kay jewlers

[mfh126]

Hi everybody. This is my first post on the forums so please bear with me. I'm very new to diamond shopping. I have only been to a few B&M stores so far. Mostly at the mall. Here's my question: I found a 1.0 carat princess cut Leo diamond at Kay Jewlers. Color H, VS1 clarity. It is set in a 14K yellow gold cathedral setting. Price: $6999. Is this a good ring or do I have a lot to learn? Should I stay away from mall stores altogether? Please help. I want to buy a ring before Christmas so I need all the help I can get. Thanks in advance.

 

[student]

It's worth shopping around online and comparing what is available there to what is available in stores. Prices tend to be much better. Just take some time browsing and you will learn alot fairly quickly. The tutorial and pricescope features on this site are very helpful. And check out the guidelines for fancy cuts at gemappraisers.com. I've seen compliments on the forums for the princess cuts at superbcert.com, so they might be worth checking out.

 

[student]

Oh sorry, you said Leo, for some reason I thought you had said princess cut.

Too much time reading diamond forums, time to get back to work!

 

[Rook]

Typically the Leo's I have looked at, including some princess, were not too bad. But they are overpriced. If you have the time make sure to learn what constitutes a good diamond, then either look in your phonebook for an independant jeweler, not a mall store, or shop on the internet. You will find a better price for a nicer stone. Also it is nice to actually know what it is you are looking at and what you bought.

 

[mfh126]

So you guys are saying that I can get a better ring for that price on the internet? The diamond doesn't have to be a Leo cut. Should I trust internet stores?

 

[student]

Using an independent appraiser seems to be the best way to make an internet purchase extremely safe. Perhaps not completely necessary, but it will help you rest easy, you'll have an appraisal ready for insurance purchases, and the cost is less than what you'll save buying over the internet unless you know a really great B&M dealer. The tutorial on this site has great info on this.