First of all, after doing a lot of research online, I didn''t think it was possible to learn any more... then I found this site
Here is my current situation:
I have been saving for an ering for a while with a budget of around 5-6k. I was planning for a nice 1 Carat or maybe a "good" 1.15 carat with a simple setting.
Last week, my mom gets a call from her neighbor/friend saying that she is selling her ering. Her situation is less than ideal, she''s on the tail end of an unpleasant divorce, she lost her house, and she needs the money. I vaguely remember her trying to sell the ring to my mother a couple of times before for more than what she''s asking now.
Now for the ring details:
It''s a 2.06 Carat Round Brilliant, G-H color, I1 clarity, "good" cut. It is set in a basic 14k band, but I was only concerned with the diamond.
I had the ring appraised and the IRV was $14,185 which I know is probably high, but I figure the minimum the diamond is worth is about 8-10k.
Here''s the crazy thing, she was only asking $4k!!!
I consider myself very fortunate, because the timing couldn''t have been any better. I did have the ring appraised before buying it, even though I knew it was literally a steal.
After doing more research on the value of the ring, the thing that kept bugging me is "Why did she sell it for so little?"
I know it''s hers and not stolen, I know she''s mentally competent, I have no reason to believe she''s addicted to anything.
The only things I can think of are:
1. My mother is very kind to her, lending a kind ear, even giving her an extra cell phone that uses shared minutes for free.
2. She knows and likes my girlfriend, and wants the diamond to have a "good home".
After purchasing the ring from her, she swore she''s never say anything to my girlfriend about it.
Right now I''m in the process of having the diamond set into a new beautiful band. I can''t wait to see the expression on her face when I ask her, but that is another story
I guess what I''m trying to get advice on is what to say when asked "How much was the ring?"
The guy part of me wants to brag about getting a great bargain, but I don''t like explaining how I got the diamond. I also don''t like keeping things from my girlfiend, but I feel like I want the ring to have a "clean slate" without a blemished past.
So far, the best replies I can think of to the question "how much?" are:
"a gentleman never tells"
"enough" (with a wink)
If anyone has any personal experience or sage advice on this, I''m all ears

Here is my current situation:
I have been saving for an ering for a while with a budget of around 5-6k. I was planning for a nice 1 Carat or maybe a "good" 1.15 carat with a simple setting.
Last week, my mom gets a call from her neighbor/friend saying that she is selling her ering. Her situation is less than ideal, she''s on the tail end of an unpleasant divorce, she lost her house, and she needs the money. I vaguely remember her trying to sell the ring to my mother a couple of times before for more than what she''s asking now.
Now for the ring details:
It''s a 2.06 Carat Round Brilliant, G-H color, I1 clarity, "good" cut. It is set in a basic 14k band, but I was only concerned with the diamond.
I had the ring appraised and the IRV was $14,185 which I know is probably high, but I figure the minimum the diamond is worth is about 8-10k.
Here''s the crazy thing, she was only asking $4k!!!
I consider myself very fortunate, because the timing couldn''t have been any better. I did have the ring appraised before buying it, even though I knew it was literally a steal.
After doing more research on the value of the ring, the thing that kept bugging me is "Why did she sell it for so little?"
I know it''s hers and not stolen, I know she''s mentally competent, I have no reason to believe she''s addicted to anything.
The only things I can think of are:
1. My mother is very kind to her, lending a kind ear, even giving her an extra cell phone that uses shared minutes for free.
2. She knows and likes my girlfriend, and wants the diamond to have a "good home".
After purchasing the ring from her, she swore she''s never say anything to my girlfriend about it.
Right now I''m in the process of having the diamond set into a new beautiful band. I can''t wait to see the expression on her face when I ask her, but that is another story

I guess what I''m trying to get advice on is what to say when asked "How much was the ring?"
The guy part of me wants to brag about getting a great bargain, but I don''t like explaining how I got the diamond. I also don''t like keeping things from my girlfiend, but I feel like I want the ring to have a "clean slate" without a blemished past.
So far, the best replies I can think of to the question "how much?" are:
"a gentleman never tells"
"enough" (with a wink)
If anyone has any personal experience or sage advice on this, I''m all ears
