My girlfriend has really small fingers..3 1/2

[Smooth_USAF]

So I''ve finaly met the girl of my dreams. It''s all been great up untill I started to look for her an e-ring. I guess I never thought I would get married. Heck, I just learned last week that the e-ring goes on the left hand. Sad for a 28 year old man.

So with that said, I''m looking for a place to where I can actually look and hold the ring before I buy it. I don''t trust myself in picking out a ring over the internet. And with her wearing a smaller size most places won''t resize the ring down from a 7 to a 3 1/2.

She wants a 3 stone ring with stones on the band. I''ve been to most of the stores around North California and no luck. I don''t make to much money so a really nice place is out of the question. IE Tiffanys (They don''t pay military near what they are worth.)

I have been reading the forums here for about an hour and a half and everyone seems really helpfull and nice. I would really appreciate someone helping me out. Thank you for your time and I will keep everyone posted on what the outcome is.

 

[kcoursolle]

Since you don't want to buy over the internet, what you are really looking for are some awesome Brick and Mortor stores in the Northern CA area. I'd create a new post with this in the title and hopefully some folks in NoCal will chime in. Before you forget buying online all together read some testimonials about Whiteflash, goodoldgold, jamesallen.com and keep in mind that you can get more for your money and get excellent service online.

ETA: most stores can provide settings for small fingers even if they don't have any stock sizes that are 3.5.

 

[arjunajane]

Hello Smooth and welcome,

If you have a strict budget that you'd like to stretch, I second not ruling out shopping online.
As long as you use a reputable vendor, such as the ones mentioned by kcoursolle, you really can't go wrong. They all have very good customer service, and decent return policies, so you're talking pretty much no-risk shopping.

If you're worried about seeing it first, you can always just ask them to ship you the stone to inspect before having it set.
And with vendors just GOG and WF, there are tons of testimonies on here with heaps of photos of people rings, so you can get a decent idea how settings look on the hand.

anyway, just my 2c

 

[Imdanny]

Smooth- I don''t think I''ve read one post about a bad customer experience (i.e. unresolved complaint) about Whiteflash- not a single one. I think I''d reconsider buying from the internet if you don''t want to go to a place life Tiffany and Co.
Best regards.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Smooth,

We can help you buy online if you are agreeable to it of course, so if you want to think about it we can guide you through the process. I don't know if military jewellery stores concentrate on the all important cut quality which is what will give you a beautiful diamond, but maybe some of our California posters can recommend some brick and mortar stores if that is what you prefer.

Welcome to Pricescope!

 

[Deelight]

Date: 1/6/2009 3:35:23 AM
Author: arjunajane
Hello Smooth and welcome,


If you have a strict budget that you''d like to stretch, I second not ruling out shopping online.

As long as you use a reputable vendor, such as the ones mentioned by kcoursolle, you really can''t go wrong. They all have very good customer service, and decent return policies, so you''re talking pretty much no-risk shopping.


If you''re worried about seeing it first, you can always just ask them to ship you the stone to inspect before having it set.

And with vendors just GOG and WF, there are tons of testimonies on here with heaps of photos of people rings, so you can get a decent idea how settings look on the hand.


anyway, just my 2c

Ditto
I also believe there are some reputable vendors that offer military discounts as well which can help with your budget.

 

[mrssalvo]

do keep in mind that many online vendors have actual jeweler stores in the cities they are located in. Pearlmnas, Winfields, Goodoldgold, all popular vendors here have real stores but competitive online pricing.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 1/6/2009 9:48:14 AM
Author: mrssalvo
do keep in mind that many online vendors have actual jeweler stores in the cities they are located in. Pearlmnas, Winfields, Goodoldgold, all popular vendors here have real stores but competitive online pricing.

Very good point mrssalvo, so you can feel better knowing they are trusted stores in their community. I really think you could get more bang for your buck if you went online. And with a tiny finger like that and a 3 stone, you could get her a really nice looking ring!

 

[steph72276]

Also, forgot to mention, but if you went with a brand-name type setting, then you could go look at it in the store and then order it online to save some money.

 

[karend26]

You could start by looking in a store to get an idea of what carat sizes actually look like up close, and how much bling a .5 carat setting actually has, for example. I know when I started looking, it was hard for me to tell from pictures what a setting with say, .75 carats of diamonds would really look like on my hand. Once you have an idea of the sizes you want, buying online would be much easier.

 

[:)]

What city are you in?

 

[T L]

Date: 1/6/2009 3:43:07 AM
Author: Imdanny
Smooth- I don''t think I''ve read one post about a bad customer experience (i.e. unresolved complaint) about Whiteflash- not a single one. I think I''d reconsider buying from the internet if you don''t want to go to a place life Tiffany and Co.
Best regards.

Don''t waste your money at Tiffany''s - they have enormous markup. Whiteflash is excellent as far as customer service and workmanship goes, as well as value. They also gives you a giant picture of the diamonds (not all B&M stores do that). They can customize it any way you like and the return policy is great.

 

[wishinpink]

Does she want a three-stone ring for sure? I'm always browsing craigslist and this setting looks very pretty, is inexpensive, and in her size. The seller says you can return in 2 days if you don't like it, meaning you could look at it, and decide if you like it and return if you don't. Since your budget is limited, if you got it, you could spend most of your budget on the biggest, prettiest diamond ever!!! (hehe, that's what I'd want, but three stone rings are really pretty too!) I'll keep looking..

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/jwl/977065873.html