REALLY need advice on a 3 stone engagment ring. Considering ebay...thoughts!?!? Need some help with

[ring_confused]

Yes...I said it.... EBAY. I am all about the internet and end up buying 90% of the things I cant get at wal-mart over the net.

I originally would have NEVER considered spending multiple thousands of dollars on an internet ring until I did some more research (and went to some jewelers).

I am in my last semester of college and will be looking for a job soon. I have been with my girlfriend for 2.5 years and would like to get engaged within the next 6-12 months. I currently have about 3,700 set aside for a ring.

My girlfriend does not really have any hobbies per say...but she is obsessed with weddings and engagement rings! I have worked pretty hard to earn enough money to pay for my luxury type items (non life necessities) including my gear for my ATV/ Car/ Hunting and etc. I feel she deserves (and desperately wants...lol) a reasonably large ring.

Now... If I walk into a jewelery store (be it home-grown small places, or rogers/hollands type places) and attempt to get a 2-2.5c TW ring for 3500-4500 I get laughed at. They usually want to sell me a 1.5 c tw with not-so-great diamodns for 5000!

What I know she wants:
- White gold (am considering 14k for some extra strength, over 18k)
- Princess cut
- 3 stone with channel set side diamonds

We have gone ring shopping and a ring like the one in the ebay auction I will link to is about 100% what she wants.

I have done a bit of research (mostly via emailing past buyers of this ebay member) and have found everyone is very happy with their purchase... So far out of the 15 people i have emailed 3 have responded explaining what they purchased and their satisfaction. Judging by the positive comments left for the seller, I think those who choose to respond will have good things to say. I only emailed those who got 1 carat minimum rings, spending a minimum of 2,000 dollars with this jeweler, so the people responding did not buy tiny rings, thus not being able to see problems.

Here is the ebay link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=200302352073

That is NOT the right specifications though (just use it for a visual on the style/layout of the ring).

After some research I have decided I want nothing less than SI2, and am aiming for SI1. I am also looking for G or H color. My goal is to have an eye-clean ring (see...told you I did research

)

To make the BOOK I just wrote easier to answer questions, I numbered them to help aid in responses.

1) What are your thoughts on SI1 & SI2? G color rating?

That ebay seller has emailed me back a few times with some prices.

SI2- G 1.01 ct center with the total weight being 2.50 ct will be $4299.99

SI1 - G 1.10 ct with the total weight being 2.50 ct will be $4799.99

I asked for a quote on the 1.10 in SI2 just for comparison sake.

One thing I am trying to figure out...on a ring like picture in the auction,
2)how much weight would the channel set diamonds have? I am trying to figure out a good ratio for the side diamonds to the center. Obviously a 1.1 center, 2.5tw will have slightly smaller side diamonds than the 1 carat center that is also 2.5tw. If I can figure out about what the channel-sets weigh I could use my math skills to determine the side stones!

All rings have EGL-USA certs (I know...not GIA..but better than no cert I guess!!)


I am going back to rogers and hollands tomorrow to get the specs on a ring she picked out there. It was (I beleive) a 2.5 ct TW (not sure center size) and I did not ask what the color/clarity was. I do remember it was "on sale" for 5999 down from like 6500. Because it is in my state I would be paying sales tax on it too (so add another 450 on that price). I looked on their website to find a lot of their diamonds are either I-1 or SI2 and a lot of them are J color!!

3) Should I ask the ebay-jewler about girdle, culet, table and all those other words I have not done research on?

4) Will and EGL cert show the cut rating? I dont want to go buying a G/SI1 ring that sounds great, but has a horrible cut and does not have a great sparkle/brilliance to it.

5) What would a person do about a warranty on a ring off the net? This guy has a 100% money back guarantee so I was considering ordering a ring and taking it to a very trusted jeweler that is friends with my girlfriends parents to have them check out the diamonds and the setting (make sure the diamonds are not going to fall out!)

6) I was just reading the forum and read about the "Enhanced" diamonds. Are these bad? If they are to be avoided I want to ask this seller if his are enhanced!

What do you all think? Am I on the right track?

Sorry for the book... I have spent the last few weeks staying up WAY too late researching this stuff and not being able to fall asleep!


Thanks in advance everyone! I know my girlfriend/fiance will very much appreciated all of your help!!!

Hope everyone has a good day
Mike

 

[ring_confused]

He just responded with this info:

The side diamonds will be 0.42 ct each . The smaller diamonds will weigh approximately .75 ct .

The brilliance on both these rings is excellent . The cut of the diamonds is also good.

Yes both the rings will come with EGL or GIA Certificate .

1.01 Ct SI1 3 stone ring will be of the same price . [[how can it be the same price between SI1 and SI2!!??! I Just emailed him asking that..lol]]

The price for SI2 will be $4299.99

The price for SI1 will be $4799.99.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome!

I would pass quite honestly for various reasons, plus the I1 diamonds may not be eyeclean and I would bet they aren't cut well and won't sparkle.

Would you consider buying from one of the trusted PS vendors?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/27/2009 3:59:15 AM
Author: Lorelei
Welcome!

I would pass quite honestly for various reasons, plus the I1 diamonds may not be eyeclean and I would bet they aren''t cut well and won''t sparkle.

Would you consider buying from one of the trusted PS vendors?

Ditto Lorelei - I''m all for ebay for second hand jewellery and vintage diamonds, and many PS''ers (including myself) have found great deals.
But as much as I''m on there, I still haven''t found a genuinely good vendor for new diamond rings. They''re just simply mostly scammers.

You will likely find a similiar price with some of the PS reccomended vendors, as they''re very competitive.

 

[neatfreak]

There are many many better places to buy on the internet than on ebay unless you really really really know what you are doing.

If you want to see an example of the crap *most* ebay vendors are selling and trying to pass it off as nice? Just read this thread. Just happened this week. Look at the "example" picture of the stone vs. what the guy got. Quite different huh?


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-jury-is-in-ebay-diamond-under-ideal-scope.105491/

Scary.


And have you checked out this guy's feedback on toolhaus.org? He has a lot more negs and neutrals than you would be led to believe and a number of people thought he was deceptive. Not someone I want to do business with personally. There are a lot of people on ebay with good feedback who sell crap. People just don't know that they could do much better for their money.


http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?User=fascinatingdiamonds&Dirn=Received+by&ref=home


And a big YES YES YES to asking this guy about the numbers for cut. Guaranteed he will have no idea. Not worth it IMO, this diamond will look like a dull piece of frozen spit after eating a few oreos.

 

[:)]

Are you related to drewbot?

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bought-a-rock-finally-1-01-carat.104730/


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-jury-is-in-ebay-diamond-under-ideal-scope.105491/

 

[Kelli]

You need to be careful with stones that are graded SI1 or SI2 by the EGL, because chances are they are really more like I clarity anyway. EGL is known for being very loose on grading, and many jewelers have told me to count on it being at least one, but more likely TWO grades below on clarity and color. Not that there aren''t beautiful EGL stones, because there certainly are, but I''d need some MAJOR reassurance before buying, AND a no questions asked return policy. If it were one of the trusted vendors here, I''d have no problem, but ebay seems a lot more risky. Also, just being told the "cut is good" is pretty vague and would not be an exceptable answer for most people on here. Although we do tend to be a little crazy over the perfect cut (because it IS the most important factor for the beauty and sparkle of a stone), many people won''t buy stones without idealscope and ASET images, or at the very least the specific measurements of the stone.

I''d go with a vendor that has a great return policy that lots of people trust. This is too big a purchase in my opinion to go the ebay route, at least in this case. Good luck either way.

 

[coda72]

Well, as everyone else already has said, I would not use ebay for a significant diamond purchase. The ring you want will most likely cost more than you want to spend to pick out all the stones yourself, so here is an option for you:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/three-stone-settings/ring/item_60-2401.asp

It costs more than the ebay option, but is likely to be much nicer for your money.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/27/2009 10:40:11 AM
Author: coda72
Well, as everyone else already has said, I would not use ebay for a significant diamond purchase. The ring you want will most likely cost more than you want to spend to pick out all the stones yourself, so here is an option for you:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/three-stone-settings/ring/item_60-2401.asp

It costs more than the ebay option, but is likely to be much nicer for your money.

Hiya Coda!!!

Thats a great find and would be much better than the Ebay ring!

 

[Kelli]

Date: 1/27/2009 11:03:47 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/27/2009 10:40:11 AM

Author: coda72

Well, as everyone else already has said, I would not use ebay for a significant diamond purchase. The ring you want will most likely cost more than you want to spend to pick out all the stones yourself, so here is an option for you:


http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/three-stone-settings/ring/item_60-2401.asp


It costs more than the ebay option, but is likely to be much nicer for your money.

Hiya Coda!!!


Thats a great find and would be much better than the Ebay ring!

DITTO!

 

[mercoledi]

The James Allen ring is a great find!

Another option would be this WF setting with a new center. Pearlman's is great to work with, and whiteflash craftmanship is tops.
Maybe try this center

The Ebay ring may sound like a bargain, but the stones will almost certainly not quite be what they are certed as. The cut and proportions of the stone are most important for determining light return and sparkle, not just clarity and color.

ETA: This may be eye clean and under $4K with the PS discount. Infinity only makes super-ideal cut diamonds. This one is low color but larger.

 

[K9]

You know, if you''re going to consider ebay for such a purchase, you should try looking for sellers who are selling from their personal collection with certs and appraisals AND actual photographs of the item, not stock photos. I wouldn''t buy from mass sellers such as the one you posted.

There are many honest sellers on ebay that sell jewelry and take the time to photograph and outline the details... it just takes HOURS to find them and weed out the crap. You can absolutely get a good deal on ebay you just have to work hard for it.

I have seen a few nice, privately owned princess engagement rings currently for sale on ebay that I would buy if I a) had money and b) needed one.

 

[purrfectpear]

EGL is soft on color grading, but not as subjective on clarity. I believe they are fairly accurate in clarity grading.

FWIW, I know several experts have said that there are probably more poorly cut princess stones than round. Just something to be aware of.