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Are you diamond jaded?

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lumpkin

lumpkin

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 24, 2005
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The $48,000 thread got me thinking. Having seen some of the spectacular bling on the forum and through the vendors, are you jaded towards other people''s jewelry IRL? I''m finding it takes a lot to impress me even in the higher end stores. If I see a setting I like I tend to analyze its design, durability, proportions, etc. to the point where it''s almost not much fun because even for the higher dollar settings I''m not that excited over what I see. Of course, I''m not going into Cartier or Harry Winston, just local B&Ms. I did find a nice looking (on paper) diamond listed on-line at my jeweler''s website, but I''m kind of afraid to ask to look at it because I have no intention of buying it and I don''t want to waste his time, but I''d kinda like to see it, LOL! It''s the only one in his inventory with ideal proportions. The rest are all shallow with big tables. When I''m shopping (which actually isn''t that often, but I did more during Christmas shopping) I keep looking in cases trying to find something really exotic or special, and I''m just not seeing it. I used to really enjoy oggling and just enjoying the window shopping and thinking, "Someday...." But now I just don''t see anything that great and I''m a little frustrated at being so unimpressed.

Is it just me???
 
I know what you mean. I havn''t been reading this forum for long but I, too, look in jewelry stores now and think "thats not so great." I am begining to feel bad for the future hubby now that I have researched and the price range for the ring I would like has increased. I know people who buy their rings off of ebay and I used to think there were good deals there. Now I go back and look and see that the diamonds are "clarity enhanced" or they only give color and clarity. How can you tell what a diamond will look like from that? Urgh!!! Why can''t all diamonds be pretty?
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I know what you mean. I can''t believe I ever wanted something from the Costco case or Zales. heee heee.
What were we thinking (back then)!!!!!!
 
yeah i am sooo diamond and jewelry jaded. i have no interest in going into regular jewelry stores because i am like 'so what are they going to have that's so amazing?'. nothing. yet when we were in vegas of course i wanted to go to fred leighton which we did. now THAT stuff is impressive. amazing designs. and of course i like to see anything that is super large and honkin and well-cut or really unique cut or a setting and i really love looking at true vintage stuff. tiffany? not really interested. cartier is the same thing. not unless i want to see a specific design or super large size stone or something.

but really 90% of what is out there in general, jewelry wise is just 'meh'. also i have gone into a lot of jewelry stores here and there and so i definitely feel like the really unique and cool pieces are far and few between. though i don't really think about it or anything. hehe. and if i am walking by a window and see a really impressive ring or stone, i go in and ask to see it. oh but i still love fourtane in carmel!! mmm.
 
It is almost like you are saying a little knowledge may not be a good thing!

It seems you are just becoming educated about what is out there, and how much farther your dollar can go (and that you can get a much nicer stone)...by gathering your information wisely..

When I was in college, a friend of mine and her boyfriend broke up and he got back together with his old girlfriend. They got engaged and he gave her a two carat stone. I know he did not have a lot of money to spend, and my friend could not get over this two carat stone. Now, even then, I knew it was likely to be frozen spit, coming from a chain jeweler in the mall, but she could not get how it might be a cloudy or poorly cut stone. I like to think I know a bit about jewelry, but have learned an enormous amount here, and really feel better equiped when I am out browsing...I know when something is not great and when someone is trying to b.s. me a bit...

I think you can look at something out in real life and know it is not made well, or is not a good quality stone...even though no one else gets it!
 
Yes I am diamond jaded. I don''t see much out there IRL that impresses me. And on the rare occassions that I do see something that I love my wheels are turning in my head about having a PS vendor doing something like it. But the old antique pieces, like OEC''s and the like really make my day. The quality of those old settings just knock my socks off!!!!
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lol yea.. and if I do see something I start figuring out how to make a better one cheaper.
 
am i diamond jaded?

yes. my coworker has a diamond ring that is quite yellow, badly cut, dirty, and doesn''t sparkle. she is so proud that her hubby bought her 1 carat when they first married. 1 carat of crud. i notice her looking at mine, and then i notice next day that hers is cleaner. it definitely less yellow when she cleans it.

i actually like the cape colored stones, i think they are antique looking and pretty. they just have to be well cut.

i am a reformed dirty diamond person. we''re worse than refomed smokers.

for the first ten years of my mariage i never took my stone off. gardening, cooking, washing dishes, the prongs were all bent, the stone was opaque, and i never noticed. then we moved to england, and i took my diamond off for safekeeping, also it was getting too tight. moved back to US, noticed a fabulous tiny diamond on a high setting on a bus in the medical center, couldn''t take my eyes off it, and twas the end of that. i had diamond fever.

i got mine reset in a fresh identical setting that fit. kept it clean. then i got the "bigger bug". and the "more bug".
 
Date: 1/2/2007 1:15:52 AM
Author: Kaleigh
Yes I am diamond jaded. I don''t see much out there IRL that impresses me. And on the rare occassions that I do see something that I love my wheels are turning in my head about having a PS vendor doing something like it. But the old antique pieces, like OEC''s and the like really make my day. The quality of those old settings just knock my socks off!!!!
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I''m in complete agreement on the antiques. I have some things handed down to me that are just incredible. The diamonds are obviously not ideal and are quite small, but the craftsmanship of the detail and the millwork -- *I* have never seen anything that delicate and well crafted in any of the stores I''ve been in.

As far as the rest I wish sometimes I were more ignorant, LOL! But I keep coming back to learn more, so maybe not so much.
 
Yeah....there was a time when I was actually incapable of passing a jewelry store without going in to look around...ANY jewelry store. No more!

Antique/estate jewelry is another story, however. I practically set up a tent outside Fred Leighton in Las Vegas. LOL


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Oh yes, I am TOTALLY diamond jaded! It takes something pretty fab is even catch my attention any more. And I think the last thing I was even interested in getting close to was a 6 ct cushion at Van Cleef when Mrs. S. was in town.

I was at a realtor holiday party last month and there was a woman there with a HUGE diamond, but from a distance I could tell it wasn''t that great and I didn''t like the setting at all (it had these huge trillions that winged out over her other fingers). My husband was like, do you want to move closer to check that out? Nah, I said, I''ve seen all I need to.

How sad is all that!
 
Dee Jay, that IS sad! Around here, the realtors have the really big rocks. I used to work at a major real estate firm (not as an agent) and I remember a gorgeous, huge pear. This was years ago and I wonder if I would be as impressed with it now as I was then. I seem to remember it being very white, bright and sparkly.

I''m sure if I were still working there I''d notice a lot of 80''s gold nugget jewelry and some gaudy, over the top jewelry with bad diamonds....so, so sad, LOL!
 
LOL, yes! My husband and I were talking about this the other day. He thinks that in the case of jewelry and stones, knowledge is bad......very, very bad. He was grousing that he can''t ever go into a mall store anymore because basically everything is cruddy and he is now too spoiled. He can only buy "the good stuff" and it''s all my fault. I had to go and find this site!
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I''m jaded and I admit it! I am not impressed going into jewelry stores, and I find myself becoming ever more pickier.
 
Yes. And my hubby is now too. He won''t even look at anything less than 3 carats now either. haha

We stopped in Graff the other day and they had 3 carat D, VVS2 round diamond for a mere $140k. It was funny because the SL was spouting all this bs about how their company is vertically integrated and they sell diamonds to Tiffany''s (which may or may not be true) and how their diamonds are better investments. I hate when they give me all that crap. But DH was just acting all interested and nice and going ''what is the price on that"? He was telling me I should be nicer but it ticks me off when people try to bs me like that. But maybe he is right.
 
Jaded? Oh, yes, big time.

All the knowledge I''ve gained from PS can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on
how the knowledge is used, tee hee!

I was offered a job in a local B&M after I asked a few questions one day while tagging along with a friend.

My daughter''s boyfriend is scared to buy a diamond for her, because of my sharp eyes.

Hubby can''t buy me a surprise. (but he did ok at WF this Christmas!)

I only want the best!!!!!

Regular B&M stores don''t interest me at all. I rarely go in them. I might check out the estate section at Saks.
Neiman Marcus even disappoints me.

I look at friends diamonds and feel sorry for them. I know that is horrible. Just recently a friend of my husbands told my DH about searching for a Tormaline ring (sp) for his wife. He was going on and on about a certain jewelry store here in Houston. "OMG, the place is so honest, they''d never do you wrong." Yeah, right! Her big honker looks a little better than frozen spit, but nothing I''d want and it''s 5cts.

I guess to sum it up. I''d rather have nothing, if I can''t have what I feel is the best I can get. Honest.
 
Date: 1/2/2007 3:19:33 PM
Author: Ann
Jaded? Oh, yes, big time.

All the knowledge I''ve gained from PS can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on
how the knowledge is used, tee hee!

I was offered a job in a local B&M after I asked a few questions one day while tagging along with a friend.

My daughter''s boyfriend is scared to buy a diamond for her, because of my sharp eyes.

Hubby can''t buy me a surprise. (but he did ok at WF this Christmas!)

I only want the best!!!!!

Regular B&M stores don''t interest me at all. I rarely go in them. I might check out the estate section at Saks.
Neiman Marcus even disappoints me.

I look at friends diamonds and feel sorry for them. I know that is horrible. Just recently a friend of my husbands told my DH about searching for a Tormaline ring (sp) for his wife. He was going on and on about a certain jewelry store here in Houston. ''OMG, the place is so honest, they''d never do you wrong.'' Yeah, right! Her big honker looks a little better than frozen spit, but nothing I''d want and it''s 5cts.

I guess to sum it up. I''d rather have nothing, if I can''t have what I feel is the best I can get. Honest.
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Yep, same here. I wouldn''t even look at diamonds or gemstones of any kind locally ever again. For that matter, about the only thing I might buy would be a watch or a chain for a pendant.
 
I''m not jaded at all. After 40 years of collecting I still love to look at diamonds, regardless of where they are or who is wearing them.
 
I''ve never cared for jewelry and PS has made me even more jaded. I never see anything I like in jewelry stores...ANY store. Actually I hadn''t looked in awhile but last week went to the LA diamond district because my friend needed to buy a pair of earrings for her MIL and wanted my opinion. Another girl was interested in looking at eternity bands and what I saw was pure yuck. Misaligned/set diamonds and totally different colors in one bad, even though all were "G". I asked who graded them and the salesperson sheepishly said "me." Most of it was just awful.

But I still really like looking at what people wear. It fascinates me to see what styles are out there and I wonder if they picked it or it was given without any input. I''m not impressed my most of it, but in L.A. I can always spot a cool ring or two if I really look.
 
Date: 1/2/2007 2:45:58 PM
Author: Allisonfaye
Yes. And my hubby is now too. He won''t even look at anything less than 3 carats now either. haha

We stopped in Graff the other day and they had 3 carat D, VVS2 round diamond for a mere $140k. It was funny because the SL was spouting all this bs about how their company is vertically integrated and they sell diamonds to Tiffany''s (which may or may not be true) and how their diamonds are better investments. I hate when they give me all that crap. But DH was just acting all interested and nice and going ''what is the price on that''? He was telling me I should be nicer but it ticks me off when people try to bs me like that. But maybe he is right.
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Allisonfaye: Was it the one in the window with bagette sides?

To answer the original question, I''m not jaded, but I am more picky. I have learned I am extremely color sensitive and that I have an ideal stone size, color, etc. in my head. But for whatever reason I just can''t grasp the details (all the nitty-gritty numbers) that you ladies do so that helps (and hurts, I guess!). I just love sparklies all over. But if they don''t really sparkle I''m not interested.
 
I guess I am. When I first read this I thought, no way, not me, I love anything that is a diamond. Then I got to thinking...As long as it''s well cut (or at least sparkly)...And not an ugly setting...etc...etc... I really don''t go into mall stores because the stuff is *usually* yuck. I could stay at the B & M I use an unnaturally long amount of time. It''s so bad that DH gets embarassed. I do love Tiffanny''s and HW. Their stores always impress me. I just love *most* any kind of jewelry.
 
Absolutely. I cannot go into franchise jewelry stores anymore. I only get excited over unique custom, really well cut classics, or amazing antique pieces.

I''m simply ruined.

Jeannine
 
I just know more now, so when I see a huge stone I am scoping it out to see if it looks nice. Of course I only go by what I see, but can totally tell if it is included, dingy, not sparkly, etc...bigger is not always better when a stone looks like garbage. I am like a myna bird though, I love jewelry and watches, anything that shines...but as I get close up to it, I see if it is nice or not...
 
I think I am pretty jaded. A good portion of what I see people wearing is IMO unfortunately not very nice. This is particularly where I live. Perhaps if I lived in a bigger city it would be different. But it really takes a lot for me to be impressed. Frequently things are so mass produced now, that the quality just really seems to suffer. And it''s hard to find something that is really unique I think.
 
sort of.... I''m totally jaded w/the ''maul'' jewelers. But I still can''t help myself and I look in the windows sometimes. DH always makes fun of me... "why are you so drawn them? you know they are all ''frozen monkey spit''!!" I can''t explain, I still look. THen I think to myself what crap is THIS?! haha..


I love looking at some of the local jewelers in Berkeley/SF that have some really unique designs and more antiques/vintage... can never get tired of that stuff!!
 
I guess it is like pizza, even bad pizza is still good...I will still look in windows, but it has to be pretty amazing to impress me.

In London this summer the jewelry stores on Bond Street were AMAZING. I have never seen anything like the stuff in those windows, not in Beverly Hills, not in New York, not in Palm Beach on Worth Avenue...I could have died happy there just drooling on the glass...
 
Date: 1/2/2007 10:19:22 PM
Author: Madam Bijoux
I''m not jaded at all. After 40 years of collecting I still love to look at diamonds, regardless of where they are or who is wearing them.
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HI:

Ditto. That said, some of those jewels posted in the "ugly thread" are just plain puzzling..
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cheers--Sharon
 
I''m not jaded.

Hell, I''m spoiled!
 
Date: 1/3/2007 10:02:29 PM
Author: kenny
I''m not jaded.

Hell, I''m spoiled!
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I guess PS has spoiled us in a good way. We know what we want, what to look for, and get the very best of the best, or close to it in most cases. I''d rather be spoiled in this manner any day!!!
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K, I prefer to see it as informed and having discriminating taste...we will not be played for fools in the retail world when we are parting with our money...
 
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