J&M Coin & Jewellery Ltd — Attraction in Vancouver

If you are thinking about buying any diamond jewellery from J & M you should read my experiences with them, because I have 20+ years experience in buying loose diamonds for myself, not as a business, and this amazed me.

My experience with J & M at this location was just plain ridiculous. I have attended the shop three times over a two month period. Each visit I was directed to their staff "gemologist". as I had a loose diamond that I was potentially selling. I would like to say that even though this gemologist claims to have a GG (Graduate Gemologist) from GIA (Gemologicat Institute of America) he does not know a darn thing about diamonds.

In the first visit he looked at the diamond through a zip lock bag and commented that the clarity listed on the outside was way off. He could tell without proper lighting, a loupe or any instruments. Obviously because he is that good.

The second visit this same "gemologist" opens the gem paper that contained the diamond I brought for potential sale, and after weighing it offered me a price just inside the low end of my expectations. I agreed figuring it was the start of potentially longer range business dealings with J & M. He then placed it under a microscope and after about 15 minutes came back handed it to me and said that he would not be interested. I said wait a minute you just gave me an offer. He just pushed it across the counter, turned his back and went back to his desk.

So a month later I just picked up a 2.35 carat VS1 round blue diamond I had graded at EGL Canada (considered the number two company for certification of diamonds) and since I was in the neighbourhood thought I would try J & M one last time. So In I go and I walked over to the jewelry department and was directed to their "gemologist" again. I told him what I had for sale he said nothing just held out his hand I gave him the loose diamond and he opened the package and looked at it then pulled out a diamond tester and tested the diamond. The tester gave a negative result for diamond, because almost all coloured diamonds will test negative with a thermal probe. Any real gemologist knows this and will not even bother with a thermal test but will just use a microscope to start with. He just drops it on the counter and says this is not real. I lost it at this point and said, "are you nuts I have a certificate from EGL".. He stated they are faked all the time, the guy you bought it from ripped you off. I gave up and left because this poor excuse for a professional was no longer believable.. Not only did I pick the certificate up myself directly from EGL 20 minutes earlier if he would have looked he could have seen the diamond was laser engraved with the certificate number, and he could have verified it online with EGL. Here is a diamond that their appraisal division valued at $19,700 Canadian, and J&M's staff "gemologist" said was fake.

Personally I could care little if I sold it to them or not, a competitor of theirs bought it instead. However, If their "gemologist" cannot even determine a real diamond from a fake one, the buying public should be very cautious about purchasing any diamonds from...

Not comfortable to do business with these guys-very stiff. I was told this was the place to go to buy gold/silver by my dad who dealt with these guys in the 80s. I've been to J&M 3 times expecting service to get better and I have been put off 3 times by one thing or the other.

The last straw: I dropped 2k that day: $1680 on a Au maple leaf and $230 in Ag. I requested the staff to get 3 maples for me to compare. I chose one and then the owner straightened me out, "we choose the circulated maple for you generally". I asked him why I couldn't choose the gold coin I like (in this case 1 of 3 presented). He said,.."because of the time it takes to gather 3 coins instead of 1". IT TAKES HIM TOO MUCH TIME TO GET A HANDFUL of coins where I will choose the one I like out of 3 or 4 coins? HOG WASH!

Dear owner... I dropped $1680 on 1 gold coin which will likely be treasure for the rest of my life or passed to love ones as inheritance. The staff cannot take an extra 30 seconds or 2 min allowing me to pick what I like???? Total absurdity! Perhaps you guys need a better security protocol if it is too much trouble to go to the vault. Ya-never-know..I may have bought more if I could've seen more......?

Dear owner, I expect to put %5 of my future income into silver and gold as a hedge. I expect to spend about $200-350 in silver monthly and about $3000 in gold per year. I gave you guys 3 shots but your customer service and your consistently higher bullion prices have turned me away.

Also, inquired about a gold watch I had been eyeing as a possible special gift and the lady demeaned my watch. I paid almost $1000 for it 25 years ago- this would be like paying $2800-3k for a watch today. My watch was passively-aggressively poo-pooed as a low-end time piece. Excuse me? I am a skilled trades person and make between 95-110k per year but the nature of my job translates into me being dirty and sweaty most of the day (and when I come to your shop). I think I've been looked at as a waste of time rather than a guy who will buy a 15k watch for his 50th and 5-6k per year in silver and gold. I'm not likely going to return for silver and gold. Lots of other cool stuff at J&M, but it is too prickly to do...

THANKS KINDLY J&M!!! We have had two Snap Lake Mine diamonds set in custom rings masterfully crafted by J&M in the last year. Luckily, we found this business after finding IORIO Custom Designs, and were extremely impressed by what we saw. We were surprised, after contacting them by email, that they could create what we wanted, custom work, for less than it would cost to set in a regular, pre-made jewelry store setting, and in less time. Although our dealings with them were handled long distance, they made us feel like we were right there with them getting great customer service - they were very professional, knowledgeable, and communicated well with us, and made both our experiences great! Crystal kept us well informed of what the process would be, how long it would take, and somehow, the employees at J&M managed to create two stunning custom rings that turned out more beautiful than we had ever imagined. The Goldsmith seemed to know exactly what we wanted, and both rings show high pride in their work. That's why we are happy return customers! I would highly recommend J&M to anyone looking for a unique custom crafted piece of jewelry, by a business that is obviously top-notch and cares about giving their customers a memorable and good experience. I get compliments on my eye-catching J&M rings all the time, and when people ask me where I had them made, I proudly tell them about J&M, a company who combines high quality custom artistry and super customer service, that is so rare these days! Thanks again to everyone at J&M, above and beyond! Dave and I look forward to dealing with J&M in the future. ...