GemsNY — Attraction in Fort Lee

Update: These people called me and harassed me for a half hour after I returned the stone and posted my review. He would have kept going had I not finally cut him off and exited the phone call. During the call, he told me "color change has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of a sapphire. It's not a value add." It was super downplayed. Which is fine, but then later in the conversation when I said the stone was not of "heirloom quality" as they stated, they said "this is a COLOR CHANGING marquise sapphire that has not been heat treated. It's extremely valuable." So it's clear to me, they are only concerned with protecting reputation, not helping their customers, and certainly not transparency/honesty about their products. You can't literally tell me color change doesn't impact quality or value and then tell me because it's color changing its value is increased. That's literally the most hypocritical B.S. I've ever heard. Also, in response to their defensive reply below, GIA is an awesome gemstone lab agency. BUT BUYER BEWARE, just because a stone is GIA certified, doesn't mean it's of any quality. I can send any low quality scummy gemstone under the sun to a GIA lab and get a report back. That doesn't mean it's quality. GIA doesn't like only work up top quality stones and nothing else. They will work up any gemstone rock you send them. Simply having a piece of paper saying "this is indeed a rock. It's round. It has a color change. It's about this big" does not mean it's quality. Then gemsny sends you their "GemsNY" quality report, and it's like "this is more amazing sapphire that has ever been and will ever be," and its hogwash. It literally means nothing in terms of the true value of a gemstone. They have no regulatory agency and can say whatever they damn well please on that report. Also, on the color, while I was on the phone with their "gemologist," the man literally said that the color they posted was misleading, and I should have been shown an image that accurately showed it's color. Now they want to say "we didn't advertise it wrong." Stop. They literally told me they advertised it wrong, and it should not have happened like that. As I said in my original post, seriously, do not buy here if you can help it. You might get a nice stone, but chances are, you'll be sold a scam and valuable time and energy.

Oh. One positive. They did process my refund.

Orginal: Wow. Complete scam. I bought a sapphire from them that was supposed to be heirloom quality, top of the line, eye clean, transparent, color change, and violet purple. The stone that came was poorly cut, so poorly cut that it only had one refraction point inside. The stone itself was milky. You wouldn't have known except we have access to actual high-quality sapphires, and when you put them side by side, wow, such an incredibly dull and milky stone. Also, we couldn't, under any light, get the stone to turn the color of the stone on the website. It never got that radiant purple. Do not trust their images. They are clearly altered. Also, eye clean, hardly. Maybe if you have terrible vision. I could easily see inclusions in the stone from 15 inches away. Also, they gave it to us at a "great price," but after seeing the stone we got, it was market value, at best. They didn't cut us any genuine deal. I am very frustrated with this company. If you don't really care about the quality of the gem you're buying, buy it here. Otherwise, do not trust their rating system. Do not believe that just because it has a certification, it's a nice stone. They got the lowest tier certification for this stone, I'm guessing to hide the major flaws so they could market it as a heirloom quality stone. This company is dishonest, and I will never buy from them again unless they seriously change their practices and start genuinely reporting and...

I had the pleasure of working with Vishnu and Errol to design a perfect engagement ring for my now fiancee. She specifically wanted a sapphire ring, and after an extensive web search GemsNY had the largest selection of stones.

I then contacted to them to see a couple of stones in person, and from my first interaction on the phone with Errol I knew I was dealing with true professionals. I had done my homework regarding what she wanted in terms of setting and they helped me to clarify her preferences in "their language".

Their location is not a storefront. You are not going to be overwhelmed with salespeople trying to sell to you. When you meet with them, they are there for you to meet your preferences to the best of their ability. When I got there they had pulled the stones I was interested in and through the course of an hour helped me come up with a custom setting and stone which fit my vision. They project such a high level of experience in the field, and in such a professional and nice way that it lowered my stress level regarding the whole ring-shopping experience considerably. I loved that they offered actual concrete advice! They work with you regarding what you want but let's face it, they are the experts for a reason. I hate when I'm told "well, its up to you what you prefer". Of course it is, but I want to know what the experts think in their many years of work, and that's exactly what they told me.

Once you finalize your design, in several days they send you a 3d rendering of what the ring will look like. I opened up the attachment and it was EXACTLY what I had envisioned. For me, there was no need to adjust but you can at this point. Then they offer you the opportunity to come in and view a wax model of the ring. Then some time later they send you the ring to a location you desire. For me, the whole time from inception to delivery was 3 weeks.

And finally, the payoff. My now fiancee loved the ring. Her family, friends, coworkers all love it.

In short, Errol and Vishnu took a extremely stressful experience and turned me into a confident and extremely happy buyer. I will never hesitate to use them again and will recommend them to everyone that is looking for a custom jeweler.

This review is unsolicited and I chose to review them based on my awesome...

On February 11, 2019, I purchased a blue, sapphire engagement ring from GemsNY. I was planning on proposing in April 2019. Thirty-four (34) days from purchase, my girlfriend sat me down and expressed to me that she would like to be part of the engagement ring, purchase process. I agreed and asked her what type center stone she might be interested in wearing. Unknowing of my purchase, she informed me that she would like a diamond ring. When I asked her if she would be interested in other types of gems, she politely declined and said that she wishes to have a diamond. She expressed her absolute distaste for “other” gemstones as ‘engagement’ rings.

I immediately contacted Ernie on the phone and explained my situation. He responded that the company would accept a return for a hefty 25% restocking fee! My $6,200 ring would net me a $1,550 loss, for returning it 4 days after the 30 day return policy. That would be a great windfall for them!

Alternatively, I was informed that I could exchange the ring. I found a much more expensive diamond ring and setting, which I know my girlfriend would love. She gave me some pictures for ideas. I happily called Ernie back only to be told that I cannot exchange my gem for a diamond. This is baffling to me, as they would have made an even more fantastic deal, in less than two months! Again, the diamond costs much more than the blue sapphire!

I do not expect a 100% refund. I completely understand that I was past the 30 day window, by four days. What I am astonished with is the 25% restocking fee. I feel that I am being taken advantage of because of my situation. Ernie did eventually come back with a 20% offer, for restocking, but that is still a $1,240 loss.

As far as I can ascertain, the gem is as ordered. The perceived quality is good. The customer response time is also acceptable. However, GemsNY’s overall customer service is sorely lacking. Their lack of willingness to work with me on an exchange, leads me to rate them two stars.

I have updated my review as of May 4th. We were able to come to an equitable solution to my problem. They handled themselves in a very respectful manner and came up with a solution that we both...