TOTAL NOVICE - engagement ring

[Babyblue033]

I''m a 29 yr old female, living with my boyfriend of 4 years with our 5 cats and 2 parrots. As expected of your typical "crazy cat lady" (and proud of it!), I know very little when it comes to diamonds and don''t own a single one yet

As you can imagine we''re talking about getting married, buying a house, adopting a dog (unfortunately in that order), etc etc and our first step is to get an engagement ring to make it official. As I am quite picky about just about everything, it''s been pretty much left to me to pick out my own ring. For months, I had been casually looking at some diamonds online (blue niles mostly) with very little thought to the setting. I looked at some basic solitaires and figured I''d be happy with any one of them.

Then the other day I stumbled onto Fay Cullen and saw these:

http://www.faycullen.com/engagement_rings/800/d1025r1dr.html

http://www.faycullen.com/engagement_rings/800/e1218r9d.html

The level of excitement has gone up to a whole new level and I''m now seriously thinking about finally getting this ring. I would love to get either of these rings but after doing some quick research I do have a few concerns. First is the "default" diamond that comes with these rings. They seem ok to this novice but I can''t help but be a little hesitant to do the package deal. Second is the quality/craftmanship of the settings from this vendor. Lastly, their policies seem a little fishy to me and not quite trustworthy. Lots of "we''re a small family oriented company and you get great customer support" but with very little solid info about how exactly they support you and stand behind the products.

I''m wondering if I should purchase the diamond separately and try to find a jeweler who can replicate the setting. The big issue though is that we really have a strict budget of $5000 or less, as we''re saving up for a house and frankly I already feel pretty guilty spending this much money on a single ring for myself. Would going this route be costly? Would I be able to find a local place that can even do something like this?

Or maybe I''m thinking too much into this and I should just buy from Fay Cullen. I admit the temptation of instant satisfaction is difficult to deny

I feel like a child being finicky about a toy in a room full of serious diamond aficionados, but this is such a huge things for us, both emotionally and financially. I''d appreciate any advise/input you can provide and thank you for your time.

 

[LGK]

I'm not a fan of FC. I emailed them a question about a loose diamond- they list virtual diamonds, and they were listing some from another seller that actually physically HAD the diamonds... FC had them priced at hundreds less. I actually paid the $200 extra to avoid working with them. I hated their return policy- minimum $200 restocking fee, IIRC. And the guy who responded to my email was... not so pleasant in tone.

The place I did buy my Old European Cut diamond was OldWorldDiamonds.com. Adam was VERY helpful with selecting a stone sight unseen- he rooted through about 5, telling me the one he thought was the best performer, and they have a great return policy (10 days money back). I got a much better vibe from OWD. They have pictures posted on line. Yes, FC lists their diamond on their site for cheaper. But I was willing to pay more to avoid them, like I said!

I think those two rings are priced high for what they are, and since neither are actual antique settings, I'm not psyched about that. Sometimes it's worth it to pay more for an antique stone in its original antique setting, because the uniqueness & workmanship is so hard to put a price on. But for new settings you can get other places, not feeling it.

I would suggest getting the diamond loose- OWD, or SingleStone, are both good sources for loose OEC diamonds, if that's what you liked about the FC ring. I really like mine- it is amazingly firey, I get so many compliments on it's sparkle it's astounding (she said modestly!) By the way- call OWD, do not email, if you want to chat with them. They sometimes ignore emails. But great phone service.

I would suggest checking out Beverly K. settings on Pearlman's. They have some really similar halos to the ones you posted. And from what I understand, the workmanship of Beverly K stuff is better than FC's... could be wrong, never compared them in person, just what I've heard around here more than once.

Hmm. I also think I ran across a seller who had many, many of that exact same ruby halo setting on ebay for $800ish? I'll look around and see if I'm remembering right or just imagining things...

I think you could get a fab ring for your budget!

 

[LGK]

Found the ebay seller I was recalling. The username is jantiquejewelry, and their ruby halo rings start at $600. I''d bet they''re moderately not great quality, as you do tend to get what you pay for... but the style is pretty.

 

[Babyblue033]

Wow, I did find some great looking Beverly K settings that look similar to what I was looking or. At least in the photo the quality seems better but it''s hard to tell by that I guess.

I also found a vintage ring at Single Stone that looks exactly like that one with rubies, but it''s much larger stone than what I was looking for and I''m afraid to ask for the price! LOL.

If we decide to find the stone separately, I''m afraid my boyfriend will have to be the one to do that. All the letters and numbers describing colors, cuts, etc makes my eyes glaze over

Funny, Oldworlddiamonds is located literally right next door to my work but they unfortunately do not allow visitors.

 

[Skippy123]

If you do a search I think people said they had a very difficult time returning the to FC if they did not like the ring. Just something to keep in mind.

Pearlman's sells Bev K and he ships rings to people to view. Hope that helps

 

[Babyblue033]

Sorry if it''s a dumb question, but what do you mean when you say they ship the ring to people to view? For people to see the ring in person to try and then return? They DO that?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 4/12/2008 3:46:47 PM
Author: Babyblue033
Sorry if it''s a dumb question, but what do you mean when you say they ship the ring to people to view? For people to see the ring in person to try and then return? They DO that?

Yes, they will send you the sample ring if they have one in stock to try on. I doubt they have most of the rings they have pictured, though. However, if you can find a Beverley K dealer near you, that would be the best way to try some.

I would definitely stick with Pearlman''s and Beverley K over FC. I think the quality is much better.

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Babyblue,

I have also heard not-so-great things about Fay Cullen's return policy. As LittleGreyKitten noted, SingleStone.com is a great resource for antique and reproduction jewelry. You could get a diamond from GoodOldGold.com or NiceIce.com and let Ari at Single Stone make you a setting like the FC ones or you might find something on the Single Stone site you'd like.

You might also try Leigh Jay Nacht's site, AntiqueEngagementRings.com. He has a lot of beautiful antique styles and his pricing is good. Here's the link:

http://www.antiqueengagementrings.com/

 

[DiamanteBlu]

You might want to consider Saturn Jewels for a setting if you decide to get a stone separately. They have some beautiful things and the interactions I have had with them so far have been very pleasant [I am considering using them to reset my 6.39ct EC]. I had originally seen their work at a local jeweler and later found their site.

ETA I just reread your post. Since you have a fixed budget, I would spend it all on the biggest, best cut, eye-clean, white stone you can find and have it set in a simple setting for now. You can later have it reset into the setting of your dreams.

 

[Babyblue033]

Thank you so very much for all your suggestions. All the choices are making my head skin quite a bit

For buying a stone, how does BlueNile compare with other places that come highly recommended here, like GoodOldGold.com or NiceIce.com?

 

[Deelight]

Bluenile tends not to give as much information as other vendors on this site hence why most people tend to prefer to go to other vendors .

 

[Babyblue033]

Man I can''t type apparently. My head is not SKINNING, though my fingers ARE numb from searching online all day...

 

[Babyblue033]

Sorry, just one more question for today

Many people recommends Pearman''s for settings, but what about purchasing diamonds from them? Their listed prices seems quite high but they do say call for prices for some of the other stones... I would think it would be quite convenient to purchase both the stone and the setting from one place, especially for someone like me with no experience.

 

[Gypsy]

Yes, there have been folks who have bought stones from them.. I know someone on here bought an amazing cushion and MsSalvo bought a round from them, returned it, and now has a Daniel K cushion and setting from them. I''ve inquired myself for others IRL and Bill''s selection on his site isn''t good, but he can source with the best of the other vendors on here and his prices seemed fair to me. I wouldn''t have a problem buying a center stone from him at all, personally.

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Blue Nile is an "empty house lister", which means, like 99% of all online diamond vendors, they are selling diamonds sight unseen from cutters and other resources. Good Old Gold and Nice Ice HAVE the diamonds they are selling in their possession, which is why they can give such accurate info and much more info than Blue Nile.

Having said that, I did buy a diamond from Blue Nile and it was a great stone. However, if you are looking at 2 or 3 diamonds from Good Old Gold, Jonathan will make a video for you so you can see the stones side by side. That is what he did for me when I was comparing 2 diamonds. Hope that helps!

 

[iheartscience]

Hi fellow crazy cat lady! (I only have 3, but I wouldn''t mind a few more!) I personally would avoid FayCullen like the plague. I also fell in love with a particular ring on their website, but their terrible return policy and bad reviews here quickly changed my mind. Not to mention their ridiculous credit card policy-they won''t let you put more than $2k towards the ring on your credit card, I suspect to prevent you from disputing the charge when they won''t let you return it.

Anyways, I would definitely stick with a vendor like Whiteflash or GoodOldGold for your diamond purchase. Both have fantastic upgrade policies in case you want to trade your stone in for a bigger size/different shape/etc. in the future. BlueNile has no upgrade policy, so once you have the diamond, it''s yours after the return period has expired. Plus they don''t offer as much information as WF and GOG, and their level of customer service is nowhere near that of WF or GOG.

If you know what type of diamond you want (shape, size, color, clarity, cut, etc.), as well as your budget, you can post them here, and I know lots of people would love to help you find a beautiful diamond!

 

[Babyblue033]

Hey, going from 3 to 5 was in a blink of an eye

Only thing stopping me from adopting another is the space, which is why we can''t spend too much money on the ring so we can save money to buy the house

I think I''ve been completely convinced of staying away from Fay Cullen. But it definitely gave me a great place to start, and I found another setting that I totally LOVE:
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/beverley-k-jewelry/rings/16PP1/294/

Now this is a much fancier setting than I was initially looking at and will put us over our budget for sure. I discussed it with my boyfriend who also loved it and we may be willing to budge a bit so I can get this ring

So our budget for the stone will be about $4000-$5000 stretching the budget. I would really love something close to 1 carat, but that probably means we''ll have to sacrifice on the other aspects right? We tried looking on GoodOldGold and WhiteFlash but my BF is so hung up on colors/clarity that it''s hard to find a stone of large enough size that fits his high standard

I keep telling him it doesn''t have to be so high on those 2 things but he''s not yet convinced.

Any help/recommendation anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.

I did email Pearlman about the setting and if they can recommend a center stone for me.