Are any of these a good buy?

[stryeyes102]

So my boyfriend and I have been talking about getting engaged, ive been ring shopping online to see what i like. There is only one problem, Hes in the military and honesty doesnt have a fortune to spend. So i know some of these might not be perfect but i was curious if theyre even worth looking at.. Or is there some other sites you all could recomend. our price range is prob 3-4 thousand max.. that might even be pushing it. *p.s I love whiteflash rings but they seem to be so out our price range*


http://www.natalia-diamonds.com/Engagement-Rings/Engagement-Ring_ItemTag_ER-042.aspx

http://www.natalia-diamonds.com/Engagement-Rings/Engagement-Ring_ItemTag_ER-090.aspx

http://www.natalia-diamonds.com/Engagement-Rings/Engagement-Ring_ItemTag_ER-006.aspx

I seem to be drawn towards three stones but i do oddly i really like that solitare also.

Any help you can give i will be greatful for,
Caitlin

 

[Independent Gal]

Hi Caitlin,

Have you checked out signedpieces.com? They offer a big discount for military personnel! I think it''s 10% or something.

They sell new diamonds in new settings of their own (called ''facets collection''), but what they''re particularly great for is second hand designer pieces (Tiffany, Cartier, etc.). I''ve bought several pieces from them and they''ve always arrived polished up and completely indistinguishable from the new version... except that they are less than half price.

How about this Cartier ring?

http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=5656

or this three stone?

http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=3763


They seem to be a little low on stock right now, but they put new things up almost every day. Plus, if you call them, I bet they could put something together for you to order from their own collection.

 

[Independent Gal]

I just checked and it looks like they do a lot of three stone rings in their own collection and it says 'call for pricing'. They are very reputable around here and give great customer service, whereas I'm guessing that if Natalia's 'enhances' their diamonds and doesn't use GIA or AGS stones, you might be getting ripped off!

So, if you're interested, call SP up, tell them what you want and what your budget is, and see what they can come up with for you.

I also noticed that the military discount is 5% for e-rings, 10% for other jewelery.

 

[stryeyes102]

heres another site i just came across in the forum... What about this one?

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1517

I did look at the other site, the three stones are awe imspiring but im just afraid of how much theyre going to cost.

 

[Independent Gal]

Here are some you could check out on bluenile.com These are excellent cut diamonds that get great scores on the Holloway cut advisor.

LD00431453 This one's my favourite. I SI1 .82 ct $2762

Blue Nile has an 18K white gold three stone setting that's $750 which includes .33 ct of sidestones. So, total price: $3512 for a 1.11 tcw ring that will outsparkle just about anything else you'll see.

Other picks:

LD01059895

LD01073558

(Just plug that number into the 'search' and it will bring up the diamond!)

 

[Independent Gal]

That''s a great ring you picked. I''d only worry about the certification of the stone and how well cut it is since they don''t give any info. You could always call and ask them! If it''s not a GIA or AGS cert on the diamond, I''d worry about that SI2 as it may have a lot of visible inclusions.

You can definitely get a nice 3 stone for your budget. Go with eye clean SI1 or even SI2 with no black inclusions. Drop to an ''I'' or so in colour and there''s a huge selection!

Just don''t compromise on cut because that is the number 1 ingredient for a beautiful diamond. Nothing else matters half as much as a good cut. If you get hte numbers from the diamond certificate, you can plug them in to the cut advisor under ''tools'' on this page. If the score is under 2, it''s probably a very nice stone (though you can''t tell 100% for sure without seeing it or an ideal scope picture).

 

[Kaleigh]

Cut is key, that''s for sure. Maybe go with a vendor that does upgrades?? Get a smaller well cut stone for now and upgrade later?? Just a thought.

 

[stryeyes102]

heres afew others off that site that ive looked at.. the top two are def my favorites, there just unique and beautiful. And it looks as tho they have certification, Tho im not sure how good the one is since its not GIA. Ive thought about doing trade ups but i dont know if i could part with an engagment ring once i got it..Just to many emotions and meanings behind it to give up. Im waiting to see if this site does any sort of discounts.. guess we''ll see.

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1662

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1658

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1176

 

[Independent Gal]

The first one is specTACULAR! It's GIA certed too. I don't know anything about Aschers from the technical perspective, but it just looks gorgeous to me. Maybe someone who's good at Aschers can chime in with the dirt?

The second one is a very nice setting, the numbers are too fuzzy to read on the certificate, but GIA only gives it a cut grade of 'good', which is sort of equivalent to 'half dead'. So, I'd stay away from that diamond.

If you found a way to go with that first one, WHOA. You'd be one lucky gal.

The numbers on the third one look pretty bad and I wouldn't trust UGL. Not so keen on that one either, although, again, the setting is very pretty.

 

[jstarfireb]

Of the ones you posted, the Asscher is without a doubt my favorite! It''s GIA certified with good color and clarity too (I wouldn''t go below H/VS2 in a step cut stone...others may disagree but that''s just my opinion).

Here''s a very nice Asscher 3-stone that you might like:
http://www.bluenile.com/product_details.asp?oid=5779&catid=138&filter_id=0&nav1=band_channel.asp&page=1&col=2&row=3&pos=8&set_shape=

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I love antique style rings! I''m just not sure about the quality of these settings (from antiqueengagementrings). Maybe you could do a search on this site to see what kind of information comes up? You probably could do better on diamond quality as well, but you''d have to weigh out whether you want to take the time to choose your diamond and setting separately.