ok ive got the numbers, can i get a rough price estimate?

[gnojham]

hey all
some of the replies have been perplexing
anywho, i do in fact have 10 days from yesterday to return the ring no questions asked for a full refund
i also have a 30 day price guarantee
but as mentioned, how do i say "honey i need the ring back"??
somebody posted a link to a similar stone at gog that priced for 8566 or so. i want to believe that the diamond i have is at least slightly better cut, but i cant be sure yet, but if mine is that would mean i didnt pay extremely too much for what i have
im going to contact gog, talk to jonathan about his inventory and see if he can line up comparable stones for much less than what i paid. my girlfriend loved the ring, but shed love the same stone for less im sure.

thanks to all for the unbiased opinions, they dont make the decisions easier, but they do help

 

[gnojham]

What seems to be a missing important point is that Lazare stones *are* considered premium. This is not a case of a blue box. These stones are cut to specification & the house has a long history in the biz. They are not a retailer. They are not a johnny come lately to the branded market nor to the diamond industry in general. They *are* the branded market. The name is a force to reckon with.

Some threads back, Garry even stated that LK stones hold their value more than other stones.

The issue is *what* Gno thinks of owning this LK stone; and, is the premium worth it to *them*. Again, LK stones are not just a blue box. Personally, in my mind, it's a toss up - and I am *not* a name chaser.

--------------

im not sure if i mentioned this already, but i didnt go shopping for a LK stone, i went to a fair number of stores, the jewelry exhanges etc., and decided i felt most comfortable with a particular store i had visited previously so i went back to them and looked at a bunch of stones and narrowed it down to 2. one happened to be the LK.

 

[gnojham]

btw, did anybody look at the pics?

 

[fire&ice]

This is a no brainer. The ring is on your financee's hand. She loves it. You have a very special stone in the LK. In the scheme of things, keep the ring. If my finance asked for my ring back, he would have to do so over my dead body.

BTW, I did look at the ring. It's a lovely no excuse ring. I'm confused - did you pay 10k for the stone alone or 10k for the entire ring? If you paid 10k for the entire ring, you did well.

I would stop obessing over the money. It's not important at this point. The only reason I would return your financee's ring is if the appraiser sees a red flag. I doubt he will.

Your financee should enjoy the ring; and find comfort in two things. 1. You took great care in picking out a *really* nice ring. 2. It's a Lazare Kaplan stone & 3. It's a Lazare Kaplan stone.

 

[gnojham]

This is a no brainer. The ring is on your financee's hand. She loves it. You have a very special stone in the LK. In the scheme of things, keep the ring. If my finance asked for my ring back, he would have to do so over my dead body.

BTW, I did look at the ring. It's a lovely no excuse ring. I'm confused - did you pay 10k for the stone alone or 10k for the entire ring? If you paid 10k for the entire ring, you did well.

I would stop obessing over the money. It's not important at this point. The only reason I would return your financee's ring is if the appraiser sees a red flag. I doubt he will.

Your financee should enjoy the ring; and find comfort in two things. 1. You took great care in picking out a *really* nice ring. 2. It's a Lazare Kaplan stone & 3. It's a Lazare Kaplan stone.
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actually, its not about the money per se, its about how badly i got screwed, if at all

 

[fire&ice]

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On 8/5/2003 8:41:14 AM gnojham wrote:

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actually, its not about the money per se, its about how badly i got screwed, if at all

----------------

Yes, you *are* obsessing about the money. You only got screwed if you got a crappy stone; or, the stone doesn't match the parameters upon which it was sold to you. For ex., if the stone turns out to *not* be an LK & comes back w/ an I/SI grade. Your appraiser can answer that question. I doubt this will be the case.

You can second quess yourself till the cows come home. I'm a old married women w/ many years of experience behind me. I am going to get harsh with you.

Let's assume that the stone checks out to be the specs you purchased it under. I have no doubt this will be the case. Are you really going to ask your financee for the ring back because you paid a premium for something really nice that she loves? You are *really* going to tell her you want to return it because you *perceive* you got screwed?

Let's say the ring goes back. What then? She doesn't have a ring. She's engaged. She has to explain to people that you thought you paid too much & wants to start all over in the process.

I'm done with the topic. The ring is lovely. Your financee is very happy. You paid a fair albeit premium price. It's a no brainer. Enjoy her wearing a ring she should be very proud of. It's fruitless to obsess about "the deal". An engagement ring is a sign of promise & love. Not a sign of "what a great shopper I am".

 

[gnojham]

hey fire, youre right about everything, except one thing, its really not about the money
i just dont like to get screwed, in any situation
its one of my mental disorders i suppose

money is not very important to me, believe it or not
ill probably end up keeping this ring
on a side note, i was talking with my mom last night, we were talking about the rings and i asked her how much she thought i should spend for the ring, she said 1 or 2k.i told her i didnt think that would work too well and she told me she had no idea because she never had a ring before,which is something i never knew and made me sad. so now my new mission is to find a super diamond ring for my mom

 

[hoorray]

Hi gno,

Someone said earlier in the thread that this is a decision of a lifetime. My 2cents is that if you look at the $1-2k in the perspective or the long run, both difference in the money and the "deal" are pretty unimportant. Concensus seems to be that you paid a fair price for a top quality diamond at a B&M.

The ring is beautiful, so if you decide to keep it, you should both feel good knowing that you really have a beautiful, sparkling ring!

I'd feel bad if after the fact I found out that I didn't end up with a top quality ring, especially if I'd worked hard at it. Over the long haul, as she looks at it everyday, that's what she is going o enjoy and feel good about.

 

[aljdewey]

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On 8/5/2003 7:35:52 AM elmo wrote:

I disagree with your latest assessment though - I can't be sure but I'm guessing there's no money back guarantee and he's stuck with buyer's remorse after hanging around here a little while. If that's the case, so what? He has a really nice stone.

It wasn't MY assessment that the ring could be returned....Gno said 1) it was going back if it didn't appraise satisfactorily, and then he subsequently said 2) perhaps he can go to GOG and cancel the deal on this one. What I said was, if that's an option open to him, I'd do it. Me personally.....I didn't even tell him he should do it.

The chorus of folks telling him to do something else is coming just a bit too late and isn't helping.

Forgive my bluntness, Elmo, but Gno came here saying "tell me what you really think, don't sugarcoat it even though you know I already purchased."

It's coming a bit too late? I agree with you.....he should have asked BEFORE he purchased, but he didn't. This is the first time he asked here. It's not helping? If HE decides he wants the straight poop...before or after purchase.....that's his decision, not yours. It's frankly not up to you to decide whether or not it's helpful....he asked for an honest assessment and people have responded with their best suggestions.

I appreciate your point (it's done, why angst about it?) but he obviously doesn't see it that way or else he wouldn't be asking. And it may NOT be done if the sale isn't final.

 

[aljdewey]

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On 8/5/2003 7:54:12 AM fire&ice wrote:
What seems to be a missing important point is that Lazare stones *are* considered premium. This is not a case of a blue box. These stones are cut to specification & the house has a long history in the biz. They are not a retailer. They are not a johnny come lately to the branded market nor to the diamond industry in general. They *are* the branded market. The name is a force to reckon with.

Some threads back, Garry even stated that LK stones hold their value more than other stones.

The issue is *what* Gno thinks of owning this LK stone; and, is the premium worth it to *them*. Again, LK stones are not just a blue box. Personally, in my mind, it's a toss up - and I am *not* a name chaser. ----------------

F&I, you're slipping. The point of Lazare being premium was NOT missed; in fact, it was noted by me and a few others. The consistent comment has been "you got a fair price considering two facts: you bought a premium stone (brand) and you bought from a B&M".

Yes, the point IS what Gno thinks of owning the stone, and that's been raised also.

 

[aljdewey]

Gno: So it all boils down to whether or not you got screwed? All this is about that?

Pardon me, but it's time to say this more directly, because you haven't gotten it the last several times.

Read this slowly: You....got....a....fair....price....for.....what....you.....bought. PERIOD. Now, do you understand?

Listen very carefully: (for what feels like the 48th time).....You did not get screwed. There.....feel better?

You bought the equivalent of a Rolls Royce, and in doing so, you paid a fair price to get what Rolls Royce offers. Could you have bought another luxury car cheaper? Yes. Would it be a Rolls? No.

God, I hope this clears it up. Note for future purchases: if you do your homework FIRST, you won't have to worry about having been screwed later. Novel idea, I know, but a noteworthy one.

P.S. Sorry to all for the frank response, but I just get soooooooo cranky when people worry about getting screwed after the fact.

 

[gnojham]

Gno: So it all boils down to whether or not you got screwed? All this is about that?

Pardon me, but it's time to say this more directly, because you haven't gotten it the last several times.

Read this slowly: You....got....a....fair....price....for.....what....you.....bought. PERIOD. Now, do you understand?

Listen very carefully: (for what feels like the 48th time).....You did not get screwed. There.....feel better?

You bought the equivalent of a Rolls Royce, and in doing so, you paid a fair price to get what Rolls Royce offers. Could you have bought another luxury car cheaper? Yes. Would it be a Rolls? No.

God, I hope this clears it up. Note for future purchases: if you do your homework FIRST, you won't have to worry about having been screwed later. Novel idea, I know, but a noteworthy one.

P.S. Sorry to all for the frank response, but I just get soooooooo cranky when people worry about getting screwed after the fact.
-------
lol, thanks!
but understand, i was worried about it BEFORE i bought as well. as mentioned, this site would have been a tremendous resource had i known about it sooner.
i tried to educate myself before and during the search, but when trying to compare diamonds, the many variables confused me i suppose, making it very difficult

 

[aljdewey]

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On 8/5/2003 10:27

3 AM gnojham wrote:
lol, thanks!
but understand, i was worried about it BEFORE i bought as well. as mentioned, this site would have been a tremendous resource had i known about it sooner.
i tried to educate myself before and during the search, but when trying to compare diamonds, the many variables confused me i suppose, making it very difficult
----------------

Gno, sorry....you're catching me before first cup of coffee, and also I guess a bit of frustration. I am a researcher by nature....I'll exhaust every possible research to educate myself on a given thing before I purchase it, and if I don't have time to do that, then I defer purchasing until I can do it right.

I have a hard time understanding how people can go forward with ANY purchase if they feel confused or haven't acquired a comfort level with the facts needed to make a smart decision.....especially on something that isn't time-critical, like a diamond.

Several years ago, my friend's roommate announced she was moving out. Said roommate had 2 weeks to find another place to live, and therefore couldn't do the kind of diligence one would normally do. That happens to all of us at times.

But there is no deadline on purchasing a diamond (in most instances).

At this point, I fully agree that you should let the sleeping dog lie and stay with what you have. I could understand the angst if you felt that you got a weaker quality diamond, but that isn't the case. Angsting over a few dollars just isn't worth it.

 

[elmo]

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On 8/5/2003 9:48:56 AM aljdewey wrote:
Forgive my bluntness, Elmo
----------------

Al, go get some coffee

.

 

[aljdewey]

CAN ANYONE FIND ME A GOOD CUP OF COFFEE????? Please?

 

[Mara]

Didn't realize you already gave the ring!! Definitely too late to take it back...a girl doesn't want to have her new ring snatched off her hand to go and get a 'better deal'. Be happy with your purchase, it's a well cut stone and you did not overpay (besides the typical premium).

Congrats!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 8/5/2003 12:21

2 PM Mara wrote:

Definitely too late to take it back...a girl doesn't want to have her new ring snatched off her hand to go and get a 'better deal'.
Congrats!

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I know. As I said, OVER MY DEAD BODY would he retrive this ring!

Note to self, always speak to Al after said coffee.