Various questions about purchasing....

[ams0124]

Hello Everyone!
I''m fairly new to this forum...I post more in the LIW but I have been recently given the "go ahead" to seriously look for and narrow down my dream e-ring and diamond by my SO.

I''ve done various thread seaches on where to purchase from, what to look for, what specs should be considered, etc...I think I''m fairly educated. But I do have some questions that I can''t seem to get answered...Hopefully you all can help.

1. I''ve decided that online vendors have the highest quality diamonds for the best price. So here''s my question.....If SO were to purchase a diamond and setting from say GOG or the like, would there be some sort of warranty is regards to regular check ups of the prongs, re-dipping if necessary (I plan on going with w/g and I have to get my current ring dipped every 6 months b/c it turns fairly quickly), pretty much general up keep and repairs...I currently have a ring from a B&M chain store, and they do have a warranty that I appreciate...free re-dips, cleanings, etc...Do online vendors have the same? If so I would obviously have to send my ring away every so often...how long would the vendor usualy have the ring for?

2. If the answer to Q1 is yes, then what if I were to purchase the setting from GOG and diamond from WF...would there still be a warranty? If so who would most likely be the responsible vendor? Or would they both be?

3. The settings that I''m really interested in online I cannot find anywhere IRL so I can''t try them on and see what they look like...I know that it''s a lot to ask (and maybe I''m not the only one) but do some vendors send you settings that you can try and send back w/o commitment of paying the full price? Maybe like giving a credit card # or a refundable deposit?

I really like the idea of making a purchase of this importance online with a reputable vendor...I''m having a hard time convincing SO for various reasons...answers to these questions would make it easier for me to get him leaning in my general direction...

any help is good help...Sorry for the long post

 

[ams0124]

Pretty please with diamonds on top???

 

[LGK]

I can't answer your question re: the warranty- if any of the online vendors have such a warranty, I've never heard about it. But, I would prefer to get my rings redipped & checked locally. The headache of shipping a high end diamond ring for a checkup/rhodium plate is probably not worth it. I would hate to ship a ring cross country if there were a way to do it locally.

Rhodium plating isn't usually that expensive. A (small non-chain) jeweler near me does it for free sometimes even, if I stay to chat and let him play with my rings for a while. Also a prong check is easy to get done at just about any competent jeweler.

I think that's the route I'd go if I were buying out of state. I'd totally be nervous shipping a ring regularly for smaller types of things like that. Plus, wouldn't shipping run more than a rhodium plate job?

ETA: Perhaps platinum or palladium? Re-rhodiuming every 6 months would make me lean towards palladium or platinum. (My white gold rings only show wear after about three years of very hard wear.)