should I make the trip to see an online retailer?

[andys0621]

Hiya,

I''m in the market for an e-ring. Thanks to this forum and some books, I''ve educated myself a fair deal, but nowhere close to a lot of people out here It seems there are several online vendors that are trusted and I feel confident that I could get a quality diamond out of anyone of them.

I live in Seattle, about 350 miles away from niceice. I''m leaning toward taking a day off work and heading out there. I want a tiffany setting and the fact that they seem to have a good reputation and provide the setting I want makes the one-stop shopping appealing to me. I''m guessing that if I see what I''m buying and don''t have the constant fear of mistrust I''ll feel better about the purchase.

My biggest fear is going down there, and just thinking ...duh..., I can''t tell the difference, I should have just done this online. It''s about 11 hours roundtrip so it''s not a small trip.

So if one can look back to their formative newbie years, da ya think it would be worth heading down there in person? I''m leaning toward going. Any opinions? Thanks!

Andy

 

[Patty]

I say GO! You will put your mind at ease to see the stones and settings in person. My husband and I made an 8 hour round trip last year to see a stone at an appraiser''s office. I do not regret it at all even though I could have just bought it outright based on the seller''s reputation. It gave us peace of mind to see it ahead of time and to hear what the appraiser had to say about it.

 

[valeria101]

You seem quite sure about what you want... The mail cannot let you try on different stones and settings, but once you know what you want, what difference can 11 hours driving

make ?

Just a Q... I know I wouldn't so the 36 hour flight from here to there by all means

 

[hoorray]

You didn''t mention how far into the buying process you are, other than getting educated. Have you talked to Niceice yet? Do they have several stones and settings in stock that you are considering? If the answers are yes, then by all means go. There is nothing like making the final decision live, with choices and knowledgable people to help you.

If you are not that far yet, I''d wait. Make sure they have what you are looking for and you are pretty sure about your criteria. I wouldn''t make the trip as part of the deciding what you want process. Make it for the final decision, if that makes sense.

 

[noobie]

I say STAY! Sorry Patty. It''s easy for me to say this since I actually went to see the stone before my first online purchase in spite of all of the good experiences here. There''s just no getting around the first time (hmm, that didn''t sound right). After buying a few stones online, I wouldn''t hesitate and do not need to see them in person first. You get tons of information from the vendors, more then most stores.

If you plan to use NiceIce, I''m sure you''ll get a fantastic stone. Their standards are very high.

Save your time and gas to look around at settings

 

[andys0621]

Thanks for the feedback. Still don''t know what I''m going to do.

To answer lop''s question about how far I''m in the process. Well, only about midpoint. I''ve been browsing goodoldgold, niceice, superbcert, whiteash for about a month. Part of the problem is, I haven''t made up my mind on what specs I want. I''m hoping to surprise my girlfriend so I''m not including her in the decision, but I know her tastes and she''s not that picky either. (seriously, she doesn''t wear much jewlery, it''s not just male optimistic thinking).

The budget is about 15K. Size is probably not that important as she''s not that flashy. That''s about the only parameters, which is why I''m thinking of just limiting my choices and end the dizzying array of decisions

Although I''ve seen people give recommendations based on a price range before and would be open to hearing one too

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/11/2004 2:41

9 AM
Author: andys0621

Although I've seen people give recommendations based on a price range before and would be open to hearing one too

"Not flashy" means that she may appreciate some more refines meaning of quality than "what shows at arm's length". Surely I do not know your future fiancee... just have some idea about my own definitely non flashy self.

How does F/G, VS and a very carefuly made platinum solitaire sound for starters?

 

[noobie]

Date: 11/11/2004 2:41

9 AM
Author: andys0621

The budget is about 15K. Size is probably not that important as she''s not that flashy. That''s about the only parameters, which is why I''m thinking of just limiting my choices and end the dizzying array of decisions

Although I''ve seen people give recommendations based on a price range before and would be open to hearing one too

Have you decided on the shape of stone, round, cushion, princess, emerald? 15K is a great budget, you should be able to get a very nice ring for that. My wife is not flashy by any definition, however she would prefer a trade-of of a larger stone over some specs as long as it''s clean, white and cut very well. I would have bought higher specs since I''m technically minded. Diamond shrinkage does indeed occur. I''ve met very few people that regretted buying the largest stone that fit their budget and specs.

My wife still does not wear alot of jewelry. It doesn''t mean they don''t like it. I mistook her not wearing jewelry as a sign not to buy her any for about ten years. Never complained. I''m making up for it now.

That being said, I''m not encouraging you to buy a large stone. Try to get a sense of what she would want. With my wife my first guess would have been wrong, but it was very difficult to get anything out of her. Most girls don''t want to seem greedy when all you really want is some guidance.

 

[longtimelurker]

I''m going to give you the same advice I gave my brother about 9 months ago...

Go to Alvin Goldfarb in Bellevue. They have the Canadian-ideal cut diamonds. Just look and look (pay no attention to prices).

Then you can go two (at most) blocks further and check out EE Robins.

At both of these places you can look at cut, color, inclusions, size and setting options. Can you see a difference in the way the diamonds look? Try to get an idea as to what certain mm look like (not necessarily the weight).

(Dsclaimer: I have wanted an excuse to go visit NiceIce) Then call Robin & Todd and setup a time when they will be there to visit. You can then look at their diamonds, which are awesome, and maybe come closer to a decision on what you want. It would be nice if you could narrow it down as to what you are looking for in size, color, clarity berfore you went, so they could call-in stones if they''re not already in inventory. If they don''t have what you want on the day you go there, you''ll then have a certain comfort level that the diamond they say is "the one" is a great stone. You can always have them send it up to you to preview at Elliot Gemological Laboratory in Bellevue.

Good luck! In your pricerange, I''d agree with Ana as to the possible specs. That lines up nicely with NiceIce''s type of stone.

 

[strmrdr]

In my opinion it would be worth the trip just to meet Robin and Todd.
Wink Jones is in your neck of the woods also.
www.winkjones.com

 

[longtimelurker]

Wink/Winfield''s is in Boise, ID, which is about 500 miles from Seattle (NiceIce is closer at only 350 miles each way!)

If you don''t want to spend a whole day, there are places in the Seattle area to get an idea as to what a "H&A" type stone looks like. (and then trust the vendors)

But if you want an "excuse" to go: I''d LOVE to meet R&T...and see all their diamonds...and buy one...

I''m perfectly happy to purchase over the net (with diamonds sent for a preview); but part of me wanted R&T to have "the one" show up in their inventory so I would have an excuse to drive down there. It just never happened (don''t even ask how many times I''ve looked at NiceIce''s inventory).

For the record, I''ve purchased from GOG and Whiteflash; my brother purchased from DCD''s signature line.

 

[noobie]

I''m sorry, but even though Robin and Tod are wonderful people, I don''t drive 350 miles (one way) to buy anything that I can get shipped to me. I did drive 50 miles to meet Jim Schultz, but I wouldn''t feel the need to do it again. Then again, I''m not young and single.

I already feel like my day could be 8 hours longer.

I''m sure R/T would provide you with a stone that could not be beat by any store close to you for performance at a very competitive price. For that matter the vendors lop and ltl mentioned could do the same.

Post some stones and specs here and peolpe will help you. One thing, if there is a stone that think could be the one, make sure you''ve got that puppy on hold before you post it here.