Engagement Ring and Diamond Purchasing Advice

[Rack Em]

I'm currently searching for engagement rings for my girlfriend. I already know what she likes in terms of a ring, the setting, etc. I have that down.

I've done my research on diamonds and I have a very good grasp on what's good and what's shit. All I've done the last few weeks is read about color, cut, clarity, and carats. But I'm trying to figure out how to maximize my purchasing power on a diamond.

Obviously jewelers have an extra mark up built in to the price of their diamonds. And I would like to avoid that mark so I can put a little more into the actual diamond. But I don't know whether the jeweler I've been in contact with (or many other ones for that matter) would be willing to set a diamond that I buy on my own? I'm also a little nervous about shopping around for diamonds online and not being able to see them in person.

Does anybody have thoughts, advice, or personal experiences?

 

[tko]

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is all.

 

[notredomer23]

I do not have anything to contribute as far as diamond advice, but good luck buddy!

 

[enrico514]

I'm currently searching for engagement rings for my girlfriend. I already know what she likes in terms of a ring, the setting, etc. I have that down.

I've done my research on diamonds and I have a very good grasp on what's good and what's shit. All I've done the last few weeks is read about color, cut, clarity, and carats. But I'm trying to figure out how to maximize my purchasing power on a diamond.

Obviously jewelers have an extra mark up built in to the price of their diamonds. And I would like to avoid that mark so I can put a little more into the actual diamond. But I don't know whether the jeweler I've been in contact with (or many other ones for that matter) would be willing to set a diamond that I buy on my own? I'm also a little nervous about shopping around for diamonds online and not being able to see them in person.

Does anybody have thoughts, advice, or personal experiences?

Can't the person you are buying the stone from suggest a friendly jeweller. I'm certain you would't be his first client to be face with such a situation.

 

[irish1958]

I let my future wife pick the ring she wanted and she paid for it. It worked out fairly well fifty years ago.
Congratulations,by the way,

 

[tadman95]

Get a dog.......

 

[CraigKrenzel]

I'm not sure if local jewelers will set your stone, but I can't see why they wouldn't really. A site like James Allen (jamesallen.com) lets you see the actual diamonds unlike, say, Blue Nile, which gave me some comfort buying online.

Same with Brian Gavin Diamonds, which is where I got my ring. I got a good deal, I believe, by buying a diamond with some florescence. I'd really recommend BGD (Brian Gavin: Custom Engagement Rings, Loose Diamonds & Designer Jewelry) and their "Blue" line because of it.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I went through this song and dance two years ago:

The "5 C's" are nice and all, but go for the biggest stone possible that doesn't have any inclusions visible to the naked eye.

My friend bought a "perfect diamond" (D clarity, etc.) for the same price I did. His was .5 carat, mine was 1.5 carat (both princess cut solitaires). When you compare the two without a jewelers loop, it is impossible to tell the difference from a "5 C" standpoint, and my wife is MUCH happier with hers. Your girlfriend wants a large stone that gathers attention, TRUST ME. Women are competitive like that.


*Also, diamonds are about the biggest sunk-cost of all-time, so don't worry too much about it from an investment standpoint. You will lose no matter what.


As far as bands go, I went with white gold. People say get platinum because the gold needs replating, but after 2 years her band is fine.

Good luck, and my condolences.....

 

[BobD]

Take the emotion of getting engaged out of the transaction. Jewelers will try to play that up especially if your girl is around. IMO it's best to have her approve of the ring just to be safe and make sure she'll love it, but discuss business without her. My wife's wedding and engagement ring started out at 13k (18 years ago).....I got it for just over 6k after about 30 days of bargaining and making two jewelers compete .

 

[IrishSteelhead]

One more thing (I know way too much about this crap now):

If you are on a budget, halo rings are a nice alternative to a solitaire, and are very popular now. The diamond weight is distributed over many smaller stones, keeping the price low(er).

 

[eNDzone]

Was this thread posted by the same guy who started the "Question About A Girl" thread?

 

[D-BOE34]

Blue Nile Diamonds...

When I sold jewelry we would hate when customers came in for a setting and said they had purchased a diamond from Blue Nile. The prices are pretty damn good and the customer service is fantastic.

Good luck!

*If you can find a Rogers/Andrews/Samuels around you, they most likely WILL set the diamond for a small price. As long as they have the jeweler in house.

 

[BobD]

And Congratulations

 

[woolybug25]

I think you have to find the happy median your fiancé wants. The reality is that if she wants a 1.5 carat ring, then you better have the $10k+ it costs to have it be a "perfect" diamond. Otherwise, you will have to sacrifice on of the "5 C's".

I have to disagree slightly with steelhead in regards to choosing size over everything, but in a sense he is right about carats. It doesn't matter how nice the diamond is if it's less than a carat, imo. She'll always have to respond to the question of size with an embarrassing number.

Now, if you are choosing between say... A 1 carat or a 1.5, then take the smaller diamond if it's better quality. Also, if there is one "C" you absolutely do not skimp on... It's clarity. If a diamond is murky or doesn't sparkle, then it will look awful next to a nicer diamond. If a diamond doesn't sparkle, it doesn't matter what size it is, it will look fake.

Good luck, buddy!

 

[ACamp1900]

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is all.

.

 

[Damion704]

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is all.

+1 lol

 

[ACamp1900]

Ha, I got very lucky... My grandmother took her ring and had it molded together with grandpas when he passed... Then she willed it to me... Wife now wears it proudly...

 

[woolybug25]

Hmm... I assumed ACamp would have just slipped the paper ring of his cigar onto his lady's finger, slapped her ass and shook his empty glass... As she walked into the kitchen to shake him up another martini... He stops her, "hey sweetheart". She replies, "yes dear?"...

"You're welcome" - ACamp

 

[ACamp1900]

Pimpaholic....

 

[A Pac]

Not gonna lie, when I saw this thread title I thougt it was posted by Brick4956.

Anyways, you should check out the "Question about a girl" thread. Lots of good advice on that thread.

 

[Cackalacky]

Steelhead hit most of the big points.

Big thing is if you are going to add any other gems or do a special setting to the ring make DAMN SURE they are what she likes. I know too many horror stories of guys buying a ring with the wrong setting or adding gems she does not want. They will wear it but they will hate it. From my experience the diamond needs to pop and be the size she wants.

My advice is if it is a sure thing she says yes then involve her as much as possible n choosing the setting and cuts. I basically designed the ring with my wife and had a jeweler build it. Then when we got married he made a band that fit with the engagement ring he built.

He did wax molds for us to check before he built the ring too. That helped a lot. Best decision of my life.

 

[A Pac]

Jewelry and pharmaceuticals are the biggest rip-offs on the planet. I went to a guy my uncle has known for 30 years and got an awesome deal. Try to find someone you can get a deal from. I got a much bigger ring for a much lower price.

Just make sure it's clear and sparkles. It's worth a blowjob later.

 

[Rack Em]

I appreciate all the advice, fellas!

She wears a 4.5 ring size and she's a nurse, so 1 carat might be too much. But we'll see. And she's told me that the cut and clarity are more important to her than having a huge diamond.

I've found a couple of settings that I like, but the couple of diamonds the jeweler showed me were sub par in my opinion.

3/4 carat, Ideal cut, I color, SI1 for $3,500. They pulled that one out to give me an idea of what a 3/4 carat would look like in the setting and I checked the grading. I'm not happy about that and that has prompted me to look into bringing my own. But she's pretty snooty and full of herself so I have the sense she won't work with me if I do that.

Compounding the problems is that I'm trying to find the ring at home in MO to support a local business. But I'm finishing my last semester of law school and I'm not in the mood to get screwed (again).

 

[FLDomer]

I was able to get into a jewelry show in Chicago, and freaken scored. My aunt got me the passes and told me about a jeweler who was very superstitious and felt it was bad luck to let the first customer walk without a sale. I took her advice and b-lined it to the guys booth as soon as the doors opened. He had style the my now wife, loves and after about 30minutes going back and forth (he even let me take it to get looked at by independent appraisers) and the deal was done. The ring is a 2.5 Carats princess cut and I paid $3,500 for it. It has been appraised and insured for just over 10k. True story, boom! Not really adivice there, just bragging.

My advice is if you know what she likes and you can afford it get it and if you are marrying the right girl she will love it no matter what!

 

[ACamp1900]

Anyone have a fancy ring themselves?? We went to the local Mexican swap meet for mine... It's literally a 20 dollar hunk of cheap silver... Lol... We had the intention of getting a 'real ring' later but six years have passed and this dented up thing now has quite a bit of sentimental value...

 

[BobD]

You could also just scroll down to the bottom of this page....all the ads are about jewelry because of the topic. Someone should start a massage thread just to see what kind of ads we get.

 

[ACamp1900]

You could also just scroll down to the bottom of this page....all the ads are about jewelry because of the topic. Someone should start a massage thread just to see what kind of ads we get.

Gay panda porn....

 

[A Pac]

Gay panda porn....

Maybe that's why Pandas rarely mate. They prefer the "USC" route.

 

[peoriairish]

I appreciate all the advice, fellas!

She wears a 4.5 ring size and she's a nurse, so 1 carat might be too much. But we'll see. And she's told me that the cut and clarity are more important to her than having a huge diamond.

I've found a couple of settings that I like, but the couple of diamonds the jeweler showed me were sub par in my opinion.

3/4 carat, Ideal cut, I color, SI1 for $3,500. They pulled that one out to give me an idea of what a 3/4 carat would look like in the setting and I checked the grading. I'm not happy about that and that has prompted me to look into bringing my own. But she's pretty snooty and full of herself so I have the sense she won't work with me if I do that.

Compounding the problems is that I'm trying to find the ring at home in MO to support a local business. But I'm finishing my last semester of law school and I'm not in the mood to get screwed (again).

My fiance is a nurse as well and has one that is a hair under 1 carat. She says it's fine with the gloves. I was able to get one that's was cut a little more shallow, so the face looked bigger than most 1 carats. It worked out well.

And like you, I chose quality of size. It would just bother me that I would know there were a couple inclusions, even if you couldn't see them without a loop. I would know they were there. We are both much happier today after going for quality over size.

 

[JTLA]

Advice? It's a pretty good metaphor for marriage...

Advice? It's a pretty good metaphor for marriage...

Who gives a shit about the five Cs?

Spend more than you can afford and get one bigger than she's expecting.

THAT is all.