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This is a page from our original site, please click here to visit our current site!F.A.Q.'s & StatementsThe following are some of questions and statements that we receive frequently from you netites. If you have a question you'd like answered, send it to us care of diamonds@niceice.com Be forewarned, questions and answers may be posted to this page for the enjoyment and learning benefit of all. Why
the public masses think the way they do about us jewelers... Conspiracy Theory or Reality?Why the public masses might think the way they do about us jewelers...We must remember as jewelers that Netites and the public have instant memory recall to traumatization, especially when experiences are linked with separation anxiety involving their money, their pride, and their jewelry. We know that their fears are based upon mere hallucinations and that bad things never happen in any profession especially ours... We as an industry have been unjustly targeted by untouchable media giants who have aired sensational in-depth consumer alert T.V. specials on a regular basis. We wish they would use better actors, because those old, washed-up, bubble-headed, soap-opera has-been's, are a poor reflection upon our industry... They don't even play sleazy, disreputable jewelers well... Leave it to the media to destroy our good names for their ratings... They're not even playing fair... Everybody knows that the mere mention of the word "Jeweler" on television causes mass hysteria amongst the public... No doubt, the recent show about gem treatments was yet another test by the government to see whether "JR-19" is still effective... What do you mean, "What is JR-19?" How could you forget? It's a well known fact that the government has been putting a red colored, mind altering chemical called "Jeweler Repellent #19" in our drinking water... JR-19 is a virtually undetectable chemical that produces mass hallucinations, extreme paranoia, irrational tantrumatical behavior, and yes, violence in many cases towards jewelers... Nobody knows for sure why the government would want to do such a thing, but we do know that JR-19 is produced and stored by the CIA in a place called "Area 51" located on an Air Force base in Rachel, Nevada... Production began in the late 1950's and government testing on humans began in the early 1960's. JR-19 was originally tested in Mexico and to this day it's early side effects are commonly referred to as "Montezuma's Revenge"... Males subjected to prolonged exposure to this chemical develop "Two Months Salary Syndrome"... Symptoms of psychosis include:
JR-19 is directly responsible for many of histories most heinous events. For instance, many historians believe that the Vietnam War was started over a watch battery that didn't work... It seems that while President Kennedy was having the battery in his watch replaced at Ho Chi Minh & Sons Jewelers, he consumed about three cups of ginseng tea made with tap water containing JR-19... When the watch battery stopped working about an hour and a half later, the President returned to the store to find it closed with a note on the door indicating that Ho Chi Minh and his sons had returned to their homeland in Vietnam. Hallucinating like a mad raving dog and feeling quite cheated, the President sent 16,000 troops to Vietnam to ferret out Ho Chi Minh and get back his five bucks. The rest is history. Unfortunately, jewelers have been drinking the same water as the public which makes trade shows quite interesting! We suggest our clients drink only purified water and preferably distilled... We have been drinking distilled water for ten years now and have a clear insight into this matter... Sure, we know this sounds a bit far fetched, but it was on the X-Files last week. JR-19 is the real cause of Scully's nosebleeds... Didn't you see it? Why else would the government suggest you drink 8 - 10 glasses of water a day? "I think my jeweler switched my stone... Is this possible?"Nonsense! The Tooth Fairy borrowed it so he could propose to Tinker Bell... Your allegation is completely unfounded... No Noble Leechcrafter in his right mind would do such a thing because the negative publicity and the loss of your business would cost him far more than any diamond is worth... He doesn't need you telling all of your friends he's a Scum-Bag... More often than not, this is a matter of your not being familiar with your diamond... You're used to seeing it dirty and when you get it back, it looks like a completely different diamond because it's clean... It looks smaller because three millimeters of water deposits and soap scum have been removed... We suggest you get a loupe and become more familiar with the inclusions within your diamond and let us laser inscribe the number from the diamond grading report on the girdle edge of your diamond. These preventative measures will help prevent future feelings of anxiety and paranoia... Learn to identify your diamond by the location, shape, and size of the inclusions within it accompanied by the laser inscription and stop drinking water out of the tap... About a year from now, you'll feel much better about all of this. "My jeweler told me I don't need a diamond grading report... Is that true?I told him that I only wanted to see only GIA & AGS lab graded diamonds and he got all indignant on me... He told me that his opinion of the diamond was all that I needed and I didn't need to spend the extra money for a cert... Did I do something wrong?" Certainly not, you did nothing wrong.
Don't worry, this is a clear case of "Small Man's Syndrome".
You clearly challenged the size of his... uh, Brain... and insulted his
abilities as a "skilled" diamond grader. If he was confident in his
diamond grading abilities, he would have responded with "No
problem. This diamond is not lab graded and has been priced accordingly,
but if you are willing to pay for the expense of having the diamond graded
by the AGS or GIA Laboratory, I would be happy to send
the diamond to the laboratory of your choice... I'm sure the diamond will be close
to, if not exactly, what I'm telling you it is..." What exactly is Ho-Ho-Wholesale?Gazunheit! What is Wholesale? To answer that question, first we need to determine which "Wholesale" you're referring to:
"Wholesale" is the most abused and mis-used buzz word in our industry... After 18 years in the jewelry business, living and breathing diamonds every day, we still don't know what the heck it means... There must be 47 levels of wholesale. That's why we're simple... We hand select diamonds from various sources world wide and sell them to interested parties for a minimal and disclosed brokers fee. The prices that we pay for the diamonds we sell fluctuates depending on the quantity purchased and the terms negotiated. Moving pedigreed diamonds quickly from "A" to "B" enables us to maintain a volume which entitles us to significant discounts which we pass on to our customers. We wouldn't call this "Wholesale" but it's certainly not Retail. Do I have to pay for the diamond before I can receive it?Uh, if you were us, would you send a diamond out to somebody who contacted you off of the internet without receiving payment for it? Did you see the episode of Grey's Anatomy where the guy's "hot date" that he met off of the internet came to his house and just happened to "borrow" his Porsche 911 which was later found completely stripped? We realize that you're an honest person, but the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people out there who aren't. So since we're easily verified as a member of the trade in good standing and we've been conducting business in this glass fish tank world of the internet since 1997 and have an excellent reputation intact, we're going to stick to our policy of only shipping diamonds upon receipt of payment. If you are still nervous after reviewing the terms and conditions of our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee & Full Refund Policy we recommend verifying our good standing within the industry by reviewing the Customer Testimonials available from the various sites we rely on to monitor our on-line transactions like The Public Eye and the The Better Business Bureau, Epinions, or by contacting The Jewelers Vigilance Committee. If the thought of sending money out into cyber space for a diamond you haven't seen still makes you itch, then you might consider asking us to send the diamond to an Independent GIA Graduate Gemologist Appraiser to have the characteristics of the diamond verified prior to purchasing it. Please note that round trip Fed Ex priority shipping, handling and insurance charges apply and must be paid for in advance. All shipping, handling and insurance charges are non-refundable. Would you be willing to send the diamond to a Gemologist for verification before I pay for it?If the concept of having the characteristics of a diamond from our Private Reserve verified prior to paying for it appeals to your safe side, we are happy to oblige providing that you are willing to pay the expense of round trip Fed Ex priority shipping, handling and insurance in advance. All shipping, handling and insurance charges are non-refundable. The reason we insist on being paid for the cost of shipping, handling and insurance is because [1] this is an expense that we expect you to pay regardless of whether you buy the diamond and we ship it directly to you, or [2] we send the diamond to a Gemologist on your behalf to have it verified; because occasionally people will ask to have diamonds sent to various Gemologists for verification and then they never pay to have the diamond evaluated by the appraiser which results in our inventory taking a trip of the country for no apparent reason. Please note that if you do not make arrangements to purchase the diamond within 72 hours of the Gemologist receiving the diamond for evaluation that it will be returned to us so that it may be sold to another person. Will you hold a diamond for me and if so, for how long?We will place a hold on a diamond only in the event that you are in the process of actively purchasing the diamond. This means that we will place a diamond on-hold for a period not to exceed 24 hours while you move your money from one account to another or liquidate your stock portfolio in order to pay for the diamond. We will not hold a diamond so that you can "think about it" or contemplate the lint accumulating in your navel and ponder the possibilities of it turning into carbon because the reality is that while you are thinking, somebody else wants to buy it and we are in the business of selling diamonds after all. We apologize for being uncooperative about this, but the reality is that every time we place a hold on a diamond for one person, another person calls to purchase it and by the time we reach the first person who tells us that they have purchased another diamond elsewhere the second person has too. "Is this a fair return policy?"I asked a company on the internet about what my options were if I didn't like the diamond that they sent me... They told me I would and that was all there was to it... I buy it... They ship it... I own it." Does that sound like a return policy to you? It doesn't to us... That sounds more like they don't want the diamond either. We suggest you purchase from a reputable company that sells diamonds they know they can sell again. We offer a no risk money back guarantee with a 21 day inspection period so that you have adequate time to arrange to have the diamond evaluated by an independent gemologist, present it to your fiancé while the two of you are on vacation or have that special custom ring made. For your peace of mind, we suggest you to have the characteristics of the diamond verified by an independent GIA Graduate Gemologist of AGS Certified Gemologist Appraiser regardless of who you purchase it from so that you don't fall out of your chair five years from now when 20/20 does an expose on internet diamond dealers or something like that. You'll be able to sit back in your chair and laugh while thinking "Boy am I glad I had mine checked out!" Of course, if for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase from our company, let's say her cat looks at it funny, we'll refund the full purchase price of the diamond with exception of the shipping fees as explained in our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Do you ever extend the terms of your inspection period?Because I need more time because I'm not going to
propose until next month -or- Because I've found the
diamond I want to buy on your Private Reserve and it's only the beginning
of November, but I'm planning on giving it to her for Christmas (or New
Years, or Valentines Day, whatever) and I don't know whether she's
going to like it... Will you extend your inspection period? What we will not do is extend the inspection period for six months while you contemplate the possibility that diamond prices might decrease the day after your inspection period ends because that's not reasonable. Can you purchase stock in a company and cash it in for a full refund six months later if the stock decreases in value? Of course not. But let us assure you that we consider the possibility of diamond prices decreasing today, tomorrow, the next day, a year from now, or even ten years from now to be a very, very slim possibility. The reality is that diamond prices have consistently increased and maintained their values during times of economic recession and even depression for the past two hundred years. Why do you "think" we're in the diamond business anyway? We can't think of any other investment that we could make where our money would be better protected against inflation and unstable economic times. If I return my purchase, how will you refund my money and how long does it take?If for some reason you decide that you want to return the item which you purchased from us within the terms and conditions specified in our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Policy simply contact us for a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number and return shipping instructions. Upon receipt of the item, we will verify the characteristics of the diamond or the merchandise and issue a prompt refund. If you paid by credit card, we will issue a refund via credit card the moment the merchandise has been verified and the credit card terminal will upload the refund to our bank at midnight on that day. If you paid by wire transfer, we will mail a company check that day for the refund amount. If you want us to send the check overnight by Fed Ex we will be happy to do so, but the cost of shipping will be deducted from the amount of your refund. Note that shipping, handling and insurance costs are not refundable for any circumstance. Do I really have to pay for shipping?I've been on other sites and some of them offer
"Free Shipping" and while I love your selection and prices, I don't want
to pay for anything that I don't have to... "Am I locked out, or is he locked in?"I went to a jewelry store and the door was locked. I knocked on the door and this guy behind the counter just sat there and stared at me for like 5 minutes. He wouldn't let me in, he just sat there and stared at me. There I was standing in 8 feet of snow, bundled up from head to toe, freezing my !@# off. If I had a gun, I would have shot the sucker. The guy finally puts down his coffee long enough to push the button and buzz me in. As soon as the door closes, it locks behind me and it's then that I realize I'm locked up with some guy that's got a gun strapped to his hip and for the life of me, I forgot why I needed to go to the jewelry store in the first place. So I turned to leave and there I sat for another 5 minutes waiting for him to let me out. Am I insane?" No you wuss, you just got intimidated by John Wayne. Perhaps his sales techniques are not for you and you should
seek a jeweler with a different target market. What can we say? The
jewelry industry isn't exactly safe these days and many jewelers are
taking reasonable precautions to control who travels in and out of there
store. Remember the JR-19 the government put in the water? Well
he's probably a little paranoid about your bulky jacket and ski mask,
you might try a mask that doesn't cover your entire face and take your
hands out of your pockets so you can wave. "My jeweler got mad at me... What's wrong with asking these questions?"All I asked him was "What is the Crown Angle and Pavilion Depth" so that I could determine the cut grade. And whether I should be concerned about the Distinct Blue Fluorescence. The next thing I know, he turned beet red and started to huff. Seconds later he's screaming something about he doesn't know it, and I don't need it, and if I want to comparison shop I can just get out! Doesn't he want me to know that he's giving me a good deal?" Wow... This type of reaction always blows our mind. Maybe it's because we and many other jewelers do business a little differently. There are many jewelers who will take the time to help you understand more about the diamond you're looking at. They will give you copies of the diamond grading certificate and help you decipher it. Some diamond grading certificates provide the Crown Angle and Pavilion Depth measurements and some do not. If you ask a jeweler for additional information about one of his diamonds, he should be happy to give it to you. Here at Nice Ice, we believe in full disclosure. We use Sarin DiaMension Computerized Proportions Analsysis to determine the overall cut grade of every diamond that we sell. It tells us whether a diamond is an AGS-0 or an AGS-10. If you ask us a question that we don't know the answer to, we'll let you know, and get back to you with an answer. We want you to know everything about the diamond you are buying. "Why does a $5.00 watch battery take priority over me?"Six weeks ago, I dropped off my ring to a local jeweler to be re-tipped. I was told that it would be ready in two-weeks. Obviously, calling him every other day after the two weeks had passed was not enough. Out of frustration, I finally flew down to his store and demanded my ring. While I was standing there raving like a lunatic, he told me to have a seat and offered me a cup of coffee. As if I needed it. 30 minutes later, and 4 watch batteries out the door, he completes my ring and presents me with it like it was no big deal for him to replace three tips. Should I be irritated?" Absolutely not, it's a quarantine requirement of the National Center For Disease Control that all jewelry brought in for repair by the public be isolated for a minimum of two weeks. Many jewelers feel that a longer period of time is necessary for pieces that look suspicious or are extremely dirty. Watches are not subject to these same quarantine requirements because all watches are manufactured by the government and contain tiny tracking devices which assist the government satellites watch your every move. That's why they're called "Watches". Obviously, batteries are necessary to power the mini tracking beacons that the government has installed so that they don't lose track of you for a second. That's why replacing watch batteries take priority over every other activity in a jewelry store. It's the law. A dumb law by the way, and that's why we don't play with watches... "I'm an engineer looking for an ideal cut and jewelers hate me... Help! I've been calling jewelers all over town and asking if they have Ideal Cut Diamonds and they just hang up on me..."Imagine that. You're a match made in heaven for us. We'll be the first to admit that you guys are a challenge, but we speak your language. In fact, we're fluent in Engineer, Software Designer, Computer Programmer, Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant, Architect, Professor, Nerd, and even Geek. You want to spend all day talking about the angle of the dangle. All we want to know is to what degree... We specialize in locating hard to find puppies and catering to the likes of you. We have the lab equipment and the toys to tantalize your senses. All we need to know is exactly what you want and when you want to play with it. "No Sales Tax? As in I don't have to pay anything?"We're only required to collect Washington State Sales Tax if you happen to be a resident of Washington State and/or you direct us to ship your purchase to an address located in Washington State. If you reside outside of Washington State and do not direct us to ship your purchase to a destination within Washington State then we are not supposed to collect sales tax from you. We don't have a location or representative in any other state, thus we don't have to report our sales to any other state. Now, the laws of your state of residence may require you to report your purchase on your state income tax form or something but we don't know about stuff like that... And you probably don't either. One thing, if you happen to be a resident of Washington State and you "have a plan" to avoid sales tax by shipping your purchase out of state... Don't tell us about it. We're law abiding citizens and we don't want to know. "Has anybody received your "Asbestos Shorts Award" yet?"One netite couple came dangerously close. Their shorts were smokin' something awful. It seems that a friend of the family that went to college with dear old dad tried to do them a favor and sell them an "Ideal Cut Diamond" with a 74% Table. Believe it! At first, we thought one of our friends was playing a sick joke on us. AGS-9. Almost right off the chart. Ten bucks and a diamond consultation later, they were running for the lake to cool things off. We didn't have much to say about diamond number two, but a local independent Graduate Gemologist told them that the chips on the girdle edge might be something to think about. Long story short, they eventually purchased an extremely beautiful diamond from our Private Reserve
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