Military uy stuck in Baghdad, Iraq and I can''t seem to get any help---PlEASE HELP!

[Deadgame]

Hello everyone. My name is Brad. I am Active duty Air Force, currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. I want to surprise my wife of 7 years, (next week) with an upgraded wedding ring when we go on vacation when I return home. I have scoured the net insearch of the perfect setting and wedding band, and I think I have found it. My only problem is, no one will tell me how much it is!!! I emailed a local jeweler back in my home station city (Anchorage, AK) and no response. I saw on this forum that some people were suggesting Solomon Bros. in Georgia, so I emailed them; no response again. And these people are suppost to be JB Star dealers! Any help you could give me would be GREATLY appreciated. I pulled this setting directly off of JB Star''s website. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Deadgame]

Sorry, I tried to attach the specs, but it didn''t work the first time. Here they are again:

Set 1485-62824
Center: 1.36 Ct. Cushion cut
Side 0.41 ct. Marquis
1.10 ct tw. Round
Patented Diamond Rose

 

[sevens one]

Hey DG- I sent an email to JB Star. Hopefully they will respond soon
That''s a lovely setting and band.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Brad:

What is the phone # of your local jeweler?

fortheloveofdiamonds

 

[JCJD]

Hi Brad! I''m probably not the best one to give you advice on this cause I haven''t been in this situation, but after reading some threads on this type of problem, it seems like most dealers are better contacted by phone than by email, simply because they are inundated with emails daily! Are you able to call these dealers while you''re overseas? Perhaps somebody on here has experience with Solomon Bros directly and can help you out...

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary! I''m sure being on duty in Iraq has been difficult for the both of you, but it sounds like you''re doing just great despite the hardships! How long have you been on active duty? The ring is GORGEOUS!! She will love it!

 

[Deadgame]

Thank you Sevens. I just hope it''s within my price range. Thank you for you''re kind words as well...

 

[Deadgame]

I''ve gotten more help in the last 10 minutes, than I have in the last 3 weeks of looking online. Thank you guys again! We only get 2 15 minute calls per week (if we''re lucky), so I can''t actually call the jewelers. My local jeweler''s number is: 907-562-2571. I have been in the Air Force for 7 years now. On this deployment I will miss: my wife''s birthday, my son''s birthday, my wedding anniversary, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Xmas, New Years. It''s hard, but she know''s I''m doing it for a good cause. I want to thank her for 7 wonderful years of love and support.

 

[Hest88]

Hey Brad. Also try shooting an email to StevL at: [email protected]. I''m pretty sure his store has access to JB Star and he''s a great guy who should be able to help.

 

[Deadgame]

I emailed him when I saw that he wanted to help someone else with a JB Star purchase. He emailed back and said he would get me a price in 24 hours. He never emailed me again after that.

 

[quaeritur]

First of all, I''d like to say thank you for your service, and the sacrifices that you and your family are making for this country.

Secondly, I''ve contacted a jeweler near me who is currently looking up the price for that setting. I hope to have that for you soon!

 

[Deadgame]

Thank you so much Quaeritur

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Hi there Brad,

I called your jeweler. They were so-so helpful. I think the guys name was Tom and he was the owner. Anyhow, I don''t know when you are going home on leave; however, the guy told me that they have the whole *embrace* collection in town this weekend. He says that you can see it there. Do you have a friend in AK that can go look at them or pick it up for you.. maybe a wife''s friend?

Anyway, you didn''t specify what color, clarity grade you wanted. So I asked the price for an H VS2 (which is my preference) and he told me it would run you about $10,000 for a 1.36 carat...

I hope this helps,

Let us know if you need anything else!

fortheloveofdiamonds

 

[sevens one]

Date: 11/5/2004 12:33:35 PM
Author: Deadgame
I''ve gotten more help in the last 10 minutes, than I have in the last 3 weeks of looking online. Thank you guys again! We only get 2 15 minute calls per week (if we''re lucky), so I can''t actually call the jewelers. My local jeweler''s number is: 907-562-2571. I have been in the Air Force for 7 years now. On this deployment I will miss: my wife''s birthday, my son''s birthday, my wedding anniversary, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Xmas, New Years. It''s hard, but she know''s I''m doing it for a good cause. I want to thank her for 7 wonderful years of love and support.

Thanks for your sacrifice and dedication. This is a very nice thing you are doing for your wife.

 

[Gale]

One of the problems you may also be experiencing with the email thing is that your message may be blocked by anti-spam mechanisms. This often happens with hotmail addresses and the like, if that's what you are using as an address. If the mesages are not being auto-deleted by an anti-spammer, it may help to put something in the topic like "Diamond ring inquiry." This would help the recipient identify yours as a serious message. Many times, messages from services like hotmail and yahoo (and so on) are viewed as potential virus carriers or spam, so they are deleted or just not opened.

About the phone thing - I know absolutely nothing of your situation in Baghdad like how restricted your movements are, but here's a suggestion anyway. Would you have access to purchasing a local phone card that would allow you to call the US from any phone? This would bypass your phone limitation. When I travel overseas, I buy these to make calls home.

Congratulations on you upcoming anniversary. It's very difficult having to miss all of those wonderful family events. I sincerely hope you can all come home soon.

Edited to say: all come home soon, for good.

 

[SJS1234]

Hi Brad! I don''t really have anything to add with regards to your pricing/ring dilemma.....but I wanted to add my congratulations on 7 years of marriage, and on working hard to make a difficult situation work for your family. I want you to know that there are a ton of people here who think EVERY DAY of you guys overseas, and that if I had the $$ I would buy that ring FOR you, as my thanks for what you do for me and my loved ones every day. It''s no secret that you''re there for your country, definitely not for the big bucks. I hope you get to see your family soon -- you have a lucky wife! and sounds like you''re pretty lucky yourself. Good luck with everything!

 

[quaeritur]

Hi again, Brad. I just got a call back from the jeweler, who called J.B. Star and got the following quote:

For the set in platinum (engagement ring and wedding band), with a 1.36 G VS cushion center stone, the grand total would be $33,225 (ouch!

)

The engagement ring on its own, without center stone, runs $6250. And though he did not check specifically, he thinks the wedding band on its own would run somewhere between $3000-4000. Price may vary slightly depending on ring size.

I hope that helps.

Another option that might price out better for you (I don''t know what your budget is) is getting a very similar design custom-made. I''ve seen beautiful custom pieces from whiteflash.com and winkjones.com, among others... Just a thought.

Stay safe, and I wish you a very happy trip home to your family!

 

[lmurden]

Hi Brad,

The ring is absolutely gorgeous and I wish all the best while over in Iraq!
My fiance is over there so I understand about the phone situation.
Take care and stay safe!

 

[goldengirl]

I only wish I''d seen this thread sooner so I could have offered my help while it was still needed.

God bless you for your service, there ARE a great many of us stateside that are grateful for you and what you''re doing.

Thanks, Q, for providing that info for him!

 

[solange]

Have you tried emailing some of the Pricescope vendors such as Lesley at Whiteflash, Todd at Niceice or Jonathan at Good Old Gold and explaining your situation? Perhaps one of the Pricescope vendors may see your post and give you some advice on what you can get in the price range you have in mind. The set you selected seems awfully expensive and you can probably do much better with one of the vendors listed here.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you can find what you want. Thank you for serving our country.

 

[perry]

Deadgame:

First, thank you for your service in the Gulf.

Second, now that you have seen the prices you have either said: OK, or perhaps cringed (My memory of military pay was that it was not that good).

In the later case, there are a lot of people who are very helpful on this forum. I suspect that if you posted what your budget was, how you would be paying for it (Credit Card over the internet, check, Money order, etc) and where you would be returning to in the States that more than a few would try and find you the closest thing to the ring you wanted that fit into your budget, and recommeded vendors who can do it in time, and have it waiting for you.

Since you seem to indicate that you will be returning to the US in a week - you need to know that while a ring can be put together in that amount of time and be waiting for you; your timetable is tight.

It would help if we knew your wif''s finger size.

Also, please be advised that many people on this forum focus on "super ideal cut" diamonds that have great brilliance and life in them, and are willing to sacrifice a bit on size, color, and clarity.

This is what I call the greatest "pop" or "sizzle" for your dollar.

Let us know if that is OK with you, or alternately if you just want to get normal diamonds. The people on this forum will try to find you a good one of those as well.

Let us know how we can help.

Perry

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Because I don''t watch TV, I wouldn''t know how those reality shows unfold--but in my estimation this thread is better than any premise out there! I am glued to see how the "ring hunt" transpires! Just wish I could be of more help--but of one thing I am certain--the kind gestures of posters on this thread shine more brilliantly than any "eightstar" diamond.

cheers

Sharon

 

[JCJD]

My aunt and uncle both recently retired from the USAF after 20 years of service. They live in Alaska too actually, although they were stationed in Colorado.....weird! Stay safe in Iraq and come home safely! Let us know how the ring search is going, and if we can help more!

I think that this is a wonderful thing you want to do for your wife, and you are a great example of a loving husband to your son! God bless you!

 

[Deadgame]

Hello again everyone. Thank you again for so many helpful replies. When my local shop was called, the Jeweler said the whole package (setting, wedding band, and 1.36 ct. cushion cut ( G VS2) would be about $10,000. One reply I received on this thread said they called their jeweler and they received a quote of around $33,000. That''s a big difference. I used my last call this week to call the jeweler myself. He confirmed that he would do the whole package for $10,000. He said he was having a big party this weeked in Anchorage, and alot of the major Vendors would be there, including JB Star. Once he found out that I wasn''t coming RIGHT down to make the purchase, he kinda gave me the brush off. I don''t know which figure to believe. There is a big difference between $10K and $33K. Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to help me. Hopefully this added info wil help: I am coming back to the states in early January. We planned a family vacation to Hawaii for the first two weeks of March. I wanted to surprise her with the ring while in Hawaii, so I think I have enough time to get one made if the ring really was $33,000 (which I cannot afford). Which leads me to my budget. I think about $8,000 is my max. (cash) I would like the whole package (center stone, wedding band, and E-ring) $8K or less. I would like either white gold or platinum. Plat is my goal, but I would do white gold if I had to. As far as the setting, George Walton (the jeweler I contacted in Anchorage) said he would do the package for $10K, with a 1.36 ct center stone. If he would really do it for that price, maybe I could downgrade the size to just over 1ct., and fit my budget? I''m kind of leaning toward the package being $33K though. I think the guy is pullin'' my leg with the $10K price. I don''t know much about about his shop. Heck, I have never been there while in Anchorage. I found it by chance looking on the internet while in Iraq. So I don''t know if he has a good reputation or not. So now I''m back to square 1, I still don''t know if I''ll be able to afford the Star peice, or it''s out of my reach. As far as the center stone, the cushion cut diamond looks like an attractive shape, although I don''t know the pros and cons of that cut. I''d like either that cut or a princess cut for the center stone. As far as quality, I understand that a well cut smaller stone will look just as big as a poorly cut slightly larger stone. So like most of the other people on the board, I''d like the most bang for the buck. I''d like a center stone of around 1ct. or more, and cut well, with as little flaws as possible. I know, I know... easier said than done with my budget. If the JB Star setting turns out to be $33K, who would be the best source to have one made? Again, you guys have already went WAY out of your way to help me. Thank you again.

 

[quaeritur]

Hi Brad!

A couple of people here have recently purchased amazing cushion cut stones from Mark at engagementringsdirect.com. Their feedback was very very positive. I've worked with Jonathan at goodoldgold.com as well, and he has some amazing square cushion cut stones and another squarish cut called a Jubilee that is stunning. winkjones.com also sells the Jubilee I believe -I've purchased a stone from him and Wink was a dream to work with as well. You might want to contact these (and/or other) vendors and see what else they can do for you in terms of a custom setting.

I haven't purchased from whiteflash.com, but the pictures I've seen of their custom pieces are stunning, and they have many satisfied customers on this forum.

Let me know if you'd like help with some of the legwork!

 

[reena]

hi deadgame,

i think it's so sweet that you want to surprise your wife like this. i have to tell you, though, i do not believe the price of $10k for the entire package. i think the estimate that Q was given is more likely correct.




i have tried on a few pave JB Star rings in person, and they are beautiful--but expensive. for example, i tried on a setting a bit more intricate than the one you posted, and the setting was almost $8k. so, i would have a VERY hard time believing that you could get even the setting (without a diamond) and the matching band for $10k--forget about the center stone. (a quick search on this site indicates that a 1.3c G/VS2 cushion center stone should run you between $6 and $7k alone.) are you sure that the jeweler didn't quote you $10k for the setting and band WITHOUT the center diamond?




anyway if your budget is $8k for the entire ring i think you're probably going to have to do what others have said and go for a custom, instead of a designer, setting. (which i think is a great idea regardless of budget--i've seen so much beautiful custom work here!) also, considering that you're probably going to have to spend $6-7k ballpark for a quality cushion cut diamond in that size and color/clarity range, to stick to your budget you MAY have to consider either getting a simpler setting and band (with less pave/diamonds) or going down in size (or color/clarity) a bit on the diamond. which is most important to you--the size of the stone or having a setting with that particular look?

 

[bling_aficionado]

Hi DG,

I thought I''d post some possible candidates for your center stone that are from the $4K to $5K range, which will leave you at least $3K for a nice custom setting and band..These Cushion cut stones are more rectangular than square..

http://www.whiteflash.com/cushion/Cushion-cut-diamond-784494.htm

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=2288644

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=2885426

You also said you''re considering a princess cut, so here are some candidates as well in the same price range..

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-813508.htm

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=7311723

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=3033858

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=2713773

I''m sure the experts here can help find better stones for your budget and as some already have, recommend a good vendor to have custom settings made.

I hope this helps, stay safe and all the best!

 

[solange]

I am forwarding your post to a few of the vendors mentioned on this site. Perhaps if they know your situation they may offer some help.

Very best of luck. Your desire to do this for your wife is a beautiful gesture and I hope you can get what you want.

 

[sparker]

e>

I''ve read this thread and as I kept on going tears welled in my eyes. You sound like a wonderful man, husband, and father and I might add last but not least soldier. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the risk you are taking over there in Iraq. Please be safe and aware of your surroundings. People like you and all of you should come home fast, alive and in one piece.


Peace be with you.


Suz

 

[Jennifer5973]

bsp;am humbled by your sacrifice. Thank you for what your are doing for our country and good luck--I know with the help of this forum and your sincere determination to do this wonderful thing for your wife, that you will succeed!

 

[solange]

Dear Brad,

I hope you are safe and well. It is unfortunate that the jeweler that you used your last allocated call for did not work out for you. I would think that under the circumstances they would go out of the way for you. As was said the price of $10,000 for the whole set is unrealistic considering the cost of the setting alone. However I think you can do much better in price with some of the vendors on Pricescope.

Have you been able to look into any of the stones suggested and contact the vendors? I hope you are able to find what you want. There are no words to express the gratitude to you and the others who have sacrificed so much to serve our country. You deserve the best and I hope you get the help you need to accomplish your desire to give your wife something really beautiful and special.