Diamond District NYC – Which Stores to Avoid

We have published a lot about the best stores in Diamond District NYC, but have refrained from naming names on those to avoid. There are many reasons for this: first the information that we use to make the negative recommendation might be outdated; next the diamond dealers on our hit list may have just been having a bad day and it got back to us, and lastly there is a reasonable chance we’d actually get sued. We would not lose of course, because of freedom of speech and freedom of the press – both of which fall under the First Amendment. Most importantly the resulting negative media for the diamond dealer would be huge (that’s front page news for Jewelers.NYC!). Still, we are here to help, not hurt the New York Diamond trade and we are here to help the buyers of diamonds who go to the New York Diamond District. It’s important to note that of the two groups, the buyers are our top priority. So what is a website dedicated to putting buyers and sellers of diamonds together to do, when we know, with a reasonable level of confidence, who the bad operators are on 47th Street?

Know The Wholesale Diamond Price Before You Go. Visit:

JAMES ALLEN – Jewelers.NYC’s Online Discount Diamond Store of the Year – 2017 (~40% off)
Most Popular: Round>GIA>Ideal Cut>VS2 Clarity> G ColorOne Click

1/2 Carat | 3/4 Carat 1 Carat | 1-1/2 Carat | 2 Carat | 2-1/2 Carat | 3 Carat

Signal and signal hard.

Here’s how to avoid the diamond trap in Diamond District NYC.

First, understand that most diamond dealers in Jewelers Row are just hard working folks that are trying to make a living. Most don’t own yachts, have mansions or summer in the Hamptons. Some may be millionaires, but earned it one small diamond deal at a time, not by taking big licks out of every customer that walks in, then disappearing into the night. Here are the warning signals that you should pay attention to:

  1. The diamond dealer says, “Diamond certificates are unimportant.” To say a diamond certificate is unimportant is a bit like saying a wine ranking by Wine Spectator is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is a certificate from GIA (our #1 recommended diamond certifier) lends a lot of credibility to the story that you are hearing.
  2. They say a diamond certificate grades the diamond lower than the actual quality. A novice won’t be able to tell the difference between the fine lines of quality of the 4Cs. Trust the certificate.
  3. The NYC diamond dealer does not have a money back return policy. Restocking fees are okay, but if you take it home and she says no thanks, you want to return it and get your money back. If they say, “we’ll work something out,” walk out – immediately.
  4. YELP has a lot of negative ratings on the store. Self explanatory
  5. The Better Business Bureau does not rate the diamond district jeweler. This is a funny one, because most stores in the NYC Diamond District are not rated by the BBB; but 36 carry an A+ rating (click here for the complete list of BBB A+ rated stores – as of September 30, 2016).
  6. They beckon you over as you walk past their counter. Once a store gets a following, they have a large number of referrals and don’t have the desire to beckon. Beckoning is hard work and high in the rejection factor so it’s actually quite painful to the diamond district jeweler, so if they are doing it there is a reason.
  7. After 20-30 minutes of careful observation (i.e. circling), there is still no one at their counter, yet the other counters are busy.
  8. Their store goes by several different names – i.e. no “branding”
  9. You ask them one question and they answer another. This is deception, and is used by people who don’t want to technically lie, but have something to hide.
  10. You ask for referrals and they won’t give them to you. And the most important one of all:
  11. You are confused about what you are buying and don’t know why.

There are others of course, but these are the obvious ones that tell you to avoid that store. If you’re still unsure, read our Top 10 Jewelers of Diamond District NYC article. This will give you a head start, and at the same time it will allow you to focus on other issues like locating the right diamond, not the right store.

Have fun!