The time has come for me to buy my gf an engagement ring.  Any advice on where to get one.  Anybody have a online store that they would reccomend.


Thanks.

advice:  RUN!

Forever Love Fine Jewelry

Run fast.

R.

Drive to NY and go to the diamond district. Chinatown (Canal Street) also. There's many jewelry stores literally on top of one another. Get your best deal and tell the guy next door. See if he can compete. Do this over and over and you'll be sure to walk away knowing you got a good deal.
That's what I did and my wife and I are both happy. It's worth the drive if you don't have this type of thing in your area. You sould use it as an excuse to spend the weekend in NYC, if that's your sort of thing. See a play or something.

Good luck.

EDIT:
Just read your post again. Do not buy a diamond without seeing it in person. Don't do it online.

Tiffany's for the additional sentimental value. that blue box means a lot to some women, especially those from places where it isn't an everyday sight

bluenile.com for commodity purchase. You pick your stone, you pay your price.

I would first research the diamond that you want to get her. That's the expensive part. Never buy a ring already set. You will pay more and get a whole lot less. You want to be able to view the inclusions under the scope. If the dealer will not do this for you, turn around and LEAVE immediately.

Decide how much you want to spend. That will tell you the carat size, clarity, and color combination that you can get.

Find out BEFORE HAND what cut she prefers. If she is going to wear it forever, you better make damn sure you get the right one.

I used this site as a loose guide but it helped me bigDIAMOND SELECTOR

Oh yeah, I hope she says yes

Quoted: Drive to NY and go to the diamond district. Chinatown (Canal Street) also. There's many jewelry stores literally on top of one another. Get your best deal and tell the guy next door. See if he can compete. Do this over and over and you'll be sure to walk away knowing you got a good deal. That's what I did and my wife and I are both happy. It's worth the drive if you don't have this type of thing in your area. You sould use it as an excuse to spend the weekend in NYC, if that's your sort of thing. See a play or something. Good luck.

For that exact scenario, many of them are affiliated and actually cell / radio call each other in what amounts to price fixing. I've watched it happen. You can pay a lot more for a "deal" than you will through a straightforward broker place like bluenile.com

Quoted: Quoted: Drive to NY and go to the diamond district. Chinatown (Canal Street) also. There's many jewelry stores literally on top of one another. Get your best deal and tell the guy next door. See if he can compete. Do this over and over and you'll be sure to walk away knowing you got a good deal. That's what I did and my wife and I are both happy. It's worth the drive if you don't have this type of thing in your area. You sould use it as an excuse to spend the weekend in NYC, if that's your sort of thing. See a play or something. Good luck. For that exact scenario, many of them are affiliated and actually cell / radio call each other in what amounts to price fixing. I've watched it happen. You can pay a lot more for a "deal" than you will through a straightforward broker place like bluenile.com

Good to know. I this is the case then spread things out over a few hours. For what it's worth I did not experience this.

My girlfriend says "BIGGER is BETTER!!"(Hope she's talking about rings?)

We have friends that go to Jamaica every year to buy jewelry and they always bring back a lot with diamond certificates and written guarantees that if it does not appraise out for twice what they paid for it they will buy it back no questions asked.  So take her to Couples Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  Buy a ring from Terry at the onsite jewelry store and with 4 days there and a nice nice ring you'll have paid what you would have here for just the ring.

Free advice the best money I ever spent: prenup.

RUN FORREST, RUN !!!!!

These guys are very good www.goodoldgold.com/ -- uber amounts of diamond info on the site, too.

- CD

PS: Be careful, this marriage thing is a trap. :-)

it's a trap.

oh, and advice: don't do it.

Learn the 4 Cs:  Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.  Cut is the shape.  Carat weight is size.  Trust me on this:  go less on size and put your $$ into color and clarity.

I was given a family stone but looked into BlueNile and a few other places first.  When I had the stone in hand I went to Jarrod's Galleria of Jewelry.  I wasn't thrilled by many of their prices UNTIL I got around to diamond settings.  I picked out a setting that my wife LOVES with 4 accent stones (2 round stones on each side), all platinum (ring and diamond mount), had the diamond installed with the appropriate 6 prong mount, and walked out for what I thought (and still think) was a good deal.

DO NOT buy an assembled ring.
DO NOT buy it in a mall (I was really skeptical about Jarrod's)
DO NOT let a salesperson tell you what your G/F would like, you need to have these ideas.

DO decide your priorities before you shop.  What drives the decision?  Size?  Cost?
DO make sure you know her ring size (this is easy to get if she has a ring that she wears on that finger)
DO scope out her other jewelry for material and style cues.  I did not do that, and now I pay for it every holiday because now she wears platinum, she didn't before.  If she has a lot of jewelry in a particular metal, stick with that "color".

A better quality diamond (well cut, lots of cuts) will reflect more light and thus look bigger than a poor quality diamond (too included, poor cut, poor color).

Diamond brokers can be good deals, there are a few around the DC area.  I imagine there are many in NYC.  The problem is you have to be VERY patient and have a good idea what you are getting into.

Bottom line:  do lots of research.

shooter

Quoted: Tiffany's for the additional sentimental value. that blue box means a lot to some women, especially those from places where it isn't an everyday sight <snip>

So true. Several years ago a young employee of mine asked if I knew where he could buy an engagement ring for his lady friend.
I arranged a meeting between this young man and one of my closest friends, whom is a rather well known jeweller.

Well, to shorten the story, the young fella had a custom designed diamond ring made (one of a kind). Out the door price was just a bit over 18K. Retail, this item would have been nearly 30K.
Well, since it did not have the Tiffany's box, the lady friend was not impressed, was even 'embarrassed' to show her friends.

I believe the young fella chose unwisely.

Skip the ring and buy a house.  

I'd give you the standard DON'T DO IT speech, but no one ever listens.

Still, out of a sense of duty: Don't do it.

Instead of going through all thses troubles, just find a woman who hates you and give her your house.

Quoted: Learn the 4 Cs:  Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.  Cut is the shape.  Carat weight is size.  Trust me on this:  go less on size and put your $$ into color and clarity.

This man knows what he is talking about!!!!! Listen to him and you will be happy for a long time!@!!!!

Slug-O

I'm a gemstone wholesaler, but I deal in higher end colored stone. I can special order Diamonds and usually beat most anyones prices. Here's a couple that grabbed my eye.

The first:

EGL-Certified-1 carat-H Color-I1 Clarity-Round Cut-
$1,800

The gem has been certified by EGL-USA (certificate US 77327242D included with purchase) and appraised at $5,980.

The other is:
1 carat-I-J color- VS2 clarity- Round cut.

I don't think this one is certified but it is a slightly nicer stone. It would run $2,500 and would certainly appraise way higher.

Both of those are at worst, slightly to signifigantly below wholesale. Absolutely and definitely WAY below retail. Like I said, they are a special order. That means cash up front to cover the order, all prices do not include shipping. I get a 20 day return guarantee and extend that to you. If everything is handled overnight that gives you around 14 days to make sure you like the stone, get it appraised, whatever.

The above prices include my markup, which is $300 on any Diamond, be it a $10,000 stone or a $800 stone.

If you decide you'd like to give it a try, drop me an IM.

Quoted: Quoted: Tiffany's for the additional sentimental value. that blue box means a lot to some women, especially those from places where it isn't an everyday sight <snip> So true. Several years ago a young employee of mine asked if I knew where he could buy an engagement ring for his lady friend. I arranged a meeting between this young man and one of my closest friends, whom is a rather well known jeweller. Well, to shorten the story, the young fella had a custom designed diamond ring made (one of a kind). Out the door price was just a bit over 18K. Retail, this item would have been nearly 30K. Well, since it did not have the Tiffany's box, the lady friend was not impressed, was even 'embarrassed' to show her friends. I believe the young fella chose unwisely.

If you have to spend 15-50 grand for a 5 thousand dollar ring, the wrong choice wasn't made on where to shop, it was made on whom to marry. For the record, 18 grand should buy a 3-6 carat stone, depending on quality. Any girl that would piss and moan about an 18k dollar purchase isn't marrying material...IMO.

If you have to spend 15-50 grand for a 5 thousand dollar ring, the wrong choice wasn't made on where to shop, it was made on whom to marry. ...... Any girl that would piss and moan about an 18k dollar purchase isn't marrying material...IMO.

Yep.  

Listen to me.  I know what the fuck I'm talking about.  

ONLY CUT MATTERS! CUT CUT CUT!

If you don't buy an ideal cut diamond, you have no idea what you are buying.  Everything else will in all likelihood be a ripoff.  You'll go to stores with Very Good cuts, or near Ideal cuts.  That don't mean shit.  The cut of the diamond is where 90% of the value is.  Everything else is like buying a car; the minute you walk it off the premises it's worth 25-30% less than what you paid for it.  An ideal cut diamond will hold its value or increase in value in the future.  Sure, you're probably not ever going to sell this diamond, but do you really want to buy your future wife a piece of crap?  Shop around, get smart, and buy from the guy with ideal cut diamonds at the lowest price.  

Quoted: Listen to me.  I know what the fuck I'm talking about.   ONLY CUT MATTERS! CUT CUT CUT! If you don't buy an ideal cut diamond, you have no idea what you are buying.  Everything else will in all likelihood be a ripoff.  You'll go to stores with Very Good cuts, or near Ideal cuts.  That don't mean shit.  The cut of the diamond is where 90% of the value is.  Everything else is like buying a car; the minute you walk it off the premises it's worth 25-30% less than what you paid for it.  An ideal cut diamond will hold its value or increase in value in the future.  Sure, you're probably not ever going to sell this diamond, but do you really want to buy your future wife a piece of crap?  Shop around, get smart, and buy from the guy with ideal cut diamonds at the lowest price.

That's totally subjective. That's like saying "only buy a sig550 because it will hold it's value best."

It not being a sig550 wouldn't make a flawless Colt AR-15 that he picked up for $300 a bad investment.

He is right, cut does matter. But ideal cut is also going to cost you a premium. And unless you happen to be a cerified gemologist or a stone cutter, you aren't going to know an ideal cut when you see one. It all depends on what YOU are looking for. Personally I'd rather have the $300 Colt than the $8500 Sig.

The one point that applies, no matter what, is RESEARCH your purchase. It's hard to get fucked when you're an educated consumer. I'd have been glad to give you the whole long lesson on buying Diamonds, but the fact is nobody here ever listens to me. I'm just the guy that does this for a living. When it's all said and done, time after time, most people just run off to Tiffanies or some other stupidly priced retial chain and throw their money away. Hype sells these days.

If you want to know the real fact, Diamonds are an artificial market. Diamonds are just near as rare as Quartz. DeBeers makes them scarce. The words "Diamond" and "Good Investment" don't belong in the same sentence, unless you happen to be in the business of selling them. And even then, you had beeter know exactly what the fuck you are doing.

By the way, saying that only cut matters is ludicrous. You might have a flawless ideal cut 7 carat Diamond but it has Z color. You've got nothing more than a nicely faceted piece of coal.

You might have a D color stone with ideal cut but a shit clarity. It's still just a nicely cut turd.

He IS right in the regard that nobody is probably going to waste an ideal cut on a turd stone though. None the less, it's much better to be educated on exactly what you want and what you want to spend on it. Don't ever base your decision on just one factor.  You want to get the best value for your money, bottom line. Setting forth stringent guidlines isn't going to do that for you. There's no such thing as a bargain on a 2005 Lamborghini. You either want a bargain, or you want a Lambo. Same deal with Diamonds, you just aren't going to get both.

Quoted: ... Same deal with Diamonds, you just aren't going to get both.

... Listen to hatebreed, he know of what he speaks.

... BTW, I'll sell you one cheap - $12K, barely used

Please ignore the bitter assholes telling you to run and all that crap.  Congrats on finding a great woman (I hope).

First things first, make sure you absolutely positively know her ring size.  Even if she thinks she knows it, double-check.  If she wears rings already, borrow one and size it.

If you know her friends at all, ask them what she prefers in jewelry.  Simple or extravagent, white or yellow gold, etc.

Good luck with everything.

here's what I would do. i think diamonds are a scam. like trading puka beads on south sea islands for gold and pearls. you get an almost useless thing for a ridicoulus price.

i think at one time people gave jewelry to their wives as a sort of insurance policy if they passed on. nowadays it s a joke..

i would try to talk your perpective into this.... buy her a bond or something trully safe. and have a 2 carat zirconium ring made that no one will know about if you do the right thing. she has some real security and not some useless rock..

thats what i would do..

Quoted: Quoted: ... Same deal with Diamonds, you just aren't going to get both. ... Listen to hatebreed, he know of what he speaks. ... BTW, I'll sell you one cheap - $12K, barely used members.cox.net/winston_wolf/ring0405.jpg

See, this is precisely what I'm talking about. I don't know specifics on what that ring has in it as far as carat weight and quality, but I am absolutely sure he paid ALOT more than he's asking for it.

By the way Winston, if you IM specifics on that ring I might be able to move it for you. If I do, you can have a case of ammo sent to my house...sound fair?

Here's my advice.  Get the nicest ring you can for $2500 or less.  If it pisses her off that you're not willing to spend more than that on a ring, break off the engagement.

Go to Tiffany.com.

Request a diamond consultation.

Talk to them.

That blue box means tons.  I did that last christmas, it wasn't an engagement ring, just a pearl necklace, but damn, that blue box means a lot.

EDIT:  It is imperative that you learn her favorite cut.  Most of the guys here would be like "if she isn't happy with somethign you pick out, fuck it."  But why not try and go out of your way to try and make her completely happy?  If she's marrying material, then she's worth every bit of stress that accumulates due to figuring all this stuff out.  Good luck and Congrats!

Quoted: Learn the 4 Cs:  Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight.  Cut is the shape.  Carat weight is size.  Trust me on this:  go less on size and put your $$ into color and clarity.

+1000

I was asking this question a year ago and went with quality over quantity. I ended up with a beautiful 3/4 carat round cut that is a G in color and a VVS1 in clarity. The stone sparkles so much that she has other women comment on it out in public all the time.

Buy a loose stone from a reputable, small place instead of chain store in the mall. The big guys have big rent to pay and reflect that in their price. Their low quality diamonds were more expensive than the premium stone I bought my fiance.

My Advise:Cubic Zirconium...just don't tell her



$34.99 - and she is yours

Cubic Zirconium Engagement Rings

She'll be happy at having a "Big Rock" to show off to her girl friends.
(the point is to make her happy ..right?)

If she ends up divorcing you after you're married..you aren't out much cash.

My choice was Duck 916 or engagement ring...
Fast forward 6 years...
I got a great wife and still no bike

Russian laboratory made, FLAWLESS, large, REAL diamonds - dirt cheap.

Quoted: Go to Tiffany.com. Request a diamond consultation. Talk to them. That blue box means tons.

Yep, it does mean tons. Tons of wasted money. If you want to pay 10 grand or more for a name on a box, it's a great idea. If your wife to be will value a stupid box more than the down payment on your future home or a 2 week carribean vacation or a brand new car, then Tiffanies is the place to shop.

FYI, Tiffanies buys their rocks the exact same place as me, and I couldn't be more of a nobody. The shit they're calling scarce and worth so much money, I watch my source pack into 55 gallon drums, and up onto the semi truck every single year.

Quoted: Listen to me.  I know what the fuck I'm talking about.   ONLY CUT MATTERS! CUT CUT CUT! If you don't buy an ideal cut diamond, you have no idea what you are buying.  Everything else will in all likelihood be a ripoff.  You'll go to stores with Very Good cuts, or near Ideal cuts.  That don't mean shit.  The cut of the diamond is where 90% of the value is.  Everything else is like buying a car; the minute you walk it off the premises it's worth 25-30% less than what you paid for it.  An ideal cut diamond will hold its value or increase in value in the future.  Sure, you're probably not ever going to sell this diamond, but do you really want to buy your future wife a piece of crap?  Shop around, get smart, and buy from the guy with ideal cut diamonds at the lowest price.

When talking about diamonds, there are 3 C's that should be considered:

CUT - refers to the "shape" of the cut of the stone (emerald / oval / round / princess etc.)
CARAT - refers to the SIZE of the stone (if single) or the total size of stones in a setting
CLARITY - refering to its clearness. It should be white (not hazy nor should it have any hint of color) it should be flawless (it should not have any scratches, cracks or carbon deposits).

The CUT is just one of the things you should consider.

Quoted: Russian laboratory made, FLAWLESS, large, REAL diamonds - dirt cheap.

Well?


diamond appraised at $40,000 for about $150.

Buy the stone and then shop for the setting.  It's cheaper that way.

Beware:  A very very great many jewelry stores are , well, misleading if not completely dishonest.  Shop carefully, shop locally, and shop in person.  Also clearly indicate you will take the ring elsewhere to have it appraised after the sale.  if they have a problem with that, shop elsewhere.  If there is a no return policy, shop elsewhere....

Diamonds are graded on FOUR characteristics, the four C's:

Carats:  Size.  Everyone thinks bigger is better.  To an extent, it is.  However there are a LOT of really big but really shitty stones out there.  A BIG (1.0+) of any quality is gonna cost you a LOT of cash (think $4,000+).  For what it is worth, most big rings suck....  they look trashy as hell, and just scream "no class".........

Color:  Here is where most diamonds fall down.  Poor color.  Color is basically set on an alphabet scale.  "G" and "H" are decent near colorless "white" diamonds.  A LOT, and I mean a whole TON of stones out there, and most of the big assed no class 1.0 carat+ stones are poor color.  I'm talking "M" "N" and worse.  These are yellow.  Sure, they look great in the store, but the store has enhanced lighting to make em look good.  Set a good "G" beside a poor "M" and the difference is readily apparent.

Clarity:  Another big downfall.  refers to all teh shit inside teh stone.  Again, a lot of big stones are I1 and I2 (Inclusions 1 and Inclusions 2).  In otherwords, big chuncks of crap in there.  SI1 ans SI2 small inclusions, etc.  Smaller the inclusions, the brighter the stone.

Cut:  Take a great stone, and frik up the faceting (cutting) and it won't shine for a damn.  

Most guys go for big.  Bigger the better.  Ya think they were buying a new penis or something.  Forget teh honking big assed ring, and go for class.

For what its worth, my wife has a very nice half carat stone, set in a unique bezel set (great because she works with kids and it does not catch).  Even set inside the bezel, this high quality stone looks fabulous, and she gets many many compliments on the ring.  Its a very high quality stone, so it seems to simply generate light on its own.



Appraisals:  Most dollar figures on appraisals are worthless.  They ALWAYS come in high (double).  Just use it to ensure the size, color, cut, and clarity measure up.

Prices:  Jewelry markups are INSANE.  We are talking HUGE.  If its a $3000 ring "on sale" for $1500, the jewelry store is STILL making TONS on that ring.  As for the store owner. Bargain.  If they won't budge, walk.  It works really well if you have cash in hand...

Quoted: Quoted: Russian laboratory made, FLAWLESS, large, REAL diamonds - dirt cheap. Well? diamond appraised at $40,000 for about $150.

and you aren't rich yet?

Quoted: Beware:  A very very great many jewelry stores are , well, misleading if not completely dishonest.  Shop carefully, shop locally, and shop in person.  Also clearly indicate you will take the ring elsewhere to have it appraised after the sale.  if they have a problem with that, shop elsewhere.  If there is a no return policy, shop elsewhere....

Same as with guns. Limit yourself to locally and you'll limit yourself to local prices. No wholesalers in your town, be ready to pay retail. Not really the greatest advice. As far as dishonesty, he's pretty well right. To that end, you are FAR more likely to find a return policy online than locally. Most brick and mortar jewelry stores are limited to EXCHANGE.

Carats:  Size.  Everyone thinks bigger is better.  To an extent, it is.  However there are a LOT of really big but really shitty stones out there.  A BIG (1.0+) of any quality is gonna cost you a LOT of cash (think $4,000+).  For what it is worth, most big rings suck....  they look trashy as hell, and just scream "no class".........

Uh huh. Guess you didn't read my price quotes. On a "quality stone" that exceeds your standards I beat your lowest price by almost half. By the way...1 carat is not BIG, it's actually rather small as far as jewelry goes. Usually right around 6mm. Only in a Diamond would one carat be considered large and only then because of price considerations. It's definitely nothing to scoff at but it's far from trashy. Trashy is how folks generally refer to things with gold and "large" diamonds in them when they cannot afford them.

Color:  Here is where most diamonds fall down.  Poor color.  Color is basically set on an alphabet scale.  "G" and "H" are decent near colorless "white" diamonds.  A LOT, and I mean a whole TON of stones out there, and most of the big assed no class 1.0 carat+ stones are poor color.  I'm talking "M" "N" and worse.  These are yellow.  Sure, they look great in the store, but the store has enhanced lighting to make em look good.  Set a good "G" beside a poor "M" and the difference is readily apparent.

Actually DEF would be the whitest, followed by GHI. H-I is where SLIGHT visible yellowing begins. So the G-H you quoted are very much to the outer limits of near colorless. After I, color declines rapidly. An M rated Diamond would not be slightly yellow, it would be distinctly and obviously yellowish brown to the extent a blind person could see it. If you could find an M color Diamond marketed as anything other than a "champagne Diamond" ie; BROWN...I would eat it. There'd be no need to set it next to a G because you could see the difference from 300 ft. apart...or more realistically, without comparison at all.

Clarity:  Another big downfall.  refers to all teh shit inside teh stone.  Again, a lot of big stones are I1 and I2 (Inclusions 1 and Inclusions 2).  In otherwords, big chuncks of crap in there.  SI1 ans SI2 small inclusions, etc.  Smaller the inclusions, the brighter the stone.

Actually I1 falls in the outer limits of "eye clean" depending on what type of inclusion. Carbon inclusion is black carbon spots, while a crystal inclusion would be hard to see without a loupe. Anything SI or better, as long as the inclusion is not carbon should be perfectly clean to your naked eye, period.

I can appreciate trying to help people, but almost everything you just said was complete and total misinformation. What wasn't complete misinformation was 100% personal opinion. Keep in mind, I have no staked interest, I actually think Diamonds are a giant scam, that's why I don't carry them. I won't carry a product where price and profit are predetermined by a third party. But if you're GOING to get a Diamond, it's best to be educated.

Quoted: Prices:  Jewelry markups are INSANE.  We are talking HUGE.  If its a $3000 ring "on sale" for $1500, the jewelry store is STILL making TONS on that ring.  As for the store owner. Bargain.  If they won't budge, walk.  It works really well if you have cash in hand...

That's about the most sensible thing you have said. Cash in hand always talks. Also, keep in mind, that while JEWELRY markups are huge, most mom and pop jewelry stores aren't buying Diamonds in volumes large enough to be making huge money. Small DeBeers parcels start at 50 or 100 grand and are NOT awesome parcels. Unfortunately, those mom and pop stores are the guys that will deal for cash so I wouldn't expect any huge price break unless they're in it right, which is of course always a possiblity. There's always the chance they bought it off a walk in who didn't want to get fucked by the local pawn broker. Make a low offer at Zales or such, and I can promise that sound you hear is them laughing AT you..not with you.

Truly, being educated and getting your stone from a reputable online broker with a solid return policy is your best bet IMO.

I have been with my GF for almost 5 years and I know just what kind of ring to get her.  How?  I asked.  It is that simple.  We are not planning on getting married and not engaged but when that time comes i know what she wants and that is what she will get.

It's nice to be with someone who said don't you dare spend too much on that thing.

Quoted: Quoted: Prices:  Jewelry markups are INSANE.  We are talking HUGE.  If its a $3000 ring "on sale" for $1500, the jewelry store is STILL making TONS on that ring.  As for the store owner. Bargain.  If they won't budge, walk.  It works really well if you have cash in hand... That's about the most sensible thing you have said. Cash in hand always talks. Also, keep in mind, that while JEWELRY markups are huge, most mom and pop jewelry stores aren't buying Diamonds in volumes large enough to be making huge money. Small DeBeers parcels start at 50 or 100 grand and are NOT awesome parcels. Unfortunately, those mom and pop stores are the guys that will deal for cash so I wouldn't expect any huge price break unless they're in it right, which is of course always a possiblity. There's always the chance they bought it off a walk in who didn't want to get fucked by the local pawn broker. Make a low offer at Zales or such, and I can promise that sound you hear is them laughing AT you..not with you. Truly, being educated and getting your stone from a reputable online broker with a solid return policy is your best bet IMO.

Just like a pawn shop with an SKS.

Quoted: I have been with my GF for almost 5 years and I know just what kind of ring to get her.  How?  I asked.  It is that simple.

and THAT is the advice you needed to hear. I try to tell people this frequently and they rarely listen.

By the way, if you decide to go inexpensive I have a relatively nice .60 carat oval in my hand I'd sell for $350.