Kay Jewelers Review
Kay Jewelers began in 1916 when two brothers, Sol and Edmund Kaufmann started their humble jewelry business in the corner of their father’s furniture store. Today’s Kay Jewelers is a far cry from the family owned small business it used to be. Kay Jewelers is now a division of the subsidiary company Sterling Jewelers and operates as the number one mall-store brand for jewelry in the United States.
Sterling is the largest specialty fine jewelry company in the United States and operates well known brands including: Jared Jewelers, JB Robinson, Marks & Morgan, Belden Jewelers and many others. These are all wholly subsidized by their parent company Signet Jewelers headquartered in the UK.
Kay Jewelers – The Leo Diamond Graded By GSI (What’s That?)
Kay Jewelers sells both loose diamonds as well as pre-set diamond engagement rings. Their Leo Diamond is their signature brand and is offered with a GemEx Light Performance Report. GemEx is a relatively unknown diamond grading lab and has very little strength in the diamond industry. Most jewelers prefer to work with diamonds that have been graded by either GIA or AGS in America.
Just because the Leo diamond boasts itself as, “The first diamond ever independently and individually certified to be brighter”, doesn’t necessarily make it true. The reason they can say this is due to their partnership with with GemEx Systems which is the developer of the BrillianceScope. The BrillianceScope is a selling tool that claims to measure light returned to the observer (aka a diamond’s brilliance). However, many online diamond retailers that are known for their highly ethical diamond selling reputation don’t put much clout into the BrillianceScope’s findings.
Leo Diamond – 66 Total Facets (8 More Than The Standard Tolkowsky Cut)
The Leo Diamond is actually considered a modified round brilliant cut diamond; meaning it has more facets than the traditional 58 facet round brilliant as originally designed by Tolkowsky. It was in 1999, that Leo Schachter (2nd generation diamond polisher) branded his 66 facet round brilliant the “Leo Diamond”. The extra 8 facets are found in the pavilion (lower half) of the diamond. This is significant because Leo Diamonds are only sold at select stores and are accompanied by a GemEx Light Performance Report. This makes it extremely difficult to accurately compare a normal 58 facet round brilliant with a standard GIA or AGS grading report to a Leo Diamond because these diamonds are not a true apples to apples comparison.
Just because these diamonds are all branded “Leo Diamonds” does not mean that these diamonds will have the same cut quality. Some Leo diamonds have better cut quality than others. The Leo diamond is also priced higher than the traditional 58 facet round brilliant diamonds because the competition is less (not many stores carry this diamond brand, thus they can justify higher pricing).
Tolkowsky Diamond
Kay Jewelers also offers diamonds that are branded Tolkowsky ideal diamonds. Tolkowsky diamonds are branded diamonds from Jean-Paul Tolkowsky (son of legendary diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky). Jean Paul owns Execlo which is based in Antwerp, Belgium. These diamonds are primarily cut in Thailand and Botswana.
Something Very Wrong About Kay Jewelers!
“It has been nearly a century since Marcel Tolkowsky revolutionized diamond cutting with the original Ideal Cut Diamond. The tradition continues with this dramatic solitaire ring featuring an independently certified, 3/4 carat Tolkowsky® round brilliant diamond set on a 14K white gold band. This Tolkowsky® round brilliant diamond is certified Ideal Cut with the Hearts & Arrows Pattern and comes with a certificate of authenticity and a unique presentation box. Diamond Total Carat Weight may range from .69 – .79 carats”
Let’s see what else is out there to compare in the market:
First of all, when you shop at a fully transparent diamond retailer’s website like Whiteflash, you will see that each loose diamond is priced independently. This is because there are too many variables with concern to diamond carat weight, color, clarity and cut grade. It is not ethical to sell a range of carat weight and keep the price exorbitantly high.
The .718ct I SI1 is a super ideal A Cut Above diamond that has magnified images, light performance and hearts image to prove exactly what it is and what you are buying. The diamond grade report is from AGS, a highly reputed and consistent gem lab report based in the USA.
What about the ring setting? Well I found nearly the exact same ring at Whiteflash too! Here’s the same style x-prong trellis ring setting set in 18k white gold for $868.15: https://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/x-prong-trellis-solitaire-engagement-ring-764.htm
Here’s a look at them side by side:
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- Towlkowsky Ring for $6,499.00
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- Whiteflash Ring for $3,382.15
Kay Jewelers is 52% more expensive!!!
Not only can we clearly see that Kay Jewelers is more expensive, but we can also clearly see that they are scamming their customers by not being completely transparent about the actual diamond that they would be purchasing. Additionally, why are their diamonds all so low in clarity grade? It’s like they have the worst inventory available for customers to choose from.
I do not recommend Kay Jewelers AT ALL. Please shop somewhere else – there just isn’t any other way to say it. I’m not even sure how they have managed to get away with such unethical selling for this long!
Kay Jewelers Offers:
– Lifetime diamond and color gemstone guarantee (as long as 6 month inspections have been performed and documented by a store representative). This ensures that you shop at Kay’s at least twice a year, thereby allowing them to sell you another piece of jewelry.
– Lifetime diamond trade-in policy (as long as you at least double your original purchase price)
– 60 day return policy with up to 90 days for an exchange.
– Free delivery to your home or local Kay store if purchased online
Kay Jewelers Cons:
– No loose diamond images on website that are independently priced
– Gem Lab reports are from GemEx, whereas the industry standard are GIA, AGS, and HRD (Europe)
– They sell their engagement rings in a ‘pre-set and fixed price’ model allowing them to maximize price inflation by keeping the customer in the dark about precise carat weight and detailed diamond characteristics
– Diamond clarity grades on their diamonds are all generally super low (SI2, I1, I2, and I3!) Diamonds that are I2 and lower can sometimes have durability or structural integrity risks which are better off seen and evaluated in person.
Final Thoughts:
Kay Jewelers clearly hopes that you have no diamond knowledge or education. Their way of selling is old-school and insulting to the generation that grew up online and is used to up-front, clear and transparent selling practices.
Although Kay Jewelers is a name brand and offers familiarity with convenient mall and online shopping, you are much better off purchasing from retailers that take pride in their diamond inventory quality and offer better value for money. Please do not waste your time on Kay Jewelers.
Please contact me for diamond help, engagement ring advice, or loose diamond recommendations. I look forward to hearing from you!
Happy Diamond Buying!
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