DIAMONDS - my vent about our jeweler and gimmicks (also does anyone have a Superbcert, Eight Star or Hearts on Fire stone?)

I am so sick of looking at diamonds. Never thought I'd say that. I went to Tri County over the weekend since I still do not have a stone I like. FI and I have looked since early August!!!! We have been to Tiffanys, Michael C Fina, tons of places on 47th and even dealt with private jewelers.

The jeweler we were using and who had a deposit became a jerk!!! He was so nice in the beginning - came to the house and my office with stones. He put no pressure on us to buy at all in the beginning.

I told him I did not want to be involved in the process any longer after I picked a few stones I liked. He started phone stalking FI who had already told him that he had to get his money from a CD from HSBC before he would have the rest of the cash. FI had to go to Queens (where he lived at the time) to close that account so it took a few days for him to make it out there before the branch closed. Plus, we were looking at halls on weekends.

I know FI and the jeweler were in constant contact and learned via FI that the jeweler got married at Swan Club about 20 years ago when it was 1 wedding at a time. FI told him that we had been looking at halls and told him the ones FI liked and did not like.

So, FI had to go to PA about 2 weeks ago in the boonies to help out a friend who had a flood in his house. Some dam near DE overflowed. The place is in the middle of nowhere although this man works in my office in NYC. So FI gets no phone signal out there which I had known since he first went out there months ago. Anyway, the jeweler could not reach FI so he called me. I was annoyed that he called me since I did not want to be involved in this process anymore -- but I was even more so annoyed to know that my ring had not yet been made. I thought maybe FI got it by then so any bit of surprise was RUINED by the jeweler telling me FI had not gotten back to him that day.

I told him that FI was in the boonies and not avoiding his call since he seemed to think so. He had the deposit in cash so we should have been the ones phone stalking him.

The last straw was when he asked 'are you guys still getting engaged?' I was livid!!!! Just because he could not reach FI for an hour!!! He also said 'I have the stone' and that 'I'm losing money on it' which is totaly bull since he would not be in this business to lose money. Not to mention, he knows we are looking at halls too so why ask that question? I guess he figured I'd put pressure on FI??

I told FI I did not want to use the guy anymore and I did not care that I liked those stones he was showing us. He has a very nice ideal round VS2 G too which I REALLY wanted.

I went by Tri County this weekend to look at stones alone and found out that our jeweler was overcharging us by over $3K!!!! I spoke to Fran at Gold Heart about the stones.

And that is for the same thing!!! I even had a pic of the setting (no sidestones). I'm am so glad I asked brides on this site about Tri County!!!!

We will likely not buy from there but I'm glad to know that the pricing is way better. FI is going by Superbcert this week (maybe today). They have a website www.superbcert.com. He also went to look yesterday with a male friend who was a jeweler on 47th in a prior life.

They went to 47th street and the guys there tried to talk FI out of an ideal cut round stone which is my only real criteria other than VS2!?!? His friend said they are trying to unload the junk diamonds and that they have gimmicks such as putting blue marker at the bottom of a set diamond to make it look like a F/G when it's really an I/J!?!?

There is so much research involved in this process. I can't see how men do it all alone!!!!

Does anyone have a Superbcert stone? If so, how do you like it? I like Hearts on Fire but they are super expensive - like 40% mark up. I also have considered Eight Star diamonds but have not found any locations in NYC to look at them.

Anyone have an Eight Star stone?