The following is my incredibly belated (and long) thank you to the members of this board, most notably Strmrdr (aka Storm) for all the help he gave me on choosing an Asscher. The following glowing praise I have for Bill Pearlman and his family should be read by anyone ordering their first high priced item online and worrying about whether they should be shopping online or in the malls for something like this. In my opinion, PearlmansJewelers.com and Pricescope.com are the perfect example of how online retail for high priced items like engagement rings is not only feasible, but superior to shopping via brick and mortar. You can skip the following extremely long praise for both websites, but just know that I couldn’t have gotten the ‘Perfect Ring’ for my engagement without them and I owe them a lot!
My search for the right diamond and ring lead me to Pricescope.com sometime in January of 2006. Armed with only a few hints by my future Fiancé with regards to what she liked in a ring (mostly she kept saying she liked ‘everything!’) I set out trying to find the perfect ring for her amidst all the rings out there. The only thing I could get her to lock in on was that she loved a 4ct. Asscher cut diamond she once saw (YIKES) and that she loved details, like pavé and milligrain. She loves sparkles from the ring itself as opposed to a huge diamond that does all the sparkling.
Once I saw it, I fell in love with the Asscher cut diamond. It’s so deep and complex and yet slightly uncommon. In fact, no one I personally knew in real life had ever seen or heard of one. Working on the budget I had of between $4000 and $5000 I knew I was going to have to compromise to get exactly what I wanted. Not surprisingly 4ct Asschers were not available in that price range.
My searches through Pricewatch.com lead me to several dealers who received praise from the locals, but one of the sites always stood out to me: PearlmansJewelers.com. I’m not a big fan of talking to people over the phone and love the convenience of emailing my questions in this way I can avoid the high pressure sales tactics I was almost positive would follow. So I shot Bill Pearlman an email and was answered within the afternoon.
Over the course of a 4 month search for the right diamond and ring to fit my budget Mr. Pearlman probably exchanged over 80 emails with me, all in person, and all with the most incredible amount of patience and desire to help. Not only did he entertain my seemingly unending questions, worries, indecisions and changes of heart, he helped me get through it all and lock in on what I can only call the Perfect Ring for my Rebecca.
One more thing to mention is that he kept me from making several mistakes in my search. Like many men, I felt that spending more money would show her that I loved her more. I also thought getting the biggest I could would make this the best I can give her. Bill turned me around. In fact, at the detriment of his own wallet because when I was ready to bust the bank and asked him to find me a diamond bigger than the one I was looking at towards the end, he practically told me no. In fact, over the phone, he reminded me about what getting engaged really means and not to be taken in on the whole ‘bigger is better’ strategy of the diamond industry and convinced me to buy a diamond 2/3 the price of the one I asked for, bringing me under budget on the ring! Now that is something I NEVER EXPECTED!
Bill Pearlman helped me choose the right ring to fit the diamond, and once I trusted in his expertise I found out that he was right. Once I received the ring he helped me find fitted with that incredible Asscher my jaw dropped and I made the solemn promise that I would never question his judgment again. To this day, 3 months later, I still see Rebecca starring at her ring and playing with the sparkles making them dance across the ceiling. Needless to say, he has not only my recommendation, but my all of my business from now on.
And once again, I have to thank the members of this board. Not only for answering my questions but for answering so many other people’s questions, of which I read many to find out what I needed. I did extensive research through this board and anyone who cares a lick about what they’re actually buying their future fiancés should take the time to at least lurk through these forums and not be too afraid to ask questions of their own. Thank you to everyone here for the wealth of knowledge they contribute to what is a pretty stressful decision.
Oh yea… if you want to see the ring Bill helped me pick out, here’s the link:
Scott Kay 95U1
Imagine that with a beautiful ¾ ct Asscher and that’s it! Here’s a picture of it moments after she said ‘Yes!’. My camera wasn’t able to handle taking pictures up close, so this is the best we could do:
Picture of the Ring
She wouldn't even take it off to put back in the box for a picture...
My search for the right diamond and ring lead me to Pricescope.com sometime in January of 2006. Armed with only a few hints by my future Fiancé with regards to what she liked in a ring (mostly she kept saying she liked ‘everything!’) I set out trying to find the perfect ring for her amidst all the rings out there. The only thing I could get her to lock in on was that she loved a 4ct. Asscher cut diamond she once saw (YIKES) and that she loved details, like pavé and milligrain. She loves sparkles from the ring itself as opposed to a huge diamond that does all the sparkling.
Once I saw it, I fell in love with the Asscher cut diamond. It’s so deep and complex and yet slightly uncommon. In fact, no one I personally knew in real life had ever seen or heard of one. Working on the budget I had of between $4000 and $5000 I knew I was going to have to compromise to get exactly what I wanted. Not surprisingly 4ct Asschers were not available in that price range.
My searches through Pricewatch.com lead me to several dealers who received praise from the locals, but one of the sites always stood out to me: PearlmansJewelers.com. I’m not a big fan of talking to people over the phone and love the convenience of emailing my questions in this way I can avoid the high pressure sales tactics I was almost positive would follow. So I shot Bill Pearlman an email and was answered within the afternoon.
Over the course of a 4 month search for the right diamond and ring to fit my budget Mr. Pearlman probably exchanged over 80 emails with me, all in person, and all with the most incredible amount of patience and desire to help. Not only did he entertain my seemingly unending questions, worries, indecisions and changes of heart, he helped me get through it all and lock in on what I can only call the Perfect Ring for my Rebecca.
One more thing to mention is that he kept me from making several mistakes in my search. Like many men, I felt that spending more money would show her that I loved her more. I also thought getting the biggest I could would make this the best I can give her. Bill turned me around. In fact, at the detriment of his own wallet because when I was ready to bust the bank and asked him to find me a diamond bigger than the one I was looking at towards the end, he practically told me no. In fact, over the phone, he reminded me about what getting engaged really means and not to be taken in on the whole ‘bigger is better’ strategy of the diamond industry and convinced me to buy a diamond 2/3 the price of the one I asked for, bringing me under budget on the ring! Now that is something I NEVER EXPECTED!
Bill Pearlman helped me choose the right ring to fit the diamond, and once I trusted in his expertise I found out that he was right. Once I received the ring he helped me find fitted with that incredible Asscher my jaw dropped and I made the solemn promise that I would never question his judgment again. To this day, 3 months later, I still see Rebecca starring at her ring and playing with the sparkles making them dance across the ceiling. Needless to say, he has not only my recommendation, but my all of my business from now on.
And once again, I have to thank the members of this board. Not only for answering my questions but for answering so many other people’s questions, of which I read many to find out what I needed. I did extensive research through this board and anyone who cares a lick about what they’re actually buying their future fiancés should take the time to at least lurk through these forums and not be too afraid to ask questions of their own. Thank you to everyone here for the wealth of knowledge they contribute to what is a pretty stressful decision.
Oh yea… if you want to see the ring Bill helped me pick out, here’s the link:
Scott Kay 95U1
Imagine that with a beautiful ¾ ct Asscher and that’s it! Here’s a picture of it moments after she said ‘Yes!’. My camera wasn’t able to handle taking pictures up close, so this is the best we could do:
Picture of the Ring
She wouldn't even take it off to put back in the box for a picture...
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