Detailed-Obsessed Newbies Go Ring Shopping (longish post)

My boyfriend and I have started engagement ring shopping and it has been an adventure.    This is a daunting process, but we have benefited tremendously from reading others’ posts to Pricescope and I feel it is only fair to return the favor by sharing our experience so far.  Before I start my field report, I want to thank Pricescope for providing helpful information and creating a comfortable forum for discussion! 

We are in the DC area and have visited various jewelers mentioned on Pricescope.  Charleston Alexander: CA has a large showroom and a great selection of settings.  The sales associate we met with was friendly, professional and accessible.  CA made a good impression. 

Chas Schwartz:  I have always wanted to visit this store.  It just looks quaint.  We saw a couple of very beautiful estate pieces and found the employees friendly and approachable.  Since they are the oldest jewelry store in DC (I believe), they have good stories too. 

Tiny Jewel Box: As others have mentioned, TJB has lovely pieces.  Everyone was professional, but reserved.  The experience felt flat. 

Quest: What everyone has said about Pete is true!  He and his colleagues at Quest put you at ease with their friendly and down-to-earth demeanor.  Pretty much everyone else faded away.  
   • 1st visit: We visited Quest a few days before Christmas, so they were pretty busy.  Nevertheless, Pete and Huan were warm and even stayed open late to finish talking with us.  Funny moment: I read so much about Pete on PS that I felt like I was meeting a celebrity!   Pete told us he would get in touch with us after Christmas…and without any regard for his own r&r, he did. 
   • 2nd visit: Pete had three stones for consideration which we then reduced down to two stones with the HCA.  I must take a moment and extrol Pete for his patience and interest in making sure we fully understood what we were looking at.  He spent about two hours talking to us!  Bf and I really enjoyed ourselves and felt like we learned a lot that afternoon (remember, we are detail freaks and appreciate information).  Pete had a loupe, Ideal Scope, and Hearts and Arrows viewer for us to use on the diamonds (the two stones were narrowed down to one candidate at this point).  I love gadgets, so I was enchanted.  Then, after all of that, we talked about what we are looking for in a setting!  Pete showed us pictures of rings Quest has made (I recognized several from PS!) and got a sense for what we are looking for in a setting.  I was pooped, but left feeling good about the visit.  Note: We decided yesterday not to go with the stone we viewed, so Pete is still looking for us.  

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to highlight the way Pete has interacted with us--that is, he has actually talked with us—no pushy sales pitch, just listening and trying to help us figure out what we want.  And, boy, am I grateful for his work style because I can’t help but still feel intimidated by the whole process.  I want to make a good decision about selecting the stone and putting together a meaningful ring.  

This process is not over it, but I thought I would take a moment and recognize PS and the folks at Quest for helping me and my boyfriend better navigate this engagement ring experience.