John M.

Firstly, remember that you're dealing with real estate agents here. While they are sworn to codes and canons of ethics, they do not always hold true to them. This is true with all real estate companies. My chief concern with the company is the photos of their properties. They hire professional photographers to take pictures of a property's interior and exterior. We all know that a good photographer can make a rusty nail look like a platinum engagement ring with the right lens, lighting, and angle. I don't know anything about photograph manipulation, but I'm sure it happens. My advice is to visit a property before buying and take your time looking. Hire an independent inspector to go over the property with a fine tooth comb! If something in a contract goes against the parameters that you have set in place, do not sign the contract! Remember, real estate agents are sales associates. This means that they are trained in the art of manipulation, and can cause you to make decisions that you would not otherwise make.

I have yet to have an experience with the website, but the possibility is being considered. Here are my concerns with the comments listed prior to my posting:
1. The reviews all sound too good to be true. We all know that if something sounds too good to be true, this is usually the case.
2. There is only one negative review, save a comment by one user who calls into question the authenticity of the reviews.

There is always the possibility that the company is, in fact, just that good. This is rare, but it does happen.

A concern that I have with the website itself (which is perhaps my chief concern), is that they offer only one view of their stones. This prevents the customer from viewing the crown height, girdle thickness, pavillion depth, and other aspects regarding the quality of the cut. All of these things are very important regarding the brilliance of a stone. However, this is a discount company. This means that their operation costs are lower than that of a full retail company in order to maintain acceptable profit margins. To include additional photos would mean; more man hours/higher photography costs, additional costs related to website maintenance, and additional server space. However, having additional views of a stone prior to purchase would make me feel much better about a purchase, and make the decision much easier.

I have given a three star rating to the company. While it may seem unfair of me to rate the company at all without having conducted business with them, I felt it necessary to provide an objective review based on what I know at this point. I provided the three star rating because to rate them with one star is unfair to the company and giving them a five star rating would afford them a rating that they may or many not deserve. If I choose to do business with them, I will adjust this review to reflect the reality of the experience. If I end up conducting business with another company, I will adjust the rating to have four stars to be fair to them.

I should add that they have a BBB rating of A+. http://www.bbb.org/NYC/business-reviews/diamonds/gems-ny-corp-in-new-york-ny-*******/