Inta Gems

I went to Inta Gems to buy an engagement ring after reading positive reviews about their quality and service. I had never purchased an expensive piece of jewelry before and didn't have very much knowledge about buying diamonds. But Peter and his mother were extremely helpful and patient guiding me through the process. I never felt pressured or rushed and their advice seemed genuine. I ended up with a gorgeous engagement ring for my girlfriend which she absolutely loved. We'll definitely be going back for wedding bands as well! I highly recommend Inta Gems.

This review has been a long time coming, but with frantically planning a wedding for the last 8 months, I'm just now coming up for air :) My fiance and I wanted to create a really special engagement ring and for weeks before our purchase we spent a lot of time online and really did our research. When the time came we headed to downtown LA and spent an entire day in the jewelry district going from store to store to look for our ring..it is truly a dizzying experience. There is soooo much to look at...after a while it just all starts to look the same. And every time you so much as give anything a sideways glance, the shopkeepers are on you like vultures. I wish I had a recorder that said "Thank you, but we are just looking, I'll let you know if I need your help." Eventually we happened on Inta Gems, and the moment walked in we knew it was different. Everyone there was so courteous and helpful...not pushy at all, just genuinely friendly. Peter helped us through the whole process and he was just lovely. I already had an idea of what qualities I wanted in a diamond and with them in mind he found a stone for me in New York and had it flown out so I could look at it. Now, that is service...and all for a very fair price. Like I said earlier, I had done my research and knew what this stone was worth so I know I got a good deal. Honest business practices and excellent service...what more can you ask for? I highly recommend Inta Gems, and you can bet we'll be back for our wedding bands! See you soon, Peter!

So, earlier this year I was looking for the perfect diamond, for my perfect woman, at the best price I could find. I had a budget and a whole list of spec's that I wanted. Any man who has done this before would know how extensive and how hard it is to find the perfect ring. I was a man on a mission, and explored every option - internet, referrals from friends, local shops, and even the big "engagement" ring stores. After driving around all of LA and Orange County, a friend told me to look downtown...but to beware of unscrupulous vendors. I did my research and decided to go to Inta Gems, it looked reputable and got awesome reviews...so I thought that I would check it out. I am so glad that I did! Right away I was greeted by friendly people and the selection was amazing! I had looked up diamonds on their site and found the exact one I was looking for. I wasn't totally into it, but we found an even better one, at a better price! It was an amazing diamond and they had tons of options for the actual ring and setting. My fiance really liked a certain style and we found it...and she LOVES IT!!! I felt totally comfortable with Steve and his staff right away, which was such a nice change from the diamond hustlers I had been in contact with throughout. He has an amazing knowledge of diamonds, and he offers them at a great price. He pretty much only carries GIA certified diamonds so I knew right away that the diamond I got was legit and priced correctly - even got a better deal - and free resizing if needed. I wish I had gone there right from the start, would have saved me a lot of time and energy! I know that I will go there for all my future diamond needs! If you want a great diamond, with great "No-Pressure," friendly and honest service, and at a great price, go check them out! DG in LA

I was referred to Inta Gems by a close friend and as soon we walked in we were treated so good like we were family. Peter took the time to go through the process of selecting diamonds and we found the perfect one! Top of the line quality diamond and he helped find the perfect ring setting that had a matching band. It was a great deal. Everyone there was just so friendly and helpful. No pressure at all. We had to get the ring resized and the diamond mounted so we had to wait after the store was closed, but everyone kept us entertained. We would never get this experience anywhere else!! Definitely would recommend Inta Gems for all your jewelry needs.

I found my diamond engagement ring at Inta and my fiance and I couldn't have been happier with our purchase. My ring is stunning, unique, and seemed made for me. We also got a great price and it was such a pleasure to work with Steve and his staff. They were helpful and friendly and very knowledgeable. And their selection is very unique and high quality. We feel very fortunate to have found Inta Gems. I would definitely go back again. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for that special something. This process can be quite overwhelming, but everyone at Inta made the process a wonderful experience. Thank you!

INTA Gems provided my fiance and I with more than just a gorgeous engagement ring and excellent service, but also added to our overall engagement experience. My fiance had searched all over the internet and Los Angeles for the perfect engagement ring. He decided to purchase at INTA Gems because he finally found a very high quality diamond and setting at an extremely reasonable price. He said it was a great experience working with Steve at INTA Gems and that he was very knowledgable and personable. Steve is definitely not a typical salesman. He was geniunely concerned with our overall satisfaction and was sensitive to the fact that purchasing an engagement ring is a very emotional and personal event, which he positively contributed to. When my fiance and I returned to INTA Gems for the ring sizing, Steve immediately recognized my fiance and called him by name. He was very excited for the two of us. Again, Steve made our experience a very pleasant and memorable experience. We will definitely return here for our wedding bands, as well as for our other jewelry purchases. Because of the great service, high quality jewelry, and very reasonable prices, I HIGHLY recommend INTA Gems, Diamond & Jewelry!

I was in search for the perfect Sapphire Engagement ring for my girlfriend (now fiance). After months of visiting many jewelers specializing in sapphires I visited INTA Gems. Their customer service was quick to assist me with my every need in search for that perfect Sapphire Ive been looking for. They offer rare custom rings and a wide variety of gems. I highly recommend this family owned jewelry store and am certain I will be returning to purchase our wedding bands. Honest Jewelers with the best priced gems in town. Thanks INTA Gems!

I work in Rockefeller Center, less than 5 minutes walking to New York's (in)famous Diamond District on 47th Street. After months of contacting dozens of jewelers, it came as a huge surprise that the jeweler I ended up working with was Steve Pheng of INTA gems in sunny Los Angeles. After looking through literally hundreds of stones, Steve proved to be the rare jeweler who could find a diamond that fit my specifications to a tee. Not only that, Steve NEVER tried to sell me a stone that was outside my price range or spec. Steve focused on educating me, finding me the right stone, and giving it to me for the right price. When we finally found the stone, he absolutely crushed the competition on price. Even more than providing the best price, Steve worked with me throughout the entire process to ensure customer satisfaction from start to finish. In the end, I gained not only a great jeweler, but also a friend. He helped me find the stone, and moreover helped me to design a gorgeous setting. And when the setting didn't turn out quite as expected, he bent over backwards to fix the issue, under incredible time pressure. Bottom line, Steve proved that serving the client was more important than making a buck, and for that, he's earned a lifelong customer in me.

I've loved INTA Gems from the first day that I entered their shop. The selection of gems is larger than most typical jewelry stores in Los Angeles. INTA Gems is by far #1 for loose color gems and diamonds in Los Angeles.

I've purchased several blue sapphires, pink sapphires and rubies from them over the past 4 years. I've been on the hunt for a certified 5 carat blue sapphire from Ceylon and they had it! They've been valued for much higher every time at my appraiser.

The family that runs the business, couldn't be any nicer and friendlier. I usually have worked with Steve or Peter. They respect your questions and really try to do their best to help you. And they've even custom made a platinum blue sapphire and diamond ring for me that is beautiful! I get compliments on it all the time from my friends and family.

Some words of advice. I've also noticed that if you visit them in the mornings when they are first opening, there are not as many people are around. You can sometimes get better service by showing up early. They got a bit busy a few times I went there in the late afternoon when the other customers are finishing up their purchases.

And don't expect anything super fancy when you go. INTA operates in a booth in a jewelry plaza surrounded by a lot of other jewelers. It's easy to get confused in the jewelry district. If you find the trays of loose gems and diamonds, and a sign that reads INTA GEMS, you know it's them. Otherwise, you're dealing with another business.

And make sure that you buy from GIA graduate gemologists (like at INTA), not all jewelers actually know about colored gems. Youd be surprise that even experienced jewelers get fooled by laboratory grown synthetics, glass and look-alikes. I know because I was sold pink tourmaline (a cheap gem) by another jeweler who claimed it was a pink sapphire (an expensive gem). They guy mainly dealt with diamonds, so he didnt know what he was doing with colored gems. I don't think he purposely tried to rip me off, but honestly just didn't know enough about pink sapphires. I learned my lesson. I did my research and now I know a little bit more on how to tell them apart. But, INTA Gems guarantees that all of their stones are natural and what they are. And my appraiser has verified that every time I bought something from them that it is what they said it was.

If youre looking for beautiful natural gems at low prices, trust INTA Gems! They know what they are doing!!!

PROS: Great selection, attentive service, low prices
CONS: Finding them for the first time.... but it's worth it.

Hi, we drove from South Orange County (about 60 miles) to visit INTA Gems. It was certainly worth the drive! We had searched many jewelry stores in our area, but nothing could compare to what we purchased at INTA. My husband purchased a wedding ring for me for our 20th Anniversary. It is so beautiful, I love it! The service there was incredible, no high pressure, they are there to educate you and help you select the ring that fits your budget and lifestyle. We would definitely recommend INTA Gems to anyone looking for exquisite jewelry. Tina, Peter and Connie were wonderful! Thanks!

I got a gorgeous custom-made 3 stone diamond ring in platinum and 18K yellow gold. What makes my ring special is that Ive got two matching color-change alexandrites next to the center diamond!!! Do you realize how difficult it is to get a genuine Alexandrite gemstone!??? And two matching ones no less! Its one of the rarest gems on the planet and its really special because its the birthstone of my girlfriend (June). I was weighing between emerald, princess and radiant cut center diamonds, but eventually got a cushion cut diamond to match the 2 cushion alexandrites. Inta Gems had the best selection of natural alexandrite in the jewelry district and anywhere! Ya, Inta's not a traditional retailer in the mall... and ya, people get confused in the LA jewelry mart sometimes... but if you're a wise shopper, it's worth it to go there. The drive, the parking, the traffic... but what did I get in return? My girfriend (now fiance) is so happy with her engagement ring! She's hasn't stop talking about it. If you ever hesitate to go to the downtown jewelry mart in the LA jewelry district, don't. Go! Go! Inta gems is the best jewelry store in LA! Another cool thing was that I even saw Miss California there trying on jewelry when I picked up my ring! I was kinda surprised. In any case, trust me, its worth it the drive (Im from San Diego). Thanks Inta, well be back for our wedding bands soon! And diamond stud earrings for my mom too!

Just got a custom designed 1.52 carat F/VS2 round diamond engagement ring in platinum from Inta Gems & Diamonds. I have to say that my fianc and I are so incredibly happy with the service, product and craftsmanship of the ring. After shopping at many other jewelers in the jewelry district, I really feel that I got the best deal for my money. They have a great website that I checked before going in, but they are not an internet jeweler. They will actually show you diamonds before you buy, which was my main concern. How can I spend thousands of dollars and not see the diamond first? Ive seen a few other friends that have bought off of internet sites, and if you compare, there is no comparison. Inta Gems diamond rings are much better. Most importantly theyll treat you like real person and not just another sale.

Nice family/people to work with. Decent customer service. But they kept bragging about how good the quality their workmanship is and their claim to fame designing for Miss California. Thing is, the work is done by people contracted out. When I went to pick up my custom ordered ring (which was later than they promised it would be ready), it wasn't even polished. I had to complain about imperfections I could see with the naked eye before it was fixed. I recently took it to another jeweler to get it looked at and polished. He offered me his scope and I could see tons of imperfections and irregularities in the setting (e.g., prongs not smooth, pave setting over cut, etc.) You won't get ripped off by Inta Gems, but I can honestly say I'm disappointed that the product that they provided wasn't up to the lip service they gave. There are other places in the LA jewelry district that can give you a decent price, nice service, and better quality.

If you are looking for great deal and quality on jewelries, Steven Pheng is your man. He found the perfect rock (1.35 FVS2 3X!!) for the engagement ring I am about to give. I've visited the Diamond District in Manhattan, surfed on Blue Nile, and shopped around various dealers, but nobody came close his quality and price. Although I live in NY, the transaction was seamless. I will not hesitate to recommend him to all my friends! Thanks Steven!

The first thing you'll notice at INTA Gems is that they treat you right and explain things to you in detail.

At INTA, the family that runs the business, actually treats you like family. Connie and her son, Peter, helped me pick a tanzanite and diamond ring for my wife. They did a great job!

Connie and Peter never tried to pressure me to buy anything. They just explained everything to you in a very easy way and just lets you make the best decision for you. I hate feeling like someone is pressuring me, and I never felt that way at all at INTA. Especially when I'm buying something like jewelry, which can be intimidating at first.

They had huge selection of colorstones, which at makes picking one a bit more difficult because they all look beautiful, but you'll see that each have their own individual characteristics and you'll begin to like one more than the others. I spent 2 hours looking at 3-4 carat tanzanites. But, I'd rather have the problem of having too many to choose from than not. I got a great price for the ring as well. Much better than all the other jewelers in the jewelry district and even lower than online jewelers. Most importantly, my wife, Jenn, loved the ring! She wears it everyday and her friends always compliment her on how beautiful it is. That makes me happy.

I can't say enough about how much like enjoyed my experience buying a ring at INTA Gems. Im actually looking forward to buying something else this Christmas. Definitely go check them out if you want a fantastic ring, great price and friendly service. INTA Gems is the way to go!

PROS: Great Service, Beautiful Gemstones, No Pressure
CONS: None

After searching the web for countless hours for a black diamond, I decided to do a search of a store that a friend of mine used to get his engagement ring. When that jewelers name didnt come up with a website, the search engine listed some alternative jewelers. Of the few that came up but I emailed Inta Gems. A few days later, I was talking over size, color and such with Peter and Steve. Within 4 days My Fianc and I were at the store picking up the diamond and choosing the band to go with it. Everything worked out at end after months of searching I was able to find exactly what my fianc wanted.

PROS: Great Customer Service!
CONS: