I truly believe that honesty and integrity are the most important values in life, you either have…read morethem or you don't. Today's modern age of social media and those that encompass it make it harder and harder to gauge folks, and you never really know who and what people are until meeting them in person. Sure, they may have that impressive resume and cover model photo on their profile, but how many stories have you heard from friends or family that have been on those infamous online "dates" thinking that they were going to meet Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston only to find out that they were really having dinner and drinks with Gilbert Gottfried or Rosie O'Donnell. I mention the above only to set the tone for what I experienced a few weeks ago, as I was taken to school so to speak while being introduced to an industry I knew little about. Unfortunately for me, my job was outsourced overseas (for the third time) back in July, and I've had an extremely difficult time trying to fInd something equal to my old position since then. Because of this circumstance, I've been struggling financially and had to make the difficult decision to sell a family heirloom to make ends meet. I'm only being brutally honest because I have the feeling that I'm not the only one who has had to deal with this predicament, which is why I wanted to go into such detail with this review, so that others could benefit from my experiences. The heirloom in question was my mother's diamond wedding ring, and because I wanted to get as much money as I could for it, I wound up doing some extensive research to ensure I knew what I was getting into. Believe me, no research will help as you have to get your hands dirty. The internet is full of websites promising you top dollar for your diamonds (80-90% of value), and they'll even pay for the shipping and insurance on it, but I just don't trust sending my valuables to strangers, especially these days, and worried that not only would they low ball me but possibly send me back a fake if I didn't agree to their terms. With these thoughts in mind, I decided to go local here in the Tampa Bay Area, and after a deep dive on Google, mapped out what would be an epic 2 day journey. My YELP friends, nothing could have prepared me for what I encountered on my escapades through Tampa's diamond brokers. A couple of the businesses seemed to be legitimate, but they were definitely in the minority, as most of the establishments in this area are just plain sketchy. Every experience began to mirror each other as they would begin with the traditional cordial greeting, thinking initially that I was there to make a purchase, but the second I explained that I was there to sell them something the mood instantly shifted to that of a Used Car department. It was as if each business had the exact same script to read from when it came to why they were offering so little for my mother's diamond. To be honest, they were insulting and just didn't give a damn, the complete pawn shop experience. Only one business in this entire area was pleasurable, and you would be insane to go anywhere else. The Terry brothers at Meridian Diamonds are the very definition of integrity and honesty. Scott and Jonathan made me feel extremely comfortable because they did an incredible job of explaining every minute detail of my diamond, as well as the value of each specific characteristic and the existing market trends. They never made me feel inferior, even though they could talk circles around me with their breadth of knowledge and experience. They took their time with me, and gave me a crash course in the diamond business, and in the end, they also gave me the most money than any other place in the area. To say I really enjoyed speaking with them is an understatement, and I guarantee you will have the same experience. If you're looking to buy or sell diamonds in Tampa Bay, take my word that you don't need to go anywhere else. Just an amazing experience overall, beyond five stars.

I took 2 family estate pieces to Meridian and received a quote vs what 2 'competitors' quoted…read more Scott and his brother were both extremely knowledgeable about my rings as well as what the market would offer me and why. Needless to say, Meridian gave me a very fair price for my rings, and I would recommend them to anyone looking to sell and/or purchase. Looking forward to returning to purchase one of their stunning pieces! Well done! B Heros

Mavilo was a professional experience all the way through and I'm so glad a friend recommended them…read moreto me. My fiancée and I went together the first time so that she could get her ring size, and try on different diamond shapes to make sure she knew what she wanted. We were lucky enough to helped by Justine who was friendly and fun to work with but also professional and had the answers to all of our questions. After the first time, I coordinated with Justine to keep looking at diamonds and making the final decisions on the ring, and she helped me finalize the ring while I kept it a secret from my girlfriend so that I could surprise her. Justine was able to get a perfect champagne colored diamond from their supplier which she said were pretty hard to come by, and created a beautiful setting for the ring. They even created a wax mold of the setting before going ahead and building the real thing, so that I could see that and make sure all the specifications were what we wanted. Justine was available by text which made communicating discreetly much easier as well which I appreciated. Overall, this was such an amazing experience for a guy who was nervous about the whole process of buying a ring and keeping it a secret the whole time! Thank you to Justine and Mavilo for all the help and I will definitely be recommending Mavilo to all my friends who are in the market for a ring.

Amazing prices, Quality no one needs them. I promise you and you will be so happy. Go see Kim can…read moreonly go there by word-of-mouth.

The only NYC quality jewelry store in Tampa Bay! Puts all the others to shame. Very helpful staff…read moreand many designers lines.

I came to Ackermans a couple years ago to have a necklace fixed. It was fixed quickly, but the…read moreservice was awful. I planned to NEVER return. However, last week a friend of mine asked me to pick up a watch for her and I agreed. Again, the service was awful. When I walked in, I was not greeted by anyone. There were no other customers in the store. Everyone looked at me like they had never seen a black person before. There was one gentleman in particular, heavy set white male with a ponytail who kept looking at me with "disgust". Although we made eye contact several times, he didnt acknowledge me either. I will NEVER return to this store and will discourage others from giving them their business.

They seem to have new owners there. Have dealt with them for over a decade. One of the owners…read moreretired. The buying prices have gone way down and selling prices have increased substantially. Has a whole new vibe inside. I definitely won't be returning here. It's a shame, I really enjoyed shopping and selling to them.

Mr. Tung was excellent. Prompt service, friendly, and professional. Gave me a fair price on gold…read morejewelry. Good repair job too. I highly recommend.

WARNING LA FAMILIA PAWN AND JEWELRY do not buy from these…read morepeople, they will scam you and take your money, they totally took advantage of a disabled girl over a laptop, they ripped her off and then wouldn't help her and then said that since you are mentally disabled that maybe you will learn your Leason, this is totally unacceptable, and nasty to do this to a disabled person, they took her brand new $1700.00 laptop and gave her $200.00 for it and then when she came back to get it back after she realized how bad they screwed her over they wouldn't give it back to here, they saw that she was mentally disabled when she walked into the store screwed her over and took advantage of her, so nasty

Tried to by a iMac for less then the ram is worth while having one on display for 500$+ I don't…read moremind getting less then it's worth so they can make something also. Thing is though if your gonna rip me off 50 bucks would have been alright but 30 bucks cause you won't let me change it in for a laptop being displayed at 120 dollars. Then was kinda laughing like he knew what he was talking about. Just scrap your stuff before you take it there. Scammers and don't care that they are getting off on your financial situation that led you to their door. I parked the I mac out for 312 dollars and still got a couple parts left js.

This is a nice jewelry store that specializes in diamond wedding rings. They also have diamond…read moreearrings. Greg helped us and was quite nice. They have an in- house jeweler for alterations and such. They also buy rings. Nice selection of bling. They are the official jewelers of the Bucs. Does that mean they will design next year's Super Bowl rings for Jameis and Co.?

My experience with International Diamond Center has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing…read more I purchased a Verragio wedding band and what should have been an exciting process has turned into over four months of constant issues, delays, and poor communication. The most recent problem perfectly summarizes the experience. I was never contacted when my ring arrived. I had to call the store myself to find out it was there. When I called, I was then told there is now another issue with the ring and I cannot pick it up until possibly next week. Had someone simply called me when the ring arrived, as any competent business would, the issue could have been addressed sooner and I likely could have picked up my ring today. Instead, this is just another delay added to an already exhausting four-month process. The biggest issue throughout this entire experience has been communication. I repeatedly have to follow up myself for updates. Calls are not made when promised, and information is not proactively shared with customers. For a purchase of this price point, I expected professionalism, transparency, and basic customer service. Instead, the process has been stressful and poorly managed from start to finish. At this point, the experience has been so frustrating that I've honestly decided I don't even want the ring anymore. After months of problems and stress surrounding something that was supposed to be meaningful, it honestly just feels like bad luck attached to it now. A luxury jewelry purchase should feel exciting and special. Instead, this has been one of the most frustrating retail experiences I've ever had. I would strongly caution anyone considering a ring from International Diamond Center to think twice.

I called Mr. Stedman a few minutes ago with what I thought were very complex art evaluation…read morequestions for my company's Leroy Neiman serigraphs. To my surprise he knew exactly what we had and gave us the insurance and auction values at no charge. He is extremely knowledgeable and very easy to talk with. I thought I would be intimidated, but getting the information we needed was effortless. When we sell our property this year he is getting our consignment business! Al this on a weekend evening too. Fabulous! Thank you Mr. Stedman.

Wonderful, knowledgeable, helpful and kind! I would highly recommend Van! Even though I didn't have…read moreanything of interest to Van, he took the time to tell me about my items. Thank you!

Thank you guys. Bracelet 14k 9mm 8"…read moreGreat quality, well done job Of course I will recommend this jewelery to everyone that need a beautiful bracelet chain or ring.

It has been a full year since I bought my chain from this company, and it has held up and is real…read more When you buy from a company online and when it comes to anything expensive, you get frightened over fraud, but not with this company. I decided to order a 7mm, and it was shipped fast after it was finally handmade. It was so much heavier than expected because I was used to my old chain. I will say I'm still happy to this day, and I would definitely repeat if I ever needed anything else.