Robbins Bros. - Stressed out

[mia1181]

Date: 3/24/2008 3:51:16 PM
Author: kooj
As I''ve said before I can''t thank you all enough - this has been such a crazy weekend trying to juggle my head spinning with all of this and the fact that my girlfriend has no clue, Easter and other celebrations that kept me busy all weekend.

I''m heading down to RB in about 30 minutes to talk with them, all of your information has been invaluable. I highly doubt I''m going to get out of there easily so I should be able to get close to a confirmation on the ''3-tier'' system that curiousthinker talked about (thank you!) - overall though I''m pretty positive I''ll be walking out without a Ring and without a 6700 debt on my head.

Then I''ll be free to become a pricescope junkie!

I''ll update you all as soon as I can.

Woohoo! If you need to buy one soon, maybe you could go to a pricescope vendor who also has a B&M in your area? I don''t know where you are, but maybe if you are in the NYC area I know there are a couple there. I am far from an expert here, but I do think finding a well cut cushion may take a little time. Would you be willing to postpone your proposal for a little bit? I''ve seen a bunch of guys on here who found pricescope late in their search, and they seem like they are trying to buy a diamond in a rush. But finding the right diamond can take time.

 

[kooj]

TL;DR - I write way too much - I walked out with the ring, have 28 days to return it still, will propose with it and within 28 days will involve my new fiancee in the decision to return and possibly get a bigger/better stone for similar $ thanks to you all. Long version below!

I don''t think I was intimidated one bit but I walked out with the ring. The thing is I''m leaving in 3 days to celebrate our 4th Anniversary and her Birthday and I still have 28 days (from now) to return the ring for a complete refund (which I made sure of many times over). I still may very well return this ring however if and when I do I''ll have already proposed and it will be with the my new Fiancée''s involvement (hey, it''s "our" money then, right?

) along with all that I''ve learned and will continue to learn from this site.

They would have price matched some similar stones from Blue Nile completely however I lose pretty much every benefit I''d get from purchasing from Robbins Bros which once again can easily be argued as to the value of all of their added benefits. They did not have any "tier system" which I could get lower prices that were still above the pricematch but held some of their benefits - it was all or nothing and to be honest I was quite impressed that they''d do a complete match.

I''m simply floored by how good the ring itself looks, that probably has a lot to do with my brain wanting to justify the purchase itself, haha. I''m very confident she''ll absolutely love the ring however I am going to be sure to talk it over with her after the initial engagement-glow and let her know that the options for a bigger and/or better ring for less or the same $$$ are very very valid (probably with a trip to this site first and foremost!).

Thank you all again and please don''t be too upset with me..

Now I get to stress on just how I''m going to pop this question!

 

[Ellen]

I would ask, will YOU be happy with this ring and what you paid for it should she keep it? Because frankly, I don''t know how many women would want to give up a ring they just got. Not only for having the "sparkley", but all the sentiment involved. Do you really want to propose with the ring and then return it? Many women place a lot of sentimental value on their Ering...And don''t think re-proposing with the new one would be the same, it won''t.


I don''t mean to sound harsh, but frankly, I don''t think this is such a good idea. Just some things to think about.

 

[lesco]

Date: 3/24/2008 8:37:32 PM
Author: Ellen
I would ask, will YOU be happy with this ring and what you paid for it should she keep it? Because frankly, I don''t know how many women would want to give up a ring they just got. Not only for having the ''sparkley'', but all the sentiment involved. Do you really want to propose with the ring and then return it? Many women place a lot of sentimental value on their Ering...And don''t think re-proposing with the new one would be the same, it won''t.


I don''t mean to sound harsh, but frankly, I don''t think this is such a good idea. Just some things to think about.

I agree 100% with Ellen. Don''t go this route unless you know that she will be OK with returning her ring. I know many women won''t.

This was exactly my BFs idea when he bought my first ring. He went into a B&M store, asked for a diamond within his pricing criteria, was told by the SA that thanks to their upgrade policy I could come back and choose a ring of my liking or return it for full refund within a specified period. Everything checked out OK in his mind, he bought it and proposed.

When he brought up the fact that I could come back and choose a ring of my liking, I cringed at the idea of returning it or exchanging it. This ring was not a $6,000 plus purchase though - It was a more like a $2,000 purchase. Not a great loss here. Not even the ring I''m about to buy is a 6,000 plus purchase. That is some substantial dough and a very nice budget for a killer stone.

I guess my bottom line is keep it ONLY if you could live with the fact that your future fiancee might not want to return/exchange it. Just giving you my thoughts based on personal experience.

Leslie

 

[curiousthinker]

They do have tier system, the benifits just decrease as the tiers go down.
Tier 1 is full price all benifits
Tier 2 is lower price with all the benifits except the 1yr insurance.
Tier 3 is management discretion of price and benifits typically you get no warranty, insurance, or return or exchange.

I suggest you ask for corprate price at Tier 2 this gives you all the benefits except for the one year insurance, you still keep the diamond warranty and all other services. Sales people will not let you know about the tier pricing unless they are pressured into this by a customer who will either make a return of the purchase or a customer who is about to buy.

Trust me they do have these prices.

 

[Pandora II]

I'm not so sure that that is a great plan.

If my FI had proposed with a ring that he KNEW was not a good deal with the option that I could change it afterwards I would be seriously p'd off.

I would have sentimental attachment to the ring, know I could have something bigger/better for the money and wish that he had waited longer.

Be very careful what you do. This ring could well be the one she wears for the rest of her life. Isn't it better to be sure now that make a mistake for the sake of a few days.

You could always propose without a ring and then pick it out together when you get back. I and many other girls here had that opportunity and wouldn't swap the romance and fun of doing that for anything.

Of course, you know your gf and whether she will care about the details the way we all do...

Trust me, the store knows that once that ring is on her finger the chance you will return it is probably in the 15% region.

 

[arjunajane]

Kooj, I have to agree with ellen and others here that this May not be the best idea for you..I would just be concerned that what if something happens to the ring in that period that will "void" ur return policy - you never really know with the "fineprint".
Also a good point has been bought up - ur lady will most likely have an emotional attachment to this ring and may feel strange about going straight out to return it..? I''m just speculating here, yoiu know ur girl and her style best, but there may be some things to think about. If its the timeframe your concerned about, you''ve already been linked to a great stone, and there are other ways around that

Also, sorry to be a dork, but curiousthinker I believe as per forum policies if you work in the jewellery trade you do need to define this in your signature/user ID..?

 

[icekid]

Date: 3/25/2008 5:45:35 AM
Author: Pandora II

You could always propose without a ring and then pick it out together when you get back. I and many other girls here had that opportunity and wouldn''t swap the romance and fun of doing that for anything.

This is what I would recommend as well. I''d have been quite annoyed if my husband had tried to pull this on me. What, you could not bother to pick a nice ring for me? Or, you think I''ll believe what you chose for me isn''t good enough? Also, as others have said, she may very well have different preferences and yet be too sentimental to change the ring. I really think your best course of action here is to propose without a ring and then pick one out together.

 

[Ellen]

I also echo those who have suggested to propose without a ring. My husband also did the same, as he knew I would want to help pick it out. The proposal meant no less without the ring.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I would be very upset with my hubby if he had proposed with a ring he knew wasn''t top quality/best price and then said to me, "Sorry, I was too eager/worried about the SAs being mad to get you the best I could find, but if YOU want to (making me the bad guy if we return the ring) we can return it and get something better." This way he doesn''t have to actually deal with the consequences of a decision he knows wasn''t the best. If you are giving her that ring, then give her THAT ring and leave it at that. But then you better never let her find out the truth of what happened, you may find yourself in really hot water.

Better yet, given your feelings of uncertainty about this ring, wait to propose until you have found the perfect ring. I don''t think you understand how meaningful and important this is to most women! And what is she going to tell her friends when they say, "Let me see the ring!!"?? "Oh, this is just the over priced not well cut ring he got me as a placeholder, we are going to pick a better one later." How does she look then?!?! Or, even if she doesn''t tell them she will return it, what will they think when she shows up with a different ring a few weeks later? If you give her that ring and say what you plan to say, trust me, she is going to keep it so she doesn''t look bad, but she won''t be happy with you.

Dude, thiink this through. I''m not saying anything bad about your ring that you hadn''t said yourself, maybe its really nice?? We can''t tell. But don''t follow through with your plan as you stated it. I think you haven''t thought enough about how your gf will feel if you follow your current plan.

DD

 

[kooj]

You all are right.. I''m thinking as a guy and well, that doesn''t always work out best Thank you.

I went into a local jeweler today that had excellent reviews and talked to them - they did a quick appraisal and told me if I paid in the low 5''s for the entire ring from Robbins Bros. then they think I did "ok" -- then we all had a laugh that I actually paid 6,700!

He then went on to explain that they could make up a very similar ring with a similar stone for about 2,400 less (4,300 after taxes). I''m sure I could see comparable savings in other small retail shops like this or even more of course if I went through WF/JA/GoG/BN/etc.

I think I may propose without the ring and pick one out together when we get back as some of you have said would be a better plan.

Should I use an empty box or what do you recommend as far as proposing and it not being awkward that I''m not putting a ring on her finger?

 

[Gummybear]

I think with a prop ring (twist tie or 25 cent thing) or nothing...she will be excited regardless of a ring. We will vouch for you that you had one picked out.

I got a promise ring when my fi proposed and am in the process of waiting for my engagment ring setting to come in. I adore my promise ring for sentimental reasons and have worn it for two years (and will continue to wear it on my right hand). I also loved help picking out the ering.

The proposal is the most important part, the ring is a token/symbol.

 

[Pandora II]

My FI proposed with a limited edition Scrabble set (yes really) - a few weeks later we got an antique diamond and sapphire eternity band which I wear when I'm travelling or in places I don't really want to wear my real ring.

I am sooooo glad you are going to propose without the ring.

Most of my friends were very jealous that we got to design mine together - obssess over prongs etc and spend 5 months looking for the right stone. I had such fun, and FI loved the fact I was so excited.

Introduce your girl to PS and then she can come and join us on the Brides bit - I think my FI would have killed me by now if I didn't have PS to discuss centrepieces with!

ETA: what gummybear says it true, a proposal isn't about the ring. I hate to admit this, but when my e-ring finally arrived, I spent a good 10 minutes going over every mm with a loupe before I remember to say thank you.

Yup, I am a bad, bad person.

At least I remember my proposal for the words he said!

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 3/25/2008 8:40:47 AM
Author: Ellen
I also echo those who have suggested to propose without a ring. My husband also did the same, as he knew I would want to help pick it out. The proposal meant no less without the ring.

Big fat DITTO to this!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 3/25/2008 3:32:55 PM
Author: kooj



I think I may propose without the ring and pick one out together when we get back as some of you have said would be a better plan.


Should I use an empty box or what do you recommend as far as proposing and it not being awkward that I''m not putting a ring on her finger?

my hubby proposed without a ring too. He totally surprised me b/c I really had no clue it was coming at all. he basically just looked at me, told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. I didn''t even think about the ring at that exact instant. Then he said, i know i don''t have a ring, but I wanted it to be something you would 100% love and thought we should pick it out together. He then re-proposed once the ring was done with a fancy dinner, down on one knee thing, so I got 2 proposals

i wouldn''t use and empty box though, best just not to use anything.

 

[choro72]

NO, NOT AN EMPTY BOX!! At least put a promise ring or a toy ring at least...
Actually, if my BF proposed with an empty box, I would be so offended that it might become funny...

Anyway, good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[lesco]

I don''t think the empty box idea is too hot either. I would get her a little solitaire pendant to go with her future bling-a-licious ring or something like that, if you don''t want to be there empty handed. But trust us, really, you don''t need anything at all.

You can always do the one knee thing when you get the ring.

Congrats on you future engagement and please keep us posted.

Leslie

 

[surfgirl]

honestly, it sounds like you''re willing to give her a less than perfect ring simply because it fits with your timing? If I knew that my BF gave me a ring that he was advised to return, because he didn''t want to take the time to do it up right, I''d not be real happy about that ring. Nor would I be happy about being proposed to with a ring and then being told "BTW, this ring was probably sort of a rip off and I could probably have gotten a better ring but it just didn''t fit with my time frame so do you want to keep this ring or get a better/new one honey?" That? Isn''t exactly a dream proposal...I think you should push your time frame back a little bit and get it right the first time. Unless of course you LOVE the ring in your possession, in which case, just accept that you overpaid and enjoy it for what it is, right?

 

[Ellen]

pssst, surfgirl, he''s changed his mind.

From mrss post:

"my hubby proposed without a ring too. He totally surprised me b/c I really had no clue it was coming at all. he basically just looked at me, told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. I didn''t even think about the ring at that exact instant. Then he said, i know i don''t have a ring, but I wanted it to be something you would 100% love and thought we should pick it out together"

This is exactly how mine happened too.

If you want, get her a nice pendant or bracelet, but really, you don''t have to have anything.

And kudos to you for taking to heart our constructive criticism. Way to go.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yaaaahhhh!!

I would have loved to be involved picking out my ring, then I wouldn''t be here 2 years later getting a first anniversary "upgrade") hee hee

Best wishes, and come back WITH your new FI and use all the resources on here tro get an amazing ring! You two will have so much fun planning it together. And you don''t need anything to propose with, but if you wanted I really like the idea of the pendant or a vute funny joke ring, so she has an object to look at sentimentally.

DD

 

[kooj]

Sorry to continue resurrecting this thread - I just wanted to give a final update before I head off for our vacation celebration (celebrating her birthday, our 4 year anniversary as a couple and if things go right our engagement!).

I went into Robbins Bros today and told them I wanted to return the ring for a full refund. It took about 20 minutes in total and I was out of there almost as if this whole thing never happened -- they were very helpful and gave me no problems. I must say all in all it''s not a bad place, just a bit too pricey.

Now I get to go enjoy some tequila and sun and pop the question and then come back and with her help get her the ring she deserves while getting myself the satisfaction that I got the best diamond/ring for my money. Thank you all!

 

[choro72]

Yay, I was wondering how it went for you guys! Enjoy your anniversary, and keep us posted!

 

[surfgirl]

Excellent! I''m sure that your future FI will enjoy the process of selection the ring with her intended...it''s really a special thing to be able to do that together, sort of like the first big step towards being married.

Congrats!

 

[kooj]

Diggin'' this thread out from the depths!

I wanted to give some finality to this thread as well as thank you all again for all of your help - I am EXTREMELY happy with how things turned out, a complete 180 from what I was when I first joined the forums and made my first post - a plea for help.

In the end I returned the ring I initially bought the day before our vacation trip (to celebrate our 4 year anniversary) and ended up proposing with a token silver ring - it worked out wonderfully.

When we returned we went to a place that had helped me appraise the ring from Robbins Bros. and had really impressed me while I was originally there. Simone and Son - They worked with us to design a custom ring - designed it while we watched on (on a HUGE monitor, how cool) with some specialized 3D CAD software, it was amazing to have the ability to perfect every minute detail and get the exact style/ring we wanted. After that I worked with them without my fiancée to pick out the perfect Cushion -- I ended up looking at several that they had in stock and overnighted to them from various merchants and picked one that was perfect for what I was looking for in quality/size and price - something I was very confident about after all of my lurking and researching on these forums.

Pictures!
taken right before we picked it up
hand shot
box shot 1
box shot 2 - close-up

So once again thank you all for your help and guidance. This forum should be mandatory reading for anyone looking to purchase an engagement ring

 

[purrfectpear]

Well congratulations. How do you like being an engaged man?

The ring looks great. Love the double claw prongs. Good luck to you both.

 

[Lexie]

What a beautiful ring!

Glad everything ended up working out for you!

 

[surfgirl]

Dude, you done good! Well done!! Enjoy your engagement...I hope your FI knows how much effort went into that...!

 

[mrssalvo]

the ring is beautiful. i''m glad everything workded out so well. congrats!!

 

[ImpatientOne]

Beautiful ring! Congrats on your engagement!!!