First, I would like to thank everyone on PS for their help, opinions, and guidance. This is truly a great resource for anyone in the market for an engagement ring, or any peice of diamond jewelry! With your help, i was armed with knoweldge and peace of mind, making this experience much less stressful than it was prior to finidng this site. Below is a somewhat condensed version of my story...
So I started out looking for diamonds by pricing them on Blue Nile, and then heading to B&M stores in the Boston area. My experiences there ranged from "Great" to "Total waste of time", and I was fed a lot of BS along the way. I stumbled upon Pricescope while researching Tiffany''s rings, and began to waste hours of my workday reading posts! It was all such a big help. I began to seriously consider purchasing my girlfriend''s ring online, through one of the approved PS vendors. However, some part was (and still is) a little apprehensive about purchasing a ring and a setting sight unseen. I was aware of the great return policies, but just couldn''t make my second largest purchase ever (next to my car) on the internet.
So, armed with my new PS knowledge, I hit the B&Ms again (and there are many great ones in the Boston area). Most of the stores had their own H&A branded stones, and they were beautiful... however most of the stores did not have complementary settings. All of them appeared to engulf the stone, and make it look small (I was looking for a .75ct to 1 ct stone). I even had one store set the stone, but it looked so horrid when I went to pick it up, I got my $$$ back.
I was getting a little frustrated, and happened to look over my gf''s shoulder as she was reading a magazine... there were ads for Tiffany, Cartier, DeBeers, etc, and I casually asked her which one she would pick, given the choice. She immediately said "Cartier, if they were affordable." (I should also add that she is mostly French, so that is part of the draw for her, over some of the others). So, I made an appointment, and was drawn to the 1895 solitaire setting. However, the Boston store didnt have anything in stock that I liked, so they had 5 loose diamonds shipped in for me to view. Some were better than others, and I chose the diamond that looked the best to me (and consequently scored lower than some of the others on the HCA), and it is beautiful! The diamond was set, and I picked it up over the weekend, and it looks killer! I cant wait to suprise my gf with it!
Best of all, Cartier was in my price range (albeit the higher end), and they offer a 12 month interest free payment plan, which no other vendor came close to (Tiffany wanted a 50% down payment)... making the ring even more affordable. Combined with the lifetime service, and I think I got a great deal!
I will have some photos as soon as I give her the ring (I''m still ironing those plans out). In the meantime, the specs are below. Thanks again!
Cartier 1985 Solitaire Setting (Platinum)
GIA certified
Round Brilliant
5.93-5.98 x 3.72 mm
0.81 carats
Color: G
Clarity: VS1
Cut: Excellent
Depth: 62.5%
Table: 56%
Crown Angle: 36.0 degrees
Crown Height: 16.0%
Pavilion Angle: 40.8 degrees
Pavilion Depth: 43.0%
Star Length: 50%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: MED to STK, faceted (3.5%)
Culet: None
Polish : Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
So I started out looking for diamonds by pricing them on Blue Nile, and then heading to B&M stores in the Boston area. My experiences there ranged from "Great" to "Total waste of time", and I was fed a lot of BS along the way. I stumbled upon Pricescope while researching Tiffany''s rings, and began to waste hours of my workday reading posts! It was all such a big help. I began to seriously consider purchasing my girlfriend''s ring online, through one of the approved PS vendors. However, some part was (and still is) a little apprehensive about purchasing a ring and a setting sight unseen. I was aware of the great return policies, but just couldn''t make my second largest purchase ever (next to my car) on the internet.
So, armed with my new PS knowledge, I hit the B&Ms again (and there are many great ones in the Boston area). Most of the stores had their own H&A branded stones, and they were beautiful... however most of the stores did not have complementary settings. All of them appeared to engulf the stone, and make it look small (I was looking for a .75ct to 1 ct stone). I even had one store set the stone, but it looked so horrid when I went to pick it up, I got my $$$ back.
I was getting a little frustrated, and happened to look over my gf''s shoulder as she was reading a magazine... there were ads for Tiffany, Cartier, DeBeers, etc, and I casually asked her which one she would pick, given the choice. She immediately said "Cartier, if they were affordable." (I should also add that she is mostly French, so that is part of the draw for her, over some of the others). So, I made an appointment, and was drawn to the 1895 solitaire setting. However, the Boston store didnt have anything in stock that I liked, so they had 5 loose diamonds shipped in for me to view. Some were better than others, and I chose the diamond that looked the best to me (and consequently scored lower than some of the others on the HCA), and it is beautiful! The diamond was set, and I picked it up over the weekend, and it looks killer! I cant wait to suprise my gf with it!
Best of all, Cartier was in my price range (albeit the higher end), and they offer a 12 month interest free payment plan, which no other vendor came close to (Tiffany wanted a 50% down payment)... making the ring even more affordable. Combined with the lifetime service, and I think I got a great deal!
I will have some photos as soon as I give her the ring (I''m still ironing those plans out). In the meantime, the specs are below. Thanks again!
Cartier 1985 Solitaire Setting (Platinum)
GIA certified
Round Brilliant
5.93-5.98 x 3.72 mm
0.81 carats
Color: G
Clarity: VS1
Cut: Excellent
Depth: 62.5%
Table: 56%
Crown Angle: 36.0 degrees
Crown Height: 16.0%
Pavilion Angle: 40.8 degrees
Pavilion Depth: 43.0%
Star Length: 50%
Lower Half: 75%
Girdle: MED to STK, faceted (3.5%)
Culet: None
Polish : Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
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