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Sfraz16

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 15, 2008
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I am young professional looking to make my first diamond purchase. I could use some help in finishing up my ring purchase. I am looking to show up at my girlfriend''s family memorial picnic about 1,000 miles away and propose to her in front of her friends and family next weekend. (I wish I would have found this forum sooner)

I have been working with a trusty local jewelry store that my father and her father have shopped for about 20 years.

I know that she is set on getting an oval because both of our mothers have oval settings. Other than than that everything is completely up to me. I visted the local jeweler once and then decided to do a little more research.

My first question: I currently have a WG band picked out. Are there certain settings for certain diamond cuts? Are there specific bands for oval cuts?

The jeweler currently has three diamonds picked out that I going to see this week.

1.0 CA VS2 E color excellent grade for $6,188
1.39 CA VS2 E color $9,670
1.21 CA VS 2 I color 6,900

He claims all diamonds are eye clean. I think the sparkle that hits my girlfriend''s eye is the most important thing to me. I would also like to have a decent size. My original price range was 5k, but I am finding myself outside that range.
Would you consider these prices acceptable?
What is the general mark up on these diamonds?
Should I suggest that he try to get more options available for my visit?
Any good questions for the jeweler?

I appreciate any time and advice!
 
Ovals you really really need to see with your eyes. Honestly, many people have been ripped off by local jewelers and friends of friends, so the absolute best thing you can do with your time is read everything possible on this forum under "knowledge" above, then do searches for oval diamonds and start reading. There is a lot to learn in a few days.

And it is ALWAYS a good idea to get as many options as possible.
 
I'd make a call to Jonathan at Good Old Gold in NY. He can pick an excellent oval for you and the prices are generally better than other stores. Kaleigh bought her oval from him and you can read about it here:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/somewhere-oval-the-rainbow.51974/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ready-or-not.54834/

I'd worry about getting the best possible stone at this point and getting a temporary setting. Let her choose the permanent setting later.

I just see one in stock in your price range, but he can get others quickly.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2859/

(I understand you are pretty tied into this other jeweler. I would advise you to learn as much as you can before making a purchase.)
 
Hi sfraz,

Since you have alreay begun working with this jeweler, I realize you might be uncomfortable looking elsewhere. If that is the case, you might try looking inbetween what you have listed. F,G,H, with a VS2/SI1 clarity would likely be just fine (if eyeclean), and that would help lower the price.

Be aware though, retail stores will charge more for a stone than online. I price searched the first one, and prices start at 4196.00. A jeweler can mark a stone up as high as he wants, you have to decide what you think is a fair price. How much more you are willing to pay.

Fancies really do need to be seen. The more you can get in front of you, all at one time preferably, to compare, the better.

If shopping online is a consideration, the vendors can give you lots of info on the stones, and do comparisons for you. It''s not for everyone, but it''s an option nonetheless.

As for the setting, yes, some are specifically for fancies, but some can hold any stone. It''s the actual head that determines this, and some bands can have the head changed, some cannot.

HTH
 
Thanks so much for all the help. After my second visit to the local jeweler I have begun to search alternative options. When comparing his price for for the stone and the price on Pricescope...he is about $1888 higher with a diamond that is not certified by GIA or AGS.

I had a long talk with a collegue that purchased her ring from Good Old Gold and I have gained some confidence in on line purachases. I guess we will see if they are able to work with my time frame!!
 
Date: 5/18/2008 8:37:34 PM
Author: Sfraz16
Thanks so much for all the help. After my second visit to the local jeweler I have begun to search alternative options. When comparing his price for for the stone and the price on Pricescope...he is about $1888 higher with a diamond that is not certified by GIA or AGS.


I had a long talk with a collegue that purchased her ring from Good Old Gold and I have gained some confidence in on line purachases. I guess we will see if they are able to work with my time frame!!
Click to expand...

Jonathan is really fantastic. Mark at Engagement Rings Direct is also worth a call, he''s great with fancy stones too. And I am SURE both of them can rush something to you in your timeframe, especially if you can do a temp setting.
 
Date: 5/18/2008 8:37:34 PM
Author: Sfraz16
Thanks so much for all the help. After my second visit to the local jeweler I have begun to search alternative options. When comparing his price for for the stone and the price on Pricescope...he is about $1888 higher with a diamond that is not certified by GIA or AGS.

I had a long talk with a collegue that purchased her ring from Good Old Gold and I have gained some confidence in on line purachases. I guess we will see if they are able to work with my time frame!!
Click to expand...
Oh, that is great news! Jonathan is a fine person and an honest businessman. They have a family owned jewelry store that has been in business for at least 20 years. So it is not like buying from some virtual internet company at all. I have a beautiful diamond from GOG myself! They probably can get it done quickly as long as you want a simple stock setting (which is a good idea anyway so that she can look for a permanent setting later, if desired).
 
Another vote for GoodOldGold. Jonathan carries only the finest diamonds and I bet he could put an oval into a white gold setting and have it to you for next weekend!
 
Could you not order a couple of diamonds from them. Then choose one return the others. that way you get a choice and pick what YOU like.
 
This forum has been fantastic!

I have decided to go with White Flash. I just ordered a diamond from Bob with the following:

Oval 1.05 E VS2 GIA M-STK N EX VG N 61.5 57 8.02x5.84x3.59 $5105/$4951ps
Ratio 1.37:1
Comment GORGEOUS MAKE! [Cert]

Anyone have any experience with Bob or comments on this diamond?

Also, I really like the Euro Shank settings. Does anyone have a good reccomendation for a website with the Euro Shank?

This seems to be going very well despite the very short time frame. Bob will have the diamond and has promised at least a very plain setting for this diamond. I would like to a good setting, but its good to know that I still have a back up!
 
Date: 5/19/2008 3:13:46 PM
Author: Sfraz16
This forum has been fantastic!

I have decided to go with White Flash. I just ordered a diamond from Bob with the following:

Oval 1.05 E VS2 GIA M-STK N EX VG N 61.5 57 8.02x5.84x3.59 $5105/$4951ps
Ratio 1.37:1
Comment GORGEOUS MAKE! [Cert]

Anyone have any experience with Bob or comments on this diamond?

Also, I really like the Euro Shank settings. Does anyone have a good reccomendation for a website with the Euro Shank?

This seems to be going very well despite the very short time frame. Bob will have the diamond and has promised at least a very plain setting for this diamond. I would like to a good setting, but its good to know that I still have a back up!
Click to expand...
Bob has an incredible reputation here, you are in excellent hands! You can't judge an oval by the numbers, but you have the most important tool - an expert eye in Bob. E VS are very nice specs, and if Bob rates this diamond it should be stunning!
 
I almost forgot the fun part!

I called the local vendor that I was using and let him know that I found the diamond he had for $2,000. He kept falling back on the cut of this diamond - he claimed it was worth the extra money. Not to mention, this diamond was certified by EGL, whom I understand to be a company with a very low reputation?

I also asked him for the name brand of the setting I had picked out. He told me "I can''t give you that information." Could just be me, but this screams guilt?
 
It''s just you. There''s nothing "guilty" about not providing the name of the mfgr. He knows you will only attempt to buy the same setting for less online. Not a particularly customer service oriented attitude, but not guilty about anything either.

Wait until your FI goes to try on wedding dresses. Many salons remove the labels from the dresses for the same reason.
 
I've been shopping for a halo ring for a while, and I have never had a jeweler not want to tell me the designer/manufacturer of a ring. In fact, I have even had salespeople give me the manufacturer's website so I could look at the designs online.

The only time they didn't tell me the brand was when the item was not from a "designer" but just a supplier of some kind and they really did not know where it came from. I guess some stores have different policies than others regarding how much they will tell the customer. Like purrfectpear said, probably not guilt but maybe some type of protection.
 
I just have another question that keeps haunting me. I understand how important the cut is on a diamond, is it worth 2,000 more?
 
Well the question of money is very personal so would be tough to answer. However I''d suggest looking at some of the videos on goodoldgold.com:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/video/


I watched the video where he compares 6 different cushions with the same clarity/color and some similar angle measurements. You can see a wide variablilty in the sparkle factor even with similar stats. It''s not an oval but you can at least see there is a wide variablity in appearance due to cut.

Also of interest is a video on the bottom of the page where he compares a smaller ideal cut round vs a larger ''very good'' cut round. I''d say the cut makes up for the smaller size in this video.
 
Date: 5/20/2008 10:41:51 AM
Author: Sfraz16
I just have another question that keeps haunting me. I understand how important the cut is on a diamond, is it worth 2,000 more?
Click to expand...
In my opinion, yes it is. Cut to me is so important, that I think it would be better to go down in size and color than get a larger, mediocre cut diamond. $2,000 is a lot of money, but how much would you be putting into a lesser quality diamond anyway? You can also save money by getting a lower color, and if the diamond is an ideal cut round, it will still look amazing.

I spent more than I had budgeted for to get a spectacular cut, but I realized that I would be wearing the diamond for much longer than the time frame it will take to pay it off. I''m sure that sounds irresponsible to some, but others will understand my thinking.
 
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