Questions about buying an engagement ring****

[nucleus]

Hello all!
Im glad I stumbled across this site.....seems like a great place to get some help on purchasing diamonds.
Ok, so Im wanting to buy my girlfriend of 5 years a nice diamond ring.
Im looking for round 1ct around f-g color and no inclusions seen from the eye.
Im willing to spend around $4,500-5,500.
Can you guys point me in the right direction?

Should I go to a local jewler? What types of questions should I ask?
What % should I ask off on the retail price of the ring?
Should I buy a loose diamond or one already set?

ANY help would be greatly apprecitaed!!!

Thanks!

Chad

 

[nucleus]

Oh yeah I forgot to ask about the info below.
Can anyone reccommend the best below in a 1ct stone.
I read about how the depth of a stone can make it look alot smaller.
What is a good depth etc for a 1ct stone?

thanks!


Depth
Tbl
Lab
Gdl
Cul
Sym
Pol
Flr
Measurements

 

[Daniela]

Nucleus,

You might want to try by reading the tutorial at the top of this page. You''ll learn a lot about what makes a diamond beautiful.

In your price range, depending on how well cut a diamond you end up choosing, you will probably have to drop your colour expectations if you want to find an eye-clean stone. I have an H hearts and arrows round, and there is no perceptible colour in it.

As for where to buy, I guess it depends if you have any good jewellers near you who can offer great diamonds at a fair price. Otherwise, buy from one of the vendors you hear recommended on Pricescope: they are by far the best in the biz, as far as I''m concerened.

 

[GETanEDGE]

Hey Nucleus,

You can read about my experiences in one of my previous posts. Take some notes, believe me it will be worth it to study up. I thought I knew a fairly decent amount about diamonds before I made my purchase, but there are certain specifics that jewelers won''t come out and tell you. If you go to a good jeweler and ask lots of questions they are usually more than willing to explain everything to you. Just don''t worry about asking them questions even if you think they are stupid.

In the end I think my experience wound up on the positive side. I went to a Robbin''s Bros retail jewelry store, I believe they only have stores in So. California though. My main reason for going there was the incredible selection of rings and the 1 on 1 customer service. Great place to go if you have no idea what you want to buy and they have rings for all price ranges. Be sure to be on your guard at these kinds of stores though because everyone is a salesperson and ultimatley looking to make a good commission, but overall i think most of them want to see that you''re happy with your purchase.

In the end I was able to get a designer Ritani setting in white gold with .60 carats of channel set side stones and for the center stone I wound up with a .91 carat, F color, S12, Ideal Cut diamond. Total cost out the door $6k. My setting was a bit on the pricey side, so if you want to get out of there for under 6k you should be able to do it. Just go into a store knowing what is most important to you, Size, Cut, Color, Clarity, and you have to be willing to give up some of those characteristics to get a more affordable stone. Buying just under 1 carat is a great way to do this and this particular store has a trade up policy. So if you want to buy a small stone now and trade up in the couple of years, they will put your original purchase price towards upgrading to a new diamond. But educate yourself on cut before you go in there because in my experience it wasn''t gone over in much depth. You can wind up buying a 1 carat stone that looks the same at a .75 stone in the setting all due to the cut.

I''d go to a retail store first just to check out diamonds in person, but if you aren''t ready to buy, don''t let them pressure you. After you''ve gotten to see a lot of these characteristics with your own eyes, then you''ll be a lot more prepared if you decide to purchase a stone from an online retailer.

Hope the advice helps.

Good luck!

 

[Regular Guy]

Chad,

Three suggestions:

1) a) read the tutorial here and my shopping suggestions.

2) this one ($3997 with discount)

3) this one! ($5397 with discount)

Best wishes!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Do you know what shape of diamond you''re interested in?? That''s a good place to start as well.

Rounds are going to be the easiest for regular folks here to help you find. Prins and other cuts are a bit more difficult.

Check out the Tutorial from the Knowledge link above. There''s a search engine on the PS Homepage to help you find diamonds currently available thru PS Vendors. There''s a thread in the FAQ''s section that does a side-by-side comparison of many of the Vendor''s policies. You might check that out as well.

Good luck in your search for the perfect diamond!