Clueless about engagement ring.

[m650]

Hi everyone.

I'm about to finally pop the question to my GF of 4 years and I'm baffled at where to start at an engagement ring. I hate going into a jewelry store and the sales people are just breathing down your neck rushing you to buy a ring. She's a simple girl, and I know she wants that square ring, princess they call it?? Anyone know just how much the ball park for a 1 ct. ring costs?? We don't want to break the bank, we're saving for a house so any guidance on where in the Bay Area I can go to look at rings would be great. Thanks!

 

[stone-cold11]

For a princess cut, the best bet would be to get an AGS graded stone with a cut grade of AGS0 unless you are buying from some jeweler that you trust. Or you can buy some tools, like an ASET scope to help you view the light return of a stone.

Pricewise for a 1ct, depends on the cut, color and clarity of a stone. An ideal cut H SI1 is around 4k. At thing to note is that at the 1carat mark, there will be a significant price per carat jump in the price, so if you can find a stone just below that, there will be some saving while still having negligible size difference.

Read up on the basic in this link, https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-knowledge.aspx.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/15/2009 7:21:18 AM
Author:m650
Hi everyone.

I'm about to finally pop the question to my GF of 4 years and I'm baffled at where to start at an engagement ring. I hate going into a jewelry store and the sales people are just breathing down your neck rushing you to buy a ring. She's a simple girl, and I know she wants that square ring, princess they call it?? Anyone know just how much the ball park for a 1 ct. ring costs?? We don't want to break the bank, we're saving for a house so any guidance on where in the Bay Area I can go to look at rings would be great. Thanks!

Welcome!

Have you yet decided whether you want to buy from a store or online? Generally online prices can be cheaper than brick and mortar stores. The price of your diamond can depend on various factors and the colour and clarity that you prefer. To get a an idea of online prices you can use the Pricescope your Diamond tool above and enter various colours and clarities to see which best fits your budget. Make cut a high priority, if you want the best bang for the buck then GIA or AGS G or H colour and verified eyeclean SI clarities may fit the bill as long as the cut is great, so if hitting the 1 carat mark is important to you ( as it is to many) then this will help maximise the budget.

Also see if you can find out exactly what shape she wants as other types of cut can be thought of as square shapes such as radiants and some emerald cuts so it might be an idea to see if you can find out a little more - it probably is a Princess she means but this might be worth checking if possible to be sure.

If you prefer to buy in person, then I recommend you buy an ASET scope here -


http://www.ideal-scope.com/cart_zoom_item.asp?Id=23&ShowAdd=Y

You can use this tool to check out diamonds in person, it is easy to use and would be of great help to you if you are shopping in person.

Here is a chart you can use to interpret ASET results -

http://www.ideal-scope.com/using_reference_chart_ASET.asp

If you decide to buy online, I recommend you work with a trusted vendor who has in house diamonds and all the info available to help you choose such as photos and ASET etc. These vendors will have some AGS0 cut grade Princess and some hand selected GIA you can choose from ( GIA as yet do not grade fancy shapes for cut).

www.highperformancediamonds.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.whiteflash.com

www.exceldiamonds.com

The above vendors usually have great Princess available so have a look and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask!

 

[CharmyPoo]

I think you got the answers you want above. I just want to add that the great thing about shopping online is that no one is breathing down your neck. You can browse as long as you want