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Costco causing ring regrets

peas-and-carats

peas-and-carats

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 11, 2020
Messages
94
Whenever we go to Costco and I browse their jewelry cases, I feel regret and guilt about my engagement ring. Even though we got it on eBay and therefore didn't pay full price, I still feel like we could've gotten a better deal with a Costco ring. The main concern for me (besides diamond quality of course) was setting height -- lowest set possible. Looking at some of the rings in the Costco case today, some were pretty low set and looked just as nice as my ring but much cheaper! I'm feeling guilty that my fiance paid what he did for the one I picked out... :(sad I do love my ring and it has great PS stats (see my first post in post history for details), but I feel like I ripped off my fiance or something, because I probably would've been just as happy with one of the Costco rings I saw today. Of course it didn't help that they were under those jewelry case lights... Maybe if I could've put my ring in the case too I would feel better :rolleyes:...

Anyone have any advice to help me feel better?
 
Oh dear
Don't feel bad
he loves you and that's the most important thing that ring symbolises

Has he ever brought a new car ?
As soon as you drive off the lot it plummets in value

Also jewlery buying is a journey and i think plenty of PS's have brought things in the past that they are now more wise over

Don't beat yourself up over this
make his favourite dessert once in a while and just enjoy your ring =)2
 
Comparison is the thief of joy.
And you are literally comparing Tiffany to Costco! Of course Costco will be cheaper- that is their entire business model. Tiffany is designed to be timeless, elegant, and yes, you did pay a premium for the name but you did it smart- second hand, so someone took a lot more depreciation than you did.
love your ring and stop looking in those cases if it takes joy from you.
 
Jewelry store lighting can cause a lot of sparkle, and a lot of regret if you buy from them sometimes. You paid for quality and that’s what you got. Just look around here at the regret stories from low quality poorly cut stones that looked blah at home but sparked in the jeweler case. Costco isn’t the worst but it isn’t T & Co. My diamonds look their prettiest in large box stores, due to the high bright lights.
 
I do. When I got engaged, and before I found PS, I bought a GORGEOUS three-stone 3 ct ring from Costco. I was SOOOOO excited! I received it and found that no matter what lighting condition I was in, the center stone looked gray and dead. Zero brilliance, fire or scintillation. I was shocked because it was a GIA XXX!!! It should be awesome! But it came with no GIA papers and was DEAD.

I found PS to learn why I couldn't rely on a GIA XXX. I ended up with a CBI and the difference between the two is cliche, black and white. There is just no comparison that could be made. That's not to say that I wouldn't buy tiny stones at Costco...I would wear earrings from there. But NEVER would I buy a substantial piece of jewelry from there ever again because they are looking at what the stats on paper say, and GIA is EXTREMELY generous, as giving good grades is how they keep their business afloat. But I no longer trust them, or Costco, for diamonds.

I am sorry that you are unhappy. I have found VERY GOOD stones on eBay, shockingly, and would prefer them over Costco any day.
 
Thank you all for your replies! It really helped. I'm not upset with my ring at all (I love it!), I just feel guilty about money sometimes. I didn't grow up with a lot of money, so even though my fiance has a great job and what he paid wasn't even a month's salary (if you're into those "rules"), I guess I started questioning myself.

I know jewelry lights can be used to disguise poorly cut diamonds, but also I've read on here that Costco diamonds can be just as well cut as Tiffany, etc. and you should just take an Idealscope with you.

SandyinAnaheim said:
That's not to say that I wouldn't buy tiny stones at Costco...I would wear earrings from there. But NEVER would I buy a substantial piece of jewelry from there ever again because they are looking at what the stats on paper say, and GIA is EXTREMELY generous, as giving good grades is how they keep their business afloat. But I no longer trust them, or Costco, for diamonds.
Click to expand...

This is a great point, thank you. Thank you for sharing your very relevant story, and I'm so glad it worked out for you in the end!!
 
Tiffany’s all the way, girl! See how your ring looks in THEIR lights. Also do you clean your ring regularly? And your ring is going to hold value better than a Costco one. I love Costco but don’t feel bad. Your feelings are normal but hopefully it’s just a momentary thing <3

Your ring is gorgeous.
 
Yup I get that feeling too sometimes, but it will just make you feel guilty & ruin your enjoyment of the ring.
 
anangel said:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
And you are literally comparing Tiffany to Costco! Of course Costco will be cheaper- that is their entire business model. Tiffany is designed to be timeless, elegant, and yes, you did pay a premium for the name but you did it smart- second hand, so someone took a lot more depreciation than you did.
love your ring and stop looking in those cases if it takes joy from you.
Click to expand...

Oh I do love my ring! I usually only look at the earrings at Costco because there's a certain pair I like to drool over, but they seem to enjoy mixing some of the inventory around in the cases at my local store so sometimes I have to pass over some e-rings too. Thank you =)2
 
Clean your ring with an ultrasonic
 
Sometimes Costco has very nice diamonds for the price. But yours is beautiful and I think you're just letting the guilt about money make you doubt yourself. If you love the ring and you guys can afford it, then that's all that matters:)
 
peas-and-carats said:
Whenever we go to Costco and I browse their jewelry cases, I feel regret and guilt about my engagement ring. Even though we got it on eBay and therefore didn't pay full price, I still feel like we could've gotten a better deal with a Costco ring. The main concern for me (besides diamond quality of course) was setting height -- lowest set possible. Looking at some of the rings in the Costco case today, some were pretty low set and looked just as nice as my ring but much cheaper! I'm feeling guilty that my fiance paid what he did for the one I picked out... :(sad I do love my ring and it has great PS stats (see my first post in post history for details), but I feel like I ripped off my fiance or something, because I probably would've been just as happy with one of the Costco rings I saw today. Of course it didn't help that they were under those jewelry case lights... Maybe if I could've put my ring in the case too I would feel better :rolleyes:...

Anyone have any advice to help me feel better?
Click to expand...

a friend of mine once pointed out the value is in what you can sell it for, not what you buy it for (he was talking about bicycles but it applies here too)

you bought a branded ring second hand. it will likely hold its value better than the costco ring which still would take a depreciation hit. so, the better economic choice if you don't need to have immediate access to the extra cash you would have saved buying the less expensive ring. =)
 
Don't feel bad. I get hit with a bit of guilt every so often when I see my jewelry because they are "wants" not "needs". Then I remind myself that I'm not in a financial crisis because of them and life's too short so why not spoil myself.

Also, there is always another better bargain around the corner but you just have to remind yourself that you made the best choice at that moment, if you KWIM.
 
peas-and-carats said:
Whenever we go to Costco and I browse their jewelry cases, I feel regret and guilt about my engagement ring. Even though we got it on eBay and therefore didn't pay full price, I still feel like we could've gotten a better deal with a Costco ring. The main concern for me (besides diamond quality of course) was setting height -- lowest set possible. Looking at some of the rings in the Costco case today, some were pretty low set and looked just as nice as my ring but much cheaper! I'm feeling guilty that my fiance paid what he did for the one I picked out... :(sad I do love my ring and it has great PS stats (see my first post in post history for details), but I feel like I ripped off my fiance or something, because I probably would've been just as happy with one of the Costco rings I saw today. Of course it didn't help that they were under those jewelry case lights... Maybe if I could've put my ring in the case too I would feel better :rolleyes:...

Anyone have any advice to help me feel better?
Click to expand...

I know exactly how you feel. I paid a hefty price tag for mine and looking at Costco I wished I knew then. Hopefully you feel better because my stats weren’t PS great either.
 
A few thoughts:

1) You have a T&Co ring! They are gorgeous and hold their value well, you could likely sell it for around what you paid for it. It's also priced higher because of the T&Co brand.

2) The Costco ring will take a depreciation hit, so you're better off with your current ring!

3) Regardless of branding or price, there is almost always a better deal out there, sometimes it's best to just enjoy what you have!
 
You should feel great you didn't let your fiance get the diamond at Zales. Anything above Zales is a big win!!!
 
anangel said:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
And you are literally comparing Tiffany to Costco! Of course Costco will be cheaper- that is their entire business model. Tiffany is designed to be timeless, elegant, and yes, you did pay a premium for the name but you did it smart- second hand, so someone took a lot more depreciation than you did.
love your ring and stop looking in those cases if it takes joy from you.
Click to expand...

This x 100.
 
peas-and-carats said:
... Anyone have any advice to help me feel better?
Click to expand...

I'd just chalk it up to water under the bridge and lesson learned. :)
Next purchase you'll know more.
And don't stop at Costco.
IMO even better-cut diamonds are available at better prices from PS-supported vendors like Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, High Performance Diamonds, James Allen et al..

Stick around and learn, learn, learn.
Information is power.

Oh, and I wouldn't blame Costco for your regrets.
Research and homework prior to a purchase are good things. ;))
 
Last edited:
Your Tiffany ring looks AMAZING on you! Please put this thought out of your mind and just enjoy it!
 
So many people on this forum have gone through what you are experiencing. It's super normal. As far as the cost, it is spent. I feel you got a good deal considering it is Tiffany's. As far as the height of the ring I admit I am very sensitive to that. Your ring is not set high and in fact many people like a medium to high set ring because it shows off the stone. However if you truly cannot get used to the height, cannot enjoy the ring because of that, you could probably recoup some/most of the money on the Tiffany's and get a ring that suits you better. If your partner is OK with that. ETA I looked at your ring and it is beautiful! I wouldn't change a thing. I am picky about settings and honestly it's not set high at all. Imho the setting quality is going to be better with a Tiffany ring than a Costco ring.
 
Best advice at this point - don’t play the shoulda, woulda, coulda game. You were thrilled with the ring when you received it and apparently remained so until you looked at Costco. Price is only one element of a jewelry purchase so you can’t assume you are comparing apples to apples with the Tiffany ring vs a Costco ring. You opted for the Tiffany brand and must have had reasons for doing so. Enjoy your diamond and remind yourself of the reasons that you chose what you did. As others have said, you didn’t absorb the sky high markup of a Tiffany diamond by buying second hand so you can give yourself some credit there!
 
Buying your pre-loved Tiffany's diamond is much more environmentally friendly than buying a new one from any vendor.

And, I think you got a much better value with your well-cut Tiffany's diamond than an inferior cut Costco one.

Life is long and with hard work, planning and a little luck, your family finances will probably continue to improve throughout your life together. My guess is the difference in price won't seem like a hill of beans 15 years down the road.
 
As others have said, I am fairly certain that Costco won't have a diamond as good as yours from Tiffany! I think y'all were VERY smart to find a Tiffany e-ring second hand! No regrets! Stop this thinking and enjoy your beautiful ring!
 
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