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Did my guy get ripped off?

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mmill2

Rough_Rock
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Dec 31, 2008
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My wonderful, sweet, thoughtful fiance wanted to surprise me for his engagement proposal and picked the ring out himself. Luckily, he knows me well enough to have chosen a style I really like. Unfortunately, I''m now worried he got ripped off. We''d talked about the 4 C''s before, since I''m 1) a property claims adjuster and from time to time have to pay out on claims for lost/damaged wedding and engagement rings and see a lot of appraisals and 2) a 28 year old girl in a 3 year relationship waiting for a ring. Anyway, I''m no gemologist, but I am a bargain shopper. I don''t buy anything on impulse-ever-and I do a lot of comparison shopping for big purchases. He''s usually not a spur-of-the-moment shopper, but in this case he was. He went to a reputable jeweler in town-Iowa Diamond-and got a .81 round, brilliant diamond solitaire, color E, clarity SI1 in a 14K WG band with 3 baguette diamonds on either side (6 total) totaling .44ctw. It''s beautiful and I feel it''s high quality based on what I know, but I''m not so sure of the price-$7,000. I realize you probably pay more when you buy from a brick and mortar company instead of online, but does this seem like too much? Of course the appraisal''s for about $1,600 over what he paid, but I know 99.9% of the time these are inflated. I don''t know the cut grade or the depth. The setting is prong and that''s the extent of my knowledge thus far. No GIA or AGS cert with this, either-Iowa Diamond does everything in house, which is also giving me a bit of a panic. Did he get taken or is this a relatively reasonable price? Any and all thoughts and opinions on this would be very much appreciated! Thank you!
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Without a reliable cert, it's hard to determine value for the center stone. Is the appraisal independent or issued by the store? The price sounds really high. The stone may not truly be an E or SI1, and the cut quality may not be great. Do you love the ring? Can it be returned?
 
He probably overpaid but it is hard to tell since you don''t know the cut grade. Here is a .81 ct. E/SI1 H&A from GOG priced at $4,037: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/334/

Here is a .90 ct. E/SI1 H&A priced at $6,320 (a .90 ct. is considered in the 1 ct. range, hence the higher price): http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5033/

It is hard for me to tell what a fair price for the setting is. A white gold band with 6 baguettes is not one of your less expensive settings. Good baguettes cost $$$. So if you feel the ring is well-made and you LOVE it, don''t worry about how much he paid. My husband spent $400 on my engagement ring coz that''s all he had!

If you are really concerned about the cut quality of the diamond, can he return the diamond, keep the setting and purchase a diamond from a PS vendor to set into the setting?
 
Also, is this a branded cut?

And congrats on your engagement!
 
yes,he got rip off...return it if you can.those mall jewelers always take an advantage of a guy shopping for an E-ring.
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Date: 12/31/2008 6:00:03 PM
Author: coatimundi
Also, is this a branded cut?
Click to expand...
don''t think so...she said no GIA or AGS report.
 
Unfortunately, yes he likely overpaid by a lot. Any chance you are still in the return period?
 
Ditto NF, can you return it and start again?
 
To play Devil''s advocate....

You said you like the stone and setting.
I assume your fiance is happy that you like it.... and loved buying it for you.
Perhaps it''s not so bad that he may have overpaid a little, to get you a ring that he hoped you''d love and ask you to marry him with.....
If he''s happy and you''re happy, don''t worry about a thousand dollars or so..... it''s not that much in the grand scheme of things.

I''m not endorsing overpricing etc, just offering an alternative male viewpoint. Personally, I''d rather buy a ring, pay a bit much for it, and surprise my beautiful GF with it while asking her to marry me.
Just my $0.02
 
No cert is a good sign that he overpiad since the stone could well be lower than that and most certainly isn''t ideal cut. Higher quality settings are usually 18k gold or platinum, too. I just wish all guys would come on here for help BEFORE they buy!!!!!

If you love the ring, then I wouldn''t worry too much about it. We see situations on here from time to time where the guy not only overpays but also the girl is disappointed in the ring and that creates a very difficult situation.
 
A 0.81ct GIA-graded E/SI1 with wonderful cut from a great dealer: $4037 (good deal, but can find another one!)
A well-made semi-mount in platinum with 0.6ctw side baguettes and rounds from another excellent dealer: $2375 (mmm - too fussy, perhaps?)
A retailer-graded E/SI1, eye-clean 0.81ct of OK cut with 0.44ctw side baguettes in 14k WG from a reputable local B&M: $7000 (can do much better - see above...)

His proposing and Your saying "Yes": totally, absolutely, irreplaceably priceless.
(with apologies to MasterCard, and thanks to Ross Kuhns)

I think the real question is whether you are happy with the ring as a symbol and as a piece of jewellery to wear every day. Never mind the "value for money" issue. If you are, then focus on your life together, and enjoy the ring for what it is.
 
I think that if you like the ring forget the cost and enjoy it.

If you OH is happy too then there is no problem. It is not always about the money.
 
I think that it really comes down to what makes you happy- do you love the ring or do you just think of how much he spent when you look at it?
Do you think you will want to upgrade at some point? If so, perhaps returning the current ring and working with someone who has a good upgrade policy would be wise.
How does it look to you? I know this is a really silly question, but is it a beautiful sparkly diamond to you, or is it some what lacking?
Don''t get too caught up in the numbers- all that matters (in my humble opinion) is if you''re really happy with the ring (and the guy ;) ).
 
Thank you everyone for the advice! I do absolutely love the ring and, Dancing Fire, this isn''t a mall jewelry store. I had told him a few times that if he got anything from a Helzberg, Zales or the like I''d take it right back as I''ve learned from my job that generally mall jewelry stores are not high quality. This is the store''s website:

http://www.iadiamond.com/

and they don''t have their selection on there, but they''re a big name in this state. I believe the diamond is quality as well as the setting, I just think he paid about $1,000-$1,500 too much. A bit of Tiffany syndrome, if you will. No gem certificate concerns me and the fact that everything is done in house also concerns me (coatimundi, the appraisal is from the jeweler, not independent), as they can list and say whatever they''d like and neither of us would be the wiser. We''re going in this weekend so I can talk to the woman who sold him the ring and get a lot more details. I believe he is still in the return period, so if it comes to that so be it. I''ve educated myself enough through pricescope to feel confident that, with more detail, I can judge whether he got a fair price or not. I may even have it appraised by an independent appraiser just to be sure.

But, really, at heart, I agree with all of the people who advised that I just forget it and enjoy the ring. I do love it, it''s beautiful and, from what I can tell, quality. We''ve shown it to a few friends who are married and every single woman of the bunch has said it''s a good, clean stone. And most of them are women who scrutinize things much more than I do! I love him very much, I''m totally thrilled to spend the rest of my life with him and, at worst, I have a ring I really like that my wonderful guy paid too much for. He knows I''m insane and has told me he doesn''t care if he overpaid, he just wants me to be happy with the ring, so I may just try and let the sparkles push the price from my mind. And It certainly is sparkly! I may post an update after my chat with the people at Iowa Diamond, but again I appreciate everyone''s advice and help. When it comes time for an upgrade (poor man has no idea the future he has in store on this ring!) thing will be done differently!
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I would not be concerned about overpaying a little if the diamond turns out to be as represented. You''d have to have an independent appraisal to find out since there is no grading certificate. But I think it is a little shady to not have a grading certificate, so I would strongly recommend having it appraised by a qualified independent appraiser while you are in the return period. You may really love the ring, but you probably don''t want to be cheated either.
 
mmil2,

I love your attitude. You have...

1) A lovely FI who went out and bought you a diamond ring and proposed. Isn't that what happens in the Disney films, it is a fairytale, to the letter. (Disney never mentioned AGS or GIA did it
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2) A valid return period
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3) A great attitude, loving the ring your FI gave you.

Congratulations on your engagement, best wishes on a happy marriage (when you do your I do's!).
 
It does sound like he paid too much but if you and your fi love it, that''s the main thing. If not, then I''d bring it back and start over again.
 
I would just be happy and not worry about the money aspect. Think how excited your guy was when he left the store with that ring. I don''t think it''s worth it to make him feel bad at all, given that you love the ring.
Congratulations!
 
Glad you are enjoying it, I am sure he was thrilled to give it to you. Now, where are the pics, we''d love to see your beautiful ering.
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