I set out on a bright weekday afternoon recently to sell my 14K diamond wedding band due to a divorce. I was told by jewelers that the best place to do this would be Jeweler's Row. While I now live out of state, I had been a suburban Philly resident for over 15 years, but had never gone to Jeweler's Row before - what an experience. Shops everywhere, locked gates, buzzer systems, some shops busy, some not. My ring retailed for $2,100, which I knew I was not going to get, and was fine with under a thousand. However, the highest offer was $500.00 (but I had to commit to it right then), and the lowest was $30 for the diamonds and $30 for the gold (really???) I was just about to give up when I turned the corner and found Unclaimed Diamonds. Out of all of the shops in Jeweler's Row they were actually crowded and doing business while the others were empty. One of the ladies asked if she could help, and I told her I wanted to sell the ring for $800.00. She took it to a young man (and I never caught his name, but he looked a bit like Nick Cannon), came back, and asked if I could wait. The gentleman came over and fully inspected the ring while I gave him my "sob" story as to why I had to get rid of the ring. He asked what the highest offer was that I had and said he couldn't meet it. We continued to talk for awhile - very nice guy - and a salesman, but hey...that's what he's there to do. I finally asked him if we could do a trade, that it wasn't about the money, it was about getting rid of the ring. He was open to the idea and we began to look around in the cases. Long story short, I found a ring I liked, and we were able to make a no cash trade deal.
Now...he got the better of the deal and we both knew it, and we even discussed that my ring was 1 ct. total weight in diamonds and 14 K gold. The ring I ended up with was 10K gold and only .52 ct. total weight in diamonds, but that's okay! He was retailing his ring at $1,000, which in the end, I made out because while I didn't have as pricey a ring as I had traded, I had a very beautiful ring (and I'm getting a lot of compliments), no cash involved, and I made out better than selling it for $500.00.
No one was high pressure, no one was rude, and the atmosphere (while busy and cramped from people) was nice in that everyone was smiling and having a good time buying jewelry. I didn't find that at the other stores on Jeweler's Row. I would most definitely return to this shop when I come back to Philly. They treated me very nice, and didn't try to hide or lie about something (I picked up one ring and he immediately said that it was a zircon).
Don't hesitate to use this establishment. However, and this holds true with EVERY jeweler you visit - know the lingo before you go. Look up and familiarize yourself with the different grades of diamonds. Know the difference between gold values. And, don't hesitate to ask to see the diamonds with a jeweler's loop. While you may not be an expert to assess diamond quality, it's not hard to spot shattered gems or occlusions with the untrained eye.
Thank you Unclaimed Diamonds for your help - I now have a ring I can proudly wear that has nothing to do with my former marriage! read more