Time for My First Post/Question

[newdiamondfan]

I''ve been lurking in here for about 2 weeks and I''ve really enjoyed the various discussions. It''s nice to read the opinions of people who are passionate about their craft. I''ve mostly been in the engagement ring threads, as I will be proposing in 2 weeks.

I have until February 10 to get the engagement ring in my hands. I am a novice, armed only with some knowledge gained in here and by visiting some actual stores to look at stones. I am looking to spend about $5000-8000 on a round solitaire. I seem to care most about cut and carat (G, H, I colors all looked fine to me in person, as did VS2 and SI1 clarities).

My question is simple: what would you do in my shoes, given the time constraint? I went to Tiffany today and almost bought a 0.97 ct Tiffany setting (platinum) ring on the spot for about $8000 - it looked beautiful to me. I don''t mind paying more than market, but is a Tiffany diamond/setting as good in quality as what the better online dealers offer... I honestly don''t know.

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

__________________________________________

"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing".

 

[Dreamer_D]

Well, Tiffany''s is a name brand and you pay a lot for that. You can get much more for your money online. I would only go with Tiffany''s IF you gf has explicitly said she wants something from them.

Lots of PS vendors make tiffany style settings.

For your budget you won''t get over the 1.5ct mark. Here are some diamonds in the 1.25ct range that fit your budget:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231246.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231253.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2199905.htm
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5634/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4878/
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-1040383970005

 

[newdiamondfan]

No, she is not set on receiving a Tiffany ring. She doesn't even know that I am proposing.

Thanks for those links - wow, those are definitely bigger rocks. My only question is are those cuts as good as the Tiffany cut I looked at? Is the rock as shiny in person? If so, then yeah, I could get a lot more for my money!

Additional question: I was planning on paying cash for this ring. How do these companies handle things like that?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:28:29 AM
Author: newdiamondfan
No, she is not set on receiving a Tiffany ring. She doesn''t even know that I am proposing.

Thanks for those links - wow, those are definitely bigger rocks. My only question is are those cuts as good as the Tiffany cut I looked at? Is the rock as shiny in person? If so, then yeah, I could get a lot more for my money!

Additional question: I was planning on paying cash for this ring. How do these companies handle things like that?

The diamonds I linked will look as good or better than the Tiffany rocks you looked at. They are all ideal H&A diamonds sold by vendors who specialize in selling ideal cuts. Tiffany diamonds are generally very nice, but some are not ideal proportions. I would wager that the ones I linked are better cuts on average

You can do a wire transfer with all of these vendors. You receive a discount if you do so. If you meant "paying cash" like a bag full of money, well then you''ll have to figure it out on your own

 

[newdiamondfan]

Thanks Dreamer, that's great to hear that those cuts should be as good (or better) than the Tiffany. I guess I'm old fashioned - it's difficult to pull the trigger on such a big purchase without even seeing the item first in person! Maybe that's a generational thing.

Haha, funny comment about the 'bag of money'. No, I meant less Sopranos-like of course. So I just buy the thing online and tell the diamond dealer to contact my bank for my funds? As simple as that? OK, maybe I have to pull the trigger and go for this new-age way of buying expensive things.

One more question: what are your thoughts on these dealers in Pricescope? Are there any that you can vouch for, and completely trust?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/1/2010 12:46:13 AM
Author: newdiamondfan
Thanks Dreamer, that''s great to hear that those cuts should be as good (or better) than the Tiffany. I guess I''m old fashioned - it''s difficult to pull the trigger on such a big purchase without even seeing the item first in person! Maybe that''s a generational thing.

Haha, funny comment about the ''bag of money''. No, I meant less Sopranos-like of course. So I just buy the thing online and tell the diamond dealer to contact my bank for my funds? As simple as that? OK, maybe I have to pull the trigger and go for this new-age way of buying expensive things.

One more question: what are your thoughts on these dealers in Pricescope? Are there any that you can vouch for, and completely trust?

It is late on the east coast and that is why you are only getting me replying to you

, since it is only 10pm on the westcoast, but I have been around a while and with no hesitation would recommend:

www.briangavindiamonds.com
www.whiteflash.com
www.goodoldgold.com
www.highperformancediamonds.com

I have personally purchased from the first two and would buy from the other two without hesitation, they all have *stellar* reputaions on PS. You can try a search on this forum of any of these companies and you will find many testimonials. What I like about these vendors is that a good portion of their sales seem to come from PS. Which means their reputation here really matters to them, so when something goes wrong they will make it right, because that type of customer service is what makes PSers happy, and what keeps us recommending them

I like accountablity in my diamond vendors. Keeps em honest

As for the wire transfer, they will tell you how to do it. It is very easy. I am not very tech saavy and managed it a couple times myself

You give the information to your bank and the bank sends it to their account. Costs about $25, but there is a discount for paying that way so it ends up being cheaper no matter what.

Finally, all of these vendors have very liberal return policies. If you receive your ring and are not happy, you can return it for a refund or an exchange. You can also take it for an appraisal before the return period is up. Some of these vendors will also make movies for you of your diamond, Good Old Gold and High Performance Diamonds have done this and it is a nice feature of their service.

 

[Dreamer_D]

BTW to be sure you get it by the 10th you probably need to order it, like, yesterday

 

[i love shiny things]

Congrats!

go here, they have a lot of videos 300+ that answers all kinds of questions you will have. I think if you call them at goodoldgold.com, they will even show you a few stones you pick out online.

good luck, hope it helps!

 

[i love shiny things]

oops, forgot the link

http://www.vimeo.com/diamondinfo

 

[reggie]

Congratulations on the upcoming engagement.

The first ring I bought was a Tiffany’s solitaire. I think it cost between 6-7k. I believe it was .77 ct, h color and vs2. It’s been so long ago I can’t remember exactly. I loved everything about it and so did the girl. At the time I thought I got my money’s worth.

By the time I was ready to buy my second engagement ring (lol) I had found pricescope and did all the usual research that we all do when we first get on here. I initially felt everyone on here had a personal vendetta against Tiffany’s so everything I read about them I took it with a grain of salt. I did decide though to try to see if I could get something as comparable to what I bought at Tiffany’s but do it on my own and at a cheaper price. I went to the local jeweler and had him get me a .78ct AGS 000 round diamond, I color and s1. Before the jeweler had the ring shipped to him I had him run it through the hca to make sure it wasn’t rejected by that. (the jeweler had never heard of that before btw) This process definitely took more than 2 weeks.

The diamond looked so good a few people even thought it was fake. I thought it looked just as good as the Tiffany’s at the fraction of the cost. The whole ring cost 3500 but the setting was in gold instead of platinum so that did help the price some.

You have a golden opportunity to knock the socks of your girlfriend with a very nice ring within that budget. My own personal opinion is that you can get a better diamond with that budget using vendors on here then if you buy from Tiffany’s. But, Tiffany’s does have a world renowned name. If your girlfriend goes to work and she tells all her girlfriends that her ring is from Tiffany’s, most of them will probably be jealous and envious. If she tells them you bought your ring online from some internet company it just doesn’t have the same effect.

Because of your time constraints I’d call early this morning to any of the venders dreamer dachsie suggested and see if it you can get a ring done in your time frame. Just tell them exactly what you told us as far as why type of diamond/setting/price range you are looking for and ask them to work a miracle for you. www.goodoldgold.com is closed on Mondays so keep that in mind. I think it can be done and with them knowing you will come back on here and share your experience it will be great PR for any of them. Good luck!