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Buying online vs. at Jared

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Treasure43

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My boyfriend and I have been doing some ring shopping and have found the perfect unique setting at Jared. However, when we looked at loose stones they were a bit pricey. We thought about buying online but we both want to see the stone before we purchase it AND we like the guarentee and service plan at Jared''s. We''re looking at a ideal round 1 carat with SI1 or better and an F in color. Could anyone eduate me on online buying and maybe help me out with whether to buy online or at Jared. A similar stone to what we''re looking for is priced at around $7200 (their peerless diamond).
 

BeachRunner

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Now, I don''t really now a lot about RB''s, but I did a quick search on Whiteflash and found this RB for considerably less than $7200. I just linked to that diamond because WF gave it 5 stars. I think if you did you research, you would not be disappointed with the quality that comes from an online vendor.

Hope that helps a little bit!
 

Treasure43

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Thanks for your help :) I''m just concerned about putting all that money down and not being able to visually see the ring. Also concerned about what happens if something happens to the diamond.

Also, are there payment plans for the diamond online?
 

Lorelei

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Date: 3/11/2009 2:54:55 PM
Author:Treasure43
My boyfriend and I have been doing some ring shopping and have found the perfect unique setting at Jared. However, when we looked at loose stones they were a bit pricey. We thought about buying online but we both want to see the stone before we purchase it AND we like the guarentee and service plan at Jared''s. We''re looking at a ideal round 1 carat with SI1 or better and an F in color. Could anyone eduate me on online buying and maybe help me out with whether to buy online or at Jared. A similar stone to what we''re looking for is priced at around $7200 (their peerless diamond).
Hi Treasure,

Many of us have bought online with excellent results and would do so again in a heartbeat, but it is up to your comfort level. The Peerless is a well cut diamond from what I understand, you could get a branded cut online possibly for less money. I don''t think any of the online vendors offer payment plans . As to being concerned if something happens to the diamond, do you mean loss or breakage? A good insurance policy will cover you for most eventualities, check out individual policy coverage.

Also with the service plan if you buy from Jareds, you might want to read the small print carefully to see exactly what is covered and the terms and conditions. What are they guaranteeing?
 

Treasure43

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Hmm...not sure if the payment plan might be a deal breaker or not.

Jared''s is guarenteeing for life if anything happens to any of the diamonds in the setting or the center stone. Even if the stone falls out. For about $200 you can get an exxtended service plan which covers the metal (lifetime sizing for free, plantanium plating or whatever when the white gold starts to turn yellow). There''s a 30 day money back guarentee. Then there''s a trade in policy where you have to buy either the diamond or setting for double the original and you pay 50%. Of couse we would also have it insured under our homeowner''s policy as well.

I''d guess if we bought the center stone online and the setting from Jared then the policy would just cover the setting.

I wonder if Jared offers ideal cuts that are not peerless. Obviously there''s a mark-up because of the name.
 

ImpatientOne

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Jared's "Heart's Desire" stones are supposedly Ideal cut as well. We have been in the market for a 5 stone ring for our upcoming anniversary. I researched what I wanted and I gave my hubby my top three picks (since he is the one buying it). Two were online and one was at Jared's. He went with my 3rd choice which was the Jared's Heart's Desire 5 stone. I haven't received it yet, but when I was doing my research I compared the stones to their Peerless as well as the Leo. They were comparable to the Peerless (at least from what my novice eyes could tell) but far surpassed the Leo in terms of performance.

I would have preferred one of the ones from either of the online vendors that I had selected, but, alas, hubby didn't want to purchase online this time. He also ended up paying about $600 more for a 1ct 5-stone at Jared's versus online...
 

D&T

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Been where you are, thought about buying the peerless, then after reading up on Pricescope. i opted to go with Whiteflash and bought their ACA diamond at a fraction of the cost.. I buy jewelry insurance that also replaces in "mysterious" disappearance whereas Jared''s will not. Saved over $3k plus my setting as well as save on Taxes.. Peerless comes with AGS cert, however not sure if it was AGS0 or not.... It was my biggest online purchase siteunseen and very extremely happy with the diamond quality... Just as sparkly if not better cut altogether.
 

Treasure43

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It seems like buying online gets you a much better deal but the lack of a finance policy and not being able to see the stone, as well as being unsure about the protection plans are what is holding us back from buying online...
 

D&T

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Date: 3/11/2009 4:05:14 PM
Author: Treasure43
It seems like buying online gets you a much better deal but the lack of a finance policy and not being able to see the stone, as well as being unsure about the protection plans are what is holding us back from buying online...
You''ll get more bang for your buck if you go online as for their warranty,, i would be weary because of the fine print,, I think you ahve to get it checked by them, I think twice a year, maybe even more, ,if you lapse, your warranty is void.. they only warranty against damage, but insurance would warranty against many things, especially if it dissappeared, lost damaged. If you opt to go online like i did with Whiteflash, they have a very good return policy.. so if you didn''t like the diamond... ship it back for like $30. you''ll also get a pricescope discount.
 

Treasure43

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So if you don''t like the diamond you pay $30 in shipping and get a discount?

Also, there''s no finance plan or service plan offered online is there?
 

denverappraiser

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If the guarantee is an important issue for you, be sure to read the fine print. Most store guarantees exclude things like theft and loss of the ring and many have a clause about ‘customer abuse’ that needs to be considered. I bring this up because you are going to want supplemental insurance anyway and most jewelry insurance policies cover things like damage to the stone and if the stone falls out of the mounting. At the other end, most stores, including Jared, offer free cleaning and checking anyway, whether or not you bought the piece there. This doesn’t leave much that’s covered under the store guarantee that isn’t otherwise covered elsewhere but it includes free sizings, free rhodium plating and a few other things that your insurance probably doesn’t. To be sure this can be convenient but I’m not so sure I would assign a big value to it. Most people don’t size their rings all that often and the fees usually aren’t all that high to just do it on an ala-carte basis when you need it. That’s up to you. Also pay attention to whether there is anything required of you in order to keep the policy in force. Often it’s necessary to show up at the store every 6 months and you may be forbidden to have work done elsewhere, even something as simple as a cleaning. This may seem trivial but, over time, most lifetime guarantees end up out of force over this topic because people move or just forget to hold up their end of the bargain.

Financing is another can of worms. Nearly every store and website takes Visa & Mastercard and it’s easy to find a Visa issuer who has a better program than most in-store finance deals. Again, read the fine print. [/i]www.bankrate.com is a pretty good source for competitive advertisements from credit card issuers. I’m not a fan of the whole idea of going into debt over jewelry anyway but, if you must, at least shop the rates. The 22.9% APR being offered on the Jared’s card shouldn’t be hard to beat and you can buy your diamond wherever you want (including Jared’s).

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 

Treasure43

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Thanks so much for the help!!!

Jared has a 20% down (though he''d probably put closer to 50% down) and then no intrest for a year.

This has brought up some interesting issues about buying online verus at Jared and I''ll have to talk to my boyfriend tonight and see how he feels about all this as I kow he''s pretty weary of buying online.
 

D&T

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Neil said it best to show you both perspective, as for financing the ring, i don't recommend it, we did that with my first ring, and thinking to myself, we probably overpaid by 3 times the ring is really worth, but we were young.. prepricescope
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in hindsight we should have just got a very nice diamond for our cash budget on hand, then do an upgrade like we are currently doing...buy from Whiteflash, don't think there's financing,, but I mean you can place a deposit for them to start on your ring and pay when its completed.. but that only buys you two or three weeks maybe... Nice thing is, you can always do an upgrade later, and they give you full value of what you paid for the diamond for your next one.. Yes, they do have pricescope discount, believe at the most is 5% off list price for ACA the other "types of diamonds" slightly less discount... Really you would be very happy with one.. someone sent a link for a nice ACA diamond I believe, if not also I dont think you'll see much of a difference between F and G but cut is sure important... Cut had to be ideal for me, then size, then color,, SI1s and SI2 should be fine(you'll have to ask your diamond consultant to verify)

ETA: sorry the link was not for ACA,, but still very nice.
Here is one,, I know this will be AMAZING!!!

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-906726.htm#
 

Treasure43

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That is an amazing diamond! Wow!

Also, should I consider going down to .75 carat. The setting already has 3/4 carart of diamond in it.
 

D&T

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Date: 3/11/2009 5:13:24 PM
Author: Treasure43
That is an amazing diamond! Wow!

Also, should I consider going down to .75 carat. The setting already has 3/4 carart of diamond in it.
umm not sure about you, but most,, can't speak for all ladies
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size mattered to me, after having a .4 I was ready to jump the 1 carat mark... not sure what setting you mean? from Jareds?
ETA: sorry if .75 is more in your price range, and if you are ok with the size difference, then I'm sure its fine, you may find the size difference is quite large even though it could be .xxx mm on dimonds its noticeable, idk but that was just me.
 

Treasure43

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Well we''re debating between a .75 carat and a 1 carat but the price jump is HUGE at Jared''s (around $3000). I adore the 1 carat round but the .75 might actually fit better in the setting I picked out. The setting is a micropave cushion shape (sqaure with rounded edges) and two smalled princess diamonds on either side and then the pave 3/4 of the way around the band. Like I said, the setting alone has .75 carats in it.

Maybe I should go back to the jeweler and compare and .75 and 1 carat and see the difference.
 

D&T

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Date: 3/11/2009 5:03:39 PM
Author: Treasure43
Thanks so much for the help!!!

Jared has a 20% down (though he''d probably put closer to 50% down) and then no intrest for a year.

This has brought up some interesting issues about buying online verus at Jared and I''ll have to talk to my boyfriend tonight and see how he feels about all this as I kow he''s pretty weary of buying online.
sorry to keep rambling on,, but if hes'' weary of the online diamond,, definitely have it independently appraised to verify and confirm what you got, only sure way of know that you did well..
 

D&T

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ooh, sounds lovely. The setting sounds like it may give the .75 a "larger" feel too... let us know what you decided to do either way... would still love to see hand pics when all said and done... BTW congratulations on this fun step to searching for your beautiful ring!
 

Treasure43

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I''ll make sure to get some hand shots when all is said and done! Thanks for all the help!!!

This part of the process is SO much fun! I''m glad we decided to pick out the ring together. The proposal will still be a suprise though. Ultimately, I''ll educate him on buying online but since he''s paying for it, I guess the ultimate choice is his :razz:
 

denverappraiser

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Date: 3/11/2009 5:03:39 PM
Author: Treasure43
Thanks so much for the help!!!


Jared has a 20% down (though he'd probably put closer to 50% down) and then no intrest for a year.


This has brought up some interesting issues about buying online verus at Jared and I'll have to talk to my boyfriend tonight and see how he feels about all this as I kow he's pretty weary of buying online.

Not to beat a dead horse but 0% interest for a year isn't a reason to buy a particular item or to buy from a particular store. It may not even be a reason to borrow money from a particular source because there are so many other variables. A quick perusal of my bank site in the last post brings up a half a dozen cards that will do that although there's always sticky terms in the fine print and you need to pick your poison. Once again, I don't recommend doing this anyway and it makes me hesitant to talk about it at all but I think your logic is all wet. Even if you buy from Jared's I would avoid their financing program, at least as I see it on their website because of the trailing interest rate, despite the teaser rate.


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 

Treasure43

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We''re not considering buying from Jared BECAUSE of the financing. The setting I love is there and I''ve yet to see anything like it. He wants to buy the setting and center stone from the same place and since I adore the setting there, it makes sense to get the center stone there as well.

I''v since discussed the online option with him and while we may continue to look into it, he''s not too comfortable with it, and it is his decision ultimatly I guess.
 

vintagelover229

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Date: 3/11/2009 7:34:09 PM
Author: Treasure43
We''re not considering buying from Jared BECAUSE of the financing. The setting I love is there and I''ve yet to see anything like it. He wants to buy the setting and center stone from the same place and since I adore the setting there, it makes sense to get the center stone there as well.

I''v since discussed the online option with him and while we may continue to look into it, he''s not too comfortable with it, and it is his decision ultimatly I guess.

Can you find a picture of this setting? Is it a Jared setting? Or a specific designer? I know Jared carries Scotty Kay, A Jafe (sp?) and Tacori. Those can be bought online as well from many of the online trusted vendors. Also remember when talking to your bf that many of the online vendors are actual B&M stores, but they also deal on-line, and so have very competitve prices.

Can you descripe the setting you love to us? I''m sure we can find something similar. Also, what is the price tag on this setting? Perhaps you can have a custom setting made for the same $$$ or even find something very close for less money.

I was just like your bf when it came to the whole "buying online thing."

I highly suggest you check out goodoldgold.com they have lots of learngin tools to help you in the diamond process, they have all the certificates, return policies, upgrade policies, and heaven forbid with this economy, even a buyback policy.
They will make video comparisons of different diamonds for you, EVEN the ones you are intersted in buying.

Jonathan will be very honest with you and work with you no matter what. I know many PSer''s have emailed him and called him beyond the amount of "normal" times.
Then you can send the stone to an independant appraiser and check it out for yourself.
The "only" good thing about Jared is you can buy your stone elsewhere and they will set it in THEIR setting and if something happends to the stone, they will replace it. Make sure when you fill out the little slip though, that you put the REPLACMENT value, meaning what it would cost to get your stone from THEM not the online vendor you bought it from.

My stone is called a cushette and very few B&M stones carry this stone. I bought from GOG and paid HALF of what the other vendor wanted to charge for the the ~ same size and specs.

Also, it would be very wise of you to insure your ring regardless of the "warrenty" that a jewlery store has. In this day in age, we dont know who will be going under next, and its not wise to count on a jewlery store of all things to be around if your stone falls out. They also wont replace it if the ring is stolen.

Good luck on your search!
 

Treasure43

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I can''t fiind any pictures of the setting on their website or online but I can describe it. It''s a cushion (as in square with rounded edges) halo pave with a princess cut diamond on either side and then pave around 3/4 of the ring. It''s very vintage yet classy and very me. Ultimatly we want to put a round stone in it.
 

vintagelover229

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Date: 3/11/2009 8:41:33 PM
Author: Treasure43
I can''t fiind any pictures of the setting on their website or online but I can describe it. It''s a cushion (as in square with rounded edges) halo pave with a princess cut diamond on either side and then pave around 3/4 of the ring. It''s very vintage yet classy and very me. Ultimatly we want to put a round stone in it.


So I need to make sure I understand this correctly. The centerstone is going to be a round stone, but the halo is a cushion shape correct? Then its a 3 stone ring (including the center round/cushion halo) with princess cuts?

I know this isnt'' 3 stone, but its similar and beverly K is awesome quailty. Here is the LINKY and another and another

If you''d like to get a bigger center stone for more finger coverage and not have side stones here is one that is really pretty LINKY and a unique one Here and here

There are many more out there if your willing to search! I love beverly K rings
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RBsearch

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Date: 3/11/2009 8:41:33 PM
Author: Treasure43
I can''t fiind any pictures of the setting on their website or online but I can describe it. It''s a cushion (as in square with rounded edges) halo pave with a princess cut diamond on either side and then pave around 3/4 of the ring. It''s very vintage yet classy and very me. Ultimatly we want to put a round stone in it.

I think the Tacori ring below is pretty darned close to what you have described. If you want more info, here''s the link. These are carried at some Jared locations, but also by Good Old Gold. They have many antique looking settings with side stones.

2623RDSMP_combined2.jpg
 

Treasure43

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Red rose:There are just two princess cut diamonds (one on either side of the halo)and the rest of the pave are small round diamonds. It''s also a very slim single band.

RBsearch: That is probably the closest thing that I have seen to what I''ve found at Jared''s :)
 

vintagelover229

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Depending on the cost of the setting, you may be able to have it custom made by whiteflash or another vendor. If you can get pictures of it, you can get a quote and then see how much the differences is.
I''d keep searching on here. There is kirk kara (i think thats the name) and they have beautiful settings as well.
http://www.kirkkara.com/

Good luck!
 

Treasure43

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Thanks Stephanie! Kirk Kara is amazing! Only problem is that we''re an hour or two away from the nearest retailer
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Perhaps a road trip is in order!
 

vintagelover229

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Date: 3/12/2009 11:51:39 AM
Author: Treasure43
Thanks Stephanie! Kirk Kara is amazing! Only problem is that we''re an hour or two away from the nearest retailer
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Perhaps a road trip is in order!

I know right! Beautiful settings! I LOVE the sapphires on the sides of a few of those!
I''m not trying to change your mind. But you can get the stone elsewhere and buy the setting somewhere else. I just want you to get more bang for your buck!
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Treasure43

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My question would be: do you happen to know if they''re especially pricey or not?

I really liked one with a pink sapphire on each side. So unique and modern vintage!
 
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