Stuck in the Middle...East

[boatdog]

I have quite a few questions/concerns to bring up, so hopefully everyone can bear with me. I am currently stationed in the Middle East and will be coming back home in February or March. I am looking to propose upon my return when I visit my girlfriend in San Diego. However, I am going to have to do all of my buying online and out of country, as I won’t have the time to go through stores once I am back in the states. Here are some of the issues I am going over, and any help would be great:

1. I wasn’t able to get a “confirmed” ring size, but I know it is somewhere around 7-7.5. As for ordering a custom ring, what is the best way to go about ordering? If it is the wrong size, is it easy to make small size changes? How about larger ones?

2. I am still a bit weary about buying something like this online, but this site has alleviated quite a bit of my fears. I have looked at a few of the links and am starting to feel pretty comfortable. Any suggestions on the best place to look for a diamond? I have spent a lot of time looking at www.goodoldgold.com.

3. I have some pictures of settings that I like, but they are custom, and the person doing the work is not taking any more orders at this time. What is the etiquette for getting help from a custom jeweler? Is it okay to send pictures of completed rings, and saying this is pretty much what you want?

4. Is it possible to get a custom ring made while I am 5000 miles away from the maker? How do I assure the quality and aesthetics?

5. Furthermore, how would this work? Do I buy the diamond and then send the diamond to the setting maker that has the design I like?

Any help I can get is much appreciated.

Mark

 

[strmrdr]

I would go with a simple tiffany style solitar for the proposal and get the "real" setting done later.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Date: 11/27/2004 10:29:45 AM
Author: strmrdr
I would go with a simple tiffany style solitar for the proposal and get the ''real'' setting done later.

I think strmrdr has made a good point..and then you and your girlfriend can pick out the setting and wedding band together...

 

[youngster]

Hi boatdog, thank you for your service and the sacrifices you are making on our behalf. Designing a custom ring from so far away just seems like a really difficult thing to do. Also, since you are unsure of her ring size, it seems to me that you should consider having the stone set in a simple tiffany-style setting (Whiteflash has a four-prong tiffany style ring in 14K yellow gold for $80, 18K yellow gold with six prongs is $150). After you get back home and propose, then the two of you can have a lot of fun deciding on the final setting and finding a good, local jeweler to build your dream ring. Also, your girl would then have input into the final design (which she probably would like!) and there would be no question about what size the ring should be. Rings can be certainly be resized but I think getting it right with such an important purchase is preferable. Fingers can swell in response to warmer weather or outdoor activities.

As far as buying a diamond on-line and from so far away, you can definitely do that. I have purchased from Good Old Gold and can recommend them highly. I am on the opposite side of the country from GOG (on the West Coast) and did virtually everything over the internet. They brought the stone I had found by searching the PS database into their store and did all the analysis. They e-mailed the Sarin, clarity analysis, lightscope and Brilliance Scope analysis. (They do charge for this, around $50 if I recall, so you want to only do this when you are really close to a making a choice.) If you are interested in a stone that they already have in their inventory, there wouldn''t be a charge. Others on this site highly recommend Whiteflash, EngagementRings Direct and Dirt Cheap Diamonds. E-mail a couple of vendors, explain your situation and see who you feel most comfortable with (and who gets back to you the quickest!). (FYI, GOG is closed on Mondays.) Once you have decided on a stone, you can have it sent to your own independent appraiser, perhaps in your hometown, to verify that it is what it is and then delivered to a trusted family member to keep for you until you get home. Good luck!!

 

[just_looking!]

Hi Mark!

I''m working over in Bahrain and bought a diamond band from Whiteflash in Texas. They shipped it out to me using FedEx and covered it using their insurance (you pay 5% tax if it comes through customs).

This might be an option if you actually wanted to see the diamond set into the ring? I think they have an upgrade policy too so maybe you could talk about buying a stock ring first before going the custom route?

Hope this helps.