Need advice on purchasing a diamond

[MaineVette]

Hi All,

We''ll I''m in the market to purchase an engagement ring and am struggling a bit. After hitting about 4 jewelry stores last night I still don''t have a clear direction. Each store seems to tell you something different. I''m leaning toward purchasing from Jared, but after looking at some online sites, I can''t help but feel I''m getting ''ripped off'' since I can buy what appears to be an equivalent stone online for $1,000 less.

Here''s what I looked at while at Jareds: Peerless Diamond 0.86 ct, Color: H, Clarity: VS1, Cut: Ideal.

It was a beautiful diamond, but for $5,600 it was much more than some seemingly comparable diamonds online. This is an important purchase, and I want to do it right, but $1,000 extra to buy from a local vendor seems pretty steep.

Can anyone provide any feedback on the various online vendors? What are the pro''s and con''s of purchasing from online stores? Potential Pitfalls? How do you get your ring inspected/cleaned/etc when you buy from an online store? Most stores do this for free if you buy from them, but what if you buy it online? Do these places charge a fortune for doing this? What are the most reputable online vendors?

Thanks!

 

[JulieN]

Jewelers want to clean your rings! It gets a potential customer to come into the store and look around while they''re waiting.

 

[swingirl]

Here is one to consider in the size you are looking for. GOG has several other.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4951/

You might consider this one too.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5234/

 

[Savvymon]

Date: 3/15/2009 10:40:40 PM
Author: swingirl
Here is one to consider in the size you are looking for. GOG has several other.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4951/

You might consider this one too.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5234/

This one Swin recomended looks great!

Good Old Gold is renound for their great service and amazing sparklies, they have a store in NY though if your too far away Jonathan makes videos so as to look at the stone. Here''s a link to one of his Video''s on choosing a Round Brilliant.
http://vimeo.com/2281519?pg=embed&sec=

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/15/2009 9:40:13 PM
Author:MaineVette
Hi All,

Can anyone provide any feedback on the various online vendors? What are the pro''s and con''s of purchasing from online stores? Potential Pitfalls? How do you get your ring inspected/cleaned/etc when you buy from an online store? Most stores do this for free if you buy from them, but what if you buy it online? Do these places charge a fortune for doing this? What are the most reputable online vendors?

Thanks!

Hi MV,

There are many great online vendors, but I would recommend one that provides Idealscope and ASET photos. (not sure if you are looking at round or Princess) This helps you understand the diamond you are looking at, and ensure it is a nice one.

Those would be:

Goodoldgold

High Performance Diamonds

Whiteflash

You can search their names on here and get many reviews as to their service and (good) reputation. You would be fine in the hands of any of these jewelers.

Any jewelry store will clean your rings and inspect them for free. I bought my upgrade online, but my local jeweler takes care of cleanings, prong checks, rhodium plating, etc. They only charge for the Rhodium.

HTH!

 

[MaineVette]

Thanks for the info guys. As you can imagine, I''m a bit apprehensive dropping such a large chunk of change on something I haven''t seen in person. Thanks for the insight and leads on some good vendors though, those sites have been very helpful.

Do you folks typically find B&M shops to be significantly higher priced than online vendors? Granted my experience is limited, but it seems to be the case from what I''ve seen thus far.

And what is Rhodium plating? How much does it cost and how often do you need to do it?

Thanks again!

 

[Allison D.]

Do you folks typically find B&M shops to be significantly higher priced than online vendors? Granted my experience is limited, but it seems to be the case from what I''ve seen thus far.

In general, yes, B&M stores are often vastly more expensive. Understandable because they are paying pretty steep storefront overhead, but if you can feel comfortable with buying from a *reputable* online dealer, you''d either save a good chunk of money or get much more for that price.

And what is Rhodium plating? How much does it cost and how often do you need to do it?

Rhodium plating is when a thin layer of rhodium electroplating is applied to a jewelry (most commonly white gold). It helps to make the piece appear whiter and a bit more scratch resistant. It is fairly inexpensive; how often you have to do it depends on the chemistry of the person wearing the ring. Some people''s body chemistry is such that they have to re-plate every 6 months, but more often, most people do it every couple of years or so.