Gem by Carati - The Brutally Honest Review
I love to support Beyond sponsors because it's almost always a win-win situation. The sponsor gets the business, and in turn they give us a bit of a discount/deal/bargain/whatever. I've been doing this for 8 years and it's been working out pretty well so far.
I approached Justin from Gem by Carati early July seeking some guidance regarding an engagement ring. I was actually looking for someone who was willing to set a diamond in a Tacori engagement ring I was looking at and Justin said he'd do the job for a nominal fee ($150).
Since I had not yet purchased the setting or the diamond I went in to meet with Justin to have a look at my options for diamonds. He showed me a variety, and before I came he e-mailed me consistently with new diamonds that had come in, their specs/prices, etc. His communication was always top-notch.
Like all guys looking to get engaged I was nervous and unsure of what I was doing, though I had taken a lot of time to become e-educated on diamonds. I had read lots of literature online about what makes a good diamond so I had an idea of what specs I should be looking for at a given price range. When I went in to his store Justin walked me through various diamond grades, their differences, etc. I wound up compromising on a couple of areas that I didn't think I was going to because I wasn't able to find a discernible difference to the naked eye or via 10x magnification. I was thankful he showed me that as he saved me several thousand dollars.
It came down to three gemstones to choose from. I wasn't sure what to be going for, and he whipped out a sample setting and threw them in one by one, taking plenty of time to allow me to look at the gems from every conceivable angle. We probably spent about an hour going back and forth before I decided on a stone. I put a deposit down and began to look for a setting.
Justin advised me that he could bring some settings in, so I told him what I was looking for and he began e-mailing me almost immediately with various setting ideas. While he didn't e-mail me the setting I wound up choosing he did introduce me to the designer that I wound up choosing. It wasn't Tacori, and it was by far the best choice I've made all year.
I was having a hard time finding a setting (this went on for a couple of weeks), and he continuously e-mailed me ideas. Then he designed two custom rings, complete with CAD models, for me to look at. Both custom rings were great looking but didn't quite have what I needed. I had very specific traits in mind and refused to compromise.
Eventually I found a setting I really loved. He brought it in for me to look at in person, and unfortunately in person it was atrocious. Back to the drawing board.I sent him a ring I eventually found at 1 am the next day and he brought it in. As soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect, and the decision was made.
I paid for the remainder of the diamond and the setting and he let me know it'd be ready to go within 30 days, including the time it took for the actual setting (not the cheap demo version) to come in. 23 days later he shot me an e-mail letting me know the ring was good to go.
I went in and had a look. The diamond was set perfectly, and the ring was gorgeous. I was stoked. I asked him to hold on to it (it was now August 28) as I wasn't planning on proposing until October and he did so without fuss.
He sent me an e-mail early last week letting me know he was going on his own honeymoon, but that he had arranged for the staff at Gem by Carati to have everything ready to go for when I came in. I picked up the ring at noon last Thursday, and sure enough it was all good to go. In and out in 3 minutes.
My (now) fiancée loves the ring, and the diamond looks beautiful. It is one sparkly SOB, that's for sure. Thanks to Justin's guidance I found a great setting (that didn't cost me the $4.5k that Tacori was going to) and the diamond we selected fits the ring perfectly. Justin did a great job setting the ring, and the whole package turned out great. I couldn't be happier... and more importantly, neither could she.
I highly recommend you check out Gem by Carati and chat with Justin. He's a good guy, he will answer all of your questions, and he won't pressure you to buy anything you don't need or can't afford. A real "gem". Many thanks Justin!
Here's what the ring looked like on the designers website with a 1ct diamond:
Here's my fiancées ring (with a 0.91ct, F colour, VS2 clarity, excellent cut diamond):
» Click image for larger version
» Click image for larger version
» Click image for larger version
PS - we are shitty photographers using iPhones...
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