Mr_Right is offline Mr_Right Post #1  August 17,2009, 5:36pm
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says this is the best wedding picture!

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Ok folks, it's time to start doing research into engagement rings.

I've found out the following items in my search:

My girlfriend wants to pick out her ring. What I'd like to do is get a general feel of what she wants, and then pick out something similar (thus I keep the cost secret).

My girlfriend is very traditional, so I'm probably going to go with a round diamond. Either round or princess cut. Most probably round.

She wanted yellow gold, also very traditional. The jeweler I spoke to said that yellow gold is making a comeback.

If you buy a diamond online, the markup from wholesale is 22%. If you buy a diamond in the store, the markup is 49%. I saw proof of this tonight, where I visited the local jeweler, and I just fell out of my chair when I saw the prices... same gems I'm looking at online that are thousands of dollars cheaper. The reason they are cheaper is that since the stores are online, they don't have to pay the cost of the actual store, plus they have very narrow profit margins.

Bluenile is a awesome site, and I'll probably use them to get the diamond.

In fact, they have a 10% off online coupon, so that saves money too... plus many credit cards give a bonus if you charge the contents to that card.

Hearts of fire is a cool diamond... but my God, the markup is INSANE!.

I want to get the best diamond for the best cost.

I have already started saving for this diamond.

I can't tell the difference between a D through a G color diamond... but I can tell the difference between a G and a H.

The amount and type of inclusions matter. It's almost impossible to see SI1 inclusions, but I did see a few diamonds today that the inclusions were noticible. I might have to go to VS2.

It is so vital to get a good cut. AGS Ideal or GIA Excellent is the way to go.

I was able to talk shop with the jeweler for quite some time. It's amazing how they try to get you emotionally hooked on a diamond. The guy practically wanted me to tell my life story.

There are a lot of cool cuts out there... after doing some extensive research, the following cuts look really cool: Solasfera (a round brilliant 91 faceted diamond... if I could find one at a reasonable price, I'd get this... it's really awesome), Eighternity (a round brilliant 81 faceted fiamond), Square Hearts and Arrows (square cut that has the light return of a brilliant round), and a Star129 (which has 129 facets).

I found a good carat range too, so that's good.

Gold Tiffanys setting I think is very traditional and the way to go.

So. Let me know if you have any tips for finding a good diamond.

Oh yeah, there's a website called diamond.info where you can search all the online websites for diamonds, and that is really helpful.
 
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Mr_Right is offline Mr_Right Post #2  August 17,2009, 5:37pm
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says this is the best wedding picture!

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And if you had told me 6 months ago I'd be looking at engagement rings, I would have laughed out loud and called you crazy.
 
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D_Lion is online now D_Lion Post #3  August 17,2009, 5:46pm
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There have been threads on this where people posted attempting to sell rings, and finding they were “worth” about 10% of the original price.
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Wonderwoman402 is offline Wonderwoman402 Post #4  August 17,2009, 6:06pm
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It brought a smile to my face to read your post! It's so cool how excited you are about this!

That said... before you buy try looking in pawn shops. You may find a terrific bargain there, and the stone could be re-set.

I agree... the mark-up on jewelry is outrageous!
 
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olneyjeeps is offline olneyjeeps Post #5  August 17,2009, 6:34pm
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Wonderwoman402 wrote :
It brought a smile to my face to read your post! It's so cool how excited you are about this!

That said... before you buy try looking in pawn shops. You may find a terrific bargain there, and the stone could be re-set.

I agree... the mark-up on jewelry is outrageous!
Double ditto... just don't let your heart get ahead of your wallet

One thing that a jewler once showed me was about color / clarity: the only way to truly grade color/clarity is to have comparison stones... kinda like paint on your car.. you might see a color and say "that's exactly it" but when you put them right next to eachother seems very different
Moral:
Call me cheap, but she (or even the best jewler) cannot tell difference between A and G unless take to comparison stone (appraisal set) and if she is that vain, she is not worth your time... save the money and spend it on a house (which is half hers anyway)

like it matters, I used .52 VVS D from one of my Grandfather's 8 trap/skeet "Grand" champion medals, circa about 1910, solitaire mount , and did get it back
 
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When_I_See_You_Smile is offline When_I_See_You_Smile Post #6  August 17,2009, 8:02pm
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This page is dedicated to the loving memory of my bride, Heather Anne Everts-Grover 1977-2012

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Ooooh, go with the square hearts and arrows! That's what I would choose.
 
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notyet is offline notyet Post #7  August 17,2009, 8:24pm
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Mr_Right wrote :
...My girlfriend wants to pick out her ring...
i don't want to rain on your parade but this is your best option. just bite the bullet on the cost. trust me- it will save you in the long run...
 
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j0hn8andy is offline j0hn8andy Post #8  August 17,2009, 9:11pm
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The American Gem Society has the highest ethical standards. You can find a jeweler in your area who probably does his own work. They will spend the time to teach you about diamonds; cut, clarity, color, carets. They can also show you a selection of stones to choose from. It would be an amazing learning experience. You might be able to find something very unusual there. You'll probably also want to look at wedding bands. The two rings can be soldered or just fit together somehow.

I've heard of Blue Nile, but don't know anybody personally who bought through them. Do they come with Appraisals for insurance purposes?

I remember learning two things: 1 caret is going to cost much more than four 1/4 carets because of the waste in cutting. Also the pear, emerald, marquise costs more because of the waste. Waste being how much is left over after cutting out the stone; they cut more stones from the waste. So a cut that leaves chips will cost more because there's not much use for the chips.

Also from what I've seen, the better stones will continue to look really good forever, where some of the lesser stones don't. Get the best you can afford. Half the fun for her (tho she'd probably be loathe to admit it) will be making those girlfriends jealous! But, seriously, she's only going to get one shot at this. Make her so excited her hand is shaking, she's almost afraid to wear it, and she can't take her eyes off it!

This is wonderful what's happening for the two of you. Even if you spend more than you'd like (and you probably will) it's an investment in your future. You won't regret it!
Last edited by j0hn8andy; August 18,2009 at 5:42am. Reason: spell solder right!
 
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Mainah64 is offline Mainah64 Post #9  August 18,2009, 8:27am
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Wow, so much work and money to get a tiny, shiny, pebble.

Go CZ and put the extra in a savings account towards a house.



Seriously, how much you looking to spend on the ring and if I can be nosier, how much is she looking to spend on the entire wedding?
 
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D_Lion is online now D_Lion Post #10  August 18,2009, 1:38pm
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Mainah64 wrote :
how much is she looking to spend on the entire wedding?

Who cares, when the National Bank of Dad comes with overdraft protection?
 
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