ER & WBs too good to be true for low budgets? under $500

[adrienneg]

Good afternoon! I was searching for platinum diamond bands on Ebay and came across something that I thought looked like a really good deal for those on a small budget. I am unsure of the cut of the diamonds but for the price, I think it is a lovely set. The pictures posted looked great too!

http://cgi.ebay.com/83-Carat-3-Piece-Diamond-Engagement-Ring_W0QQitemZ250352884510QQihZ015QQcategoryZ152869QQcmdZViewItem

I just wanted to share. But any thoughts on the rings for the price?

 

[kcoursolle]

Personally, I don''t think it''s a good idea to buy a large purchase from ebay. I would work with your current budget and buy from someone reputable so that you know you are getting what you pay for. Do a search here for ebay and read quite a few horror stores of people who couldn''t return their ebay purchases even though they weren''t what they said they were.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Well, with diamonds and jewelry in general, generally speaking, if it *sounds* too good to be true, it usually is...

 

[adrienneg]

I am hesitant as well to buy anything more than $100 on ebay (I think that is the most I''ve spent on there). I was looking on Ebay for used Tiffany diamond bands to see if I could tell they were fake or not, and I couldn''t tell! Of course people stated they had receipts to show for it, etc, but who knows! I came across this set, and thought of a post I read about a month ago from someone looking for an ER & WB both for $500, so I decided to respond to him with the link. I''m not sure what he''ll think though...

 

[Tuckins1]

... It is a pretty little set.

 

[glitterata]

That set is described as being .83 ct, but if you read carefully you''ll see that they mean .83 carats TOTAL WEIGHT. The center stone is only "approximately .35 ct." Phrasing it the way they did is misleading (and, I believe, illegal), and would make me very hesitant to buy anything from them. How do you know they''re not being equally misleading about the quality of the diamonds and workmanship?

Still, given how small the center diamond is, the price isn''t as unbelievably low as it sounds.

I have had great luck buying antique jewelry from ebay, but I wouldn''t recommend it for the inexperienced.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 1/8/2009 9:59:13 PM
Author: glitterata
That set is described as being .83 ct, but if you read carefully you''ll see that they mean .83 carats TOTAL WEIGHT. The center stone is only ''approximately .35 ct.'' Phrasing it the way they did is misleading (and, I believe, illegal), and would make me very hesitant to buy anything from them. How do you know they''re not being equally misleading about the quality of the diamonds and workmanship?


Still, given how small the center diamond is, the price isn''t as unbelievably low as it sounds.


I have had great luck buying antique jewelry from ebay, but I wouldn''t recommend it for the inexperienced.

glitterata makes an excellent point - I just wouldn''t trust a seller who seemed deceptive, especially without a 100% positive feedback rating...

 

[blastdoor]

hmm... if you look carefully at the photos, especially the one where the 3 rings are lay down side by side, you will see the setting is off... the diamond is a little "off to the right" in that photo.. and the worksmanship just doesn''t cut it for me..

as for advertising the full weightage of the ring.. well yes, its misleading, but i don''t think its illegal coz i''ve seen quite a few people advertise it that way, especially on side stone settings or paved settings... i think the important thing here is to keep reminding ourselve to read the small prints...

just my 2 carats.. er.. cents worth of advise..

 

[ceaphron]

Date: 1/8/2009 11:25:21 PM
Author: blastdoor
hmm... if you look carefully at the photos, especially the one where the 3 rings are lay down side by side, you will see the setting is off... the diamond is a little ''off to the right'' in that photo.. and the worksmanship just doesn''t cut it for me..

I noticed this, too. The workmanship is pretty bad. The whole head area looks crooked to me. The price is great, but in this case it looks like you get what you pay for.

 

[adrienneg]

Date: 1/9/2009 2:42:17 AM
Author: ceaphron

Date: 1/8/2009 11:25:21 PM
Author: blastdoor
hmm... if you look carefully at the photos, especially the one where the 3 rings are lay down side by side, you will see the setting is off... the diamond is a little ''off to the right'' in that photo.. and the worksmanship just doesn''t cut it for me..

I noticed this, too. The workmanship is pretty bad. The whole head area looks crooked to me. The price is great, but in this case it looks like you get what you pay for.

You guys have very good eyes! I didn''t notice this at all, and I had to really stare at it to see it when you pointed it out. I guess this is a bad deal after all. Personally, with a budget of $500, I would just purchase a very small stone from an online vendor and upgrade when I had the money. Iweddingband.com sells 10K bands starting at $42 or 14K for $57 incl. shipping.