Overwhelmed!

[englishteacher]

I have gone through many, many postings. My boyfriend and I have researched into the 4C's and many other topics. We've gone to 6 stores now.

Ultimately, I feel more lost now than when I began!

There are some chain stores, like Jared, that offer complete insurance -- which is a bonus, considering the ring won't cost you yearly. So, that is a draw for us. BUT, it's true that a lot of diamond prices in the stores just don't compare to the quality one gets for the same price online. And Jared, for example, is IGI.

We're a bit nervous about the idea of buying online--in that yes, you don't get to actually "see" the ring. But, I keep thinking about how likely it is that we could get much better quality online for the same price we'd pay in person.

We really don't know what to do, and would love any advice, especially which online companies/businesses you've had great success with. I've been looking a lot into James Allen, and would like to give them a call. But please, I would love any recommendation!

My boyfriend does not want to buy a diamond that isn't eye-clean.

Round, Solitaire diamond
.65-.75 carat range
G+ color
At least SI1 clarity, but ideally better
excellent/ideal cut (or H&A--although I don't know what's better?)
and obviously, great light reflection!

I would like to stay under $3500 for the diamond (under 3000 would be even better!).

I won't even start about my confusion now concerning white gold or platinum....or if my initial desire for a very thin band is not wise.

Thank you for any advice or ideas you can give!

 

[stone-cold11]

Have you seen a G ideal cut stone? I think Jared carries AGS0 cut grade stones. Ideal cut stones are plenty white down to H/I, just some suggestions.

I will search out some suggestions for you.

EDT:
This looks good.http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197306.asp

Also, didn't find anything at the lower color grade, so nevermind...

 

[Miss Fortune]

Honestly, I wouldn''t buy a diamond through a chain store. You''re right... you''ll probably find a bigger and better quality diamond by shopping online. James Allen might be a good choice for you because you do get to see the diamond and Jim can have have the stone pulled and looked at by a qualified professional. Plus, they have a 30 day return policy. They are helping me try to find a diamond and I''m finding them really nice to work with.

My advice is to take your time and get what you really want. I just settled when I bought my diamond and now I''m having to go through the process of upgrading just 2 years later.

Good luck!

 

[neatfreak]

Those warranties are a bunch of BS for the most part...just something to keep in mind. Most stores will clean your stone for free and considering the markup there is NO WAY you would ever use that much in services when you consider how much extra you are paying for the warranty. Not to mention that if you skip even one inspection your warranty is void.

If you let us help we can find you a stellar stone from a fabulous vendor WITH a lifetime upgrade policy should you need/want it.

 

[zman8]

Date: 12/3/2008 5:43:11 PM
Author: Miss Fortune
Honestly, I wouldn't buy a diamond through a chain store. You're right... you'll probably find a bigger and better quality diamond by shopping online. James Allen might be a good choice for you because you do get to see the diamond and Jim can have have the stone pulled and looked at by a qualified professional. Plus, they have a 30 day return policy. They are helping me try to find a diamond and I'm finding them really nice to work with.


My advice is to take your time and get what you really want. I just settled when I bought my diamond and now I'm having to go through the process of upgrading just 2 years later.


Good luck!

Have you ever returned a ring/diamond purchased online? How difficult is it, and how much does the return postage (ie insurance) cost?

 

[Miss Fortune]

Date: 12/3/2008 6:23:12 PM
Author: zman8

Date: 12/3/2008 5:43:11 PM

Author: Miss Fortune

Honestly, I wouldn''t buy a diamond through a chain store. You''re right... you''ll probably find a bigger and better quality diamond by shopping online. James Allen might be a good choice for you because you do get to see the diamond and Jim can have have the stone pulled and looked at by a qualified professional. Plus, they have a 30 day return policy. They are helping me try to find a diamond and I''m finding them really nice to work with.



My advice is to take your time and get what you really want. I just settled when I bought my diamond and now I''m having to go through the process of upgrading just 2 years later.



Good luck!

Have you ever returned a ring/diamond purchased online? How difficult is it, and how much does the return postage (ie insurance) cost?

Yes, I have. A pair of earrings actually. Yep, pain in the butt.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/3/2008 6:23:12 PM
Author: zman8

Date: 12/3/2008 5:43:11 PM

Author: Miss Fortune

Honestly, I wouldn''t buy a diamond through a chain store. You''re right... you''ll probably find a bigger and better quality diamond by shopping online. James Allen might be a good choice for you because you do get to see the diamond and Jim can have have the stone pulled and looked at by a qualified professional. Plus, they have a 30 day return policy. They are helping me try to find a diamond and I''m finding them really nice to work with.



My advice is to take your time and get what you really want. I just settled when I bought my diamond and now I''m having to go through the process of upgrading just 2 years later.



Good luck!

Have you ever returned a ring/diamond purchased online? How difficult is it, and how much does the return postage (ie insurance) cost?

Returned, no. But sent to a vendor for repair, yes. It wasn''t that big of a deal. Registered mail and insurance. Not that complicated.

 

[Mrs W]

What about these:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197283.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197177.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197168.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197292.asp

 

[englishteacher]

Thank you all for your input!

The "positive" that we found with Jared was that they do say they insure the diamond--so if it''s chipped, etc, they will replace it.

I really do like the James Allen rings! Are there any other vendors that anyone would suggest?

When it comes to hearts & arrows vs ideal -- would most people tend to choose H&A? I have never compared the two side by side.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/3/2008 9:38:09 PM
Author: englishteacher
Thank you all for your input!


The ''positive'' that we found with Jared was that they do say they insure the diamond--so if it''s chipped, etc, they will replace it.


I really do like the James Allen rings! Are there any other vendors that anyone would suggest?


When it comes to hearts & arrows vs ideal -- would most people tend to choose H&A? I have never compared the two side by side.

If it''s chipped while setting? Because any vendor that sells you the stone will do that. And if they cover it afterwards, $50 a year in insurance will cover that too. Still not worth it IMO...

 

[englishteacher]

I agree, the store insurance probably should not be the deal breaker. What Jared does is, from what I understand, has a warranty over the diamond for life--the idea of no insurance on it, accumulating over 50 years, seems nice. But, considering there''s no tax on diamonds online, that already saves a couple hundred...and I could get a better diamond online for a lesser price than the store.

Online still just makes me a little nervous! And I''m worried that I won''t fully understand the right specifications to look for. I definitely appreciate you all looking for some diamonds with me!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/3/2008 10:05:33 PM
Author: englishteacher
I agree, the store insurance probably should not be the deal breaker. What Jared does is, from what I understand, has a warranty over the diamond for life--the idea of no insurance on it, accumulating over 50 years, seems nice. But, considering there''s no tax on diamonds online, that already saves a couple hundred...and I could get a better diamond online for a lesser price than the store.


Online still just makes me a little nervous! And I''m worried that I won''t fully understand the right specifications to look for. I definitely appreciate you all looking for some diamonds with me!

Assuming Jared is in business for 50 years...AND not to mention that I assume that their insurance only covers chipping right? Not loss, theft, or any of the other reasons people insure diamonds. The insurance policy I mentioned covers it all, not just chipping.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/3/2008 10:05:33 PM
Author: englishteacher
I agree, the store insurance probably should not be the deal breaker. What Jared does is, from what I understand, has a warranty over the diamond for life--the idea of no insurance on it, accumulating over 50 years, seems nice. But, considering there''s no tax on diamonds online, that already saves a couple hundred...and I could get a better diamond online for a lesser price than the store.

Online still just makes me a little nervous! And I''m worried that I won''t fully understand the right specifications to look for. I definitely appreciate you all looking for some diamonds with me!

Welcome English Teacher!

No worries, we will guide you through the process of buying online should you decide to do so, and these ladies are diamond finding experts, so you can be sure they will find you some great suggestions!

 

[swingirl]

I know you still are deciding whether or not you are comfortable with purchasing online but here is a stone to consider that fits your specs. GOG has a 30 day return policy and lifetime upgrade policy. Sending a stone back (within the 30 day period) if you change your mind is not really a problem. Wrap it up and take it to the post office. No biggy. But these vendors try to give you as much information as possible so you know what you are getting. They can describe to you over the phone where the inclusions are located and how obvious they are. I have not heard of a sales associate at a typical B&M talk about anything other than how beautiful their stones looks under store lights.

So keep reading through the threads you find interesting on PS. There''s lots to learn.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5051/

 

[Scot]

You can buy just the stone online and have it set locally. There is more likely to be trouble with the setting than stone anyway. Just be sure you know the return policy of the online vendor.

 

[englishteacher]

Well, I seem to have run into a brick wall.

My boyfriend just let me know that there''s really no way he will consider buying a diamond online. After I''ve been researching it so much, I''m more and more in favor of doing so online. But, he prefers sticking with a b&m store that offers a lifetime guarantee on their diamonds...so as to not mess with insurance. Unfortunately, that pretty much just leaves us with chain stores, where in the end we''ll probably pay over $1000 more than we would online for the same quality of stone.

It''s just frustrating, and makes me wish I had never discovered the options online.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/4/2008 3:57:22 PM
Author: englishteacher
Well, I seem to have run into a brick wall.


My boyfriend just let me know that there's really no way he will consider buying a diamond online. After I've been researching it so much, I'm more and more in favor of doing so online. But, he prefers sticking with a b&m store that offers a lifetime guarantee on their diamonds...so as to not mess with insurance. Unfortunately, that pretty much just leaves us with chain stores, where in the end we'll probably pay over $1000 more than we would online for the same quality of stone.


It's just frustrating, and makes me wish I had never discovered the options online.

He really needs to understand that there is a MAJOR difference between the insurance you get from a store like Jareds and a place like Jeweler's Mutual. Jared's will cover it if it chips, which isn't super likely. JM will cover it if it chips, your dog eats it, it goes down the dish disposal, someone steals it, you lose it, etc.

You can't even compare the coverage.

AND not to mention that you usually need to bring your ring in EVERY 6 months for an inspection at chain stores (or sometimes even more frequently). What happens if you miss even ONE? Your "insurance" is VOID.

 

[swingirl]

Where are you located? There might be PS vendor close to you.

I also don''t understand the insurance issue. Adding your stone to your homeowners policy isn''t very expensive and it covers damage, loss and theft. Jared''s insurance doesn''t cover that. Make sure you are real clear what the B&M''s "guarantee" covers. And most B&Ms offer a trade-up policy where you have to spend double the original price.

 

[John P]

Date: 12/4/2008 3:57:22 PM
Author: englishteacher
Well, I seem to have run into a brick wall.

My boyfriend just let me know that there''s really no way he will consider buying a diamond online. After I''ve been researching it so much, I''m more and more in favor of doing so online. But, he prefers sticking with a b&m store that offers a lifetime guarantee on their diamonds...so as to not mess with insurance. Unfortunately, that pretty much just leaves us with chain stores, where in the end we''ll probably pay over $1000 more than we would online for the same quality of stone.

It''s just frustrating, and makes me wish I had never discovered the options online.

Any chance you can convince him to spend a bit of time posting and communicating here?