Testimonial 1
"If you're in the market for a stone and are considering Internet dealers, please consider Mark Turnowski at Engagement Rings Direct. I recently purchased a beautifully cut 1.59 emerald cut diamond and I am extremely pleased with look of the stone. Mark is located in New York (where all the diamonds are) and was able to view the stone prior to any exchange of money. He's got a good eye and is an accredited gemologist. I was able to have all my specification questions answered directly which made me confident that this was going to be a beautiful stone (Many vendors drop ship and never see the stone. If you don't like it you may be out the shipping cost and the appraisal fee since many only will send a stone to an appraiser for viewing. This happened to me and I paid a total of 175.00 and purchased no stone because the stone didn't meet my shape preferences that don't show on a GIA Cert.) I will not hesitate to recommend anyone to Mark, he's very fair and a pleasure to do business with. If I can just get my sister married, I'll be sending her fiance to him!! I will also not hesitate to use him again in the future should I decide to add additional side stones to my ring. Give him a call yourself and see what you think.
You may correspend to me directly if you need further information."
Rough Rock
Testimonial 2
"I just wanted to post on what a positive experience I had dealing with Mark @ Enagagement Rings Direct. I live in the Philly suburbs and had 2 less-than-pleasant experiences with local jewelers who completely took on a used car salesman mentality (not to mention a limited selection of diamonds that met my specs & less than competitive prices). I emailed Mark @ ERD, telling him what I was looking for. He responded very promptly, which immediately set the tone for how he conducts business. After a few more emails back and fourth, I arranged to meet him in his office in NYC to examine 4-5 diamonds he had that met the requirements I requested.
When I arrived, we first talked baseball for about 10 minutes (an easy topic for me!) -- Mark wasn't trying to rush me out of the door or bombard me with a sales pitch. We then began to examine the diamonds. All diamonds were within my specs & none exceeded my price ceiling -- no bait & switch or upsell tactics at all. We spent approx 1 hr reviewing the certs & diamonds, while turning the entire process into a helpful tutorial. I decided on the most expensive of the diamonds he presented (still within my budget), but Mark in no way tried to steer me to the priciest option.
I felt so comfortable with this experience that I decided to use him for the setting as well -- A Michael B pave setting from the Princess Collection. Although my timeline was tight, he sprung into action & was able to get the setting as well (& at a lower price than the 2 other jewelers I contacted).
The ring arrived on time as promised, with Mark keeping in contact with me the whole time. The end result? the ring is simply beautiful -- a Princess cut 1.51C F/SI1 that is blinding with the pave Michael B setting. I couldn't have been happier....until I presented it to my now-fiance last weekend in Cape May, NJ. She would have been pleased with any ring I gave her, but this one blew her away....she loves it & I catch her staring at it all the time. On her size 4 finger, the stone is prominant without looking massive & the thin band looks great & still leaves plenty of room for a matching wedding band.
Her friends & family are constantly asking how I did such a great job (I knew I had it in me!) & two close-to-being-engaged friends of mine said I have set the bar real high for when they begin to go ring shopping. Mark even followed up this week to see how the proposal went, how the ring fits & to offer complimentary cleanings whenever we're up in NYC. It couldn't have worked out better.
I'll be returning to Mark / Engagement Rings Direct for wedding bands & I will not hesitate to recommend him to anyone. He made a significant purchase (both emotionally & financially) a very pleasant & rewarding experience.
Thanks for reading,"
Jeff
Testimonial 3
"Last night my b/f presented me with the diamond ring of my dreams and asked me to marry him! Together we had picked out a GelinAbaci tension set ring and searched the internet for a vendor. I knew what I wanted in a diamond and Mark was a delight to work with. I didn't want to endure a lengthy search for a diamond, so I chose to trust (I know, not always prudent) a wonderful jewler. Although it was a bit scary to send the check off, it couldn't have turned out better! I gave him the specifications of what I was looking for (fire! ) and he found an incredible diamond...I couldn't be happier!
I have already recommended this site to everyone who is in awe of the piece of art on my finger, and I highly recommend Mark at Engagement Rings Direct for professional, prompt, patient service.
Thanks so much!"
Jena
Testimonial 4
Fortunately, we are in luck because Mark Turnowski of Engagement Rings Direct (www.engagementringsdirect.com) has made his services available to us. In my opinion, he is one of the most ethical, trustworthy, skilled and friendly persons I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I am happy to recommend Mark for all of these reasons and – most importantly – because he helped me select and purchase a stunning diamond ring recently. A ring with which I proposed to my fiancé and that she (and everyone else) absolutely adores.
MY STORY
I began my search for a diamond ring for my fiancé about two years ago when I decided that she was the one and that I would have to begin saving for my upcoming engagement. Before I met Mark, I considered myself pretty well educated on diamonds. I believed I knew what to look for and how to avoid scams.
After perusing the site for a while, I decided to request a diamond quote. I was pretty impressed with the prices the venders provided me with, as they were significantly less than what I was getting on Blue Nile.com and from other bricks-and-mortar venders. One of the e-mails I received was from someone working with Mark. After looking him and liking what I saw I decided to give him a call.
SELECTING A DIAMOND
During my first telephone call with Mark, I told him that I was going to ask him a lot of questions about selecting a diamond. At first I was more concerned with supplementing my education with hands-on experience than purchasing a diamond. Mark was more than willing to accommodate my requests. In addition, he agreed to meet with me pretty late in the evening (I live in New York City where Mark is based) to accommodate my work schedule.
My first meeting with Mark was fantastic. He was more than willing to answer my (many) questions about diamonds. Mark also selected a three or four stones for me to examine based on my original specifications. At no time was Mark interested in making a “quick sale.” Instead, he took the time to teach me everything from the proper use of a loupe to how to judge a stone’s color grade. He also sat with me while I attempted – with my very untrained eye – to locate inclusions in different stones. I was pleased that Mark was willing to give me the keys to the kingdom even though he was aware that I might take all of the information he provided me with and go to another jeweler.
After a couple of hours, with Mark, he told me that I was welcome to come in again to continue my diamond education. I was pretty impressed with Mark’s honesty and openness and accepted his offer.
It was my second visit with Mark that convinced me that my search for a reputable jeweler had ended. Mark showed me a couple of stones – again purely for educational purposes. He then said: “one of these stones represents a diamond that you should not buy. Tell me which one it is.” I couldn’t believe it. He was testing me! Fortunately, because of the knowledge I had gained from him and my own research I answered correctly. The test sealed the deal for me. In my book, anyone who is willing to tell you what you shouldn’t buy is a pretty trustworthy person. By the end of my second visit, I told Mark that I was going to go with him and what I wanted in a diamond: a high-quality stone with lots of fire and presence.
On my third visit with Mark, he showed me a couple of beautiful princess cut diamonds. I should say that although princess cut diamonds do not have as much fire as rounds, both gems he showed me were absolutely scintillating. I was sad that I could only choose one! After, I made my choice, Mark and I got down to the final part of our business together: the securing the appraisal and setting the stone.
I was concerned about having to purchase the diamond before having it appraised and set. Again, Mark went out of his way to allay my concerns. He delivered the stone to the appraiser with me and picked it up when we were done. He also sent the diamond to Gelin and Abaci for setting – using his own insurance policy (he also got me a discount on the setting). After receiving the setting, he let me have ring appraised again prior to purchase.
In every respect, Mark went above and beyond the call of duty to assuage my doubts, educate me on diamonds and make my diamond purchasing experience as pleasant as humanly possible. I recommend that anyone thinking of purchasing a diamond – long-distance or in person – work with Mark.
THE PROPOSAL AND REACTION TO THE RING
I am happy to report that my girlfriend accepted my proposal. She loves her ring –and the many complements she has received about it. The ring has been described as everything from “beautiful” to “amazing.” When she tells me of all the positive comments on her ring, I think to my self: “Thank’s Mark!”
Good luck to all of you. Go with Mark and you won’t regret it.
"Ignorance is NOT bliss." "
Davoice
Testimonial 5
"I'd like to share my experience in my quest to find the right diamond engagement ring. I tried all the usual "Mauls" and "B&M's" and was totally confused. I found myself searching the webs for the perfect diamond. Having found EngagementRingsDirect.Com and Mark Turnowski, I consider myself very lucky.
Wanting to see and touch what I was going to purchase, he had the diamond I was interested in shipped to his office.
His knowledge, patience and accommodating personality helped make my quest much, much easier. He showed me and explained to me all the particulars I had in mind in regards to finding the right diamond for my finance. He took me through all the steps from diamond selection, to ring selection, cutting, polishng, and "held my hand" every step of the way! He also matched the lowest price I could find on this particular diamond.
He made a very stressful situation into a truly pleasurable experience. "
Doc Too
Testimonial 6
"Hi. I just wanted to share what a great experience I had buying my first diamond ring through Mark Turnowski.
I, like many others, was absolutely clueless about engagement rings initially. After reading through materials on the net and a book or two I felt confident that I would be able to find the ring I wanted.
Shopping for a diamond is no walk in the park. There are genuinely nice vendors, and there are also some genuinely nasty ones. Having shopped for weeks both online and in person, I've had my fair share of both.
Mark Turnowski is among the top of the list. He is just a great guy to work with. The moment I stepped into his office, he had the diamonds I was interested in on hand and ready for review. He ran Sarin reports on all the stones and even figured out the HCA values. Of course numbers alone don't mean anything. Mark was very patient with me as I peered through his loupe numerous times and examined each stone. There were times where I couldn't see a minute feather or cloud. Mark took the time to point out everything to me and answered every question I had.
I literally spent hours with Mark on my purchase. That's more than I can say for any other vendor. Mark was always patient and never rushed me. My stone is not worth a million bucks, but I was treated as if I was buying one that was.
To top it all off, Mark's prices were the best. What more could I ask for? It was a no brainer to buy my stone and setting from Mark. I highly recommend Mark without hesitation. I don't work with Mark or get paid by him. I'm just a happy customer.
LearningDiamonds
PS - I proposed yesterday and now I'm engaged! My fiance loves the ring.
PPS - Here's a picture I took of the ring I bought!"
Learning Diamonds
Testimonial 7
"I have searched high and low for a diamond that met my specifications with a price that my wallet could handle. Mark from Engagement Rings Direct found the perfect diamond for me at a great price. I am an avid Internet shopper but was nervous about this big of a purchase “site un seen.” Mark suggested we use an independent appraiser to hold the diamond and appraise it. Then I could make my final decision and payment after my review of the diamond.
The diamond that Mark sent was exactly what he said it was. His customer service is quick and with the highest level of professionalism. I am in advertising and work with companies around the country. Seldom do I find individuals as reliable as Mark and companies as respectable as Engagement Rings Direct. If you are in the market for a diamond do your self a favor and allow them to give you the same quality of service as I received.
Call Mark at 1-877-342-7464 or at www.engagementringsdirect.com
Thanks Mark,
Chris
1-866-734-8465
www.rfiv.com"
Christopher S. Cracchiolo
Testimonial 8
"I recently travelled from Europe to New York to buy an engagement ring. I found that Mark Turnowski at www.engagementringsdirect.com was more than helpful. He stayed late on Thursday night because my flight was delayed and came in especially on Friday (even though he was supposed to be closed for the day)to finalise on my choice. He provided me with the most spectacular ring and setting, it knocked the chat out of my girlfriend for at least 30 minutes, a feat unknown to man thus far. I can't thank Mark enough for his help.
As a first time buyer, Mark made me feel very comfortable with my purchase.
I have attached a photo.
Thanks again,"
Harry
Testimonial 9
"I want to send a huge thank you and an unconditional recommendation out to Mark Turnowski at Engagement Rings Direct!! I don't know what more I can say that hasn't been said before...Mark dealt with my never-ending questions and indecisiveness like a saint. All the diamonds he presented were gorgeous (hence the indecisiveness) - Mark knew I was interested in cut for maximum sparkle, and that's exactly what I got. I have the most beautiful engagement ring ever!!
It's a princess, set in a custom platinum setting based on a Michael B. design - all made possible by Mark. I am honestly embarassed to show my married and engaged friends because they inevitably ask why their rings aren't as sparkly....this thing is blinding! I am soooooo utterly happy, I never thought we could afford something so beautiful, but Mark made it possible. I even plugged the numbers into the Fancy Cut Calculator, and it came out as a 1A cut - is that even possible?? All of my research definitely paid off because I am one utterly satisfied customer.
I have tried to post pictures, though they do absolutely no justice to this diamond (they were taken with my camera phone) - so this is the best I can do for now - sorry! The last picture is of one of my cats, Atlas Moe (hence the moniker). Here are the Princess diamond's numbers:
GIA: 1.27 ct
5.89x5.96x4.23
Depth: 71.8%
Table: 69%
Girdle - Med-Thck
Culet: None
Polish: Ex
Sym: VG
Clarity: SI1
Color: E
Flour: None
Sarin: 1.258 ct
5.87x5.93x4.23 (1.01 l/w)
Depth - 72%
Crown - 10.3%
Pav - 58.4%
Table- 70.2%
girdle - 3.3%
...Okay, I can't seem to post the pictures, so I will try to attach them or post later- sorry!"
Jana
Testimonial 10
"I recently completed my search for a 3+ carat RBC diamond for an engagement ring and thought I’d share my experiences here since this site was a great help to me.
I have seen many questions asked about 47 Street in NYC. Since I work only a block away, I was able to visit almost all of the stores in the area. Whenever I got a chance during lunch or after work, I would take a walk and see at least a couple of places. I did this for over a month. What I saw convinced me that buying retail on 47 St is not a good idea.
First, you should have a general idea of what you’re looking for before starting your search. If you’re not sure of the specs you want, the retail shops are a good way to see and handle the different quality stones out there.
In my case, I knew exactly what I wanted and I usually said so when I went into the stores. My experiences were disappointing. A lot of sellers tried to sell me stones that they knew were not within my desired specs; others gave me stones with angles that were way off from ideal cut and then lied to me saying that it was; yet still others insisted that I be ready to buy “today” if they showed me stones. When I told one store employee I wanted to see what was available, he told me to come back only when I’m ready to buy right then & there! Yeah, like I’m really going to give you $25K the first time I walk into your store. This store also had someone standing in front trying to steer people inside.
Pricing in most cases prices dropped significantly (more than 20%) whenever the salesperson detected that I wanted to leave. Note that the stones I looked at ranged from $20-30K; do the math and you’ll see that the initial prices they ask for is a total and complete rip off. What they do is quote you an outrageous price first, and then attempt to lure you with a “discount” when in fact even the “discounted” price is above fair value. Finally, I would not suggest patronizing the two or three stores on the block that have steerers in front. You’ll know when you’re at one of these places because the moment you stop to look at their window display, some guy comes up to you and insists that you come inside to look. I have found these stores to be very pushy and customer unfriendly.
So if 47 St isn’t the best place to buy, where is?
I wound up buying my diamond from Mark Turnowski at engagementringsdirect.com. I highly recommend Mark because my experience with him was nothing short of superb. Just for some background, Mark runs the website out of an office building just around the corner from 47 St. I can’t think of enough good things to say about him; he’s helpful, patient, and straightforward. He walked me through the whole process and went with me to get my stone appraised. When it was time to get the stone set, he and I actually spent two hours together going from place to place to complete the process. This was a most interesting and educational side benefit. And above all else, his prices are extremely competitive, beating retailers and other Internet sites alike.
For those in the NYC area, getting in touch with Mark is a must before you buy anything. Just tell him what you want and he’ll let you know what’s available. Afterwards, you can set up an appointment to see the diamonds in person. For those far from NYC, I know that buying something this expensive over the Internet or phone can be a test of bravery even with the money-back guarantee. Here’s what I suggest: contact Mark to let him know what you’re looking for and set up a time to meet with him personally if you’re uncomfortable buying otherwise. With airfares to NYC relatively inexpensive, the savings you’ll get vs. buying it locally at a retailer could easily recoup the money spent on travel."
NYC Buyer
Testimonial 11
"I just received the my GIA graded 1.25 Ct round diamond, G, SI1, Ex polish, Ex Symmetry, .6 HCA, from Mark Turnowski at EngagementRingsDirect.com and it is really the most beautiful diamond I have ever seen. My just recently engaged fiancé can’t take her eyes off of it, even when driving her own car she stares at the rock on her finger more than she does the road (These H&A diamonds can be a very dangerous thing). I wanted to share my buying experience with all of you because without Mark at EngagementRingsDirect I would have spent way too much money (over $3500 more) for a way lesser ring.
First off I have to say that I am definitely not an internet junkie (no offense to those who are). The only things I have every bought on the internet have been 5 random items on ebay so if you would have asked me if I would ever thought I would have bought my engagement ring over the internet I would have laughed in your face. When I first began to look for diamonds I bought 2 books (to start my learning experience). Then I found a good tutorial website to help me understand what I was going to be looking at. Then I set off to look for the perfect stone and the perfect price. I knew that I would be able to save some money if I bought my diamond online but at that point I was certain there was no way I was going to buy something this costly with so many different variables and something this important over the internet. I obviously hadn’t found Mark at EngagementRingsDirect.
So my laborious search began, I started in the malls, looking at as many diamonds as I could just to get a feel for the different types of clarity grades and color classifications. (I had read enough to know not to buy a diamond at a mall). Then I went to Costco to see what types of diamonds they had there. Then I put together a list of local jewelers out of the phonebook that posted their gemologist credentials. I called a bunch of them up and narrowed it down to about 10 different ones that I would go to and seriously start looking for the one perfect diamond. At this point I had no idea that all I really had to do instead of do all this research and running around was find Mark at EngagementRingsDirect earlier in my search.
I had been running around the bay area like crazy going from jeweler to jeweler to look at different stones when I did a search for a specific designer ring on google . After looking over the site and reading up on the HCA I decided that I would add an HCA score below 2 to my criteria when continuing to look for diamonds at B&M’s. At two different times I thought I had found the diamond I was going to purchase but I just didn’t want to spend that kind of money on a diamond that didn’t fit in the “excellent” cut grade and then still have to buy the designer ring that would cost me even more money. I wanted the top of the line cut, H&A, brilliance scope to be awesome and the diamond to just radiate with contrasting light.
Not thinking I would really make the purchase on the net I thought it can’t hurt to give some vendors a call. So I did research (of course) on all the major vendors and I started making both calls and emails to the vendors. Of all the sites I contacted Mark was the only vendor that gave me the feeling that he would go above and beyond what was the norm to make me feel comfortable buying this diamond over the net. Having experience working at the GIA made me feel like I was working with someone who was an expert in the field (a big relief after making the rounds to the B&M’s).
Mark made me feel like he could handle whatever request I was asking for. He first calmed my nerves by giving me time to say my piece and voice my concerns with buying over the net and he said to me the only way that he could stay in business was to get skeptics like me to become believers in what he is doing and the only way he could do that was by earning my trust. I told him that my biggest concern was that I had seen hundreds of stones and prided myself on being able to identify the best cut and most brilliant diamonds out of a whole lot. That I would have to rely solely on him to be my eyes and find me the most brilliant diamond he could find. He convinced me that it was just as important to him that I found the nicest stone possible as it was to me.
Because my girlfriend wanted this designer ring I had only been able to go to certain B&M’s in my area that carried it. And even the other online vendors on couldn’t get me the designer ring I needed. But Mark at EngagementRingsDirect was willing to go out and use his connections to try and find me the designer ring my girlfriend wanted. Every other vendor just said, “Sorry if it’s not on the website we can’t get it.”
I had still been working with and narrowed it down to 2 local B&M’s when all this was going on. To be honest I thought that if this Mark guy, whom I had never met was willing to go out and try and get me the designer ring I wanted and try and find me a diamond that matched my specs why not let him see what he could find. He came back 2 days later with 2 diamonds that fit my criteria. I talked with him over the phone and quizzed him on the different stones, asking him to judge them as if he was still working at the GIA. He came to the conclusion that my 1.24, G, SI1 was the better of the two stones and it was the cheaper of the two. He ensured me that it was a top-notch diamond but I wasn’t sold yet.
My younger sister just happened to move to New York 3 weeks earlier and so I asked Mark if she could go over and meet him and see the two different diamonds. He made was more than accommodating and we arranged her meeting. The way Mark treated my little sister made me feel even more comfortable with the sale. I sent my youngest sister (only 18) over to meet a man that I had never known and he treated her with the utmost respect. After their encounter Mark and I talked once more and I had told him that I was going to go with his service. He had sold me on his merit, his dependability, his expertise, his promptness on returning my calls, on answering any question I had, on his patience, and his price. Because of Mark’s Turnowski I had made the decision to purchase the most expensive thing I had ever bought in my entire life over the internet without having ever met the salesman.
I had decided to buy from EngagementRingsDirect but I still wanted to be able to see both diamonds so Mark agreed to allow me to purchase both stones so I could see them for myself and then decide which one I wanted. He even agreed to pay for the shipping both ways. He overnighted me the two diamonds and I immediately took them to a local jeweler who had been in the business 27 years. The first thing he said when looking at MY diamond was “WOW, this is really nice. You must have spent a ton of money on this diamond.” When those words were spoken I knew that Mark was FOR REAL. This local jeweler pulled up his database and couldn’t find one with that good of a cut for even close to the price that Mark had sold them to me for (either of them). The jeweler agreed with Mark that MY diamond was the better of two and I was on my way.
For the sake of all of you who are still with me I will wrap it up. I told my fiancé the ring story on our drive home from Lake Tahoe and at the end of the story I told her “I would tell anyone looking to buy a diamond that Mark at EngagementRingsDirect.com is “MY GUY””. That I would refer any of my friends and family to him telling them that this guy will hook you up PHAT. And my fiancé then said to me looking at her ring ”because he got me THIS diamond Mark is MY GUY TOO.”
We’ve only been engaged for 5 days, but both of our families were there and I tell you what, Mark made me look like the Hero. This diamond sparkles like none other. They all couldn’t stop asking her to see it all weekend long. And everyone else that sees it says to her OOOHHH, that diamond is amazing.
The look on my fiancé’s face every time she looks at her diamond makes me feel like all my time and effort were well worth it, then I remember that really all I did was find Mark at EngagementRingsDirect.com and he did the rest.
Thanks Mark the diamond is absolutely beautiful. "
Gus Papanikolas
Testimonial 12
"Just wanted to drop a message post about the great experience I had with Mark Turnowski at EngagementRingsDirect. As most first time ering buyers, I was a little overwhelmed with the wealth of information and detail involved in buying an engagement ring. I also was a little suspect of the range of knowledge that different jeweler's exhibited which was especially apparent once I became more and more knowledgeable about the subject as well.
After countless hours of research, I decided to get my feet wet by going to a few retail jewelers, going down to the diamond district, and shopping online of course.
I must say that once I met with mark Turnowski at engagement rings direct, he provided me with a level of service and knowledge that truly made it a positive experience, which was not the case when I began my search. I was looking for an emerald or radiant cut set in platinum. Mark totally went out of his way to really get to know what I wanted (and what I didn't want) and showed me a set of beautiful stones that fit within those guidelines. He never pushed anything outside of that and was completely patient with my never-ending list of questions. From the time I met Mark until the ring was in my possession, Mark's level of service was outstanding.
I ended up purchasing a 1.35 carat emerald with tapered baguettes set in platinum and once my girlfriend saw it she has not been able to take her eyes off of it! We have (and continue to) received so many compliments and that is in part to the great selection and guidance provided my Mark.
Thanks Mark! I will be highly recommending you to my friends and family."
"I recently bought a beautiful Ruby ring from Mark Turnowski of EngagementRingsDirect.com. I was so impressed by his expertise, knowlegde, patience, integrity and excellent customer service. I cant say enough of how happy I was with him.
Here is a picture of the ring. It does not do the ruby justice. It is 1.67cts, color:red-red. It has to be the most beautiful ruby I have ever seen!!!"
IMMATHEW
Testimonial 13
"Highly Recommended Jeweler – EngagementRingsDirect.com
I just wanted to share my experiences with a jeweler here in New York.
Anyone that is even thinking about buying an engagement ring should know about my fabulous experience with Mark Turnowski at engagementringsdirect.com . From start to finish, Mark was fabulous!
He made me feel comfortable from the start; he always listened and NEVER tried a hard sell. I truly believe he was more concerned with me making the right choices than trying to make a quick dollar.
I have been contemplating getting a ring for about a year.
Anyone that has looked at rings knows it can be jungle out there. From high-pressure sales people to dealing with people who are much more knowledgeable than you, it can be scary. After a few hours with Mark discussing options, he made me wish I found him months ago!
At our initial meeting, Mark pre-selected several princess cut stones (1.7 – 2.0 cts) in varying colors, clarities, and certifications (GIA vs. EGL). He took the time to point out the pros and the cons of the several stones, and to get my thoughts. What was supposed to be a 1-hour meeting, quickly turned to almost 3!
By the end of the day, I had made no definite choices, but I knew one stone had caught my eye. Without any promise to purchase, I asked Mark to put a stone aside for me, while I contemplated over the next few days. In those days I never got any pressured phone calls or emails to try and close the sale.
A few days later, I agreed to purchase the stone and needed to look for a setting. While at his office, we browsed through a few settings, but none were exactly what I was looking for. I scanned the Internet and found a photo of a setting that I wanted, I forwarded this picture to Mark and he told me he could build that very ring for me. He quoted me a price for the setting, but he understood that we were speaking of “18K white gold”, and I thought I had mentioned I wanted “platinum”. It seems like the price he initially quoted me was for white gold, and not platinum. With this misunderstanding, he could have easily come with a higher price due to the difference in metal prices, BUT instead, he honored his initial quote and swallowed the upcharge on the ring.
This act showed me that he was 100% concerned with making me happy.
After I sent him a deposit to get the ring started, we were supposed to keep in-touch to monitor the progress. I wanted a quick turnaround by May 14, 2004, in order to propose the next day, but since I was travelling and failed to check my email or messages, I failed to maintain good contact with Mark.
Knowing that I wanted to have this ring completed the same day; he took time out of his personal obligations and put a rush on the whole process. He ran around town making sure the ring was completed and ready for pickup by 5pm. I don’t know how many other people would have done this. He constantly went way beyond the expected to give me exactly what I needed.
Anyone that sees his work is astounded by its beauty. Anyone that is interested in great service and good prices should immediately make a trek to 5th Avenue in New York and see Mark. I’m sure your experience will be as great as mine!"
Christian
Testimonial 14
"I just wanted to post and let you all know of the fantastic experience my boyfriend and I had with Mark at engagementringsdirect.com. We were looking for an ideal cut RB diamond that was near colorless, completely eye clean, and that was as close to 1 carat as we could afford- tough demands for our budget (As my boyfriend says, "champagne taste on a beer budget"). Poor Mark because we emailed him non-stop with questions on different diamonds, and he answered EVERY email immediately and always with sincerity as well as professionalism. He showed us several choices, and we ended up getting a fantastic stone for less than our maximum budget.
We asked for Mark's honest opinion and expertise on several points, and guess what? When we sent the diamond to Chris at David Atlas, we found out that Mark's feedback was right on the money!
If you are looking at stones at Engagement Rings Direct... have no fear! I would send my best friend to Mark with no hesitation!!
Thanks to Mark, and I will post photos as soon as I can!
!"
My BF and i just purchased a GORGEOUS cushion cut diamond from Mark Turnowski at engagementringsdirect.com. We are so thrilled about the stone, and dealing with mark was such an all-around pleasure that I thought I should share our experience with others.
My BF and i started the search for a stone about two months ago.
luckily, about this time Alexah suggested that I give mark at ERD--who has an office in midtown, which would enable me to go in on my lunch hour and see stones--a call. on a thursday afternoon, i did. mark took all of my information down and explained that, although he'd be out of the office that Friday, he would start looking for stones for me first thing on monday morning. sure enough, on monday morning--before 11am!--mark called me with a list of potential stones, and even faxed over the GIA certs for my review. now this was the kind of response i was looking for! a day or two later i was in mark's office looking at four cushion cuts that matched my specifications.
As it turns out, one of the four stones i saw that day was actually the stone we ended up purchasing. that particular stone was a little less square than i originally had wanted, so i was about to rule it out, but Mark told me it was gorgeous and strongly suggested that i see it. very glad i did!
after that first visit i pretty much drove mark nuts with questions and requests to see other stones. he always responded to my calls, emails, requests and questions extremely promptly--as in, that very day, in some cases late at night or on weekends from home. mark also researched a number of other cushions for me to see, but if he thought from the specs (and in some cases, from seeing the stone in person) that the stone was not going to be a good performer, he didn't waste my time by calling it in. in the end, when it became obvious that the stone from the first group was going to be THE ONE, mark even stayed late one night and delayed the start of his weekend--he had to make a long drive out of town that night--so that i could bring my BF in to see the diamond. (mark even managed to make my boyfriend, who was uneasy with the whole process, very comfortable by chatting him up about baseball and similar guy matters.)
as for the final diamond purchase, mark sold us a gorgeous, pricescope listed, 2.07c G/VS2 cushion cut of unbelievable brilliance for a few hundred less than even the lowest price offered by the other vendors . He never pressured us to buy, but was happy to give us his professional opinion (he used to work for GIA) about the various stones we saw, IF we asked. when we took the stone to be appraised, the appraiser said that it was everything Mark had said and more, and noted that we were getting a very good price.
i'm not trying to sound like a cheerleader here, but the basic point is that working with mark made a very scary experience much simpler and more relaxing, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the result. basically, if you're looking for a vendor who will sell you great stone at a great price AND put up with your incessant/obsessive questions and inquiries, mark is your guy.
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Reena
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