Need Advice

[Linda74]

My son has asked me to help him purchase an engagement ring. He has a friend who purchased a 2 carat platinum ring at Macy''s believe it or not. The ring started out at $12,000 but sales and coupons brought it down to $4200. I expected to see the ring and think it was awful, but a quick inspection really surprised me and went against everything I thought I knew about buying a diamond. Supposedly it is a "G" color and an S12. There is no information about the cut but it did look clean and sparkly. So my dilemma is this....first off does anyone know what kind of diamonds a chain like Macy''s would sell? I am assuming it must be clarity enhanced....But more importantly, I would like to convince him that he is making an investment and should try to purchase a stone from a vendor where he can get some detailed, reputable information about the stone. From my quick perusal of the site and his budget of about $6500, would he be able to get something decent in a 1.5 to 2 carat range that would be eye clean and beautiful? Must admit, I see a lot of "J" colors and I would be afraid they would be too yellow. When my diamonds were purchased, we never even thought about cut and I have a large VS2 "dead" diamond to prove it!!! Also, his future wife worked in a jewelry store while she was in college so I think she has a good eye. However, this store is tremendously overpriced and even with a discount I doubt he could get a stone over one carat for that price....I think she would sacrifice a fancy setting and lesser clarity for a larger sized stone but I also know if there were visible includions they would bother her. Sorry, if this rambles. I will dearly appreciate all advice from the experts on this forum.

 

[kellyfish]

I do not know alot about diamonds, but you have come to THE PLACE for diamond help. You will get some wonderful advice here!

 

[poptart]

I do not know a lot about diamonds, but I would not go to Macy''s to get my engagement ring. There are many vendors that you can peruse via this site that will help give your son a better idea of price ranges and diamond cut/ size/ etc. I completely agree with you that this is an important investment and it would be best (in my opinion) to get certification and what not to back it up. I am sure that someone more knowledgeable will chime in here soon with more info!

*M*

 

[baby monster]

Linda, your son can do much better than Macy''s. I did a quick search for 2ct G SI2 AGS000 stones and the price is around $17K. The store does not sell stones at a loss so I''m not sure what your son''s friend bought. I was in Macy''s a few weeks ago and decided to see their engagement rings on display. Not good. Not at all. They had some "certified" diamonds but I didn''t ask the associate what lab issues those certificates. You can easily see that those stones are poorly cut and don''t look nearly as nice as well cut ones do. You should go shopping to some nice stores just to see what well cut GIA and AGS certified stones look like and then look at the Macy''s diamonds again.

 

[Regular Guy]

Linda,

Not sure if you''re shopping broadly...but here''s a couple of options to consider...both coming from G0G...which makes it easier, since you can consult with them on issues of color and clarity, to get their advice.

 

[Linda74]

Like the saying goes, if it is too good to be true, it is. I was surprised that my quick look at the ring was favorable but I could not really study it. You are right....I need to do some shopping with him and take him to compare. Hopefully, he will see the difference. I don''t want him throwing his money away.....and like car shopping, if they lower some expectations, size wise, they should be able to get a beautiful ring. I have a lot of inferior jewelry that is never worn, and some spectacular pieces that I treasure and wear with pride. I am not so sure how ordering stones on the internet goes...have not investigated that far. I guess we comb through the offerings find a couple we like, post the specs here, then call the vendor and arrange to see them in person or have them sent?

 

[:)]

Hi Linda, welcome! I know you saw the friend's ering, but I want to bring up what you probably don't know - sometimes the inclusions look fine/invisible in some lightings, and then you take them outdoors and BAM! Those inclusions that you never knew were there just pop out like you wouldn't believe. I suspect this is the friend's case. Also, your thought of it being clarity enhanced is a good one, although they have to disclose it at the point of sale to the buyer.

ETA: do you know what shape stone your son/his fiancee wants?

 

[Linda74]

Yes, she wants a Round Brilliant....would consider a cushion as well but suspect that would be even more expensive

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/27/2007 8:22:31 AM
Author: Linda74
Yes, she wants a Round Brilliant....would consider a cushion as well but suspect that would be even more expensive

Hi Linda,

Actually they would run a bit less, but may be harder in finding a nice one....There is a guy we call the "cushion guy", Mark, at Engagement Rings Direct in NY, and he could help you with that.

As far as rounds go, if you have any nice, high end jewelry stores near you, and they carry stones with an AGS0 grading, those would be nice. It IS possible to find nice stones not online, it just may take a bit more work.

You could try looking around your area first, and if it doesn''t pan out, buy online. We''d be more than happy to help.