I truly believe that honesty and integrity are the most important values in life, you either have…read morethem or you don't. Today's modern age of social media and those that encompass it make it harder and harder to gauge folks, and you never really know who and what people are until meeting them in person. Sure, they may have that impressive resume and cover model photo on their profile, but how many stories have you heard from friends or family that have been on those infamous online "dates" thinking that they were going to meet Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston only to find out that they were really having dinner and drinks with Gilbert Gottfried or Rosie O'Donnell. I mention the above only to set the tone for what I experienced a few weeks ago, as I was taken to school so to speak while being introduced to an industry I knew little about. Unfortunately for me, my job was outsourced overseas (for the third time) back in July, and I've had an extremely difficult time trying to fInd something equal to my old position since then. Because of this circumstance, I've been struggling financially and had to make the difficult decision to sell a family heirloom to make ends meet. I'm only being brutally honest because I have the feeling that I'm not the only one who has had to deal with this predicament, which is why I wanted to go into such detail with this review, so that others could benefit from my experiences. The heirloom in question was my mother's diamond wedding ring, and because I wanted to get as much money as I could for it, I wound up doing some extensive research to ensure I knew what I was getting into. Believe me, no research will help as you have to get your hands dirty. The internet is full of websites promising you top dollar for your diamonds (80-90% of value), and they'll even pay for the shipping and insurance on it, but I just don't trust sending my valuables to strangers, especially these days, and worried that not only would they low ball me but possibly send me back a fake if I didn't agree to their terms. With these thoughts in mind, I decided to go local here in the Tampa Bay Area, and after a deep dive on Google, mapped out what would be an epic 2 day journey. My YELP friends, nothing could have prepared me for what I encountered on my escapades through Tampa's diamond brokers. A couple of the businesses seemed to be legitimate, but they were definitely in the minority, as most of the establishments in this area are just plain sketchy. Every experience began to mirror each other as they would begin with the traditional cordial greeting, thinking initially that I was there to make a purchase, but the second I explained that I was there to sell them something the mood instantly shifted to that of a Used Car department. It was as if each business had the exact same script to read from when it came to why they were offering so little for my mother's diamond. To be honest, they were insulting and just didn't give a damn, the complete pawn shop experience. Only one business in this entire area was pleasurable, and you would be insane to go anywhere else. The Terry brothers at Meridian Diamonds are the very definition of integrity and honesty. Scott and Jonathan made me feel extremely comfortable because they did an incredible job of explaining every minute detail of my diamond, as well as the value of each specific characteristic and the existing market trends. They never made me feel inferior, even though they could talk circles around me with their breadth of knowledge and experience. They took their time with me, and gave me a crash course in the diamond business, and in the end, they also gave me the most money than any other place in the area. To say I really enjoyed speaking with them is an understatement, and I guarantee you will have the same experience. If you're looking to buy or sell diamonds in Tampa Bay, take my word that you don't need to go anywhere else. Just an amazing experience overall, beyond five stars.

I took 2 family estate pieces to Meridian and received a quote vs what 2 'competitors' quoted…read more Scott and his brother were both extremely knowledgeable about my rings as well as what the market would offer me and why. Needless to say, Meridian gave me a very fair price for my rings, and I would recommend them to anyone looking to sell and/or purchase. Looking forward to returning to purchase one of their stunning pieces! Well done! B Heros

My wedding ring needed sizing and repair so I went where we had the ring custom made at the Gold &…read moreDiamond Source on Ulmerton in Clearwater. The salespeople were amazingly kind and knowledgeable including Oksana and Vukasin. But the real star of the show was a great jewelry maker behind the scenes by the name of Kyle. He designed a custom repair that had to be tweaked a couple times. Kyle worked with us until he got it perfect. He is a gifted jeweler. Thank you, Doris Rybicki

My wife and I were in recently to have her ring and tennis bracelet cleaned, and inspected…read more Kathleen Law as usual, was so accommodating. Kathleen has been our jeweler from day one at Gold and Diamond Source. Katheleen always greets with a smile and her customer service and knowledge in jewelry is unmatched! Thank you so much Kathleen, for the quality service you always provide us.

They seem to have new owners there. Have dealt with them for over a decade. One of the owners…read moreretired. The buying prices have gone way down and selling prices have increased substantially. Has a whole new vibe inside. I definitely won't be returning here. It's a shame, I really enjoyed shopping and selling to them.

Mr. Tung was excellent. Prompt service, friendly, and professional. Gave me a fair price on gold…read morejewelry. Good repair job too. I highly recommend.

We had a great experience at Kiefer, upgrading a wedding set with a new larger stone. Daniel…read morehelped us not only pick the right stone, but also the best setting. The work was done in a few days and the result was incredible--exactly what my wife wanted. Everyone at Kiefer is very friendly and helpful, and there is just a welcoming vibe in the store. It is not a stuffy old-school jewelry store, and there is no pressure to buy. Kiefer is also an authorized dealer for Rolex watches, and Daniel is very knowledgeable in this area too if looking for your first Rolex. Highly recommended -- we will be back!

My wife and I visited Kiefer Jewelers today. Oddly enough... We heard about the store while…read morerecently out of town in Cincinnati. We were told about a really nice jewelry shop in Lutz, Florida -- we're from New Port Richey so it's a bit surprising we hadn't already heard of the place. When we entered the store, we were greeted by Brianna. She gave us a tour of the shop and showed my wife many different pieces of jewelry ranging from earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. The store has a great selection. I was able to convince my wife to at least get the earrings today. Maybe the necklace and/or the ring will be an upcoming Christmas present. I looked at some watches and maybe I'll get a watch in the future too. A very nice store, a very nice selection of jewelry and even some watches, and Brianna was a treat. She was very friendly and definitely made my wife feel comfortable (sometimes my wife gets shy in these settings). I strongly recommend Kiefer Jewelers.

Lovely jewelry shop in the south Tampa area. They also buy gold. I brought in a bunch of old gold…read morejewlery that I hadn't used in years to sell them. And I also brought in a special stone (watermelon tourmaline) to finally be set as a ring. I had bought this stone in Afghanistan way back in 2011 so it's way overdue having it set. They helped me choose a proper width band (white gold) and discussed the setting options. I received the finished product about 2 weeks later and it's beautiful! I'm so happy that I can finally wear this beautiful gem around every day. Also, the store itself is clean and easy to browse around. They even have a bit of costume jewlery available for sell. Someone is always ready to help you out!

Walked in for a watch battery and band adjustment. My experience was speedy and friendly, and I…read morelook forward to returning.

Very professional. Reasonable and very helpful. I Would recommend to sleep m6 friends and family.read more

There is definitely a flaw somewhere in the system with this establishment. I found a huge…read morediscrepancy in what was discussed with me when I drove across town to meet with one of the representatives versus the offer that I kept receiving in numerous text messages and email messages as well. I mean more than half of what was being offered in the text was reduced when I arrived there it made absolutely no sense. My piece of jewelry was said to be pristine by the representative, and she admired it yet the offer that was given to me was nothing short of ridiculous and so insignificant that it was truly a waste of my time to even have bothered to come there and had I known that I would not have made the trip. I truly hope that no one else has to experience this sort of meeting for a possible transaction with them. It was extremely insulting/condescending to reduce something so drastically when they know like I do the true value of the item that I presented.

This is a nice jewelry store that specializes in diamond wedding rings. They also have diamond…read moreearrings. Greg helped us and was quite nice. They have an in- house jeweler for alterations and such. They also buy rings. Nice selection of bling. They are the official jewelers of the Bucs. Does that mean they will design next year's Super Bowl rings for Jameis and Co.?

My experience with International Diamond Center has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing…read more I purchased a Verragio wedding band and what should have been an exciting process has turned into over four months of constant issues, delays, and poor communication. The most recent problem perfectly summarizes the experience. I was never contacted when my ring arrived. I had to call the store myself to find out it was there. When I called, I was then told there is now another issue with the ring and I cannot pick it up until possibly next week. Had someone simply called me when the ring arrived, as any competent business would, the issue could have been addressed sooner and I likely could have picked up my ring today. Instead, this is just another delay added to an already exhausting four-month process. The biggest issue throughout this entire experience has been communication. I repeatedly have to follow up myself for updates. Calls are not made when promised, and information is not proactively shared with customers. For a purchase of this price point, I expected professionalism, transparency, and basic customer service. Instead, the process has been stressful and poorly managed from start to finish. At this point, the experience has been so frustrating that I've honestly decided I don't even want the ring anymore. After months of problems and stress surrounding something that was supposed to be meaningful, it honestly just feels like bad luck attached to it now. A luxury jewelry purchase should feel exciting and special. Instead, this has been one of the most frustrating retail experiences I've ever had. I would strongly caution anyone considering a ring from International Diamond Center to think twice.

Met Jefferson and Alaska was greeted at the door and was super friendly and professional, I had…read morebrought in my Gold eagle coins and sold them and had a very pleasant sale experience, I didn't feel pleasured or over whelmed at all and received what I was wanting out of the sale... awesome little store and had a great vibe to the place, they also sell a lot of other cool stuff, cool swag and memorabilia etc... great place to shop for xmas presents... Check these guys out first before you go anywhere else... you'll thank me later and I definitely will be back to these great guys in the future...

I was always leary of all pawn shops, however I needed some extra cash and was referred to Jeff at…read moreQuick Cash Liquidator. I shocked! Jeff was so accommodating, offered me snacks when I got there, very friendly and inviting! His whole staff has that same customer mindset. It was a very pleasant experience and I actually got a free chocolate bar when I left! I cannot recommend Jeff and his staff more! You have to go see him and just look at the variety of things he has in his shop, beautiful jewelry, and diamonds at such reasonable prices! I will never go to a jewelry store again! Thank you, Jeff and your staff for helping me in a bind and a very awesome experience.

Mavilo was a professional experience all the way through and I'm so glad a friend recommended them…read moreto me. My fiancée and I went together the first time so that she could get her ring size, and try on different diamond shapes to make sure she knew what she wanted. We were lucky enough to helped by Justine who was friendly and fun to work with but also professional and had the answers to all of our questions. After the first time, I coordinated with Justine to keep looking at diamonds and making the final decisions on the ring, and she helped me finalize the ring while I kept it a secret from my girlfriend so that I could surprise her. Justine was able to get a perfect champagne colored diamond from their supplier which she said were pretty hard to come by, and created a beautiful setting for the ring. They even created a wax mold of the setting before going ahead and building the real thing, so that I could see that and make sure all the specifications were what we wanted. Justine was available by text which made communicating discreetly much easier as well which I appreciated. Overall, this was such an amazing experience for a guy who was nervous about the whole process of buying a ring and keeping it a secret the whole time! Thank you to Justine and Mavilo for all the help and I will definitely be recommending Mavilo to all my friends who are in the market for a ring.

Amazing prices, Quality no one needs them. I promise you and you will be so happy. Go see Kim can…read moreonly go there by word-of-mouth.

Jess was very nice both in the phone and when I brought in my items. She paid me a fair amount and…read morewill go back there again.

Stopped in to sell silver JFK half dollars... Was ripped…read moreoff as the woman only $5/ coin.. now learning they were worth $8-10/coin based on value today. Do your homework before you stop in any coin dealer or pawn shop they are there to make money only