Please help me maximize my budget - $5k

[Akalahab]

Can you and your gf compromise on the setting - ie a less expensive halo and white gold or just not get a halo? JA has white gold halos for $600-800ish - with a .7 or even .8 diamond, you'd end up at $3k. Or a solitaire - $180. You spoke about CZ, but you could also buy a beautiful sapphire or moissanite (sorry) and would cost only a few hundred. Or find a one of a kind vintage ring at a pawn shop. IDJ can also find a great deal for you. In your situation, I'd probably spend 2-3k and then you can invest the rest! If you want to spend 5k, you can buy an ideal cut .9ish carat or a lower color closer to 1 carat and put it in a simple solitaire and figure out the setting later!

 

[farrahlyn]

To keep it simple, why not a simple, small solitaire from WF? They have an EXCELLENT upgrade policy so when the time comes, the stone can be upgraded and by going with a simple solitaire, you're not out a whole lot of cash for the cost of the setting.

i also have a rather unusual suggestion and it may be completely off the wall... what about a diamond band? Bear with me now and don't call me crazy, ok? All of these are right at 1ct. You can pair with a plain band when you get married (or a very simple pave band) and then down the road, for an anniversary, you get her that 1ct+ halo that she really wanted. i know, it's off the wall but it screams "Im taken!!" and will be just stunning paired with a halo or pave band down the road.

https://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-...mon-prong-diamond-anniversary-ring-item-58308 9 stone

https://idjewelry.com/1-05ct-7-diam...rline-set-in-14k-white-gold-w3668-w-iadd.html 7 stone

https://idjewelry.com/1-00-ct-f-g-si1-si2-5-diamonds-u-prong-band-14k-white-gold-w3496-w-iadd.html 5 stone

https://idjewelry.com/1-00ct-14kt-white-gold-round-cut-shared-prong-diamond-eternity-band-et999.html eternity

Some preloved options:

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...three-stone-ideal-cut-diamond-ring-g-slash-vs

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...-diamond-and-sapphire-target-style-ring;17326 very different but the finger coverage!!!

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rings/ritani-18k-white-gold-halo-three-stone-1-dot-07-ctw

http://www.diamondbistro.com/catego.../53747/14k-white-gold-sapphire-halo-ring.html

 

[pendexter]

We're still thinking about it. She really likes the idea of investing the money, especially since she dresses casually and the halo rings look dressed up and might not match what she normally wears. Plus her brother's wife doesn't even wear her band. They both wear silocone rings and leave their real jewlery at home...

I'm an industrial engineer, so value and optimization are near and dear to my heart. If we were going to go the diamond route, I'd really like to get one that is numerically optimized, with table/depth/crown/pavilion and HCA all being within propoer bounds. For that reason I'd prefer to stay away from the Costco ring.

If we were to invest, I'd probably get a spider that tracks either the S&P or Dow instead of any particular stock. It seems that while there is consistantly a money manager that beats the market, the actual manager that beats the market changes per year/5year/10year period, which leads me to believe that money managers are just scattered along a bell curve and some get lucky. I don't see any reason to pay points to one if an index will more than likely beat the money manager plus the points he charges.

With regards to diamonds, I'm having a hard time justifying the spendings given that you'd be hard pressed to get 20-50% of your value back if you ever decided to sell, which leads me to think that it's not a good value. I actually just sold my Corvette to pay for the ring plus a more practical car. I drove it for 3years/30k miles and sold it for $200 more than I bought it for. I see buying at Zales as buying a car at full price and buying at Blue Nile as haggling and finding the best deal on a new car. But the thing is I'd never buy a new car. I've never paid more than 10k for a car in my life, and always try to find one that I can drive for a few years that won't severely depreciate.

If I could find the Craigslist of diamonds, I'd go that route in a heartbeat, but only if I could get it appraised independently. I guess it's not that different than getting a CL car checked by a mechanic.

I tried going to a couple of pawn shops to see what type of deals they had and was severely dissapointed. One of the guys brought out the Rapaport sheet and I saw that he was pricing his diamonds at 75-90% of Rappaport. When I pointed out that the report says that the prices in the sheet are high retail, he pretty much just shrugged... I was hoping that they'd be priced at 50% of retail since they buy at 25% of retail, or so I've heard.

I'll contact IDJ and check out loupetroop. Thanks for the links, it seems like their prices are more in line with what I'd expect for "preloved" diamonds vs. the pawn shops.

She's a size 7, so most store models fit her.

I've tried to reply to most of the messages, the links I'll have to take a closer look at.

Best,

Peter

 

[EllieTO]

Peter, based on what you wrote above, I think you can find a great deal on a preloved diamond or complete ring. Think of it this way - the reason you sold your Corvette for more than you bought it for was because you bought it used. Same with diamonds. If you buy it on the resale market, you'd be able to sell it for the exact same amount (or more ) if you ever decide to upgrade. As long as it comes with a GIA or AGS certificate (NOT any others), you can buy without an independent appraisal (maybe just check with a loupe to make sure it's not chipped etc, and the inscription on the girdle or the inclusion map matches). Given your preference for a super ideal cut stone, you can get help from the members here on any listings you see.

Here's one I found, which would be lovely if your lady likes Tiffany. The center diamond is not as large as you would get with a non-brand, but this has the Tiffany name and you can't go wrong with a Soleste halo. You would of course haggle on the price Also, platinum can be re-polished to look like new.
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/tiffany-co-platinum-and-diamond-soleste-solitaire-ring

 

[Akalahab]

Whiteflash would also be a good option if not buying preloved and thinking you'd want to change up your ring later - you can trade in the full value of your diamond for a future upgrade to hit your desired 1 carat. And their stones are super ideal - so fits your numerically optimized requirements.

 

[Niel]

That e bay one I linked is size 7 already

 

[totallyfree]

The Craigslist of diamonds is the pre-loved forum here, Loupetroop and DiamondBistro

 

[Akalahab]

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rings-natural-diamond-center/reduced-1-dot-13-j-si1-triple-ex-halo

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...-art-deco-platinum-old-cut-diamond-engagement

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...beautiful-cushion-cut-diamond-engagement-ring

https://loupetroop.com/listings/loo...1-dot-076ct-j-slash-si1-ags-certified-diamond

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...ing-with-0-dot-5-carat-old-cut-diamond-center

 

[jstarfireb]

Here are my thoughts about your options:

1) Ask to see the certificate before buying the Costco ring, then run the numbers through HCA to see if it's cut to PS standards. If it is, then Costco can actually be a decent deal, but you gotta do a bit of homework first.

2-3) JA is a good option to buy from because they tend to be a bit less expensive than other vendors here but still offer a good upgrade policy and a lot of info about their stones. If the Costco diamond turns out to be a dud and you have enough money for one of these, sounds like a good choice.

4) Sensible idea! Instead of a $100 CZ though, I'd consider spending up to $1000 on an eternity band, 5-stone band, moissanite ring, or colored stone ring (e.g. sapphire). I'd personally find any of those a bit classier than a CZ and you could still put 4k or so into stocks, a CD, or a college savings account.

Best wishes!

 

[pendexter]

Here are my thoughts about your options:

1) Ask to see the certificate before buying the Costco ring, then run the numbers through HCA to see if it's cut to PS standards. If it is, then Costco can actually be a decent deal, but you gotta do a bit of homework first.

2-3) JA is a good option to buy from because they tend to be a bit less expensive than other vendors here but still offer a good upgrade policy and a lot of info about their stones. If the Costco diamond turns out to be a dud and you have enough money for one of these, sounds like a good choice.

4) Sensible idea! Instead of a $100 CZ though, I'd consider spending up to $1000 on an eternity band, 5-stone band, moissanite ring, or colored stone ring (e.g. sapphire). I'd personally find any of those a bit classier than a CZ and you could still put 4k or so into stocks, a CD, or a college savings account.

Best wishes!

I actually did look at the certificate from Costco. It just stated that it was certified to be minimum I and VS2 without any additional information.

It looks like we are moving towards the idea of getting a pave wedding band as the "engagement ring" for $500-1200 and then buying a simple 2mm platinum band for $100-200 as the wedding ring. That way we can get an engagement style ring down the line as an anniversary ring, get rid of the plain band, and use the pave band as the wedding band.

I think that makes the most sense, because that way we are only out the $200 buy price - the sell price for the plan band, plus in all honesty I doubt that we're actually ever going to upgrade. When it comes down to it, I'm going to ask her whether she'd like to upgrade her ring or go on an awesome vacation and she's going to pick vacation every time. Or more stock, or a college fund for the kid, etc.

Is there anything that I need to know about regarding buying pave bands? (I'm not sure if that is the correct term, I'm thinking of getting a platinum 2mm band with small diamonds across half the ring)

Is there a minimum standard that the tiny diamonds should adhere to? Color? Clarity? Or does it not matter because they are so small?

Thanks,

Peter

 

[SimoneDi]

I actually did look at the certificate from Costco. It just stated that it was certified to be minimum I and VS2 without any additional information.

It looks like we are moving towards the idea of getting a pave wedding band as the "engagement ring" for $500-1200 and then buying a simple 2mm platinum band for $100-200 as the wedding ring. That way we can get an engagement style ring down the line as an anniversary ring, get rid of the plain band, and use the pave band as the wedding band.

I think that makes the most sense, because that way we are only out the $200 buy price - the sell price for the plan band, plus in all honesty I doubt that we're actually ever going to upgrade. When it comes down to it, I'm going to ask her whether she'd like to upgrade her ring or go on an awesome vacation and she's going to pick vacation every time. Or more stock, or a college fund for the kid, etc.

Is there anything that I need to know about regarding buying pave bands? (I'm not sure if that is the correct term, I'm thinking of getting a platinum 2mm band with small diamonds across half the ring)

Is there a minimum standard that the tiny diamonds should adhere to? Color? Clarity? Or does it not matter because they are so small?

Thanks,

Peter

The only thing you should know is to contact IDJewelry, they will create an amazing band for your fiancé and it will be within budget! Their meleè is really beautiful. I would have her look into 5 and 7 stone rings as well. They provide a lot of "bling" coverage and you wouldn't even need a simple platinum band because they scream "married". With the budget you have, IDJ can probably provide a 0.7-1ctw 5 or seven stone band. But if pavè is what you are after, my friend just got an amazing new band from them for under $500. It is delicate, yet sturdy and again - sparkly!

 

[jstarfireb]

Ditto, just contact Yekutiel at IDJ and ask for it to be made with Pricescope-quality melee stones. He knows we're into great cut quality and will maximize your bang for the buck. I think you're on the right track; a nice diamond band will be sensible yet classy!