help a new girl looking for an e-ring!

[maybemanda]

Hi, I''m coming out of lurking to post this and wanted to say first off that this site has been amazingly helpful in learning about diamonds, especially cut. My SO and I are looking for a ring now and although I don''t quite know what I want in terms of a setting, I do know that I want the best cut diamond that we can get within our budget (which will probably be around a 0.7 or 0.8 ct). I would really love for him to get a hearts and arrows stone through Good Old Gold because of the good things I have heard about them and the wealth of information that they post about each diamond. However, I don''t think he has quite seen the light yet and is going back to the local jeweler to look at some more things this week. Any women (or men, really) here have tips on how to educate him and steer him towards the perfect diamond without getting really involved?? I''m trying to let him do this and not control the process, but it goes against my OCD nature!!

 

[Regular Guy]

My notes below (in the link) might help.

 

[maybemanda]

thanks! i''m emailing him this as well as the tutorial, which i don''t think he has looked at yet either.

 

[neatfreak]

The things that worked really well with my boyfriend (so much so that he let me pic my own stone!):

1. Took him everywhere from maul stores to Tiffany's to compare stones. He quickly got annoyed by the maul store's lies and was more able to visualize why it was worth the premium to buy a good stone.

2. Once we found a good quality local store that we liked, we looked at a bunch of their stones and he was REALLY able to tell the difference side by side. It was almost like a game to him. It is to the point that he LOVES to go into jewelry stores to analyze their diamonds and can't wait to give me my ring (being set right now!) so that he can bring it into stores and see what a good job he did! Once he saw how much brighter and sparklier the "nicer" cuts were, he knew he didn't want anything besides a premium/ideal cut stone.

3. Appeal to the bargain hunter AND the lazy guy in him. Once he's seen for himself the difference a good cut can make, tell him that through some of the online vendors all he needs to do is call them and they will find some winners for him. No long trips to jewelry stores...hassle free return policies...and many will send the stones for him to check out in his own home.

Anyway, these worked for me, hope they work for you!

ETA: The GOG website also has a GREAT tutorial you should send him if you haven't already. PLUS make sure he knows about the lifetime tradeup policy of many of these vendors if he cares about that.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 3/31/2007 6:18:12 PM
Author: maybemanda
thanks! i'm emailing him this as well as the tutorial, which i don't think he has looked at yet either.

Also, sounds like Neatfreak has some good ideas, too.

At least one other thing...I wrote that piece quite a while ago...before GIA did post either a) cut grades or b) crown & pavilion angles. If your boyfriend is shopping locally...A) if AGS isn't available, GIA excellent can be a good starting place, and also b) with crown & pavilion angles readily available...ask a shopkeeper to fire up their browser for you, run the crown & pavilion angles through the HCA while in the store, and local shopping can be a pretty good job, I'd bet. (ETA see Ib in Location, Location, Location).

 

[mintchoco_ykc]

Date: 3/31/2007 6:04:58 PM
Author:maybemanda
Hi, I''m coming out of lurking to post this and wanted to say first off that this site has been amazingly helpful in learning about diamonds, especially cut. My SO and I are looking for a ring now and although I don''t quite know what I want in terms of a setting, I do know that I want the best cut diamond that we can get within our budget (which will probably be around a 0.7 or 0.8 ct). I would really love for him to get a hearts and arrows stone through Good Old Gold because of the good things I have heard about them and the wealth of information that they post about each diamond. However, I don''t think he has quite seen the light yet and is going back to the local jeweler to look at some more things this week. Any women (or men, really) here have tips on how to educate him and steer him towards the perfect diamond without getting really involved?? I''m trying to let him do this and not control the process, but it goes against my OCD nature!!

Hey maybemanda,

I understand exactly how you feel!

Having just gone through the process with my SO, I think the best is to hook your man up with either one of his guy friends or one of your guy friends who has made the big purchase before!

I would read stuff here, tell my man, and yet he wouldn''t internalize it until he hears the same words from his co-worker who recently purchased a stone and told him the EXACT same thing I just told him! But in the end I got to pick my stone too - and many years later if I don''t like the stone I picked out, I''m the only one to blame!!!

Good luck!