For years, I heard Diamonds Direct advertised on the radio as the premier diamond seller in Charlotte and the Southeast, so when I was in the market for a diamond for my engagement ring, I made a special trip to Charlotte to visit their store. The entire experience was a disappointment and is not recommended.
Diamonds Direct is ideal for saps who do not know a great deal about diamonds, and compare prices and stones from retailer jewelry stores in the mall and around town. They cater to people who think they are learning something about diamonds with such ""insider advice"" that ""color is more important than carat."" However, when I and my fiancee entered the store with specification ranges in carat, color, clarity, table and girdle of what we wanted, we were promptly shown only two loose diamonds that did not meet our specifications at a price that was not competitive with other wholesalers or direct exchanges.
Furthermore, when I asked David Fox, one of Diamonds Direct Graduate Gemologists if we could see other stones in our requested range he was dismissive as said that was all they had in a F-H range VS2 or better. This seemed highly unlikely given that store is billed as a wholesaler. It is also very puzzling why they only deal with Israeli diamond cutters and when I asked about this further, he said, why would I want to go anywhere else? The short answer: 85% of the worlds diamonds come from other regions that offer better quality at a more affordable price.
For my money and value, I got a better experience, a better quality diamond at a retail wholesaler who will take ASET pictures of your diamond, provide you a 10 day free return policy and can custom tailor to your demands in ways Diamonds Direct cannot or is at least unwilling to do so.
Bottom line: If you are in the market in the Charlotte area and looking for value you are better off going through a retailer out of your region or via the internet where you can exchange diamonds with minimal loss of effort, higher quality and better long-term value. If you can't leave the area, I suggest the Costco on Tyvola Road which had a better selection of VS1 and colorless than Diamonds Direct at thousands less.
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