Should I Buy My Diamond From My Jeweler?

[thanksinadvance]

I'm having an engagement ring made by a local jeweler with excellent reviews. My budget is very tight and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm really clueless when it comes to what I need to watch out for when dealing with jewelers. Even if the person is honest, the occasion, my budget, and past experience is causing me to be extra vigilant. A few questions right off the top of my head:

Should buy a certified stone online or buy it through my jeweler?

Generally, how much more will I be paying the jeweler when buying a stone through them? I understand that I get the benefit of seeing the stone in person first if I do it this way.

Do all jewelers want to sell you a more expensive stone than you really need? I'm new to all of this. I now understand the basics of the grading system for diamonds, but otherwise I'm totally clueless.

Any direction is really appreciated, thank you.

 

[WillyDiamond]

why don't you read many of the posts to learn about diamond buying, then post your budget and requirements and I am sure people on the forum will chime in to help you.
Best of luck.

 

[Mayk]

why don't you read many of the posts to learn about diamond buying, then post your budget and requirements and I am sure people on the forum will chime in to help you.
Best of luck.

+1. At the very least get some ideas and option from on line, do the research and make an "informed" decision and you have choices. You are here at the right point, not after the purchase which happens, then people are left wondering IF?

 

[TC1987]

You can get all of your education here. Also see Good Old Gold's site, and NiceIce.com.

We had a discussion on here a few weeks ago and many people seemed to believe that the markup is higher at brick and mortar jewelers than online, like 29-30% for b&m jewelers vs. 15% or so online. But if your jeweler can provide all the data that the PS vendors can provide, as well as an acceptable quality of diamond that fits your price range, I see no real reason to not buy from a local jeweler. My local b&m stores are all of the mall jewelry chain store type, and can't come close to offering the same quality that I can buy online. Someone in a larger city might not have that problem. I'm in a small town and rural area.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm having an engagement ring made by a local jeweler with excellent reviews. My budget is very tight and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm really clueless when it comes to what I need to watch out for when dealing with jewelers. Even if the person is honest, the occasion, my budget, and past experience is causing me to be extra vigilant. A few questions right off the top of my head:

Should buy a certified stone online or buy it through my jeweler Buy only GIA or AGS. No other lab report.

Generally, how much more will I be paying the jeweler when buying a stone through them? I understand that I get the benefit of seeing the stone in person first if I do it this way. Don't know. Each jeweler is different. Best thing to do is let us know what your budget is and what you want, we'll show you what you can get online. Then you can go to your jeweler and see what they offer you for the same price and make a decision?

Do all jewelers want to sell you a more expensive stone than you really need? I'm new to all of this. I now understand the basics of the grading system for diamonds, but otherwise I'm totally clueless. Not 'all jewelers' do anything. They are people. There are good an bad. It's hard to know which camp your jeweler falls into without more information. We know that our jewelers, the ones we recommend, don't do that. That's why we recommend them.

Any direction is really appreciated, thank you.

Let us know what your budget is and what styles your ladies want.

 

[thanksinadvance]

Thank you all for the input. I've done some research on diamond grading and pricing, any other recommendations on reading?

She wants a Tiffany Legacy style ring, closer in design the better, so it's basically a cushion cut. I need to spend under $3000, further under the better. Some people have told me that this is impossible, but I've seen very decent diamonds online for around $2000 or less and if I don't need a platinum band, this might be possible? Thank you again.

 

[TC1987]

David Klass in Los Angeles has made a lot of mountings for rings. He has a Facebook now and his contact info is someplace on this board. There are also a couple of Ritani mountings that might work. (I don't have links.) It's hard to find a nice halo mount for $1000 or less. I would put the money into the center diamond now, get a simple solitaire, then change the mounting later when I could afford it. You buy the stone and she buys the halo mounting might be an option, too, if she is set on having that now. Or, she kicks in $500 - $1000 toward the mounting. Many of the halos I looked at were going to be in the $2500 - $3000 range just for the mount but they are for am 8mm RB diamond, too.

 

[thanksinadvance]

David Klass in Los Angeles has made a lot of mountings for rings. He has a Facebook now and his contact info is someplace on this board. There are also a couple of Ritani mountings that might work. (I don't have links.) It's hard to find a nice halo mount for $1000 or less. I would put the money into the center diamond now, get a simple solitaire, then change the mounting later when I could afford it. You buy the stone and she buys the halo mounting might be an option, too, if she is set on having that now. Or, she kicks in $500 - $1000 toward the mounting. Many of the halos I looked at were going to be in the $2500 - $3000 range just for the mount but they are for am 8mm RB diamond, too.

I had no idea they were that much. Really appreciate your post, this might be a good solution.

 

[heididdl]

Thank you all for the input. I've done some research on diamond grading and pricing, any other recommendations on reading?

She wants a Tiffany Legacy style ring, closer in design the better, so it's basically a cushion cut. I need to spend under $3000, further under the better. Some people have told me that this is impossible, but I've seen very decent diamonds online for around $2000 or less and if I don't need a platinum band, this might be possible? Thank you again.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2970608.htm
now she likes a halo the more intricue the more expensive. the setting can be $2,000 - $3,000 so start with something like the above stone.
the n work with WF or another vendor for setting this stone will give you $1,200 to get a setting.
found this stone at WF
What size stone ....You want to be sure that the stone has an ideal cut. the stats for that are

table 54058
depth 60-62.3
crown angel 34-35
15.3%
pavilion angle 40.6-41

Color and clarity is a matter of tolerance and compromise if you get a J color si1 stone with ideal cut it will be gloriously sparkly. just make sure that the si1 is eye clean meaning from an eye to stone distance you can't see the imperfections. Stones bought online can be given this information by calling the vendor Also assets ar diagrams that show symmetry and leakage (any place where the light will not reflect for the most brillance.)

Also stick to AGS and GIA stones. If you go to a sight like Whiteflash you will see what I mean as they give asset shots , blow ups of the stones as well as sarin reports.

If you go to James Allen you can see the stone live in a 360 degree turn around and I find that you can determine online color sensitivity by selecting a g color and a j color stone to view and you will see the hue difference.

For $2,000 - $3,000 we must see how much that setting will costt deduct and see what you can spend on stone. i'll take look

 

[heididdl]

setting from ritani......http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6114

love this

 

[WinkHPD]

I'm having an engagement ring made by a local jeweler with excellent reviews. My budget is very tight and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm really clueless when it comes to what I need to watch out for when dealing with jewelers. Even if the person is honest, the occasion, my budget, and past experience is causing me to be extra vigilant. A few questions right off the top of my head:

Should buy a certified stone online or buy it through my jeweler?

Generally, how much more will I be paying the jeweler when buying a stone through them? I understand that I get the benefit of seeing the stone in person first if I do it this way.

Do all jewelers want to sell you a more expensive stone than you really need? I'm new to all of this. I now understand the basics of the grading system for diamonds, but otherwise I'm totally clueless.

Any direction is really appreciated, thank you.

There is an excellent database on this site that you can enter search parameters into and get back a list of diamonds that meet your desires. The vast majority of these diamonds are available on online and available to your local jeweler. Take in the list of stones that fit your needs and ask if the vendor can get these diamonds and come at least close to the prices shown here.

You might be very pleasantly surprised. Many of the companies, such as Blue Nile have tens of thousands of diamonds listed on their sites that they have never seen. They own their Signature Selection, but little of the other stones listed. This means that any jeweler with access to the Rapaport Report can order in the diamond for your approval and can often come close for you in cost, since they will actually be bringing the diamond in for you to see and inspecting it for you as well, which does have value.

If your jeweler is disinclined to work with you then go ahead and buy it online, so long as you have an in writing return policy in hand.

Only actually seeing the diamond will confirm that you like the diamond.

Wink

 

[smilligan]

setting from ritani......http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-in-14kt-white-gold/6114

love this

I agree. Ritani has some very reasonably priced CAD/cast halos that look beautiful. I just proposed with a custom Ritani three stone triple halo ring and it was perfect. Ritani was a pleasure to work with and they answered all of my questions/concerns without a second thought. The quality of the setting and the melee is much better than a lot of rings that I've looked at, too. Also, their white gold is alloyed with palladium, which is hypoallergenic and tends to be whiter than most white gold alloys. What is your SO's ring size? A halo is going to provide a lot more finger coverage than a solitaire, and if done right, it will look very fluid. I went with 0.5 pointers, which is very delicate, but it provides ~2 mm of extra coverage.

 

[Gypsy]

Legacy.

OK. Can do.

Here's my suggestion:

I prefer Ritani for the quality but they don't have a Legacy style setting in budget instead.

ID Jewelry can get you these settings 20% off:
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER9360W44JJ so $1250 for this setting. Closest to the Legacy in budget.
http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER6525W44JJ $1220 for this one.


IDJ can get you a 70 point GIA Ex/Ex J SI1 (eyeclean) for 1800. You want one with an HCA score under 2 and IDJ can get you an idealscope image too.

If you call them they will be able to get you either of those settings with a great 70 point center.



Tell them PS sent you. And mention that you have a post up.

 

[thanksinadvance]

Those Ritani rings are beautiful, thank you very much for those links.

My jeweler is telling me that once you go down to a certain grade of stone, around J or K color, if you go to resell your ring, the stone will be worth a fraction of what you paid for it initially whereas the a higher grade diamond will retain it's value much better. Is this correct? Can anyone elaborate? Thank you!

 

[TC1987]

J and K are considered "warm" colors. The "I" range is said to be where most people can start to see tint. Depending how color sensitive a person is or isn't, a J or K might not be white enough for some people for an engagement ring. But a lot of people on here do have large J or even K diamonds.

Did you look up the thread J in Platinum, under "helpful threads" sticky?

If you think you might have to sell your diamond, or that you might want to trade up for larger size or better color, pay close attention to the seller's buyback and upgrade policies, if any. Not all are the same. Some of the b&M jewelers don't offer much in that department.

eta: There are also threads about how to sell your diamonds. Essentially if you buy any diamond, then try to sell it in a short timeframe, you are likely to get only some fraction of what you paid. J or K might be tougher to sell than a colorless or near colorless, unless you find the right person who knows they like J or K.

 

[thanksinadvance]

My jeweler says the ring, similar to the one pictures here http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER9360W44JJ will cost $2400 without a stone. Does this sound high to anyone else? She says it is because of the excellent CS they provide and the quality of the work performed. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

 

[bgray]

My jeweler says the ring, similar to the one pictures here http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER9360W44JJ will cost $2400 without a stone. Does this sound high to anyone else? She says it is because of the excellent CS they provide and the quality of the work performed. Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

its late and i am tired so i am being blunt: walk away from your jeweler. go online and buy the best quality/and biggest stone you can buy. to spend half your budget on a mounting is nuts -sorry. you spend every penny on the stone and put it in a simple 14k white gold mounting. you can upgrade the setting in 5 years or whenever. Further: if you ever go to sell or upgrade the only thing worth anything is the stone. the mounting will be virtually worthless. scrap weight.

 

[thanksinadvance]

Thank you for being blunt. If I still want the setting to look exactly like a Tiffany Legacy can I just go find another jeweler who isn't charging prices like that? How can I tell the difference between good and poor quality work? Any pointers? Thank you.

 

[Clairitek]

Thank you for being blunt. If I still want the setting to look exactly like a Tiffany Legacy can I just go find another jeweler who isn't charging prices like that? How can I tell the difference between good and poor quality work? Any pointers? Thank you.

Gypsy explained upthread that you can call ID Jewelry (aka IDJ) about that specific setting. I think she mentioned that they offer about 20% off of Gabriel and Co's list price for their settings. It's a gorgeous setting and I think it will satisfy your girlfriend's desire for a Legacy-esque setting.

ID Jewelry is also really great at working within a budget. Mention that Pricescope sent you when you call them. They can find you a gorgeous modern round brilliant to stick in the cushion-shaped halo (it'll then look an awful lot like a cushion in a cushion halo but with the performance of an MRB- generally better -at least to me- than a cushion cut stone) all within your cost parameters.

 

[thanksinadvance]

Gypsy explained upthread that you can call ID Jewelry (aka IDJ) about that specific setting. I think she mentioned that they offer about 20% off of Gabriel and Co's list price for their settings. It's a gorgeous setting and I think it will satisfy your girlfriend's desire for a Legacy-esque setting.

ID Jewelry is also really great at working within a budget. Mention that Pricescope sent you when you call them. They can find you a gorgeous modern round brilliant to stick in the cushion-shaped halo (it'll then look an awful lot like a cushion in a cushion halo but with the performance of an MRB- generally better -at least to me- than a cushion cut stone) all within your cost parameters.

I looked at those rings and it seems there are several sizes, increasing in price.

small: http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER9505W44JJ
larger: http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER7527W44JJ
larger: http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER9346W44JJ
largest: http://www.gabrielny.com/engaged/style/ER9348W44JJ

Is this because only the bigger rings will fit the larger diamonds or do some people just want a larger ring?

 

[swingirl]

The size of the center stone will determine the overall ring size and cost. (larger center stone = more stones around the halo and more metal).

Work with ID Jewelry and take Gypsy's advice. She is a miracle worker when it comes to matching styles with budgets!