mrdiamondj
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2008
- Messages
- 7
Hey all,
My girlfriend and I were on the lookout for engagement rings tonight. Since I know some Atlantans in here are always curious about reputable jewellers, I thought I''d give the group the lowdown on our little trip.
1) Solomon Brothers - Huge selection and very nice staff. They showed us several different stones, G, H, I, of various clarities. We liked the H, VS2 I believe. It was great to (finally) see different colors in person, and look at some inclusions up close. From my research (and dealing with Whiteflash), their stones seem pricey though.
2) Giordano & Co. (Perimeter Mall) - These guys offer estate rings as well as some new stuff. My girlfriend loved a ring here, but I balked when they told me that they had no certification on its stones. They were like "They''re G color and SI2 clarity" and I''m thinking "So you say, but do you have anything on paper to back that up?" They told me that I could have the ring appraised, but that seems like a real hassle. Once I started showing doubt I got the hard sell, which turned me off.
3) Zales - Pretty hard sell from these guys too, and they also had a ring that my girlfriend LOVED, but again no certified stones. The Zales rep said we could get it appraised with a 30-day money back guarantee. I told them we''d come back if we were interested, which is tough to do when your girlfriend is staring you in the face saying "I love this ring".
4) Mayor''s - A small selection of nice stuff, but out of our price range (which is probably fluctuating between $3000 and $5000 at this point).
Stuff that Mall Shop (note: not Mayor''s or Solomon Brothers) Staff told me that I figure is B.S.:
- Insinuation that certification is a waste of money because it artificially adds to the price of the stone
- AGS/GIA certification isn''t done on stones below a carat, specifically .50 carat stones
- Certification adds "thousands of dollars" to the cost of a stone
Thoughts? What do you guys think of buying a ring, getting it appraised, and then returning it if it isn''t what they said it was? Sounds shady and stupid to me.
Also, in terms of walking out of the places that didn''t sell certified stones, did I do the right thing? My rationale was "I''m not paying several thousand dollars for something when I don''t know 100% what I''m getting". At least at Solomon Brothers I know they''d be able to show me the GIA certification (they offer GIA and EGL-certified stones, and I went GIA all the way). From my observations, the "real" jewellers (i.e. not mall shops) had certified stones, but the mall shops were uncertified (at least in our price range).
-j-
My girlfriend and I were on the lookout for engagement rings tonight. Since I know some Atlantans in here are always curious about reputable jewellers, I thought I''d give the group the lowdown on our little trip.
1) Solomon Brothers - Huge selection and very nice staff. They showed us several different stones, G, H, I, of various clarities. We liked the H, VS2 I believe. It was great to (finally) see different colors in person, and look at some inclusions up close. From my research (and dealing with Whiteflash), their stones seem pricey though.
2) Giordano & Co. (Perimeter Mall) - These guys offer estate rings as well as some new stuff. My girlfriend loved a ring here, but I balked when they told me that they had no certification on its stones. They were like "They''re G color and SI2 clarity" and I''m thinking "So you say, but do you have anything on paper to back that up?" They told me that I could have the ring appraised, but that seems like a real hassle. Once I started showing doubt I got the hard sell, which turned me off.
3) Zales - Pretty hard sell from these guys too, and they also had a ring that my girlfriend LOVED, but again no certified stones. The Zales rep said we could get it appraised with a 30-day money back guarantee. I told them we''d come back if we were interested, which is tough to do when your girlfriend is staring you in the face saying "I love this ring".
4) Mayor''s - A small selection of nice stuff, but out of our price range (which is probably fluctuating between $3000 and $5000 at this point).
Stuff that Mall Shop (note: not Mayor''s or Solomon Brothers) Staff told me that I figure is B.S.:
- Insinuation that certification is a waste of money because it artificially adds to the price of the stone
- AGS/GIA certification isn''t done on stones below a carat, specifically .50 carat stones
- Certification adds "thousands of dollars" to the cost of a stone
Thoughts? What do you guys think of buying a ring, getting it appraised, and then returning it if it isn''t what they said it was? Sounds shady and stupid to me.
Also, in terms of walking out of the places that didn''t sell certified stones, did I do the right thing? My rationale was "I''m not paying several thousand dollars for something when I don''t know 100% what I''m getting". At least at Solomon Brothers I know they''d be able to show me the GIA certification (they offer GIA and EGL-certified stones, and I went GIA all the way). From my observations, the "real" jewellers (i.e. not mall shops) had certified stones, but the mall shops were uncertified (at least in our price range).
-j-
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