Bijoux Extraordinaire

Hope this helps... and does not sound to close to blatant advertising.

Ana "The greatest experts are only as good as the sum total of what they have seen." [Souren Melikian]

Thank you for your reply.

Fred was asked about Bijoux and he wouldn't comment directly about their product, but said that he would be wary of any jeweler that didn't accept credit cards.  He also mentioned that you only have seven days to return their product.

I was curious because they're honestly out of my current price range, but I love their pieces and just wanted to know if they'd be worth saving for.

Those two sound like blanket statements... I would definitely be weary of a shabby little shop that does not accept credit cards - simply because the credit card company is better guarantee for the purchase thna the reputation of the shop! Not the case here...

And then Jewelryexpert does not work allot of remote transactions - most customers come to see the merchandise and owners face to face all the way through the process of having a costom order done. Seven days return after a months of talking over every detail of a project sound better. Besides, I think this limit can be negotiated to fit your needs (mailing time, appraisal, what not).

Fred's book makes allot of short statements like that. All great, but once you follow all the advice who else but himself fits the bill ? It would be great to have a simple rule of thumb that works to get the best deal every time... if there's one, I am not aware of what it may be, Fred or no Fred.

Hope this makes sense...

Ana "The greatest experts are only as good as the sum total of what they have seen." [Souren Melikian]

I agree that those are blanket statements.

The general consensus is that they are a reputable place, and I really love some of the pieces they have.

In Rocky Talky I shared my love of a partcular piece that they call the royal asscher tingle.  The ring seemed pricy to me for the size of the diamond, but I was unsure of what the small pinks would cost.

I think I basically just need to take a deep breath and take some more time to do some research.  My girlfriend and I haven't exactly been in a rush to be engaged, but I've just been so excited about it because we've been discussing it more and more lately and I've shown her some rings I like!

I like looks of the asscher tingle a lot, but I would like a larger center diamond.  Suggestions have been made to substitute pink sapphires, and to also get a non-branded asscher.  Both of these suggestions are great, but I definitely need more time for research. 

Lynne~