my ALMOST TACORI engagement ring!

[Fairy Godmother]

Hi All,
Well since everyone here seems to have a lot of experience with rings I thought I would post here to see if you had any opinions on the ring I''m posting.. People say I have good taste in clothes, shoes, handbage but I own almost NO jewelry and have zero experience with it.. beleive me I will be posting in the Rock section when it comes to the diamonds!

HI all,

My boyfriend and I have been together 3 1/2 years and he has already asked my parents but not me yet.. I am a city girl, but I don''t normally wear jewelry and he is a country boy with simple tastes who definitely doesn''t want to be chosing my jewelry... He''s a little bit country ..I''m a little bit rock-n-roll!

I found what I think is a gorgeous Tacori ring that on its own is almost 7k... Out of my budget if I want any diamonds on there!! I''ll post a pic b/c I''d really like opinions on the ring as well.. Anyway, I found a couple who, combined, have more years in the jewelry business than I''ve been alive.. They said they have master craftsman that can remake the ring for a 1/3rd of the price. They showed me the Rapaport report and said that the price would probably be less than it showed there. They know my budget and said they will adhere it to explicitly.

I went home and started doing some research just on BlueNile (that''s where all my boyfriend''s friends bought their diamonds so he feels comfortable buying from them.. and at Uniondiamond, which seems to have the lowest price.

I emailed the couple and said I found better clarity and color for cheaper and would they help me select one. They sdaid not only would they help me select one but they have access to the same diamonds those sights do and could probably get the exact diamond I was looking at and 2 others to compare in person.

This all sounds perfect to me, they will help me select among the diamonds I have found and will have their craftsmen make the ring within my budget.. Just want to make sure it doesn''t sound tooo good to be true. They are lovely people and they showed me some of the rings that were waiting to be picked up and they were very nice.

They are asking 20% of whatever the total is, to pay for the materials and the craftsmens labor and then once that part is done, I think the rest to buy the diamond or I can buy it. Their only commission is 10% of the ring cost and 10% of the iamond if they provide it, but I offered to pay 10% commission on the diamond even if it came from one of the sites as I would want their help picking it and I thought that would be fair.

So just looking for some feedback and it will be much appreciated!!

 

[Fairy Godmother]

sorry, trying to post the pic ..but having problems.... hopefully you can see it now!

 

[joelly]

I love it! How much is it?

 

[Steel]

Date: 5/16/2009 1:16:05 PM
Author:Fairy Godmother

Hi All,
Well since everyone here seems to have a lot of experience with rings I thought I would post here to see if you had any opinions on the ring I''m posting.. People say I have good taste in clothes, shoes, handbage but I own almost NO jewelry and have zero experience with it.. beleive me I will be posting in the Rock section when it comes to the diamonds!

HI all,

My boyfriend and I have been together 3 1/2 years and he has already asked my parents but not me yet.. I am a city girl, but I don''t normally wear jewelry and he is a country boy with simple tastes who definitely doesn''t want to be chosing my jewelry... He''s a little bit country ..I''m a little bit rock-n-roll!

I found what I think is a gorgeous Tacori ring that on its own is almost 7k... Out of my budget if I want any diamonds on there!! I''ll post a pic b/c I''d really like opinions on the ring as well.. Anyway, I found a couple who, combined, have more years in the jewelry business than I''ve been alive.. They said they have master craftsman that can remake the ring for a 1/3rd of the price. They showed me the Rapaport report and said that the price would probably be less than it showed there. They know my budget and said they will adhere it to explicitly.

I went home and started doing some research just on BlueNile (that''s where all my boyfriend''s friends bought their diamonds so he feels comfortable buying from them.. and at Uniondiamond, which seems to have the lowest price.

I emailed the couple and said I found better clarity and color for cheaper and would they help me select one. They sdaid not only would they help me select one but they have access to the same diamonds those sights do and could probably get the exact diamond I was looking at and 2 others to compare in person.

This all sounds perfect to me, they will help me select among the diamonds I have found and will have their craftsmen make the ring within my budget.. Just want to make sure it doesn''t sound tooo good to be true. They are lovely people and they showed me some of the rings that were waiting to be picked up and they were very nice.

They are asking 20% of whatever the total is, to pay for the materials and the craftsmens labor and then once that part is done, I think the rest to buy the diamond or I can buy it. Their only commission is 10% of the ring cost and 10% of the iamond if they provide it, but I offered to pay 10% commission on the diamond even if it came from one of the sites as I would want their help picking it and I thought that would be fair.

So just looking for some feedback and it will be much appreciated!!

Hi there Fairy Godmother,

Congrats on ring hunting!

I highlighted a few bits in your post because these are the aspects which would possibly ring alarm bells for me if you had posted here with a ''my jewellery nightmare'' post.

Here is why I said that:

How did you find this couple?
Are they recommended?
Are they BBB?
Why did you call the pieces you saw ''nice'' surely they should be stunning or wonderful - not nice.
A copy is never a good as the original and the ring you like has a LOT of extra craftmanship you do not want done by Igor.
Who is this craftsperson they will get to do your work?
Did he craft the pieces you saw?
What control will you have over his design?
What control does the couple have over him, is he in-house?
Who insures the diamond, them - the craftsman or you?
Will you be happy if the design is materially different? Because technically it will have to be.
You mentioned the couple were lovely - they aways are until the sh1t hits the fan - are they professional? Did they engender your confidence?
What satisfaction guarantees did they offer on the final product?
Warranty & repairs?
I don''t understand the commission bit.
About the 20% down - I understand it is custom but why are you paying upfront? If they cannot afford to buy the materials or pay the craftsman that would cause me concern. I hate to pay upfront until something is on the table. What right to the materials do you have paying the 20%?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mmmm, I''m not sure why you''d pay them 10% to help you choose an online diamond when there are scores of people on here who not only can help you choose a diamond but give you multiple opinions which is much safer...and for FREE.

I don''t think every jeweler can reproduce a Tacori ring. Unless they can show you one that is VERy similar, I wouldn''t even consider it. There are ring designers with a proven track record, and I''d go with one I was sure could do the job.

 

[asscherisme]

Why would you pay someone 10% commission on a diamond you don''t even buy from them? That makes zero sense to me??

 

[Fairy Godmother]

Thanks.. the ring w/o the diamonds is about $6,900

Wow, Steel-GREAT questions! Let me get some more info and I will get back on these, and I guess if there''s anything I can''t answer I shouldnt move forward!!!!


Diamondseeker.. I am all about free believe me! Just figured I''m going to have so many questions and they offered to actually bring in a few diamonds for me to compare..

I have educated myself on a few things to look for, but how can you ever tell fire and brilliance over the internet?
Any suggestions on how to find the proven track record ring designers?

So glad I posted, thank you again

 

[gottabekin]

I am also learning at this site. So far when I choose diamond over the internet, I would use the Pricescope cut adviser https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp
The cut adviser will grade your diamond on light return, fire, scintillation, and spread. Also I would ask the retailer to send you the Ideal scope image and also the ASET image. All these can be looked up under the advanced tutorial section on pricescope. And of course, when you get those images and the information on the diamond, you can post it here and the experts will help you out. Hope this will help you.

Kin

 

[b.anna]

Fairy Godmother - the ring looks gorgeous!!! i really hope you find the right jeweler to replicate! it looks a lot like the 2623 which my ff and i chose out. there are a lot of jewelers who collaborate with price scope that a lot of people on this forum have said great things about! GOG, White Flash, etc. who seem to give great prices for beautiful pieces~ Im not too familiar with them since ff and i went to a local jeweler in upstate NY but maybe you could talk to them. they seem very accommodating to customers and i''ve heard only good things about them

whatever you decide to do, best of luck! and congrats!

 

[Stone Hunter]

I''d check out some other jewelers, online and bricks and mortar, and see what they have to offer. Basically comparison shop.

 

[mrssalvo]

call Goodoldgold...they are Tacori dealers and get a price from them. I know tacori''s can be expensive but 7K for that settings seems really high, even for a tacori. Goodoldgold has amazing diamonds as well and can help you find something that will work in your budget.

 

[loriken214]

Welcome to PS and good luck on your search!

Lori