Need help deciding

[bookworm21]

My bf is going to give me $3K for Christmas to get what I want. Now, should I save that amount over time and get something really blingy in a couple of years (adding extra to the sum now and then) or should I get this bracelet I saw at the jeweler''s that I absolutely loved? I was literally dazzled by the bracelet. I think it was 52 round cut stones, bezel set, a little over 3 cttw.

Instant gratification or delayed? What do you fellow jewelry addicts think? (My bf thinks that I should save for a more significant jewelry purchase, but I''m very much an instant gratification kind of person. So additional thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!)

 

[Tacori E-ring]

First of all you LUCKY girl! Not only is that a generous gift but that you can pick it yourself...so very jealous! Does your B&M have a trade-up policy? Sounds like your BF is so generous (look at your promise ring!) so I would spend it since he seems to love giving you jewelry. You will get plenty more!

 

[diamondfan]

It really depends. I am also an I want it now type, so I can totally see getting the bracelet I know I love. Patience is not my virtue and I am worried that with all that time passing I would start to second guess myself a million times over. Go back and see the bracelet, put it on hold. Go home and see if you keep thinking about it. If so, get it and ENJOY it now.

 

[monarch64]

Hmmm, if it were me my mind would be working out ways to get the most out of that money...for example, I might take $1k and instantly gratify myself with some fun bling, and take the other $2k and put it towards something that can be upgraded over time.

OR, I would obsess about it for about 6 weeks and throw the whole chunk of change at one piece. I am notorious for researching and second-guessing things to death, though. Call it indecisiveness, call it obsessive, call it crazy, but it seems to be how I operate. It''s one trait that has paid off many times, however!

 

[bookworm21]

LOL, it's already on hold. That jeweler DOES have a trade up policy, but I don't know if it applies to bracelets. It's actually cheaper, and the individual diamonds and cttw is more than another, similar bracelet. Apparently, the one I want was made before the price of metals went sky high, hence the price difference.

Tacori, LOL at your comment about my bf loving gifting me with jewelry. He doesn't. Poor thing has to put up with not-so-subtle hints for several months before finally caving in. I wonder how many other people on this forum does the exact same thing? Hee.

Ok, so far, it sounds like I should just forget about delaying gratification. Yay for me! I'm going to think about it some more over the weekend and see if I do change my mind a million times over.

Hmmm...waiting and researching for 6 weeks? Monarch, I commend your patience, because I have none.

 

[Mara]

how about a $2k bracelet and a $1k b-bag???? yeah!! that sounds good. HAHA.

instant gratification all the way!

 

[bookworm21]

Mara, thank GOODNESS I haven''t picked up on the b-bag frenzy. Yet. I suppose I have to see them in person first. I read the thread about those bags, and you girls are crazy-obsessed. In a good way.

Have you picked up one for yourself yet?

 

[decodelighted]

I''m probably in the minority around here but I''d MUCH prefer a 3K watch than a 3K diamond bracelet ... because I''d wear & enjoy the watch everyday, where diamond bracelet would only be a "sometime" .. mostly "never" piece of jewelry for me.

You could get a nice 2k Tiffany or Tag or or ... maybe you already have one.

I don''t think I could "delay gratification" & save the whole 3K unless I had a VERY SPECIFIC item I was DYING for ... do you?? How long would you have to delay to get it?

Also like the spend 2K, save 1K .. or spend 1K save 2k ... you NEED *SOMETHING*!!!

 

[diamondfan]

I am so bad because I always say I am done shopping and then I am calling Balenciaga or getting a new cocktail dress or earrings and I just cannot stop myself sometimes.

If you need a nice watch, to me, your budget is great because you can find a jeweler who discounts thirty percent and get an awesome deal. You could get a watch that retails for almost 4500.00, and if you put in a bit, you could get one that retails for closer to 5000.00. That could be a nice Cartier Roadster in stainless steel with a pink metal face, which is a great everyday watch. So, unless you have an awesome watch and would get tons of wear from the bracelet, I am not sure I would not look into that...

 

[bookworm21]

Funny you guys should mention a watch, especially a Cartier.

Originally, he was going to get me a Cartier Tank Francais watch. But I kept second guessing that, asking if I really wanted a watch. Since I was at the Giftcenter in SF today to pick up a necklace, I tried on some watches and ultimately decided that a watch really wasn''t what I wanted. So I started trying on random pieces of jewelry: rings, bracelets, etc. And I put on that bracelet, called my bf, and asked if it was okay to get something other than the watch. THEN he said, I''ll just give you the money and you do whatever you want with it.

So...not exactly romantic, but I like the end result!

 

[nsaids_nurse420]

i would spend the money now and get the bracelet i wanted, you may never see it again if you wait too long or the price may go up.

 

[bookworm21]

Okay, another thing I''ve found out. I looked on Whiteflash''s website and looked at their bracelets. Here are the differences:

Whiteflash:
Half bezel bracelet, 60 ACA stones, 3.5 cttw
14K white gold
$3600.00

B&M
Full bezel bracelet, 52 very good - excellent stones, 3.0 cttw
18K white gold
$2820.50

The B&M (Derco) bracelet was very sparkly, but I KNOW that ACA stones are very sparkly as well. What should I do? Should I wait another few months to have the difference in price saved up to get the Whiteflash one or should I get the one at Derco? What would you get with those options? Please help me make a decision, the one at Derco is on hold till Monday.

Thanks again all!

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 12/2/2006 1:59:57 PM
Author: Cinderella
Okay, another thing I''ve found out. I looked on Whiteflash''s website and looked at their bracelets. Here are the differences:

Whiteflash:
Half bezel bracelet, 60 ACA stones, 3.5 cttw
14K white gold
$3600.00

B&M
Full bezel bracelet, 52 very good - excellent stones, 3.0 cttw
18K white gold
$2820.50

The B&M (Derco) bracelet was very sparkly, but I KNOW that ACA stones are very sparkly as well. What should I do? Should I wait another few months to have the difference in price saved up to get the Whiteflash one or should I get the one at Derco? What would you get with those options? Please help me make a decision, the one at Derco is on hold till Monday.

Thanks again all!

For a five stone ring I am having made, I went with WF diamonds instead of facets for the peace of mind that the stones are really well cut. My money would have gone a little farther with facets, but I have no regrets at all. Even though this is a substantial price difference you are gettin .50 more weight and you *know* the stones will be well cut. You will be a bit over budget unfortunately though.

I''m a little biased...but if you want a blingy ring for a little over 3k, you might want to check out how far it goes with a five stone ring through WF. I went with platinum instead of white gold, but if you went with white gold the same ring would have only been about $200 over your 3k budget.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/wf-wax-pic.54193/

 

[Sundial]

Here is a photo I like to share when people are trying to decide between well cut diamonds and ideal cut diamonds. The bangle is from Whiteflash with their delicious ACA's and the flower link bracelet has what my jeweler calls premium but not ideal cut diamonds. Unless you really love the style of the B & M bracelet I would hold out for the Whiteflash one. By the way you have a great budget to work with - congrats and have fun with whatever you choose!

 

[bookworm21]

Thanks for posting your bracelets, Sundial, they are absolutely beautiful! Only problem is that it's making my decision so much harder!

Ugh, now I'm stuck. I don't know if I want to get the bracelet at Derco or at WF. Derco, full bezel, so the stones look bigger, and they ARE bigger since they're using less stones. And I can get it pretty much immediately. WF, ACA stones, but the stones are smaller, and they don't have the full bezel design, so I can either go with the half bezel or three prong. And I would have to wait.

Oh dear, I'm developing some form of OCD.

 

[diamondfan]

Cinderella, is that obsessive consumerism disorder?!

 

[seejanego]

Your choice really depends on a couple of factors -- Do you think you are finally close to your engagement? I read in another post in LIW how BF had been convinced to propose by the end of '06 -- I believe you wrote that exactly a year ago. But then in this post you asked "should I save that amount over time and get something really blingy in a couple of years (adding extra to the sum now and then)"...

So has your engagement been delayed some more?

Is the "really blingy" thing you are referring to above an engagement ring?

 

[bookworm21]

Well, no..if I were to save up, I'd buy a blingier bracelet.

We had a talk about marriage and mutually agreed to wait a little longer, since I'm not done with school yet, and we don't want to go into debt for a wedding. So no, the blingier item isn't going to be the engagement ring.

ETA: LOL, DiamondFan. Yes, that's exactly what it is. I'm going to start using that from now on if you don't mind!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/2/2006 1:18:52 AM
Author: Cinderella
Tacori, LOL at your comment about my bf loving gifting me with jewelry. He doesn''t. Poor thing has to put up with not-so-subtle hints for several months before finally caving in. I wonder how many other people on this forum does the exact same thing? Hee.

Well, I have already put idea of a nice birthday gift (DIAMONDS!) for my 30th (oh 3.5 years away

) Hey, these things take time! By then he will probably think it was his idea to begin with!

I am hoping his budget will increase by then too

Do you want a line bracelet or is it something else? I think you should decide what style you like best then decide which vender to go with.

 

[diamondfan]

Cinderella, of course you can!

I suffer from it mightily. I get something and am already plotting for the next thing. I am BAD. But I love to shop and I love to have nice things, and I like to think about what I want next, even if I do not get it...a lot of times I wait so long I change my mind like ten times and end up getting something else, and I am glad I waited. But, that said, I am a major impulse shopper for sure.

Enjoy whatever you get, half the fun of it is knowing you can spend the money and get something great!

 

[bookworm21]

Thaks for your replies everyone. But bf changed his mind and said that I''m not to get a bracelet or anything.

Oh, I hate it when that happens. I got soooo excited about it too.

Well, on the bright side, he said he''ll start giving me money to put aside for the e-ring, because it''s easier to set money aside over time than to fork it out all at once, is his feeling. So we''ll see what happens.

But I''m sooooooo disappointed.

*Sigh*

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 12/4/2006 9:21:06 PM
Author: Cinderella
Thaks for your replies everyone. But bf changed his mind and said that I''m not to get a bracelet or anything.

Oh, I hate it when that happens. I got soooo excited about it too.

Well, on the bright side, he said he''ll start giving me money to put aside for the e-ring, because it''s easier to set money aside over time than to fork it out all at once, is his feeling. So we''ll see what happens.

But I''m sooooooo disappointed.

*Sigh*

How funny! I was reading through the thread thinking, what is he doing giving her $3000 for jewelry when that money should be saved toward the e-ring?!!! And then I read your last post!

Don''t be disappointed! Think what a terrific start $3000 is toward yoru dream e-ring!

 

[snlee]

Date: 12/4/2006 9:36:30 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 12/4/2006 9:21:06 PM

Author: Cinderella

Thaks for your replies everyone. But bf changed his mind and said that I''m not to get a bracelet or anything.

Oh, I hate it when that happens. I got soooo excited about it too.


Well, on the bright side, he said he''ll start giving me money to put aside for the e-ring, because it''s easier to set money aside over time than to fork it out all at once, is his feeling. So we''ll see what happens.


But I''m sooooooo disappointed.


*Sigh*

How funny! I was reading through the thread thinking, what is he doing giving her $3000 for jewelry when that money should be saved toward the e-ring?!!! And then I read your last post!


Don''t be disappointed! Think what a terrific start $3000 is toward yoru dream e-ring!

I agree! You have an amazing promise ring and new necklace. Enjoy!