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| - My fiancée and I recently purchased our engagement ring at the Phoenix, AZ The Jewelry Exchange location. I'll go into some detail about our experience below, but first, let's get the elephant out of the room...the location and general appearance of the store is NOT a good first impression (this is why it's a 4-star review). Granted this area near the Metro Mall in Phoenix used to be a vibrant shopping location, but that was years ago now. The current efforts to revitalize the area are still some time from fruition, so you have to be able to see past the blight.
Buying a diamond is a large purchase for many of us, so please DO NOT go in blind; Do A LOT of research! Read about the 4Cs and ask questions from someone not interested in selling you anything until you understand a diamond purchase. Know your budget, know the shape you want, know the size you'd like to have and above all else know, and understand what concessions you are willing to make on a diamond to end up getting something you'll (she'll) love forever.
Men, I personally don't recommend purchasing a ring without your fiancée present. If you REALLY want to surprise her with something I recommend doing a lot of research into what her taste is and purchasing a simple solitaire. That way if she wants a different setting it's a much easier transition. But, again, I recommend making the purchase together.
Read and understand the store's warranty, purchase/return policy, and whether or not you'd like a certified diamond. Once you choose a loose diamond (don't purchase preset) I also highly recommend that you have it evaluated by an INDEPENDENT professional appraiser (who has zero interest in buying/selling to you) before final purchase and setting of the stone. Then have the ring appraised again after setting for insurance purposes. This goes for all stones certified or not.
When I was done with research and started looking around I knew exactly what I wanted; budget, stone, and setting. Choice of setting can be very important depending on what stone shape, cut, size and color grade you are interested in. We looked online at wholesale stones, went to several stores including Zales, Shane Co, Jarred, etc., before choosing to make our purchase at The Jewelry Exchange.
We looked at loose stones both with the naked eye and through the magnifier. Please be sure you look at the stone and note its inclusions which are internal natural mineral deposits, fractures, etc. that are present in the majority of stones (this is a natural occurrence in a stone refer to the 4Cs) through magnification. And if it's certified examine the certificate. We both knew and understood the quality of cut and proportional balance of a stone that would give us the best "sparkle," and with my setting choice, I knew that I could give a little on color for a larger karat weight.
Ask as many questions of the salesperson as you want, and if you don't get the answers you are looking for, or don't feel comfortable go somewhere else.
Our salesperson showed us several options in the price range, shape, karat weight, and cut quality we asked for. We were able to choose the option we liked the best and negotiated a great price on the stone. Note that we agreed on the stone price before we even discussed settings; the setting price was agreed upon separately.
We then looked at settings. I knew I wanted a solitaire, 6 prong head, in yellow gold. What I wasn't sure about was if I wanted a classic Tiffany, cathedral, or knife edge setting. After looking at the options we choose a classic Tiffany both with the head and band in 14K yellow gold. Note: stones are often set in white gold heads soldered to a yellow gold band. If you want a 100% yellow gold setting it is a special request, and special order. We discussed this with the salesperson and special ordered the setting that we wanted. Lead time for the special order was approximately 3 weeks. This was explained to us at the time of purchase.
We took possession of the loose stone after purchase to wait until the setting arrived, and have the loose stone examined and documented by an independent appraiser before mounting into the setting (recommended).
We had some questions for The Jewelry Exchange after we had the diamond graded. One of the managers, Austin, resolved all questions to our complete satisfaction.
We were called promptly when the setting arrived, made arrangements to have the stone mounted, and are 100% pleased with the final result! It's absolutely GORGEOUS, better than I imagined!!!
In sum, yes the appearance of the store and location leave a lot to be desired; however, if you do your research, know what you are looking for, and ask questions until you are 100% satisfied I think you'll both be pleasantly surprised
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