ceaphron
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2008
- Messages
- 13
Aloha everyone,
My engagement ring finally came together today and I wanted to thank everyone who made it happen. I wish I could take pictures to show you how amazing the final result is!
The Diamond
I would have never thought in a million years that we would have been able to get such a breathtaking diamond with our budget. I had fallen in love with the Hearts on Fire diamonds, but our visit to the B&M store was full of heartbreak. There was no way my fiance and I could afford the ring I wanted (we have too many hobbies!)
I started researching online (originally to find out why HoF look so great) and found PS, which lead me to WHITEFLASH.
Whiteflash''s customer service is phenomenal. BELIEVE THE HYPE. I was anxious to get my diamond, and even though I called them HALF AN HOUR before the cutoff time for orders that day, they were able to process my order. My diamond arrived via Fedex the next day at 10:30am. Everyone I spoke with at WF seemed very knowledgeable and were very helpful. They obviously have their act together.
We ended up getting a .516 carat G SI1 A Cut Above Round Brilliant. It cost less than half of what HoF was asking for a similarly sized diamond, and my girl sparkles more in regular lighting than that HoF did in the special store lighting! At first I was unsure about the color and clarity. "Regular" consumers get hammered with how important color and clarity are, so I was hesitant to go below an F/VS2. However, so many people on PS were happy with their H''s and I''s that I figured G was a safe bet. I saw my diamond outside for the first time today and the diamond was blindingly white. It honestly looked like a white laser was shooting out of it.
It was easy for me to see my inclusions through a loupe, but it''s impossible with the naked eye because it''s so darn sparkly. Do not fear the SI, people!
Setting
Like a lot of people, I wanted the convenience of platinum but wanted to pay white gold prices. I learned about palladium, and found a fantastic floral engraved setting on the Danforth Diamonds website. When I ordered the setting it was $250. A few days later, Danforth had a holiday sale and everything was 10% off. Even though I had ordered when the setting was $250, they gave me the discount anyway! They''re fantastic to deal with!
I was unsure about palladium at first because it seemed hardly anyone carried it, but a search on PS showed a lot of satisfied palladium owners. I''m really glad we went with it - it''s platinum colored and low-maintenance (no rhodium dipping!) but was really affordable.
Setting the stone in the Ring
This was the most harrowing part because no one locally has experience with palladium. There were many jewelers who were willing to try. I searched the PS forums for the qualities I should look for in a jeweler, and found one with the help of the BBB website. My guy charged a very reasonable price and accepted liability for my setting and diamond if they got damaged in the process. He invited us to watch him work on my ring which put us immediately at ease. From reading on PS, I knew exactly how the prongs were supposed to look and he ended up doing an amazing job. We tipped him an extra 50% because I was so happy with the results: a diamond set low with perfectly polished and rounded prongs that were just the right size.
Insurance
Whiteflash mentions Jeweler''s Mutual on their website, and PSers seem to have pretty good experiences with them. We are in the process of purchasing insurance from them. The application process is completely painless, and WF thoughtfully included a report with the diamond that can be used to show your diamond''s value.
Conclusion
I am grateful to have had Pricescope guide me through the e-ring process. The one bad thing is that a girl can get SERIOUS ring envy browsing through the Show Me the Ring forums! However, once my completed little half carat beauty was on my finger, I knew it was meant for me. I love it almost as much as the man who gave it to me
THANKS PRICESCOPE!!!
My engagement ring finally came together today and I wanted to thank everyone who made it happen. I wish I could take pictures to show you how amazing the final result is!
The Diamond
I would have never thought in a million years that we would have been able to get such a breathtaking diamond with our budget. I had fallen in love with the Hearts on Fire diamonds, but our visit to the B&M store was full of heartbreak. There was no way my fiance and I could afford the ring I wanted (we have too many hobbies!)
I started researching online (originally to find out why HoF look so great) and found PS, which lead me to WHITEFLASH.
Whiteflash''s customer service is phenomenal. BELIEVE THE HYPE. I was anxious to get my diamond, and even though I called them HALF AN HOUR before the cutoff time for orders that day, they were able to process my order. My diamond arrived via Fedex the next day at 10:30am. Everyone I spoke with at WF seemed very knowledgeable and were very helpful. They obviously have their act together.
We ended up getting a .516 carat G SI1 A Cut Above Round Brilliant. It cost less than half of what HoF was asking for a similarly sized diamond, and my girl sparkles more in regular lighting than that HoF did in the special store lighting! At first I was unsure about the color and clarity. "Regular" consumers get hammered with how important color and clarity are, so I was hesitant to go below an F/VS2. However, so many people on PS were happy with their H''s and I''s that I figured G was a safe bet. I saw my diamond outside for the first time today and the diamond was blindingly white. It honestly looked like a white laser was shooting out of it.
It was easy for me to see my inclusions through a loupe, but it''s impossible with the naked eye because it''s so darn sparkly. Do not fear the SI, people!
Setting
Like a lot of people, I wanted the convenience of platinum but wanted to pay white gold prices. I learned about palladium, and found a fantastic floral engraved setting on the Danforth Diamonds website. When I ordered the setting it was $250. A few days later, Danforth had a holiday sale and everything was 10% off. Even though I had ordered when the setting was $250, they gave me the discount anyway! They''re fantastic to deal with!
I was unsure about palladium at first because it seemed hardly anyone carried it, but a search on PS showed a lot of satisfied palladium owners. I''m really glad we went with it - it''s platinum colored and low-maintenance (no rhodium dipping!) but was really affordable.
Setting the stone in the Ring
This was the most harrowing part because no one locally has experience with palladium. There were many jewelers who were willing to try. I searched the PS forums for the qualities I should look for in a jeweler, and found one with the help of the BBB website. My guy charged a very reasonable price and accepted liability for my setting and diamond if they got damaged in the process. He invited us to watch him work on my ring which put us immediately at ease. From reading on PS, I knew exactly how the prongs were supposed to look and he ended up doing an amazing job. We tipped him an extra 50% because I was so happy with the results: a diamond set low with perfectly polished and rounded prongs that were just the right size.
Insurance
Whiteflash mentions Jeweler''s Mutual on their website, and PSers seem to have pretty good experiences with them. We are in the process of purchasing insurance from them. The application process is completely painless, and WF thoughtfully included a report with the diamond that can be used to show your diamond''s value.
Conclusion
I am grateful to have had Pricescope guide me through the e-ring process. The one bad thing is that a girl can get SERIOUS ring envy browsing through the Show Me the Ring forums! However, once my completed little half carat beauty was on my finger, I knew it was meant for me. I love it almost as much as the man who gave it to me
THANKS PRICESCOPE!!!
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