Scribblette
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2008
- Messages
- 15
Hi everyone, Eac recommended I post in here. I'm on the hunt for the best diamond in my budget to make the engagement official, but feel as if my location is a limitation.
I'm in Adelaide, South Australia. Come September I'll be moving to Melbourne, Victoria. Well, providing we find a place - the rental market there is insane! My diamond budget is something under 1,800 USD (2k Australian), courtesy the upcoming move, bond, utilities, a half-dead work laptop and the fact that I'm the housewife(husband) in training, not her!
I would LOVE to make the purchase online, but have a few qualms.
For one, is JamesAllen.com the only site that shows photos of their diamonds? Isn't it a massive risk, buying something you can't actually see the imperfections of before purchase?
What about distance - Eac's purchase took a week to arrive so the 30 day guarantee was still in place, but how much room is there for screwups? I've always had my purchases (of other goods) take several weeks to arrive, when not held up in customs as well!
I'd be terrified of buying something that looks as fantastic as, say, this SI1 ideal cut 62 point diamond with no visible flaws, only to get something like this 81 point diamond full of dead tadpoles right as my 30 day guarantee expires! And there's the matter of things getting lost in the mail, whether they'd claim to have sent it out and haven't - all up, I really can't afford to screw up. I don't have the budget for a second diamond for her ring!
How many people here have bought long distance? Do you know any reputable wholesalers in Australia that'd cater to my budget? I've been recommended Garry Holloway's Precious Metals in Melbourne, and while their site is helpful and I'll be sure to contact him, their catalogues are double my budget and up.
I've spent the last few weeks and more full days than I remember reading up about it all on the net, browsing most of the FAQs here and wandering in and out of local shops, and have long since passed saturation point, so pardon my ignorance.
How much do jewelery stores mark up their diamonds, anyway? How much am I supposed to haggle?
Far as I could see, they market their 25-36 point diamonds of 'good' quality for the same as that 62 point diamond I linked earlier - and that's after they offered to drop the price 15% on my asking.
Of course, she deserves this one, but I doubt it'd fit on her finger, and I suppose it'd be a little selfish to completely screw with gravity just to give her that tiny little bit more sparkle...
I'm in Adelaide, South Australia. Come September I'll be moving to Melbourne, Victoria. Well, providing we find a place - the rental market there is insane! My diamond budget is something under 1,800 USD (2k Australian), courtesy the upcoming move, bond, utilities, a half-dead work laptop and the fact that I'm the housewife(husband) in training, not her!
I would LOVE to make the purchase online, but have a few qualms.
For one, is JamesAllen.com the only site that shows photos of their diamonds? Isn't it a massive risk, buying something you can't actually see the imperfections of before purchase?
What about distance - Eac's purchase took a week to arrive so the 30 day guarantee was still in place, but how much room is there for screwups? I've always had my purchases (of other goods) take several weeks to arrive, when not held up in customs as well!
I'd be terrified of buying something that looks as fantastic as, say, this SI1 ideal cut 62 point diamond with no visible flaws, only to get something like this 81 point diamond full of dead tadpoles right as my 30 day guarantee expires! And there's the matter of things getting lost in the mail, whether they'd claim to have sent it out and haven't - all up, I really can't afford to screw up. I don't have the budget for a second diamond for her ring!
How many people here have bought long distance? Do you know any reputable wholesalers in Australia that'd cater to my budget? I've been recommended Garry Holloway's Precious Metals in Melbourne, and while their site is helpful and I'll be sure to contact him, their catalogues are double my budget and up.
I've spent the last few weeks and more full days than I remember reading up about it all on the net, browsing most of the FAQs here and wandering in and out of local shops, and have long since passed saturation point, so pardon my ignorance.
How much do jewelery stores mark up their diamonds, anyway? How much am I supposed to haggle?
Far as I could see, they market their 25-36 point diamonds of 'good' quality for the same as that 62 point diamond I linked earlier - and that's after they offered to drop the price 15% on my asking.
Of course, she deserves this one, but I doubt it'd fit on her finger, and I suppose it'd be a little selfish to completely screw with gravity just to give her that tiny little bit more sparkle...