Distinctive Diamonds offers good pricing and service, but in my experience the quality was poor. I want to be very fair in rating my experience and explain exactly how I came to a 2 star rating. I am a 30 year old man who bought an engagement ring for the first time in November of 2012. I had a modest budget and knew nothing about diamonds when I started. I visited every major store (and some minor ones) in the Indianapolis area. Hopefully this review helps other men who are in a similar situation. I purchased a diamond from Distinctive because of price and value. The diamond I purchased was 10 points larger than the diamond that my money would buy at any other store. That is a big difference. The reason that Distinctive was able to do this is because they have a large inventory. In my case, I was able to purchase an AGS graded diamond, which I found acceptable, rather than a GIA graded stone. My personal judgment after doing research on the issue and having an independant appraiser view the stone was that the AGS stone was still an excellent diamond. But to be very clear here, Distinctive was the only store that offered me an AGS stone. In terms of GIA, Distinctive was roughly equal to several other stores. I found the service to be good. Chris Bailey (Kris?) was my salesperson. She was helpful and friendly--she's actually doing radio commercials right now. The real problem for me came when my fiance had to get the ring re-sized. She's a 6.5 and the ring I gave her was a 6. I don't know if it was my mistake or Distinctive's. I thought I told them 6.5 but I'm willing to admit I may have gotten it wrong. So back to the re-sizing. After my fiance got the ring back, she noticed that it appeared misshaped. One portion of the band was clearly thicker than the other portion. We returned to Distinctive and they said that can happen when a ring is resized. They ordered a new setting in the correct size. We returned a third time to had the diamond reset in the new setting. Upon receiving it, we noticed that the new setting was also flawed. At this point Distinctive was stumped but offered to look into the issue. Upshot was we returned to the store a half dozen more times and they were never able to produce a ring that was not flawed. They found out that the supplier they used had a flawed mold--they tried a new supplier. The new supplier didn't work--they tried to make it in house. The in-house jeweler was unable make the setting--they offered to try again. At this point, it was 2 months since the time I had actually proposed. My fiance still didn't have a ring that looked right. I told them we were done trying, that we would just find another jeweler. I want to point out that during this whole fiasco, Chuck was helping us and was very professional and understanding. Like I wrote before, service was good. But at the end of the day I don't think that Distinctive can produce a high quality product. Guys--if you're out ring shopping you may have heard that diamonds are a naturally occurring substance that are graded by independent labs. That is true. A GIA diamond from Shane Co. is no different than a GIA diamond from Distinctive (all grades the same on the cert of course). But if you're concerned about quality of workmanship you may want to shop elsewhere. I shopped for price. I got a great diamond....in a flawed setting. If I had it to do all over again I would buy the 63-65 point diamond at a different store over the 73 point I bought at Distinctive. It would be worth it to me to have a product that I felt good about on my fiance's hand. Instead, my fiance and I are visiting other jewelers to try to find a setting for the diamond. And whenever I look at the ring on her hand, I feel like I may have failed in purchasing a ring. I wanted our engagement to be very special. I wanted to do everything right. I'm not sure I did. Guys, let me tell you its not a good feeling. read more

I cannot be more pleased about my experience with Diamonds Direct and specifically their salesperson Matt S. Last Spring I began my venture to find the perfect engagement ring. I had some ideas, but the shops I went to before Diamonds Direct were not that helpful. When I went into Diamonds Direct, Matt S. immediately began showing different ideas but focused on the diamond options since that's what will be the focus. After going through and picking an oval stone and simple and I loved, I mentioned that my now fiancé was also interested in a custom ring. Matt was more than willing to shift with me and start down that road. He was able to provide a rendering and wax model all within a matter of a couple of weeks which helped convince me that custom was the way to go. The pricing of their diamonds and ring were more than fair for their value and I never felt like I was trying to be sold the next bigger option just to make more money. Matt was a true professional all the way through. In the end of that phase, my fiancé was blown away by the final product when I proposed. The next step was obviously to find a wedding band that complimented the engagement ring. For this, my fiancé took more of the driver's seat since she had a specific vision. Of course we wanted to stick with Diamonds Direct and Matt to help us on this next step. Matt worked with my fiancé over several months of sketches, ideas, and changes until we finally found the right look. At this point we were also away from the Indy area in South Carolina, but Matt didn't lose any patience or reduce his effort. After a much shorter wait than anticipated, Matt came through again when her wedding band was delivered this morning. It is more stunning than the rendering and is a perfect fit. My fiancé could not have been any happier with the end result. The issue now is having her hold off on wearing it until the wedding day! The team at Diamonds Direct have always been courteous, helpful, patient, and always centered around what the customer wants. They do not act like a car salesman trying to get you in something that is ridiculous or completely different than what you want. They really do seem to want to meet your wishes. Matt S. is an amazing salesperson and I would recommend him to anyone in the area interested in getting their jewelry. Thanks again and I am sure we will be coming back. read more

My husband and I shopped at several of local diamond retailers that had sent me fliers or we had heard television commercials about their products. Our experience at each was that the staff was not interested in us as individuals, they would talk to us for a while and then pass us off to other sales associates when they became bored. We also felt pressured to purchase products that were similar to what we were searching for, but not exactly what I was looking for. There was also additional pressure to purchase outside of our budget. It was a bit disheartening to say the least. Our last stop was at Distinctive Diamonds where were happily greeted by Matt Philley. Matt immediately made us feel comfortable and welcome as soon as we walked in. We explained what we were looking for and our journey had finally began in finding my ring. Matt brought out a ring tray that was used to hold all of the rings I was interested in. Once we had three or four rings on the tray, I'd eliminate those that didn't compare to the quality I was looking for. My ring, created by Gabriel of New York, followed my husband and I through the entire process as walked around the entire showcase. Matt even took the time to go in the back of the store to bring out sets that fit my criteria, searching earnestly to find the right ring for us. After selecting this set, Matt took the time to explain the different types of diamonds and how to compare them. We ultimately chose a 1 carat emerald cut diamond for my ring. Matt explained the financing options never once tried to sell us something out of our budget. Matt stayed in contact with my husband while it was being sized and worked with him to secretly add the two matching bands to give me the width I was searching for. Our experience at Distinctive Diamond was above all of our expectations and we couldn't be happier with the ring and the service that Matt provided us. I have, and will continue, to recommend Distinctive Diamonds as I excited show off my new ring. We are now life time customers as well! Thank you for hiring people who care about your customers and for providing us an exceptional experience during our journey in finding my perfect ring. read more

Wow! First of all, I am not being paid for writing this review and I am not receiving any kind of perks for writing it! My fiance and I went to DD first after being told by many friends to go there for our rings. We had already read some reviews about DD and were already impressed. So we went there first and met Jessica as soon as we walked in the door. I had read all about Jessica on the reviews so I was super excited to meet her. She immediately picked up on my taste and style. She never pulled anything out of the case that didn't match my style. She was kind and very patient with us both as we took up about 3 hours of her time! She is very knowledgable and really explained everything to us in great detail. We went to another major jewelry store just to compare and we were not as pleased as we were at DD. The other jewelry store started us off with one sales person and she kept pulling out pieces that didn't match what I was looking for. I'm sure she could sense my frustration because after about 10 minutes a different sales person started helping us and stayed with us until the end of our shopping experience. We just didn't feel like this place was as caring as DD was. The prices also got us. We found out that we could literally get a bigger center diamond with higher quality for waaaaaay less than this place! It seriously felt like we were being ripped off! So we immediately went back to DD and the rest is history! I now have my amazing engagement ring and couldn't be happier. Do yourself a favor and skip all the other jewelry stores! You would be making a huge financial mistake by going elsewhere! Thank you again DD and Jessica for everything! Couldn't be happier! You guys are the best! Katlin and Justin read more

Kristin from Distinctive Diamonds helped me with the purchase of a Christmas gift for my wife. What Kristin did from the moment she greeted me in the store, was to treat me as a guest not a customer. She talked with me about what I wanted to get for my wife. She asked me questions that were phrased in a way to understand what I wanted and not in a way to find out what she could talk me into. After she had an idea of what I was looking for, she took me over to the area where those items were kept; I was looking for diamond earrings. During our conversation, I was able to tell her that I did not completely understand jewelry and diamonds in particular. She understood and was patient with me to make sure I knew what I was looking at, giving me comparable details about each item. She showed me quite a few sets and many of those I asked to look at multiple times. Once I made my selection, she stayed in conversation with me during the entire completion of the transaction. She even offered to gift wrap the earrings for me, which is probably standard practice for their store. How my experience went? First, when going in the store I would have to say I was little uncomfortable going into a jewelry store. I did not know a lot about diamonds. The way that Kristin interacted with me, put those feelings aside quickly. I became very comfortable with the environment and how things were going. Kristin was patient with me and answered every one of my questions in a way I could understand quickly. I walked into the store as a customer; I left the store having made a new friend. I will make all my future jewelry purchases at Distinctive Diamonds! read more

We designed my engagement ring with Ashleigh O'Bryant starting in January of this year! She educated us on every aspect of the diamond selection as well as the design process. She was thorough without being overwhelming. She was also able to guide us as we had never done anything like this! We came in with some ideas but had no idea how to put them together and brought them together beautifully! She also even helped us to go in a different direction than we originally thought based on our lifestyle and what the ring would endure! She helped us with choosing a stone that would be able to weather my job but also fit into our budget while also bringing my dream to real life. When I had started feeling like I wouldn't be able to have what I wanted, she swooped in and let my fiancee behind the counter to go through stone inventory from other locations in the country to bring in the perfect stone! She was in constant contact and always seemed as excited about the next step as we were! She drew up multiple images of different styles of rings and really helped to bring our vision, budget and daily demands that the ring would go through together into one stunning piece of jewelry! The ring came in ahead of schedule and brought me and my mom to tears... my friends and family were highly impressed and every time I look down at it I'm thrilled! We have had the best experience with Ashleigh and we cannot recommend her enough! She truly helps to provide that perfect bridge between partners as well as the bridge between beginnings and forevers! read more

I was pleasantly surprised with Distinctive Diamonds. After sales people from other jewelry stores applied pressure like, "the diamond will not be here tomorrow," I thought I would give this a try. I worked very well with Lindsey. She took her time telling me about each designer and what things I should be looking for. I had already done extensive research, and she confirmed things that I already knew. At that point, I had confidence that she would be the one to guide me to the right ring. We found it after a careful review of the incredible selection. I only looked at four diamonds at the jewelry store before Distinctive Diamonds, and I was thrilled to look at nearly 25 diamonds within a couple of visits! I learned the value of a GIA rating versus an EGL, etc., etc. In short, it was a fun, educational process, and they did not let me down. Anat, the Vice President, was also very approachable. The service was second to none, and for engagement rings, this is the place. For watches and other jewelry, a place like Reis Nichols might be the better option, but I think they did a fantastic job, and I am thrilled. A final note...Distinctive Diamonds was able to work with me on where I needed to be on the budget. They found a way to work things out, something that was not necessarily true from other stores. I received a bigger, better diamond for significantly less dollars. My fiance loves the ring!!! Thank you, Lindsey, Anat, and Distinctive Diamonds!! read more

It is a lovely well-lit store, with an impressive vault (not really, but it looks cool). They do throw the term "wholesale" around. Are they REALLY wholesale? No. A quick reminder: "Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services. In general, it is the sale of goods to anyone other than a standard consumer." They will show you a Rap price list (usually expired), and act like they are doing you a favor of taking a certain percent off. No one, even diamond cutters sell them for that price. When they show you the Rap price list... automatically remove 30%-40% or so from that listed price to get close to wholesale. They typically mark their loose GIA diamonds 50% above that they pay for them. I prefer the IDEX price guide. They will pitch the "act now or it will be sold" line. So what? There are plenty of diamonds on the market. It almost feels like a car dealership. They sit you in a room, and "go talk to their manager" about the price. Also, the 10% value increase is a joke. It is already padded within their markup. I would rather keep the difference than get store credit in a year. read more

Best jewelry store experience I have ever had!!!! Staff, Inventory, Customer Service, and Prices are exceptional! I came into Distinctive Diamonds (DD) after searching for the perfect engagement ring for months! I looked at rings in more than 3 states and also had the full Chicago experience looking for the perfect diamond and ring on Jeweler's Row (FYI don't even go there, stick to your gut feeling and buy from a reputable company that can take care of you and your investment like DD). The experienced staff at DD welcomed me right away and had hundreds of rings to look at. Multiple staff personnel helped me during my visit and each one treated me like family, as a true client and not just a customer. Overall, I walked away after months of searching with a beautiful had selected diamond and custom made ring from DD and I honestly couldn't be more pleased. For all the gentlemen, or couples out there going through the search for the perfect ring...Distinctive Diamonds is where you want to go. You will be glad you did. I will be back to DD with my now FIANCEE to pick out our wedding bands, and am already looking forward to it! Thank you DD, it was a success! read more

I went to DD to have my ring restyled. After being warmly greeted and offered a beverage and chocolate, I was introduced to Sharon, one of DD's custom jewelers. I had a very clear idea in my head of how I wanted my ring to look but, had a difficult time verbalizing it. Sharon listened and asked a few questions. She then began to sketch on paper, a PERFECT 3D image of the ring that was in my head. When she was finished with the drawing, she priced the setting three times, using 3 different sized stones, in order to give me different price points. 20 minutes after I walked into the store, I had a 3D image and an exact price. I had previously gone to other Jewelers in town who were unable to do that. We looked at a calendar and Sharon circled a date. It was about 6 weeks away. She was to call me on that day, to bring her my ring so that she could pull the diamond. On the day promised, she called, I brought my ring. 2 days later, I picked up a ring that took my breath away! DD is the type of place that one can walk into as a stranger, and leave feeling like part of the family. I recommend Distinctive Diamonds whole heartedly. read more

DD is the best! Jessica helped me pick out the best engagement ring I could have. I walked in and there was no pressure. As I started to look I was approached to see if I had any questions. She was there to show me the different ring styles, informed me of all characteristics and educated me on what was what. After viewing multiple rings, I had an idea of what I wanted. I combined parts of three different rings and asked if they could make that happen. Of course the answer was yes. After getting the style picked out she then took me to look at multiple diamonds. They allow you to compare and contrast multiple different diamonds to see what best suits your budget and excitement. I originally chose a bigger diamond with less quality but after getting the diamond, I wasn't satisfied. I wanted a better bigger diamond. My fiancé and I decided to go back and purchase a better diamond. We are completely satisfied and couldn't be happier with the purchase. We have since purchased my wedding band from DD and Jess. I will always recommend Jess to family and friends moving forward. read more

We had shopped several other stores before we went to Distinctive, and this store was our last stop! Before we had 3 steps in the door we offered drinks and chocolates. David Cohen showed us several rings that we loved, but my wife to be really loved a ring she previously had seen. They offered similar rings in that style, but David suggested that they could make a ring that was very similar to the one we had previously seen. David called me and wanted to show me several diamonds in the price range that I had mentioned and set them aside in the safe until I arrived to look at them. The quality and price were unmatched!! I purchased a diamond that day and had them design the ring. The ring Distinctive made actually looks much nicer than the one we had previously seen, much more solid, better detail, higher quality diamonds, and the overall quality is unreal! I can not wait to have them make my ring! Go in and talk to David Cohen, you will save plenty of time and money, and in return for much better quality. Shop around if you like....you will return ...I promise you that. read more

My fiancé asked friends where to start who had told him not to bother shopping elsewhere; just go to Distinctive Diamonds. He didn't quite listen and after a few price comparisons, felt confident his friends were right. He said he'd visited a few times to determine exactly what he wanted and was helped each time by Matt Philley who helped him figure out what the right diamond for his taste and budget were without being pushy or pretentious. And I can say he got me an amazing 1.5 carat princess cut solitare engagement ring. I don't know the price, of course, but he's assured me he got an amazing value. I've since gone a couple times to select the setting I want, as they set it in a basic band for him as my fiancé wanted me to pick my own. Matt Philley was every bit as low stress and extremely helpful as my fiancé said, as was Jessica Stapleton who helped me on a visit when Matt wasn't working. From my experience, everyone my fiancé and I've encountered Has been amazing, prices are such values, and the selection is fantastic and plentiful. A++ read more

My boyfriend and I were looking for the right engagement ring. We've went into five different jewelry stores and we ended up finding the one in Jared's. My boyfriend wanted to go to one last store, which was Distinctive, before we went ahead with buying the ring. Neither of us have ever been into Distinctive Diamonds before so we were very surprised to see how beautiful it was inside and how helpful the sale associates were, especially Brandon Long. He told my boyfriend and I how he can have a ring like the one I wanted made for us. Of course it would have to look a little different, but he was very helpful and honest with us, which I liked. So we went ahead and had my engagement ring made through Brandon. I love how you can have engagement rings made for you, no one will every have the same ring I have. The ring ended up turning out a lot prettier than the one at Jared's and my fiancé and I are very happy with the choice we made. Thanks to Distinctive Diamonds and Brandon Long! read more

This has simply been one of the greatest experiences I've had - of any purchase that I've ever made - period. Mellissa Howrey was not only extremely knowledgeable about the product she was selling, she approached the whole situation from the start from the perspective of the buyer - me. She inquired about what was most important to me and my wife, and found us the best diamond for the money. Many times, we as buyers look for the best deal, or the most inexpensive product. What's great about Distinctive Diamonds (DD), is that you get the best service and overall value for your money - none of the competition even came close. I never once wanted to compromise on quality, and at DD you never will. Melissa was simply great. Even though we recently moved North, we'd still make the 3 hour trip South to buy from her again. Thanks Melissa for all you're help - we simply couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. -Chris read more

My husband and I have been working with Kris for a few years now and she has always been wonderful! We purchased my engagement ring, wedding band, and most recently, an anniversary band from her. We had an issue with the anniversary band and had to have it (along with my wedding set) sent back into the designer. Once my wedding set and new band had been sent off, communication was lacking and I was a bit concerned. I called a couple times to check up on everything and never heard back on the status of my rings so the third time I called I voiced that I was concerned. I was contacted right away by Robert, who I believe is a manager at Diamonds Direct. He has been fantastic to work with; he kept me up to date on everything and always replied to me in a timely manner. This is a company who I believe really wants to do right and make sure every clients needs are met. Thanks again to Kris and Robert for being so awesome! read more

Diamonds Direct was not my first stop,but it was my final stop in searching for the right engagement ring. Laura Ekram provided excellent customer service on the initial visit by my fiancée and daughter while they were narrowing down the selection. Even during a busy sale event, Laura gave her undivided attention as well as bringing in a representative of Simon G. to consult on a variety of rings and customization options. When I returned the next day to make the selection, Laura had taken notes to guide me to the final choice. The store Manager Robert also took the time to review the rings and provide some guidance during the diamond selection process. Overall, the experience with Diamonds Direct from consultation to selection to purchase was overwhelmingly positive. My fiancée couldn't be more thrilled with the final product. Thank you Diamonds Direct! read more

Recently purchased an engagement ring here. Ashleigh O'Bryant was our salesperson. Our experience was exceptionally positive. Ashleigh met with us many times and let us take our time to find exactly what we were looking for. We never felt any sales pressure. Ashleigh listened to us and was responsive to our needs/concerns. At one point, I think we had developed a fairly clear idea of what we wanted and I simply said, "Can we get a diamond with such and such specs at this exact price." Ashleigh went back to the manager. They spent 30 minutes searching online, while we enjoyed the complimentary refreshments, and they found exactly what I asked for at the price I set. They had the diamond shipped up from Texas, let us look at it to make sure it was what we wanted, and now it is on her finger. We couldn't be happier. read more

Tracie was great to work with! I came into the store with an idea of what I wanted and she was able to show me several options from just a setup of the ring as well as the budget I was working with. At no point did I feel any pressure to buy the ring that day from Tracie. I took a couple of weeks to make a decision and Tracie was able to help put together exactly what i wanted my fiancee to have. This was my best customer service experience that I have had when purchasing something. I truly believe that I was looked at as a friend instead of a dollar sign. She took the time to get to know me as well as ask about my fiancee. I would recommend anyone who is shopping for an engagement ring to stop in Distinctive! You will not be disappointed. I received the best ring for the absolute best price! read more