The Diamond Center - Madison — Attraction in Madison

Pros: I wish I could rate them higher, but I just don't know that I can. I had a great experience my first time in. I received help from two different consultants who knew right away I wasn't buying that day, but was more in need of guidance to make the right decision. My fiancé is suprisingly particular about the band style he wanted, so I went to multiple places to find the perfect match. The Diamond Center definitely had the best selection, and ultimately was the place we bought our bands from. My fiancé is happy with his band, and I know he picked the right one for me. Unfortunately, while I had high hopes...it just wasn't what I anticipated.

Cons: During my first visit, I picked out bands that I liked for me, and bands I thought he would like. On my second visit (with my fiancé with me) we looked at the band I thought he would love, and then decided to look at the ones I liked. Unfortunately, it became obvious very quickly that they did not save my choices in their database like they said they would. It was also obvious they hadn't saved his, but with less to choose from...it wasn't hard to find his. The rest of the visit went well, they talked out a design with my fiancé that he loved and sized him. They confirmed my size and off we went. (Again, they took the bands I liked and said they would save them this time).

My 3rd visit was the worst. I called a few days ahead to let them know I was coming to purchase, and while on the phone, my consultant told me he'd have everything written up and ready to go when I got there. To repeat- I worked with the SAME consultant that I had been in contact with the first 3 times...and again, when I arrived, it was painfully obvious that he decided not to record my information (again). He did not remember the design my fiancé agreed on, he did not record his size (luckily I texted it to my maid of honor), and could not remember the price he had told me. The best part- is when I asked him to confirm his band size to the number I had against his data base, he said it matched...and then went to a co-worker and asked him how he came up with the size 8 he had written down before he had come over (I had a different consultant when I first walked in). It was very off-putting that he lied to my face about confirming the size I texted my friend also matched in their database. Not only because he never actually saved it (like he said he did) but because he was going to essentially let me order blindly. It could have cost me another 2 hour round trip to bring my fiancé back had I not been responsible for myself and texted my friend the size.

Finally, I was very disappointed that we were made to pay the full price of the rings up front. I don't know about other people, but I typically don't have $2000+ dollars in my bank account at all times. Luckily due to my savings, it wasn't a big deal. But I just don't understand how they can expect people to pay the full amount for such an expensive and important ring.

Like I said, I wish I could rate them higher. My first experience was great, but it was clear that they did not have much interest after that. Even with calling ahead, no information was prepared and I stood at the counter for 30 minutes trying to do his job for him. I truly believe this is not typical for them, but nonetheless, my experience was a 5/10. If my fiancé hadn't fallen in love with a band there that I had not yet found somewhere else...and if they didn't have the Hearts on Fire collection, we would have gone elsewhere after...

My fiancé and I decided to go ring shopping together as I pretty much had my mind made up of what I wanted. We had already visited a few stores and didn’t find exactly what I was looking for. We had a list of additional places we wanted to browse. On our way to one of the locations, we were driving down Gammon Road and I asked if we should stop at The Diamond Center really quick. He told me no, but after I asked if he was sure, he told me it was up to me. At the very last second, I decided to pull into the parking lot. We agreed our stop at this store would be VERY brief; we would just take a very quick look and be out the door in 15 minutes.

When we walked into The Diamond Center, we were immediately greeted. After being offered a beverage, which were quickly provided to us, we began working with Jade. We told Jade what we had in mind for rings (I wanted to ensure the engagement ring, wedding band, and anniversary band would all be different yet still look good together). Jade began showing us a variety of rings and took notes of what we liked most. Having only made it through a quarter of their rings in store, we had already began feeling close with Jade and shared a bunch of life stories and experiences with one another. We felt as though we were talking to a close friend or family member. Jade made us feel as though he truly cared about us and not just about making a sale, although he assured us he’d be able to find us what we were looking for. After spending over an hour with Jade, he took us into a private room and showed us some of the diamonds they had on hand. I was immediately thrilled beyond words with their diamonds. They were very clear, nearly flawless, and sparkled like no other diamond we had seen before. After over an hour with Jade, we thanked him for his time and continued to the other stores.

Throughout the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about The Diamond Center. I absolutely loved the diamonds, but they didn’t quite have the engagement ring I was looking for. After having numerous discussions with Jade via phone and text, Jade worked with Tricia and agreed to bring in a ring on a note from a different designer. Jade advised we would have to put a refundable deposit down to bring the ring in, so we visited the store again and felt at home as soon as we walked in the door and were greeted and offered a beverage.

We talked with Jade and Tricia about the ring, and then Tricia showed us a ring in store that was very similar. After much discussion, I decided not to bring the other ring in on a note. My fiancé continued working with Jade and Tricia, and Tricia ultimately ended up designing a ring that was exactly what I wanted, and actually ended up being cheaper!

Jade and Tricia were extremely patient with us, answered all our questions, and were willing to negotiate with my fiancé. They ensured I only knew about the things my fiancé wanted me to know about and were great at distracting me when they needed to talk about things I wasn’t supposed to hear. We ended up purchasing all three rings from The Diamond Center and couldn’t be happier!

Every time we visited The Diamond Center we felt extremely welcome. Everyone we saw always had a smile on their faces and were always extremely helpful. We absolutely love the rings! My fiancé proposed almost three months ago and I still cannot stop looking at my ring. I get compliments all the time, even from strangers! We highly recommend The Diamond Center, and especially...

I used to live in a house with 7 other guys when I lived on campus, and most of us ended up getting engaged within a year or so of each other.

My roommate was the first to start looking for rings. To make a long story short, he found that The Diamond Center had absolutely phenomenal diamonds, but didn't find a setting he liked. There was a shady salesman at TDS who made all sorts of promises to make the sale, and then tried to screw my roommate out of a warranty and refund once the sale was made. He was so upset and turned off that he bought a different ring from a different jeweler and brought me along to The Diamond Center to back him and try and sort through the mess.

When we got there, we had a conversation that went nowhere with the shady salesman. We also talked with a woman named Lori who was equally as nasty and totally unwilling to make amends for anything.... then, a new manager named Brett came in asked us to tell him what had been happening.

He was extremely kind and helpful. After apologizing for the way my roommate had been treated, he told us that he wanted to make sure we knew that they were dedicated to their customers.

So, Brett offered my roommate a full refund AND also offered to give him a free lifetime warranty on the ring (remember, this was purchased from a different store, so he was offering a warranty on another chain's product)!

I was so impressed with Brett and his commitment to the customer that I shopped at The Diamond Center when the time came for me to look for an engagement ring. My experience was just excellent, and Brett helped me along every step of the way. I was so satisfied that I recommended it to the rest of my housemates, and to date 4 of them have gone to The Diamond Center and purchased engagement rings.

Also, the sleazy salesman who tried to shaft my roommate no longer works there!

Did I mention that Brett is willing to go the extra mile to make sure you are completely satisfied? One of my housemates found a ring and diamond that he was totally sold on, but didn't have enough money to place it on "hold" (normally they want 10% down). He was worried that somebody else would purchase the ring before he could scrap up enough to put the money down. We all reached into our wallets and pulled out all of the cash as we had with us on the day to help him out.... and Brett let him place the ring on hold with only 1% down.

Here's the short version:

----- GREAT DIAMONDS....they buy on the higher end of each grade of clarity and color, and it is hard to find better diamonds for the money in Madison.

----- DECENT SELECTION OF RINGS AND SETTINGS....this is not their strong suit, and they know it. They have a decent selection, and try to do all they can to purchase another chain's setting if you don't like theirs. Their diamond selection makes it worth it.

----- KNOW WHO TO WORK WITH AND WHO TO AVOID... Brett is an honest and solid guy. Go to him every time. If you have a problem, he will do everything that he can to fix it. Avoid the Lori like the plague. You should be just fine.

----- ASK FOR DETAILED EXPLANATIONS... like with every jewelry store, just be smart. Make sure you ask for detailed explanations and get promises in writing. Know what has a warranty, what is discounted, etc etc so that you are not disappointed or under the...