Newbie Needs Advice

[jdjd2004]

First, let me say, this Forum is an invaluable resource. There''s so much knowledge to be gleaned from reading the posts. I''ve gotten quite a diamond education in the last 5 days. First a bit of background: On Christmas day, my dear husband surprised me with an diamond engagement ring. We''d been talking about upgrading my .5ct marquise for a while. Sweet, but not necessarily savvy, husband went to the Whitehall jewelers in the mall and purchased a 1.70ct G I1 Marquise in a yellow gold cathedral setting. Price tag: approx $6200. The problem: I''m no expert, but I have never seen a "quality" diamond with three large and several smaller carbon inclusions that one can see from arm''s length. This stone is subpar to say the least. I brought it back to Whitehall and they want the opportunity to "make it right" which I don''t know that I''m willing to give them. They tell me that have the exact same ring, with an S1 stone that they will exchange evenly. Is this a sucker''s bet?

I''ve searched the online retailers, and I''ve found some G and H, VS1s and VS2s for around $7000. I went to a local AGS retailer this afternoon and was shown a 1.43 ct. I VVS2 Marquise with a price tag of $9500. The cut had a large bowtie pattern, which I didn''t like, but the stone had incredible sparkle. But $9500 seems like a lot for a 1.43 with a questionable cut.

I guess I feel like I''m armed with a little information about a lot of different things. What I don''t know: Are non-mall retailers negotiable at all on their diamond prices? Should I try to get him down on the price at all? Should I try to buy through an internet site? Abazias headquarters is only a few hours drive from my home. Could I go and visit them and see the stones?

Sorry to ramble on. I someone could face me in the right direction, I would be forever grateful. I''m loving learning about diamonds, but the pressure is on having to return or exchange my gift in 30 days.

Thanks in advance.

Jen

 

[SeaOats]

Please don''t take this the wrong way, but I''m not a fan of mall stores. If it were me, I would return the ring and purchase a better cut diamond somewhere else. I''m not necessarily saying you have to buy online, but I would definitely learn more before making a new purchase.

 

[devientdrow]

Question...this is something your hubby went out and picked up on his own. Do you think he''d be hurt if you just returned his whole ring and went somewhere else essentially getting your own? All people are different so maybe that would hurt his feelings maybe it wouldn''t. Perhaps you can ask to check out the SI stone first and if it looks good then yea sure have them put that in there and you would be good to go!

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/30/2005 7:54:26 PM
Author: Rascal49
Please don''t take this the wrong way, but I''m not a fan of mall stores. If it were me, I would return the ring and purchase a better cut diamond somewhere else. I''m not necessarily saying you have to buy online, but I would definitely learn more before making a new purchase.

I agree 100%.

 

[jdjd2004]

LOL! Sweet of you to consider my hubby''s feelings.

Some might say I don''t consider them enough. But, actually, he''s fine with me getting whatever I want. He readily admits he was clueless, and was pretty sure I would return whatever he bought. When he spotted the inclusions after he gave it the ring to me, he was insistant that I not keep it. At this point, he just wants me to get something. Me, I''m the more practical one, and want to get the best possible ring at the best possible price.

Thanks for the advice, so far.

 

[BSHAW]

I agree totally with Devient,
As the man in the ring buying experience I would be very hurt if my wife returned the whole ring to do her own shopping. He probably spent alot more time than you think picking it out. If the diamond they will replace it with looks good to you I would definitely settle with that one don't worry about if it is a little bit more expensive then the online prices they are always lower because of the overhead to run a store. You will still have a great ring and you will always have the store available locally if you have any problems.


EDIT***** Fool of myself once again! lol after submitting I see the replies above came while I was typing!! lol

 

[widget]

If it were me, I''d return the mall ring for a full refund, and then take all the time needed to learn, and then look for the ''perfect'' diamond.....it would be fun!

widget

 

[Kaleigh]

I agree with widget. Return the ring. Read the tutorials here and learn all you can about cut. Cut is key.
We will be more than happy to help you along the way, that''s why we''re here. You can find an awesome stone online that will blow the socks off any stone found in a mall store, that''s for sure.

 

[Shay37]

You don''t say if the replacement they are offering is the same size or not. From an I1 up to an SI1 with no increase in price to you suggests a smaller replacement stone.

shay

 

[devientdrow]

Thats great that he''s ok with you returning it. Heres a question, do you like the ring? Like the whole deal? If you like the design and all then i''d at least check out the replacement stone as long as it''s the same size. I know i''ll get burned at the stake for even suggesting the mall store but yes i''d say MOST of the time mall store stones are bad but I have seen a FEW that have come out ok. My cousin''s husband did the same thing your did and he got here a 1 and a half tcw ring from Helzburg......it''s certified...and he had it appraised afterward and it''s not a bad ring.Could he of gotten more for his money online?? Probably but it still wasn''t a bad ring. Now if your not crazy about the whole ring then just return it and you and your husband can just look online together and pick something out. I had a great expierience with www.jamesallen.com who also runs www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com. People rave about www.whiteflash.com and www.goodoldgold.com. You have an engagement ring right now right?? Do you like the setting? If so you could just put all your budget into purchasing a new stone!