag is what you pay, thats their store policy.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

We had a wonderful experience with BBB. They don't generally sell diamonds lower than about a G color and they have high clarity standards as well. They are not cheap but I found their quality to be much higher than anything that a diamond district jeweler was able to get. Sure, I could have gotten a bigger stone in the diamond district, but this one is a decent size and it appraised VERY well. Also, they are meticulous about matching side stones to the main stone.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

BBB has (or at least HAD) a reputation for being quite upscale at one time. Though I don't know about anyone's personal experiences, I do know one thing. Retail has a major mark up when it comes to jewelry - sometimes up to 200%. So no matter where you go you have to be very careful. If you buy retail and your appraisal is less, you may have your answer right there.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

My engagement ring is 1.75 ct with two .75 ct stones to match on each side -- VG cut, F color, WS1 clarity -- and we got it from an expert whom we know in the diamond district for about 60% less than a stone of somewhat lower quality at BBB.

Our wedding bands were ordered from BBB and we had to have all 3 of them engraved over - the first time you couldn't even read the dates.

If you've had a good experience, youu are lucky. Like anywhere, you have good sales people and not so good -- last night I got the not-so-good one...and I learned the hard way that they are IMO over-priced.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

MY FH got my ring there, but it is TACORI, not their own design, so I hope I am safe with the quality! We are also buying the matching band there.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

I guess everyone has a different experience w/ vendors..some good some bad.. My FH had a good one at BBB. He was very comfortable w/ the saleswoman. He picked out the diamond and they had it set on a new band he selected.. it was ready the next day. When I got it appraised, the appraisal came at around $5500 over what he paid.
I had to get the band resized because it was too big and they did it for no charge. I also have the ring inspected every six months to make sure the prongs are good (the ring comes w/ a lifetime 'warranty' for this). Whenever I am at the mall I stop in and get it cleaned.

Re: Bailey Banks & Biddle

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Posted by milla

I guess everyone has a different experience w/ vendors..some good some bad.. My FH had a good one at BBB. He was very comfortable w/ the saleswoman. He picked out the diamond and they had it set on a new band he selected.. it was ready the next day. When I got it appraised, the appraisal came at around $5500 over what he paid.
I had to get the band resized because it was too big and they did it for no charge. I also have the ring inspected every six months to make sure the prongs are good (the ring comes w/ a lifetime 'warranty' for this). Whenever I am at the mall I stop in and get it cleaned.

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Our experience is the same. My FH got my ring there and it appraised for $7,000 more than he paid. I can get it checked and cleaned as often as I like and they were so helpful when I went to pick out my wedding ring. When I went to get my e-ring resized we met their jeweller and he made a special trip the following day to return the ring so I wouldn't be without it too long. They never tried to sell us the most expensive, just the best quality. I'm sorry for anyone who had a bad experience.