I am seriously struggling....

[scb175]

I am planning on getting engage here as soon as my procrastinating ass can get this ring situation figured out. I have been reading this forum and looking religiously online at WhiteFlash, GoodoldGold, JamesAllen, etc. I have a few settings picked out from WhiteFlash.... the Vatche Caroline pave, Charis Pave, and the Legato Sleek Pave. I have been leaning towards the Legato setting based on the price, and wanted to put a .75-.85 ctw diamond from the A Cut Above collection. I am looking to spend around $5,000 total.

A new wrinkle in the plan.... the girlfriend doesn't want me to buy online. She is concerned about not having the 6 month checkup, along with the ease of taking it to a local store if things needed fixed. I have also been reading that local stores, like Kay Jeweler, Jared's, etc, will replace your diamond if it is lost (as long as you keep up with your 6 month checkup). That to me is huge, as these online companies do not do that. I understand I will be able to purchase a much better diamond online for the money. That is my dilemma, and I'm curious to hear responses on this situation. Thank you all

 

[farmer gal]

There is no question that I would buy online. This is a large amount of money and I would not want to waste it on inferior quality. You should be purchasing jewelry insurance regardless incase the ring were to be lost or stolen.
Another thought would be to purchase the center stone online and purchase a setting from a local jewelry. There will be an added cost of mounting the stone. This would give her the best of both worlds if she prefers to have a home jewelry store. I also caution you on this; find a good quality jewelry store; not Kays, Zales, etc. If she is looking for a pave style her ring will be in the shop more than on her finger because the setting quality is subpar.

 

[woofmama]

The quality of settings and diamonds at Kays and Jareds is sub-par. Whiteflash carries top cut graded diamonds and beautifully crafted settings with vs melee. I wore my WF/BGD five stone in Jareds and the sales people all passed it around and told me they don't sell anything like that, their five stone bands are ungraded SI2 or lower and no where near hearts and arrows diamonds. I looked at one of their pieces and the stones were garbage.

Rings are not babies or puppies, they don't need six month check-ups! That's a ridiculous marketing ploy started by the chain jewelers.
Develop a relationship with a Family Owned jeweler. Buy your ring on line but purchase your wedding band at the local store.
They will happily check your rings when you visit. All of my pieces, (e-ring/five-stone, diamond studs, diamond pendant) were purchased
online because I wanted the best quality. I'm also into gem stones which I buy online from PS vendors but have taken to a local store to have set. I have bought designer pieces and watches from my local family owned jeweler. They know me and respect me because they know I'm educated about their industry.

Buy the ring online, insure it and marvel at how much more beautiful it is than the crap at the chain stores.

 

[arkieb1]

Actually a lot of the good vendors, GOG, Wink, Victor, Whiteflash, Brian Gavin and others WILL all guarantee anything you purchase and take it back, repair and adjust it for you, all of the ones I have named have bricks and mortar stores as well as virtual stores.

The issue with purchasing a ring/diamond from a mall store like the ones you have named is cut - cut gives a diamond the fire and sparkle, a better cut stone has edge to edge and will face up bigger and generally there is NO contest between a top cut diamond from places I have named to a smucky cut diamond from places you have named. When you purchase any stone I suggest you run it through the HCA which is a rejection/selection tool we use to tell us more about the cut of the stone we are looking at;

tp://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

You should also be aware that most of the stores you have named sell lower clarity stones as well as VERY ordinary cuts. You can also purchase a decent cut diamond from a good vendor and then take it to some stores to be set ie purchase the setting from them to get all of the benefits your g/f wants without having to settle for a sub standard centre stone. Having said that the settings you have picked out are SO much nicer than anything in chain stores in quality as well.

 

[enbcfsobe]

6 month check-up?? ummm...its a ring, not a set of teeth. i bought B&M at a small jewelry shop, but have never taken my ring back there b/c it is inconvenient. i had the stone (before set) and ring independently appraised for insurance (cost around $200 total i think?). the appraisal allows me to bring the ring in annually for reappraisal and evaluation. i've done this once (engaged in 2007), and only because I was taking another piece in to be verified. turned out one prong was a tiny bit loose, and i had it tightened at a bench jeweler recommended by the appraiser for a nominal cost. i have 6 prongs so the stone was not going anywhere despite being a little loose. i also don't have pave, so there's not that much to go wrong. if my ring was more delicate or ornate, or if it had a colored or other type of diamond the demand/price for which might fluctuate more dramatically, i might take it in more often. i think the retail price for which the ring is appraised & insured is way higher already than what it would actually cost me to replace it. I think metals have actually gone down or levelled of since it was reappraised. when it starts to get closer, i will take it in again for an updated appraisal.

you can buy local if you know exactly what to look for, but the big chain stores with this type of policy are unlikely to have anything that PSers would recommend at a reasonable price (if at all!). IMO the 6-month checkup thing is a scam to (a) have an easy way to void your "warranty" and (b) have regular opportunities to sell you something else. If you insure the ring appropriately, you should be able to get a replacement stone and/or setting for the cost of your deductible, which you should be able to adjust according to how much you want to pay monthly. with a good carrier, you should also have much more control over the replacement stone than i imagine you'd get from a store warranty program. i would also never take my ring into a chain jewelry store for cleaning or repair. many of the online vendors will do repairs, and i think particularly with pave folks have fared best taking that route rather than having a local jeweler get involved.

the middle road option is to find a local, independent jeweler with settings you like, buy a diamond online, and have it sent to them for setting. then you have someone to go to for "checkups" if she feels that is important, or for repairs. you can even give that jeweler the opportunity to call in some ideal cut stones and see if he can compete with quality/pricing that you are seeing online. as long as the stones have certs, you can plug the info into the HCA and also ask on this board for input. my experience was that i was able to get a diamond locally for a price that was competitive with online pricing for similar size/cut/color. that may be more difficult depending on your location, but it may be worth a try given your GF's concerns.

good luck.

 

[lioness]

The quality of settings and diamonds at Kays and Jareds is sub-par. Whiteflash carries top cut graded diamonds and beautifully crafted settings with vs melee. I wore my WF/BGD five stone in Jareds and the sales people all passed it around and told me they don't sell anything like that, their five stone bands are ungraded SI2 or lower and no where near hearts and arrows diamonds. I looked at one of their pieces and the stones were garbage.

Rings are not babies or puppies, they don't need six month check-ups! That's a ridiculous marketing ploy started by the chain jewelers.
Develop a relationship with a Family Owned jeweler. Buy your ring on line but purchase your wedding band at the local store.
They will happily check your rings when you visit. All of my pieces, (e-ring/five-stone, diamond studs, diamond pendant) were purchased
online because I wanted the best quality. I'm also into gem stones which I buy online from PS vendors but have taken to a local store to have set. I have bought designer pieces and watches from my local family owned jeweler. They know me and respect me because they know I'm educated about their industry.

Buy the ring online, insure it and marvel at how much more beautiful it is than the crap at the chain stores.

This.

 

[Sunstorm]

Besides all of the above advice, you should have insurance for cases of loss/theft. I doubt it that any store will replace your ring if you lose it, I do understand you mean the diamond due to damaged prongs, etc. but quite honestly I would be doubtful about it. You should insure the ring anyhow and then you will by worry-free. The rest people have given some great advice about.

 

[scb175]

Yes, fantastic responses. I do have a local family owned jewelry store named Dahlkempers. I have found a few settings that I like from them, but as others have said, the quality/price just doesn't compare to online. It will be a big decision and I will update this thread to ask for assistance on choosing a diamond. If you all would help me with that, I would be ecstatic. Thanks again!

 

[heididdl]

I am planning on getting engage here as soon as my procrastinating a$$ can get this ring situation figured out. I have been reading this forum and looking religiously online at WhiteFlash, GoodoldGold, JamesAllen, etc. I have a few settings picked out from WhiteFlash.... the Vatche Caroline pave, Charis Pave, and the Legato Sleek Pave. I have been leaning towards the Legato setting based on the price, and wanted to put a .75-.85 ctw diamond from the A Cut Above collection. I am looking to spend around $5,000 total.

A new wrinkle in the plan.... the girlfriend doesn't want me to buy online. She is concerned about not having the 6 month checkup, along with the ease of taking it to a local store if things needed fixed. I have also been reading that local stores, like Kay Jeweler, Jared's, etc, will replace your diamond if it is lost (as long as you keep up with your 6 month checkup). That to me is huge, as these online companies do not do that. I understand I will be able to purchase a much better diamond online for the money. That is my dilemma, and I'm curious to hear responses on this situation. Thank you all

She is very wrong in her thinking. I take my ring to my local jewelry repair guy. (my ring is 3.66 EC in 1" thick plaitinum setting with .50 trillion side stones (just telling you as it is not a dime store Ering).

I wouldn't have my ring checked or repaired at a chain store ever. Every town has that local jewelery store that you take your jewelry to be repaired. it is a misnomer that you have to have your ring checked every 6 months. I shake my stone to my ear every day and if I have any concerns I bring it in right away. There has to be an honest store. Most of them don't even charge you just to check the prongs et al.

Cleaning the ring you do yourself. or when I being it in to have prongs checked (like almost never and I've been wearing my ring for 15 years) the store cleans it for me. But I did inherit a small sonic cleaner and once a week my studs and rings get a bath. GOG and White flash both have retail stores.. but with regard to cleaning and repairing just find someone you trust you don't have to buy your set from them.

Regarding replacing a lost stone that is what insurance is for. I wouldn't buy my stone at a chain store they claim to have a lot to choose from but honestly their sales people dont truly understand the importance of the cut or light return. HCA scores all the tools we have here to help you pick a brillant rock.......Please have your GF take a look at some of the price scope forums and she will con converted.... You can buy a stone at a chain store but only if you are so knowledgable. We have had many Jared Kay horror stories with people buying certified stones that are said to be ideal and just because they are GIA doesn't make them ideal. There is so much to learn... and the chain stores do not have sales persons traiined well. They may have a "GIA trained gemologist " but that doesnt mean the stones you are looking at are GIA stones and are good stones any stone can be certified

 

[heididdl]

The quality of settings and diamonds at Kays and Jareds is sub-par. Whiteflash carries top cut graded diamonds and beautifully crafted settings with vs melee. I wore my WF/BGD five stone in Jareds and the sales people all passed it around and told me they don't sell anything like that, their five stone bands are ungraded SI2 or lower and no where near hearts and arrows diamonds. I looked at one of their pieces and the stones were garbage.

Rings are not babies or puppies, they don't need six month check-ups! That's a ridiculous marketing ploy started by the chain jewelers.
Develop a relationship with a Family Owned jeweler. Buy your ring on line but purchase your wedding band at the local store.
They will happily check your rings when you visit. All of my pieces, (e-ring/five-stone, diamond studs, diamond pendant) were purchased
online because I wanted the best quality. I'm also into gem stones which I buy online from PS vendors but have taken to a local store to have set. I have bought designer pieces and watches from my local family owned jeweler. They know me and respect me because they know I'm educated about their industry.

Buy the ring online, insure it and marvel at how much more beautiful it is than the crap at the chain stores.

This.

sorrry just saw this posting I totally agree....

 

[arkieb1]

You have already stated your budget start a new thread or post with the size, colour and clarity you want to purchase and pics or links to the setting styles she likes (or you like) and let the gurus work their magic with the best valued (and cut) suggestions.