Diamond District NYC Best Stores
Until now finding the best stores in the diamond district was an insider’s secret. After all there are 2500 jewelers on 47th Street and each will tell you that they have exactly what you’re looking for – but the fact is there are different stores for different requirements. Utilizing our five-step process will make finding the best diamond district store a breeze.
Before You Go
Step 1 – Know what you want
This step should be obvious, but so many people travel to the diamond district with no idea what they are looking for. If you don’t know, the jeweler will certainly tell you, but this is the sign of a rank amateur and could be dealt with in an unscrupulous manner. Even the best, well-intentioned, jeweler will feel the need to give you his view – it’s human nature. While you may want their view on whether a 2 carat round diamond looks good on a pave setting, you probably don’t want them giving you advice on how many months salary you should spend on a diamond or if your fiancé would like an emerald or a round shape.
Step 2- Know the FIVE C’s of diamonds
Yes we said five, not four (i.e. carat, cut, color, clarity) the fifth is certification. If you don’t know the difference between an EGL and a GIA certification, you could pay far more for your diamond that you should. For those in this category, read our article entitled The FIVE C’s of Diamonds. Then follow that up with Diamond Certificates. Once you’ve finished you’ll be ready to have a discussion with the jewelers in some of the diamond districts best stores.
Step 3 – Know what you should spend
Up until this point you were learning the fundamentals (which should not take more than 20 minutes if you read the recommended articles). In Step 3, things get serious. There could be a wide variance in price for the exact diamond specifications that you require depending on the jeweler you speak to. In our expose’ on Zales for example we found them 40% higher in price than online diamond titans James Allen and Zoara. So why not use either (or both?!?) to find out what your diamond should cost? Check your diamond price at the James Allen Diamond Pricer or Zoara Diamond Pricer before you go. Both allow you to enter color, cut, clarity and carat to come up with a price that is generally competitive (otherwise folks would not buy diamonds online). After you know what you should pay, then the next step is finding the best NYC Diamond District store.
Step 4 – Use New York Jewelers Directory’s jeweler search function
This part’s actually quite easy. Go to the spyglass on the upper left hand side of our home page and select the “Listing Category” that you are looking for, engagement ring, pendant, bracelet, etc. Then under “Listing Location” select “Manhattan-Diamond District.” If there are too many returns for what you are looking for, try narrowing the selection by choosing “Display Only Featured Listing.” Then we recommend that you go into each jeweler’s listing page and read what they say about themselves. If they have positive accolades like a strong Better Business Bureau rating as an example, they will likely disclose it here. Also read what their customers are saying. Obviously negative rating should be taken very seriously.
It’s Go Time
Step 5 – Go to the Diamond District store and talk to the jewelers
Telephone them first and get the name of a contact and discuss your basic requirements with them over the phone. If they seem to have what you need, then add them to your list to visit. Then, head to 47th Street and visit the best three to five diamond district stores – one will very likely jump out as the clear winner in the end.
So there you have it, you’ve cracked the code to finding the best stores in the NYC Diamond District. We wish you happy hunting in your search for a great diamond at a great value.