Budget $2500 (CAD) - Can you help me spend it wisely?

[DefiantDragon]

I''ve been doing research for months yet I still feel like a total tool when it comes to getting my woman something that''ll do her justice. Been scrimping and saving to get her something that''ll make her go ''ooooh!'' when I propose (was hoping to do it on New Years... but time''s ticking way too fast! :S).

Unfortunately, everything I''ve seen has been, well, too expensive or just ''wrong'', you know? (been jewellery store hopping for what seems like ages... and getting sick of the hard-sell-''this-is-a-VERY-nice-ring'' BS).

Could you all please help me find something - or point me in the direction of good deals that''ll make my woman''s eyes pop?

Through my subtle research I''ve learned that she likes solitaire settings with a single round diamond and a thin band - 4 or 6 prongs. Diamond wise I was hoping for something 50 points or better (I was hoping for 70 but I''m not going to be greedy ). From talking to her the shine/sparkle is more important than the size (tho'' if it were up to me it''d be a frickin'' basketball )

Anyways, any help or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all very much,
Brandon

Oh, PS: I live in Toronto, Canada. (downtown area)

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/28/2008 11:10:17 AM
Author:DefiantDragon
I''ve been doing research for months yet I still feel like a total tool when it comes to getting my woman something that''ll do her justice. Been scrimping and saving to get her something that''ll make her go ''ooooh!'' when I propose (was hoping to do it on New Years... but time''s ticking way too fast! :S).

Unfortunately, everything I''ve seen has been, well, too expensive or just ''wrong'', you know? (been jewellery store hopping for what seems like ages... and getting sick of the hard-sell-''this-is-a-VERY-nice-ring'' BS).

Could you all please help me find something - or point me in the direction of good deals that''ll make my woman''s eyes pop?

Through my subtle research I''ve learned that she likes solitaire settings with a single round diamond and a thin band - 4 or 6 prongs. Diamond wise I was hoping for something 50 points or better (I was hoping for 70 but I''m not going to be greedy ). From talking to her the shine/sparkle is more important than the size (tho'' if it were up to me it''d be a frickin'' basketball )

Anyways, any help or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all very much,
Brandon

Oh, PS: I live in Toronto, Canada. (downtown area)

Aw, that''s sweet.

Here''s a nice stone, if eyeclean. Don''t go by the plot and pics, you need them to look at the stone for you. If it''s not, you might ask if they have something else in your range. Then pair it with their simplest, least expensive solitaire. That should definitely be doable. Bankwire is the discount. And this is a very reputable company (I''ve bought from them), they''re very easy to work with too.

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/5129/

 

[elle_chris]

Hi there- You can find a gorgeous stone within your budget.

I just did a quick search and here are a few I came up with http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1193844.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131 is an I, VS2 .71ct AGS0

Another options is http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1467067.htm which will surely be gorgeous but a bit smaller at .58ct. I couldn''t find any SI1''s on Whiteflash''s site within your budget but maybe someone else can?

Here''s another beauty from GOG http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4353/ this one''s a G, VS2 .61ct, if you''re looking for a great color/clarity combo.

All of these shouldl leave you with enough cash to buy a simple tiffany style setting.

There''s a ton more out there if you do a search using the Pricescope on the main page. Just be sure to check In house stones AGS0 hearts and arrows for the best cut possible.

Good Luck

 

[elle_chris]

OOH, that one''s beautiful too, Ellen.

 

[Lorelei]

Nice selections ladies!!!

 

[DefiantDragon]

So I take it that by ''eyeclean'' you mean that you can''t see the inclusions with the naked eye?

Hrmmm this looks pretty - I''ll ask about it.

Oooh... closed :S - Oh, right, it''s a Sunday! lol

 

[DefiantDragon]

Wow! These are excellent as well! Thank you for taking the time to look for these!

I''m trying to decide what''s best - size or colour or what...

What makes a diamond sparkle the most?

 

[E B]

Hi DefiantDragon! Welcome to PS. Ellen and elle_chris have found you some lovely looking stones.

I don't know a lot about shipping to Canada, other than you're probably going to be hit with a few hundred in taxes and shipping, correct? I don't know if it's any less through Blue Nile Canada, but it might be worth a look.

Here's an AGS 0 Ideal/Blue Nile "Signature Ideal" (1.1 on the HCA, EX/EX/EX/VG) that might be worth a look:

.60 G, SI1 AGS Ideal

At G color and SI1 clarity, it's a nice "sweet spot" for many. Because it's an SI1, however, I'd check to see if it's eye-clean. I've bought from Blue Nile (and been very happy) and for each diamond I requested information on, they were able to verify whether or not it was eye clean.

Blue Nile doesn't have an upgrade policy that I'm aware of, but that isn't important to everyone. If it is to you, definitely go with someone like Good Old Gold or Whiteflash.

Pairing the diamond with the simple white gold 4-prong solitaire would put you at C$2,368, leaving some $ for taxes/shipping.

Hope this helps! Congratulations on your upcoming engagement!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/28/2008 11:44:33 AM
Author: DefiantDragon
Wow! These are excellent as well! Thank you for taking the time to look for these!

I''m trying to decide what''s best - size or colour or what...

What makes a diamond sparkle the most?

It is cut quality which makes a diamond sparkle and gives it beauty, without a good cut you won''t have a pretty rock, so this is uppermost in the ladies'' minds as they look for diamonds which might suit you.

As to a diamond being eyeclean there are many variables so it is best to be very specific with your vendor, if you don''t want to see any inclusions from any angle at close scrutiny for example, make sure they understand that so they can recommend diamonds which might be suitable for you.

 

[DefiantDragon]

Date: 12/28/2008 11:48:05 AM
Author: EBree
Hi DefiantDragon! Welcome to PS. Ellen and elle_chris have found you some lovely looking stones.

Thank you! (You''re all making me feel very welcome

Blue Nile doesn''t have an upgrade policy that I''m aware of, but that isn''t important to everyone. If it is to you, definitely go with someone like Good Old Gold or Whiteflash.

Oooh... good point - I never thought of that.

How important is an upgrade policy?

 

[E B]

Date: 12/28/2008 11:53:29 AM
Author: DefiantDragon

Oooh... good point - I never thought of that.


How important is an upgrade policy?

Well, that's up to you. Some couples, down the road, like to "upgrade" the diamond to a bigger size, or a higher color/clarity by trading in the original stone and putting forth however much $ is needed for the new stone. For other couples, this is the forever stone/ring, and many women choose to keep the original diamond for (obvious) sentimental reasons even if they do choose to buy a new stone later on. Whether or not the upgrade policy is important is entirely your (and your future fiance's) call.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/28/2008 11:53:29 AM
Author: DefiantDragon


Thank you! (You''re all making me feel very welcome



Oooh... good point - I never thought of that.

How important is an upgrade policy?

That depends. If you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that your gal won''t ever want a bigger stone, it''s not that important. But, if you don''t know that, it''s just best to go with one that does.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/28/2008 11:53:29 AM
Author: DefiantDragon

Date: 12/28/2008 11:48:05 AM
Author: EBree
Hi DefiantDragon! Welcome to PS. Ellen and elle_chris have found you some lovely looking stones.

Thank you! (You're all making me feel very welcome

Blue Nile doesn't have an upgrade policy that I'm aware of, but that isn't important to everyone. If it is to you, definitely go with someone like Good Old Gold or Whiteflash.

Oooh... good point - I never thought of that.

How important is an upgrade policy?

To some it is very important if they want to get a bigger diamond in the future, as trying to resell a diamond yourself can be challenging, plus it is usual to only recoup 30 - 50% of what you paid for it. Whereas with an upgrade policy, some vendors will allow you the complete value of what you originally paid towards another diamond, so vendors who offer such policies are popular. Check the individual terms and conditions with each vendor as these can vary if you want to factor in an upgrade policy in your purchase decision.

Hi Ebree!

 

[DefiantDragon]

Oooh! Tough call :S

What I like about the Blue Nile place is that if I order it on monday it''ll be shipped by Tuesday - which would be AMAZING.

I''ve had this thing planned where I wanted to propose to her at 12:00am New Year''s - so when everyone is yelling Happy New Year, I want to get down on one knee in front of all my friends and ask her to marry me right then.

Lately I''ve been freaking out because the time is drawing closer (I went nuts on the holiday break looking through jewelry stores with nothing to show for it) and I still don''t have anything. Was thinking that I was going to have to scrap the whole idea.

The Blue Nile one seems to allow for the best possible chance of that still happening. But having to re-buy a bigger diamond down the road... I dunno. I think the 60 point one there is pretty (and I don''t think she''d want something TOO big) but I''m not entirely sure down the line if I won''t want to get her something bigger.

 

[E B]

Date: 12/28/2008 12:09:01 PM
Author: DefiantDragon

The Blue Nile one seems to allow for the best possible chance of that still happening. But having to re-buy a bigger diamond down the road... I dunno. I think the 60 point one there is pretty (and I don't think she'd want something TOO big) but I'm not entirely sure down the line if I won't want to get her something bigger.

Well, you can always get her something bigger, you just wouldn't have the $2000 to put toward it. Many women choose to keep the original stone and make it into a pendant or a right hand ring, in which case the upgrade policy would be useless, but others are more sentimental about the setting, or the idea of the ring in general, not needing to have the original stone or setting. It all really depends on you and your gal.

p.s. Hiya Lorelei!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

 

[swingirl]

I know you are on a time crunch but here is my suggestion which, if it were me, I wouldn't mind waiting for! (you could reserve it now as teh internet office is open but they don't reopen the store until Jan) I don't think something as important as an ering should be rushed. Not everyone proposes with the perfect ring.

0.76ct J SI1

 

[marcy]

I think you have some lovely suggestions here. IMO I wouldn''t worry about an upgrade on this - I would want to keep my original diamond / ering no matter how many other upgrades I get. Good luck getting it on time to propose.

 

[wishinpink]

This one is my suggestion!

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5134/

 

[Rhea]

A New Year''s Eve proposal sounds nice, but if were me, I''d rather you take the time, got me the best ring you could afford and propose later.

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 12/28/2008 5:27:50 PM
Author: marcyc
I think you have some lovely suggestions here. IMO I wouldn't worry about an upgrade on this - I would want to keep my original diamond / ering no matter how many other upgrades I get. Good luck getting it on time to propose.

Just goes to show how opinions can vary on this, doesn't it, because I would go 'upgrade policy', particularly if money to spend on diamonds is short in your family (like it is in mine - we always seem to spend all our money on our business!

)

And upgrade policy would be an important benefit to me, particularly if you are compromising to an extent right now...
You could upgrade, or consider it, on your fifth wedding anniversary, for example.

Wanting to upgrade is not a moral judgement, I love my husband madly, deeply, and really I would just like my e-ring to reflect how I feel about him. Ideally, I would like it to be the finest piece of jewellery I own. To upgrade is not necessarily shallow, particularly if you are starting from a humble base when you do marry.

However, having found PS, you might find great value and choose to keep any diamond, perhaps for a pendant, or earring studs!

ETA: you might be able to propose, and then go ring shopping later? That's what we did, and a new year's proposal sounds fab!

 

[hoofbeats95]

PLEASE do not rush this decision. To me cut is most important in the selection. A smaller diamond that out sparkles a bigger one is better IMO. Second I''m VERY setimental. I wanted my ering to be a forever ring. But it''s not going to be. I know I want a larger diamond. FI couldn''t afford what I wanted. So this will be traded in. Mine is a WF ACA and the trade in policy is good. I''ve traded in lots of gemstone jewelery over the years. So maybe trading in isn''t such a big deal to me. But as special as my ering is - I will want to upgrade the stone. So keep that in mind. I''d really rather have the option than not have it.

 

[DefiantDragon]

Hi All!

So... I proposed to her last night in the midst of Nathan Philips Square as the fireworks were going off and everyone was shouting Happy New Year!

And she accepted!

Here''s the ring:

.60 SI1 Ideal cut/polish from Blue Nile

She absolutely loves the diamond (yay! Sparkly!!) The only problem is that she has small fingers and apparently the band is too thick for her - she says she feels it pushing into her other fingers and it bothers her.

So I''m curious what I should do - there''s a 30 day return policy but we''ve looked on the site and she doesn''t like any of the other band designs.

Should I send it back and just get the loose stone? Or should I keep it here and go to a local store to see if I can get a new/custom setting? Maybe use the current band to go toward the cost of the new design?

I''m not sure what to do. She loves the ring - heck she said yes - but the band is apparently quite uncomfortable for her. :S (It''s a 2.5mm band all around - no change in thickness toward the bottom, etc.).

Thanks all!!
Brandon

 

[Rhea]

Using the cost of the current setting towards a new one won''t give you much money, just scrap price. You may want to just return the ring to BN and buy the loose stone. You''d probably come out better money-wise this way. Assuming your SO is ok with being without the ring while she shops for a new setting and it gets set, which could be weeks.

 

[wapila1]

Date: 1/1/2009 8:05:45 PM
Author: Addy
Using the cost of the current setting towards a new one won't give you much money, just scrap price. You may want to just return the ring to BN and buy the loose stone. You'd probably come out better money-wise this way. Assuming your SO is ok with being without the ring while she shops for a new setting and it gets set, which could be weeks.

I'm thinking he meant that if he returns the ring to BN and buys just the stone, he can use the refunded amount to purchase a new setting.

DefiantDragon, may I ask which BN setting that is? The reason I ask is that I have BN's comfort-fit band, which is 2.5mm, but I know BN has classic 4-prong and 6-prong solitaire settings that are slimmer, at 2mm.

 

[Rhea]

I was confused because he mentioned returning it or "Maybe use the current band to go toward the cost of the new design?" By that I assumed that he meant trading it in another jeweller rather than returning it to BN.

 

[Tuckins1]

Congratulations to you!! The ring looks beautiful! I would suggest just taking the loose stone and returning the setting. Let her pick out another setting that works best for her. (In the mean time, she can wear a "replacement" ring... like a crystal or cheap fake. That''s what I did while my ring was out, and I absolutely LOVE my cheapo!!)

 

[chaoticdreams33]

Congratulations! that is so sweet! good luck finding the perfect setting

 

[tlh]

Congrats and good luck finding the right setting. It might be best that (in the meantime whyle you decide what you want to do) you go to local stores so she can try on a few different bands to see what type of fit works best with her fingers... so she can see if there is a certain style that works best... and go from there.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think she should wear the ring for a while and see if she gets used to the feel of the setting. That is not a particularly thick band, in fact it seems like it is within the norm, and it will be more compatible with a wider variety of wedding bands because it has a little extra "height". My band is only 1.8mm high and that means I cannot wear it with a shared prong eternity band without the eternity jutting out firther from my finger. If she has never worn a ring before, it will feel strange for a while, but I suspect that unless the ring is sharp, it may just take her some getting used to!

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 1/3/2009 12:42:31 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I think she should wear the ring for a while and see if she gets used to the feel of the setting. That is not a particularly thick band, in fact it seems like it is within the norm, and it will be more compatible with a wider variety of wedding bands because it has a little extra ''height''. My band is only 1.8mm high and that means I cannot wear it with a shared prong eternity band without the eternity jutting out firther from my finger. If she has never worn a ring before, it will feel strange for a while, but I suspect that unless the ring is sharp, it may just take her some getting used to!

Congrats Dragon!!! I''m so stoked for you! I reckon dachsie is on the right track, and perhaps she should wear it for at least a couple of weeks before making a decision about whether it''s comfortable or not. If that is possible, of course.

If she has no other design ''issues'' with the ring, it may be that she just has to get used to wearing a ring on ''that'' finger!

Perhaps she could amuse herself in the meantime by looking at rings, and seeing how the profile of her ring-shank compares. She may find it to be quite a normal thickness...?

Personally, and this is off topic, I quite like the look of a substantial engagement ring, it''s a traditional look, a bit like the traditional gold wedding band...