A Venting Post - Diamond Nexus Labs

Okay...it's been a very long minute since I've posted on my personal blog just because work has been my priority as of late. But...

I desperately need to vent, and doing it on my business blogs would be just way too unprofessional. But, I think I need to give a big buyer beware because some companies out here are a tad bit too deceptive and they prey on people being uninformed and naive. Be forewarned, this is a long post.

So, the time has finally come, the bf and I are looking at engagement rings. And, it's no secret, I'm not really a supporter of the diamond industry for a variety of reasons that I won't get into at the moment because it's not relevant to this post. Suffice to say, that for the past few years I had been looking at Diamond Nexus Labs (www.diamondnexus.com) as a go to source for a diamond simulant engagement ring that would give me the bling without the $ sting and while maintaining my stance on the unethical nature of the diamond industry.

For the past two weeks, I've been working to negotiate a quote on a custom ring design that's based on an existing ring on DN's website with a variation on some of the accent stones in blue topaz & the center stone in a different cut. I'm given an initial quote and am told that the variation of color stones for the accents won't be covered by their stone warranty. I ask for an explanation and am told that because the specific stones I'm requesting for the accent are being "cut to order" in the size needed to fit the design and aren't just "in-stock" sizes, that those stones aren't covered by the DN Stone Guarantee and that if something happens to it regardless of whether through normal wear or tear or me doing something ignorant, I (or my bf and I) will need to bear the entire cost of having those specialty accent stones replaced.

I balked at this, because that's ridiculous. You're telling me that you'll make a custom ring for me, but you won't give me a guarantee on it. Isn't that synonymous with saying that you don't support your own work?! If you did, you'd guarantee your stones for normal wear & tear. As a marketer, I clearly pointed out how bad their stance appeared to customers as it gives the impression that DN is knowingly creating and selling jewelry that isn't of good quality, but they just kept saying "oh the ring will be fine, we just can't give you the stone guarantee!". Basically DN kept stonewalling and after going back and forth with them on this for a few days, reaching out to the person's email on their Facebook page and connecting with their Twitter account to get some resolution, I decided it was time to source my ring from someone else.

It turns out, the design I'm requesting is a bit more complicated than DN made it appear. And after talking to a variety of other reputable jewelers who specialize in real diamonds and Asha Diamonds (another version of simulant diamonds), the consensus is the same. You can't successfully cut colored simulant stones or real blue topaz small enough for the requested accent stones I'm looking to have and maintain the integrity of the stone. You have to use real blue diamonds or sapphire stones.

I REPEAT: YOU CAN'T CUT SIMULANT COLOR STONES SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT THE DIAMETER IN THE DESIGN I'M LOOKING TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE STONE. 

So, now that I've been told the same thing from four reputable jewelers from across the country (NY, IN, NV and ID) it confirmed for me why Diamond Nexus refused to cover the blue topaz simulant stones. It was as I suspected all along. They knew that cutting the simulant color stones small enough to fit the specifications for the accent stones of my ring design wasn't going to be as durable as the clear stones. And rather than tell me that and try to help me find a new design that would work and maintain the stone guarantee, they chose to just negate their stone warranty and stay quiet about the reality while trying to make a quick buck.

Although this would have been my first purchase from DN, it most likely wouldn't have been my last if I had been happy with the item. But I don't respect deceptive practices. As a fellow business owner, I would never knowingly allow a client or potential client to request services that I knew wouldn't work for them. I would try to give them guidance and find an alternate option that would still give them results while ensuring that I wasn't compromising my professional integrity along the way. And if need be, I would turn down the work (which I have done in real life) if I don't think that I can complete it to the client's standards or expectations.

So final verdict, I'm sure DN makes gorgeous crowns for the Miss USA franchise as it's great advertisement for them. And I'm quite sure THOSE pieces are covered by their stone guarantee. But I would never recommend DN to anyone because of my "design agent's" inability to be honest with me and tell me what was and wasn't within the realm of reality for my engagement ring. But I'm glad I found out now before I had my bf spend money on something that would have eventually ended up being a worthless piece of junk.