EFFY Jewelry - quality and repairs

One more just for fun:

Effy diamond cross: .12 ctw 20% Off clearance price: $502.00 no info on diamonds

http://www.effyjewelry.com/sale/final-call/effy-14k-white-gold-diamond-cross-pendant-0-12-tcw.html

Blue Nile diamond cross: .20 ctw. $560.00 much nicer looking pendant http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-pendant-cross_59379?elem=title&track=product

Effy .48 ctw diamind ring: about $950.00 after sale from clearance price. http://www.effyjewelry.com/sale/final-call/effy-14k-white-gold-diamond-ring-0-48-tcw.html

Blue Nile .50ctw diamond ring: $833.00 for a better ring: http://www.bluenile.com/riviera-petite-pave-eternity-diamond-ring-14k-white-gold_33763?action=14kWhiteGoldSelect&referrer=customizer&track=alternate-metalsCustomizer

One more just for fun:

 

Effy diamond cross: .12 ctw 20% Off clearance price: $502.00 no info on diamonds

http://www.effyjewelry.com/sale/final-call/effy-14k-white-gold-diamond-cross-pendant-0-12-tcw.html

 

Blue Nile diamond cross: .20 ctw. $560.00 much nicer looking pendant http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-pendant-cross_59379?elem=title&track=product

OK, after 3 pages of complaints on these products, I am convinced. No EFFY for us. We will just stick with the art auctions where you can really score a bargain.

:cool:

OK, after 3 pages of complaints on these products, I am convinced. No EFFY for us. We will just stick with the art auctions where you can really score a bargain.

:D:D:p

If someone hands you liquor in a store, run far away. Its unethical (in my opinion as someone who rarely drinks). I am also suspicious of companies who always have blow out pricing sales where items that are "originally" $11,000 are sold for the low low "bargain" price of $4,700. (Which is still a really huge rip off).

Have some dignity and self-respect and don't allow yourself to be played.

The FTC is investigating the company "my pillow" for offering an introductory price of two for one for years now. Its the same thing with companies that have years long going out of business sales. If a company never sells at their "retail" prices and only at the "special only for you" price, there could very well be a legal trade issue there..... just sayin...

Friends don't let friends make stupid decisions regarging jewelry purchases....

Gemologist found effy sells sub par stones:

http://www.highya.com/effy-jewelry-reviews

I went to a EFFY store while in port in Alaska after a "shopping" lecture onboard Norwegian cruise lines. The cruiseline gets a commission based on what the cruise passengers pay (which is why they are told to say "so and so" sent them). EFFY is high pressure sales and offers NO refunds for people with buyers remorse etc. My advice, just stay away and buy your jewelry local without the pressure of having to buy it now.:(

Sorry for all of your trouble but thank you for reinforcing the fact that fine Jewelry purchases should be made at home and not on a cruise ship or some Island in the Caribbean. I have also heard horror stories about Diamonds International which by the way has headquarters in New York. Although you are having an issue at least this thread at least others can learn from your mistake. Good luck and I hope issue is solved to your satisfaction.

I went to a EFFY store while in port in Alaska after a "shopping" lecture onboard Norwegian cruise lines. The cruiseline gets a commission based on what the cruise passengers pay (which is why they are told to say "so and so" sent them). EFFY is high pressure sales and offers NO refunds for people with buyers remorse etc. My advice, just stay away and buy your jewelry local without the pressure of having to buy it now.:(

Not that I purchase that much jewelry but if my local dealer operated with the same pressure & return policy as EFFY they wouldn't have been in business for over 30+ years.

ANY time someone pressures me into buying ANYTHING they've queered the deal and I'm gone no matter what the price.

Just to tack on our experience a couple weeks ago. In our on-board daily mail one day was a sale ad from the Effy store. My wife was interested in one particular ring shown and went to the store to check it out. They had none. Not none in her size, none of any size. Clerk said they hoped to get one on our stop in Juneau. Didn't happen. Never showed up before we dis-embarked.

That was a blessing in disguise.

I'm curious if it's an extremely low low price that makes people want to buy jewelry on a ship? The stories of repair hassles after disembarkation, seem consistent enough to make me wanna walk away.

Not that I purchase that much jewelry but if my local dealer operated with the same pressure & return policy as EFFY they wouldn't have been in business for over 30+ years.

ANY time someone pressures me into buying ANYTHING they've queered the deal and I'm gone no matter what the price.

Also a private jeweler will work with with you on sales tax if you pay in cash. Duty free is just a lot of hype when it comes to jewelry anyway. The first thing is that the jewelry has to appraise for at least what you paid for it. Second it's just too difficult for the average consumer to know how to grade the quality so you never know what you are buying until it's appraised. So even if you saved on the duty charge you most likely over paid for item to begin with. I just don't know what the attraction is to making jewelry purchase on vacation. Watches, designer handbags, and camera prices can be researched for price before hand so at least you are educated and have some knowledge of where the price should fall. My wife doesn't think that there are any great deals on cosmetics either. It's ok if you need a refill of an item or if you left something at home but she wouldn't stock up or go out of her way to buy it. I have recently shopped the Effy counter at Macy's. Everything was 50% off the twice inflated price and the diamonds looked like rock salt.

Iamcruzin,

" rock salt", good one.

Just returned from the Pacific Princess where EFFY was promoted every single day.

Did visit the shop once and looked at a sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet. When I asked the sales lady why the small diamonds were so cloudy, she said that they were not important. :eek:

Gemologist (GIA) 1989

Here is an example: this Effy bracelet is $4,798.00 the description says nearly all EFFY gem jewely are enhanced (gigantic red flag)

I give Macy's credit for suppling the information. I wonder if the same is done on the cruise ship.

Not that I purchase that much jewelry but if my local dealer operated with the same pressure & return policy as EFFY they wouldn't have been in business for over 30+ years.

ANY time someone pressures me into buying ANYTHING they've queered the deal and I'm gone no matter what the price.

Are you interested in some rings ?

Your DW liked the last ones she got!!!;)

Are you interested in some rings ?

 

Your DW liked the last ones she got!!!;)

OH yea !:D

Based on the reviews I've read on this and other threads regarding Effy jewelry sales tactics, quality, and return policies, I plan to stay far away from there on my upcoming cruise. [emoji57]

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My husband bought me a ring on our cruise in June, but on Carnival Cruise Lines. We also had a cruise scheduled at the beginning of this month (October) and I just happened to notice that 3 of the small diamonds that surround the bigger diamond had fallen off. I was originally told that the ring could not be serviced onboard the ship but it can be replaced if purchased within a year, so I took my paperwork with me on my cruise. I was told that they can't do anything and I have to call. It's been about a week and I can't get through via phone and my email has not been responded to as of yet. This ring was not inexpensive by any means so I was a little surprised at the quality. Diamonds should not fall off a ring within 4 months. I will never buy Effy jewelry again. I will stick with the Kalatti brand that I have purchased before and had excellent customer service.

My husband bought me a ring on our cruise in June, but on Carnival Cruise Lines. We also had a cruise scheduled at the beginning of this month (October) and I just happened to notice that 3 of the small diamonds that surround the bigger diamond had fallen off. I was originally told that the ring could not be serviced onboard the ship but it can be replaced if purchased within a year, so I took my paperwork with me on my cruise. I was told that they can't do anything and I have to call. It's been about a week and I can't get through via phone and my email has not been responded to as of yet. This ring was not inexpensive by any means so I was a little surprised at the quality. Diamonds should not fall off a ring within 4 months. I will never buy Effy jewelry again. I will stick with the Kalatti brand that I have purchased before and had excellent customer service.

IMO,Effy is cheaply made and overly hyped crap!

I know Effy has not been a jewlery boutique on Princess ships for that long so history of customer service has little track record. But was curious to hear of other's experiences.

 

I bought a diamond band from Effy on my May cruise and less than two weeks later, one of the diamonds fell out. Reading the reviews on Yelp does not make me very happy. Most people reported difficulty in getting repairs. In my case, I'd like them to just replace the ring as it should not be falling apart in 10 days, but if all else fails, at least repair it without having to jump through hoops. Clearly, the posts on the ring are not very sturdy. Many Yelp reviewers report the same situation with their rings.

 

I tried calling Princess Boutique, but the contact number from the warranty information just loops around getting back to the same push 1, push 2 push 3 option without anyone ever answering. Just a recorded message to make a copy of you receipt. Finally was able to leave a message for a person after contacting general Princess Customer Service. Have not heard back. I am trying to be patient as they are coming off a holiday weeekend.

 

I did find out, if all else fails, that the Effy shop at Macy's will accept the ring and send it out for repair, but the gal told me it could be 3 months til it comes back. I feel that Princess should stand behind products sold on their ships, even if they don't directly own the company that is selling the product. And so far, not getting that impression.

 

Would love to hear if anyone has had success in getting repairs/replacement and who it was that helped them. Best phone contact number, etc? I'm feeling pretty frustrated now.

Not at all impressed with jewelry on Princess in general. Cunard/Celebrity were much better.

I would recommend that if you want to buy anything at Effy that you not assume anything. Request a complete description of what you are buying before you finalize the purchase. We bought some beautiful expensive pearls, and because of the price we assumed they were cultured. They were not, they were "fresh water". Although still beautiful we greatly overpaid by thousands of dollars. Shame on us for not confirming what type of pearls we were buying. The only place that "fresh water" was mentioned was in the description that was on the receipt my husband signed. When he signed he had verified the price but didn't read the whole description. Once again shame on him.

When we noticed the "fresh water" in the description. We also noticed that they hadn't included one of the big selling points which was that the pearls were natural color and not enhanced. We went back and asked for them to include that in the description and were told they couldn't that the descriptions were controlled by corporate. We had to go to Princess for help before the Effy manager got approval from Effy headquarters to put "natural color" on the statement.

Buyer be aware!

I have never understood the whole EFFY thing on the ships. They have stores in a lot of the ports and in Macy's! What is the big deal about having EFFY on the ships?

I have never understood the whole EFFY thing on the ships. They have stores in a lot of the ports and in Macy's! What is the big deal about having EFFY on the ships?

They are the company that was willing to lease the space from Princess. No more no less. If you are going to buy from them you may as well buy from the Home Shopping Network. At least you can return the merchandise if you're not satisfied.

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They are the company that was willing to lease the space from Princess. No more no less. If you are going to buy from them you may as well buy from the Home Shopping Network. At least you can return the merchandise if you're not satisfied.

 

 

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Exactly.

I earned a Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in 1989 but retired as a VP Software Engineering, so no sour grapes from me.

 

Was not impressed with the EFFY jewelry that I saw on the Grand Princess. Small diamonds in some of the colored stone rings were cloudy. In one ring that I examined, the center stone was not on straight. Some quality control issues.

 

EFFY was named in a class action suit too:

http://www.highya.com/effy-jewelry-reviews

https://brandilawblog.com/category/macys-fake-gem-lawsuit/

 

Not impressed with Diamonds International either.

I can't 'LIKE' this post enough. If you are in the market for diamonds and craftsmanship, PLEASE go to a reputable establishment who can provide certifications on the stones and a service warranty. Also, consider insuring your jewelry against loss/damage if you are making a significant purchase. EFFY salespeople aren't likely to cross your path again and have little to no incentive to stand behind their product.

Jewelryshould be stored separately or wrapped into soft stuffs, clothes to preventfrom scratched. It must not be exposedfrom chemicals that may discolour the precious metal also it must be keep awayfrom water as well. For maintaining jewelry like free sized stretch ring for impressive shine for long time,then it must clean softly easily at your houses.

Jewelry mustkeep in tight air containers and it must not be washed regularly. As we knowjewelry made up of mix metals and it can react easily in the environment.Regarding silver jewelry always cleaned after usage. Take care your jewelry itdoesn’t mean to rub it hard if you are rub it hard then it becomes scratches.

Be carefulfrom sun rays, always try to protect your jewelry from light and heat.Specially from sun rays that can affect or damage your gemstone color.

I can't 'LIKE' this post enough. If you are in the market for diamonds and craftsmanship, PLEASE go to a reputable establishment who can provide certifications on the stones and a service warranty. Also, consider insuring your jewelry against loss/damage if you are making a significant purchase. EFFY salespeople aren't likely to cross your path again and have little to no incentive to stand behind their product.

Amen.

At the bottom line, why would anyone in their right mind buy anything "pricey" on a ship? Is it because they are too lazy to do some price research at home and/or resistant to/fearful of learning/practicing/perfecting negotiating skills?

I will forever be thankful that I grew up in Brooklyn where, instead of "momma" or "papa," the first words out of my mouth were "never pay retail."

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I'm just curious what you feel Princess should do to "stand behind products sold on their ships"? I am not aware of princess being in the jewelry business, either sales or repairs. Are you suggesting they should buy back anything sold onboard that breaks? I'm not sure that's a reasonable expectation...

Princess appears to be in the sales business more then they are in the cruise business at times. The way they promote their products that are sold on Princess ships in a variety of ways would make one expect a little accountability if the overall Princess brand is to be respected IMHO.....PS....I never buy anything on a Princess ship (art, jewelry, photo portraits, watches, sun glasses, clothes, etc.) because I know I can get the same product at a much better price on land.....it is all about the hype for Princess....:halo: