How long did you shop for your 1st e-ring?

[quicksilver12]

Hi! First time poster here (though long-time viewer

We started looking at diamond rings Memorial Day Weekend (around 9/3/2012). We've narrowed it down to 2 jewelers and we've made repeat visits to both - one twice, the other three times. Being that this is our first time buying a diamond, both of us want to be sure of our decision. As such, out of the 7-8 or so quality diamonds we've seen thus far, none immediately stood out as The One. Upon our 3rd visit to one of the jewelers this past weekend (each visit was about 1.5 hours) - he seemed to be getting a bit impatient (though nothing rude, and he didn't have another appointment after us). This got me thinking - did we over-stay our welcome? Do people typically make a decision and buy after 1 or 2 visits to a particular jeweler? This jeweler has decades of experience and is a GIA graduate (though online reviews for him stopped cold after 2009 - the old reviews were all wonderful), and I really want to go with him. But now I'm not sure if the relationship is "tained" or ruined somehow... Please help! Any guidance you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated! Oh, we are hoping to buy the diamond and ring from a local jeweler instead of going the on-line route. Us being newbies we just think we'd be more comfortable with someone local. Thank you!

 

[stci]

It took me 2 years to find my dreaming diamond OEC ering in my small budget! Long long to find but finaly I got THE ring I want.

 

[motownmama]

Is this jeweler the only game in town? Approximately where to you live - sometimes people have great B&M suggestions (i.e. bricks and mortar - physical stores), not just online vendors, which are highly touted here. To answer your question directly, my DH bought the ring himself and the proposal was a complete surprise. He proposed Memorial Day weekend and we were married 4 months later. However, there's no right or wrong answer. I would not be happy if someone was impatient with me, and I was considering a major purchase. Possibly there was a deadline he was needing to reach on a piece for another customer. I'm very tactful, but straightforward, and there's no doubt I would have mentioned that I felt rushed, but I know that's not everyone. If there wasn't a legit reason, than that's totally uncalled for - not just for this purchase, but for the potential future purchases - a customer for life! If the diamond bug bites you, it bites hard - as my DH found out - he's been back to the watering hole numerous times!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm sorry he's becoming impatient with you! I'm not sure of the norm...everyone is different and since this is your first diamond purchase, it would make sense that the first visit was probably very overwhelming and it would take a few visits to get use to looking at stones.

For me, it took two shopping trips, but we did buy a stone the first time and then I realized I didn't like the diamond and so we went back and exchanged it a week later. I didn't know anything about diamonds at that time, except color & clarity, so it was only by pure luck that the sales gal we worked with focused on cut and brought out the perfect diamond for me!

 

[Gypsy]

I think everyone’s processes are different. Some people do no research go to the mall, pick whatever looks the best and walk out, happy to cross that off the list of to-do items. Others don’t.

Here’s my feedback for what it’s worth.

Saying someone is a GIA graduate is like saying someone went to Harvard. There are great graduates, there are poor ones, and then there are the ones in federal prison for extortion, tax evasion, or embezzlement. It’s not a guarantee of very much, other than the fact that at one point, they went through the curriculum and graduated. That you looked up references is a good thing. But 2009 is a long time ago? Where was he in the interim?

If you are looking for a round brilliant, I can understand running out of patience after three visits. Rounds are fairly easy to shop for and all you really need is to insist on an AGS0 stone or a GIA Ex/Ex that meet certain criteria ( here is a short cut tool for those criteria, anything under 2 is a go if you like the stone in person having spent time with it: https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca ) and the rest is just determining your color and clarity preferences (which shouldn’t take more than one visit) and what size you can afford for your budget. If you do your homework either before the first visit, OR before the second there is no reason why you shouldn’t be buying by the third and that’s if you want to take your time. If you haven’t done your homework, then you should do so before wasting anyone’s time, IMO. Once you get into ideal cut rounds they are largely interchangeable for the average person so waiting for one to ‘speak to you’ isn’t really gonna happen at this point if it hasn’t happened already. After three visits with ideal rounds, if they aren’t ‘speaking to you’ then you need to consider a different shape.

NOW, if you are looking for a fancy cut and the jeweler doesn’t have a ton of in house stock. I can see that taking three visits or more. The first to go in and try things out, determine color and clarity and faceting and size. If there is nothing in stock, then you should ask the jeweler to get in stones that meet your requirements for your second visit AFTER doing your homework. If there is nothing that works for you, either you ask for them to try again (third visit) or you go to a different vendor. Or if there is a stone that you like then you might want to place it on hold, think about it overnight, then re-visit and buy it or walk away.

But really… the most frustrating thing, I think, for a good jeweler would be people that come in doing no research and no leg work on their own and then soaking up visit after visit of time (1.5 hours each visit at 3 visits is a lot of time) when a couple hours of education would fill the knowledge gaps and move them forward to a decision. It’s a large purchase. When you buy a car you do a lot of research. Same thing here. So if it’s a case of you guys doing that, I understand his frustrations. Now, if you’ve done your research and you are buying a fancy and you are having him call in stones and hoping to find the right one, and he’s not providing you with good options—then no, I don’t understand his frustration.


As for shopping locally being better for the insecure and inexperienced. Honestly, it’s the other way around. The internet, for someone who spends time doing research is actually safer for purchases in many ways.