Shopping for a sapphire in NYC with a modest budget

[glitterata]

My young friends are shopping for a round blue sapphire ring for their engagement. Their budget is $2000 (less if possible) for the whole ring. They like a range of blue shades, not just trade-ideal intense blues. They would be okay with buying the sapphire and setting separately. They're looking for a yellow gold setting with a few small accent diamonds on each shoulder. They've looked in Chicago; they will be traveling to New York City soon and hope to look there too. They're open to vintage rings, but their tastes are pretty specific and the ring needs to be sturdy enough for a lifetime, so it can't be too fragile or worn. They prefer shopping in person to online.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[HockeyMama]

I am not an expert but spend a lot of time surfing the web. I know Diamonds by Lauren offers gemstones as well. They have some small rounds on their website now, that are already set. I wonder if @Rockdiamond would change the setting if they found something they like?

I think "Estate Diamond Jewelry" is also in NYC and has a storefront and I have heard them mentioned favorably on this website. They also list their inventory on the web.

I agree it would be a lot easier to work with someone with a storefront where they can see the sapphire options in person. Good luck and congratulations!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi everybody!
@glitterata ....I have to admit, I feel sorry for uninitiated consumers walking down 47th street looking for jewelry.
Sky high rents, and heartless competition at street level mean you're dealing with sharks.
$2k is a reasonable budget for a natural sapphire set in a simple setting..... the majority of our clients have never stepped foot in our office....and I totally understand the desire to work face to face.

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, @HockeyMama and @Rockdiamond.

Yes, I hesitate to throw my young friends to the street-level sharks on 47th street. Luxury shops like Greenwich St. Jewelers will be beyond their budget. And my cheapskate shopping habits--flea markets, ebay/etsy--are too risky and take too much knowledge, especially for something as important as an engagement ring.

David, if they tell you what they're looking for and make an appointment, will you be able to get in some sapphires to show them?

I gave them a little explainer about sapphire color, cut, treatments, etc, and they learned to spot (and disdain) windows, to the annoyance of the jewelers they visited in Chicago. I hope I didn't make their life more difficult!

 

[Rockdiamond]

David, if they tell you what they're looking for and make an appointment, will you be able to get in some sapphires to show them?

We'd love to meet pretty much anyone, by appointment, as long as we know the objective.
Sometimes, someone is in the consideration phase. They're looking to buy in 6-12 months for example.
In such cases, we can't bring in stones, but we have a lot of stuff in stock...
Which leads to another requirement on our part....we ask that if folks want to see merchandise, they should go to the site and email a list of items they want to see before the appointment.

Sometimes folks just want to say hi, and we love that too

We really appreciate the referral. If they call or email please make sure they mention glitterata

 

[winnietucker]

This came up on my feed and they’re in NY. Maybe they can help?