Good deal and Ritani questions

[ncbeachbum]

I stumbled across this site a few months ago when the boy and I started thinking about getting engaged. I had no idea what sort of ring I wanted or what we could afford - as we haven''t been out of college too long. There is SO much great information on this site!! I have really fallen for the Ritani Endless Love setting, but had written it off as a "upgrade, someday" as it really didn''t fit our current budget.

And then, I found a set on Craigslist that is my size and seems to be a super deal. I pasted in the "ad" below.

Endless Love Ritani engagement and wedding rings for sale. Willing to negotiate on price! these rings are gorgeous - i just have no need for them. i have documentation papers from Fink''s Jewelers.
Engagement Ring:
.54 Round Brilliant G Color and SI1 Clarity Grade.
The ring has 56 diamonds set around the center stone and along the shank - these diamonds are G-H in color, VS2-SI1 clarity and have a ttoal weight of .27 carat.
Mounting is platinum.
Total carat weight for entire ring is .81.
Size 5.
Value of $4,700.00
Wedding Ring:
49 Round Brililant cut diamonds with G-H color and VS1-VS2 clarity.
Total diamond weight is .22 carat.
Setting is platinum.
Size 5.
Value of $1,880.00

Seller is willing to let BOTH RINGS go for $2700. It seems too good to be true. I know this is a STEAL for these rings, but I have some reservations and hope you can help answer my questions.

1) There is no spacer bar. I actually wear a 4.5 or 4.75, so, there is a little "wiggle room" with these rings. But one day down the road if my fingers grow - what can I do about sizing the rings? Will I be able to, or will I have to get something different and give up on this set completely? As an aside, my mom has never had her rings sized and she was married young (20!) and had 2 kids. Can I hope those good finger genes have been passed to me?!

2) Is there any sort of warranty with Ritani rings? I do worry about the pave diamonds becoming loose or being damaged. But as this is such a great deal on this set, I''ve also told myself that we could purchase a plain wedding band that I could wear when I am doing work outside, camping or biking. And then I wouldn''t need to worry about damaging the rings.

3) Any suggestions on what I should have checked if we do decide to purchase these rings. The seller is willing to meet us at a store of our choice to have the rings checked...

Thanks in advance for you patience with all my questions! I''m excited about this possibility, but I don''t want to rush into purchasing something that isn''t going to be quite what I expected!

 

[neatfreak]

If it were ME I would have them meet me at an independent appraiser to make sure that what they are really selling you as a "diamond" in the center is a diamond and not a CZ. It would be worth the $100 appraisal fee to make me feel secure about the transaction. If you search on here there are quite a few appraisers reviewed here.

As for the sizing, the Ritani rings we just ordered (endless love w/o halo) have a sizing bar in the bottom so it is possible to size it up a bit or about 1/2 a size down. I would ask if these rings have this feature too.

I don''t know if Ritani has a warranty, I have only heard of various vendors having warranties. But I doubt many people would warranty pave anyway...I just don''t know on that one. The good thing is that the Ritani endless love pave diamonds are teensy about 3/4 of a point. So IF they should fall out they would be cheap to replace.

But I would never garden, etc. with them anyway.

As always, buyer beware. I wouldn''t do it unless you can take it to an independent appraiser to be appraised first.

 

[iheartscience]

I second what neatfreak says. Get the set independently appraised and then I say go for it! The set is probably priced so well because it''s hard to resell rings for full price. And I imagine if it''s a broken engagement or something they might just want to get rid of the set quickly.

There is a list of recommended appraisers on this website under "Resources." I would meet the seller at an independent appraiser rather than a store. Stores are not always the best judges of diamonds, rings, etc. as they usually want to sell you something from their own store! I hope the rings check out!

Oh-as far as sizing goes, if they are a smidge big and don''t have a sizing bar (small area without diamonds at bottom of ring) you can also get sizer balls put in the rings. Do a search and you can probably find photos, but they are small balls of metal put into a ring to help it fit tighter. I think it''s better to err on the larger side with eternity bands anyway in case you gain weight or your fingers just get a smidge larger later in life.

 

[ncbeachbum]

Thanks for the suggestions! We''ve decided to do a little more window shopping and price comprisons. At the end of the weekend, if we haven''t found something we like more than these Ritani''s, we''re going to see if they are still available.

Great suggestion on a private appraiser - there are 2 listed nearby!