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Feralpenchant

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After looking online EVERYWHERE and going to local jewelers and just doing tons of research in general..

I have fallen for a ring at the mall. Good lord. It''s at Gordon''s Jewelers and without me knowing ahead of time, it is exactly what I had envisioned but didn''t know if was actually called anything or even if it was made.

So my question is.. am I bad for picking out a ring from the mall? My boyfriend asked me to find exactly what I wanted and tell him where and what is was (he''s not much for doing these things himself, he knows how picky I can be).. I just can''t find anything that comes close to how much I love this ring on the internet.

I ask only because I only hear on this site of people purchasing setting and stone seperately and having it mounted by a jeweler. Mall jewelers don''t seem to have a good "rap" or whatever. Should I be staying away from mall jewelers? I just love this ring so much..
 

Mrs W

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I think you should stay away because they do not have stones that perform well or have decent clarity. Can you post the link to the stone at Gordon''s, we could get a better idea of what you want and what the setting looks like.
 

purrfectpear

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Falling in love with a mall ring is OK.

Falling in love with a mall diamond is iffy at best.

See if they will sell the setting or else post a pic and we can probably find the manufacturer
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Feralpenchant

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They actually took the ring off of the website, but it''s still in stores because I called to make sure. It''s a 1.5ct TW with the main stone being a .5ct and ten diamonds running from 3/4 down the band on one side running all the way under the main diamond and 3/4 down the other side of the band. They called it a "bridge over water" setting. It''s 4 prong setting in 14kt white gold. And it''s GORGEOUS.

I''m not very well versed in diamonds, and although I have learned much here, what matters to me (and most uninformed, untrained people who have not seen a lot of diamonds in real life) is that it be pretty, rather than flawless in the 4 C''s..

If that doesn''t matter as much to me, is there any other reason not to go with a mall jeweler? We''re getting this ring for 2,700..
 

Feralpenchant

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This is the exact same ring only with 2ct TW. You can''t see it from this angle, but the channel set ones do continue seamlessly, unbroken, all the way under the main stone. I''ve seen it in person.

http://www.gordonsjewelers.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3213609&cp=2664341.2664351&pg=2&f=PAD%2FRing+Style%2FSolitaire+with+Side+Accent&cp=2664341.2664351&kpc=1&parentPage=search&searchId=40623010404

Sorry for the HUGE link, someone will have to teach me how to do it the other way haha.
 

purrfectpear

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If you''re willing to settle for mall quality, then you should consider this 1.01 ct. diamond from Whiteflash with a 4 star rating for only $2662 with Pricescope discount. I can pretty much guarantee you that it will outshine what you find in the mall, and the diamond is twice the carat weight. Put it in an inexpensive tiffany style mounting, then save up for your dream setting. You''d be much happier in the end IMO.

1.01 ct H VS2 Round
 

purrfectpear

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Sorry, I just realized after you posted a pic that you''re looking for a Princess cut. There are several in the 1 ct. range from Whiteflash and other PS vendors from $2300 and up.

I did a google search for Princess cut diamond bridge band and there are several to choose from. I think you could probably buy a diamond and setting separately if you were interested.
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Feralpenchant

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Thanks ladies for all the advice and help! It''s hard to be so young and be wanting to get engaged (I''m 21, he''s 20), and especially at this time with the country''s financial situation. BF doesn''t even want to get the ring some days because he''s afraid he''ll lose his job (we will have to be making payments on the ring, if we save up for it, it''ll take us longer than we want to wait to do this.)

The mall ring just seems like a better route for now, but he knows we will be doing an upgrade later on. It just seems cheaper to go this way.. I know you get what you pay for though!

I wish we had lots of money saved up but we don''t
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Definitely limits our options.
 

Dancing Fire

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Date: 3/7/2009 2:01:20 AM
Author: Feralpenchant
Thanks ladies for all the advice and help! It''s hard to be so young and be wanting to get engaged (I''m 21, he''s 20), and especially at this time with the country''s financial situation. BF doesn''t even want to get the ring some days because he''s afraid he''ll lose his job (we will have to be making payments on the ring, if we save up for it, it''ll take us longer than we want to wait to do this.)

The mall ring just seems like a better route for now, but he knows we will be doing an upgrade later on. It just seems cheaper to go this way.. I know you get what you pay for though!

I wish we had lots of money saved up but we don''t
7.gif
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Definitely limits our options.
not a very good idea. IMO...better to save up for the ring.
 

strmrdr

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buy a ring within your cash budget and upgrade later.
Anyone that goes into debt for a ring is insane in today''s economy.
Even in good times it is a very very bad idea to buy a pure luxury item on credit.
If a plain silver band isn''t good enough then your not ready to get married or it isn''t the right person.
Anything beyond that is a luxury that if you can afford it then kewl if not settle and start your life together.
 

swingirl

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Don''t go into debt at your age. $4500 is a lot to spend on a mall ring. That is a budget a lot of 30+ year olds come with. What is your real cash-in-hand budget? Let us know and the many experienced shoppers on PS can direct you to some pretty stones and rings that don''t come with interest.
 

Lorelei

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Date: 3/7/2009 4:03:05 AM
Author: strmrdr
buy a ring within your cash budget and upgrade later.
Anyone that goes into debt for a ring is insane in today''s economy.
Even in good times it is a very very bad idea to buy a pure luxury item on credit.
If a plain silver band isn''t good enough then your not ready to get married or it isn''t the right person.
Anything beyond that is a luxury that if you can afford it then kewl if not settle and start your life together.
Ditto
 

MikeRato1

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Date: 3/7/2009 12:49:59 AM
Author: Mrs W
I think you should stay away because they do not have stones that perform well or have decent clarity. Can you post the link to the stone at Gordon''s, we could get a better idea of what you want and what the setting looks like.
i think thats a pretty scary statement to make, without knowing the facts about an exact stone im not sure how you can know this is true
there are some mall stores in my area that sell quality cut, and some that do not
my advice would be to have it graded by gia/ags and maybe post the proportions so some experts can tell you if its gonna be a stunner or not
 

melz

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plus if you buy it from whiteflash gog whatever they will credit you the full price of your original diamond when you do upgrade ... a mall store is not going to do that
 

MikeRato1

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Date: 3/7/2009 3:32:28 PM
Author: melanie987123
plus if you buy it from whiteflash gog whatever they will credit you the full price of your original diamond when you do upgrade ... a mall store is not going to do that
that may be true for some mall stores but not all

i would say that buying online usually saves you a little bit of cash though
 

ImpatientOne

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Date: 3/7/2009 5:34:00 PM
Author: MikeRato1

Date: 3/7/2009 3:32:28 PM
Author: melanie987123
plus if you buy it from whiteflash gog whatever they will credit you the full price of your original diamond when you do upgrade ... a mall store is not going to do that
that may be true for some mall stores but not all

i would say that buying online usually saves you a little bit of cash though
Yes, but most mall stores require you to spend at least twice as much as your original purchase to upgrade...
 

neatfreak

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Date: 3/7/2009 5:39:34 PM
Author: ImpatientOne
Date: 3/7/2009 5:34:00 PM

Author: MikeRato1


Date: 3/7/2009 3:32:28 PM

Author: melanie987123

plus if you buy it from whiteflash gog whatever they will credit you the full price of your original diamond when you do upgrade ... a mall store is not going to do that
that may be true for some mall stores but not all


i would say that buying online usually saves you a little bit of cash though

Yes, but most mall stores require you to spend at least twice as much as your original purchase to upgrade...

And their merchandise is often twice the price to begin with too!
 

Feralpenchant

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This ring online is much more expensive than in the mall. 2600-2700 at the mall. We live in Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the richest counties in the nation and the cost of living is horrible. The payments on the ring would be 200, a little less, a month, which is totally doable for us. We live at home because we cannot afford to even rent anything in this county, and we're stable where we are, it's a large house and we're in the basement, so no real expenses except regular phone bills and car insurance. But we don't have anything saved up, so we would have to be making payments. No matter what. We know that we want to get engaged and start working to branch out on our own.. but it's so hard to do anything at our age and in this county. We're just going to have to settle for what we can afford right now. This ring at the mall is within price range because the payments will be easy. Neither of us have credit cards so it's not like we can just buy it up front and make payments. We'd have to pay the down payment and then start payments from there.
 

strmrdr

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Date: 3/7/2009 10:02:04 PM
Author: Feralpenchant
This ring online is much more expensive than in the mall. 2600-2700 at the mall. We live in Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the richest counties in the nation and the cost of living is horrible. The payments on the ring would be 200, a little less, a month, which is totally doable for us. We live at home because we cannot afford to even rent anything in this county, and we''re stable where we are, it''s a large house and we''re in the basement, so no real expenses except regular phone bills and car insurance. But we don''t have anything saved up, so we would have to be making payments. No matter what. We know that we want to get engaged and start working to branch out on our own.. but it''s so hard to do anything at our age and in this county. We''re just going to have to settle for what we can afford right now. This ring at the mall is within price range because the payments will be easy. Neither of us have credit cards so it''s not like we can just buy it up front and make payments. We''d have to pay the down payment and then start payments from there.
You would be better off putting the $200 a month towards moving on with your lives together.
$100 ring means the same as a $2700 ring.
 

Kaleigh

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Date: 3/7/2009 10:11:47 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 3/7/2009 10:02:04 PM
Author: Feralpenchant
This ring online is much more expensive than in the mall. 2600-2700 at the mall. We live in Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the richest counties in the nation and the cost of living is horrible. The payments on the ring would be 200, a little less, a month, which is totally doable for us. We live at home because we cannot afford to even rent anything in this county, and we''re stable where we are, it''s a large house and we''re in the basement, so no real expenses except regular phone bills and car insurance. But we don''t have anything saved up, so we would have to be making payments. No matter what. We know that we want to get engaged and start working to branch out on our own.. but it''s so hard to do anything at our age and in this county. We''re just going to have to settle for what we can afford right now. This ring at the mall is within price range because the payments will be easy. Neither of us have credit cards so it''s not like we can just buy it up front and make payments. We''d have to pay the down payment and then start payments from there.
You would be better off putting the $200 a month towards moving on with your lives together.
$100 ring means the same as a $2700 ring.
Ditto.
2.gif
 

MissGotRocks

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If you can make the $200 a month payment, I would then assume that you would have been saving $200 a month in an account. Should be true but probably isn''t - right? This may sound unfair to you but there is always more than one way to look at something.

Same with the ring. I hear you and understand where you are right now. I certainly don''t begrudge you wanting a ring. However, you and your FI are very young and have lots of time to work and save for a ring. If you buy from the mall store, you are limited to only dealing with them. To trade up, you would have to come up with another $2600-$2700 to get something else. In a year, you could potentially save $2400 and put it toward a stone with a reputable vendor. Then you''d have an upgrade policy with someone that sells very high quality stones.

It''s your money and your choice - some of us are just seasoned veterans that want to offer you an alternative. I know that most mall jewelers can also improve the quality of their stones if you ask them too. Course, that costs more money too but you could get a better stone. In the long run, they are just not the most cost effective jewelers to deal with.

Best of luck to you - I know you are young and in love but try to make the best choice possible for your dollars! If your boyfriend thinks there is a possiblity that he could lose his job, a monthly payment hanging over your head will certainly make things more difficult.
 

D&T

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Date: 3/7/2009 4:03:05 AM
Author: strmrdr
buy a ring within your cash budget and upgrade later.
Anyone that goes into debt for a ring is insane in today''s economy.
Even in good times it is a very very bad idea to buy a pure luxury item on credit.
If a plain silver band isn''t good enough then your not ready to get married or it isn''t the right person.
Anything beyond that is a luxury that if you can afford it then kewl if not settle and start your life together.
Agreed... that being said,, if you want a nice little sparkler with upgradability (is that even a word...hehehe?) you can get a nice whiteflash diamond on your cash budget now,, with a plain solitare mounting.. and upgrade later.. when I got married.. hubby 21 and me at 24... we did buy on credit and paid over a period of 6 months... and knew nothing about diamond.. not that much aside from working at a department store for a little while in the jewelry anyhow,, it was a .4 ct princess.. not that great a quality and well after 5 years.. i was able to get my dream ring... not on credit but cash... so if you can just get you something on cash to "get you by" then 5 years or 10 years down the road when you are more stable, economy more stable then splurge on the luxurious ring that you want later- and you''ll think to yourself.. "im so proud of us, that we were able to afford this on cash and it may mean more later too, than to feel the burden of credit crunching.. know what i mean?. I wish I would have found out or did my research here first before opting on my first ring.. sorry to ramble. just from experience somewhat familiar to me :)
 

House Cat

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~Keep in mind too, that you are paying a HUGE mark-up on a low quality diamond, just so that you can use credit. This is what mall stores do. They offer credit to most anyone, just so they can sell their diamonds for so much more than what they are worth. They KNOW that people can''t afford to pay cash, so they prey on the thinking of "it''s only $200 per month" and they laugh all the way to the bank.

So, if you''re set on buying a ring, do some research. Look up 1/2 carat stones...definitely not in the $2500 range, even with that setting. I''d venture to guess, that they definitely aren''t in the $2500 range for the cut, color, and clarity that you''re getting in the mall.
 

Fly Girl

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I know you love that ring, but you can''t afford it. You aren''t the only one who has had to downsize your wants, and this won''t be the first time, either. Please, only buy what you can afford. You don''t need a ring to get engaged. Better to save for now. Having a little cash on hand will make so many things in life a lot easier, and saving should be a priority right now.

There are many, many inexpensive options for attractive rings, such as at the summer art fairs. Keep your eyes open. The time will come for a fancy diamond ring, but just not right now.
 

BlueSki231

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I really don''t know much about princess cuts, so I don''t know how good this one is but I thought I''d offer an option..

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1204594.htm

For a total of about $1k you could put about a half carat princess in a plain solitaire setting and start saving up for the setting you REALLY have your eye on..

And I hate to even offer this knowing that you would be going into debt over it. But it''s more than half as much as you were thinking of spending...
 

neatfreak

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Date: 3/7/2009 10:02:04 PM
Author: Feralpenchant
This ring online is much more expensive than in the mall. 2600-2700 at the mall. We live in Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the richest counties in the nation and the cost of living is horrible. The payments on the ring would be 200, a little less, a month, which is totally doable for us. We live at home because we cannot afford to even rent anything in this county, and we're stable where we are, it's a large house and we're in the basement, so no real expenses except regular phone bills and car insurance. But we don't have anything saved up, so we would have to be making payments. No matter what. We know that we want to get engaged and start working to branch out on our own.. but it's so hard to do anything at our age and in this county. We're just going to have to settle for what we can afford right now. This ring at the mall is within price range because the payments will be easy. Neither of us have credit cards so it's not like we can just buy it up front and make payments. We'd have to pay the down payment and then start payments from there.

Feral, no offense, but if you are living with your parents and thus have no real bills and still have NO savings it really is not a good idea to be buying an expensive ring regardless. If you want to move out on your own, get married, and generally be seen as an adult, you need to learn to act like a responsible adult. And delayed gratification is part of that.

It's a pretty irresponsible move to buy a ring that is SO SO SO overpriced just so you can finance it. It's crazy. Especially for someone with no savings.

If you can afford $200 payments every month then you could easily get a ring in the half carat range in 5 months. That really isn't very long when you think about it and it will be SO MUCH CHEAPER. If you were still going to be paying on the mall ring you'd be paying for well over a year and that doesn't even consider interest if they are charging you it.
 

D&T

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Date: 3/8/2009 12:01:56 AM
Author: Namaste
I really don''t know much about princess cuts, so I don''t know how good this one is but I thought I''d offer an option..

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-1204594.htm
ooh that one seems nice and put a plain solitaire band, and later when you can afford get an anniversary band to go with it,,, that will look very classy and super nice! also you get a PS discount (not much but still worth every pennies in savings).. the size will be respected. and it will be far far far,, much better quality than any mall store you will get guaranteed. I''m not sure of who your social circle is, but i know that where I used to live, everyone seemed to think that they had to have 1ct on their finger, and I just didn''t get it and didn''t know how two individuals who were students, living at home, no jobs was able to afford the 1 ct... yes, at times I was envious, but then think to myself, that we did it all on our own without help, and we didn''t break the bank either (even though we did use credit (bad decision on our end)) and my little .4 ct means a lot and I still have it and will pass it down to my kids someday.
 

justjulia

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Ok,

You have great taste, no doubt.

If you just have to have it now, this is what I would do:

Purchase something as close to your dream setting, in gold, with CZs as you can pay cash for now.

Later, replace the CZ''s one by one with real diamonds. Make it an anniversary tradition until the ring is complete.

Personally, I would purchase the diamonds from a vendor/place that had an excellent trade up policy, because even after the ring is done, you might keep upgrading the center stone. You''re gonna live a long, long time. Keep those options open.
 

icekid

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Date: 3/8/2009 9:58:59 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 3/7/2009 10:02:04 PM
Author: Feralpenchant
This ring online is much more expensive than in the mall. 2600-2700 at the mall. We live in Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the richest counties in the nation and the cost of living is horrible. The payments on the ring would be 200, a little less, a month, which is totally doable for us. We live at home because we cannot afford to even rent anything in this county, and we''re stable where we are, it''s a large house and we''re in the basement, so no real expenses except regular phone bills and car insurance. But we don''t have anything saved up, so we would have to be making payments. No matter what. We know that we want to get engaged and start working to branch out on our own.. but it''s so hard to do anything at our age and in this county. We''re just going to have to settle for what we can afford right now. This ring at the mall is within price range because the payments will be easy. Neither of us have credit cards so it''s not like we can just buy it up front and make payments. We''d have to pay the down payment and then start payments from there.

Feral, no offense, but if you are living with your parents and thus have no real bills and still have NO savings it really is not a good idea to be buying an expensive ring regardless. If you want to move out on your own, get married, and generally be seen as an adult, you need to learn to act like a responsible adult. And delayed gratification is part of that.

It''s a pretty irresponsible move to buy a ring that is SO SO SO overpriced just so you can finance it. It''s crazy. Especially for someone with no savings.

If you can afford $200 payments every month then you could easily get a ring in the half carat range in 5 months. That really isn''t very long when you think about it and it will be SO MUCH CHEAPER. If you were still going to be paying on the mall ring you''d be paying for well over a year and that doesn''t even consider interest if they are charging you it.
No to jump on the bandwagon, but I agree with the others that you should definitely reconsider buying a ring on credit. Debt is not a great way to start off your life together! And in this economy, an even worse idea. You''ll be much better off if you save up and THEN get something you can pay for in cash. Diamonds are not a necessity!!
 
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