what should I be looking for with 7k?

[kolchak]

I feel fortunate to have found this forum and avoided what could have been an ugly situation. Unfortunately I feel like she was trying to trick me because she presented it as a non CE stone and had to know it wasn''t. Also, I had to press her to get the cert.
I told my friend who recently purchased his ring (supposedly non CE) from her to get a copy of his cert because he never asked for it.

Hopefully my next thread will be about stone I''m considering from a forum vendor & not a friend''s diamond person.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/5/2009 6:29:58 PM
Author: kolchak
I feel fortunate to have found this forum and avoided what could have been an ugly situation. Unfortunately I feel like she was trying to trick me because she presented it as a non CE stone and had to know it wasn''t. Also, I had to press her to get the cert.
I told my friend who recently purchased his ring (supposedly non CE) from her to get a copy of his cert because he never asked for it.

Hopefully my next thread will be about stone I''m considering from a forum vendor & not a friend''s diamond person.

We are here to help Kolchak, also out of interest with CE diamonds it is illegal to sell them and not disclose any enhancements.

 

[Londongirl1]

Good luck with your search. There's plenty of info here pn PS to help you.

My solitaire diamond is GIA certified but that doesn't mean I would dismiss a diamond just because it wasn't GIA.

My friend has a 1ct diamond which isn't certified but it's white and sparkly and her DH got it at a good price. She's happy with it. Just my opinion....

 

[Hest88]

Good luck. The things about certification, of course, is that it provides an objective measurement of quality. If I brought any of my favorite PS vendors to look at an uncertified diamond I''d trust that they could tell me if it was a good stone or not. The problem is, most people aren''t experts and, most people haven''t even seen enough diamonds to understand how great a diamond can look. That''s why it never hurts to start with certification and then have an expert help you winnow down your choices.

 

[kolchak]

As it turns out she faxed me the cert for a different CE stone and not the non CE 1.7 I saw. With all the time spent here I now know it''s probably not a good deal but I feel better it was an honest mistake.

Couple more questions -

Should I try to buy the setting & stone from the same place to make things easier?

While she really likes the ratani classic, the "ratani" and the ratini modern they would cut into the stone budget. She also liked the james allen tapered knife edge pave micro setting - http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2.4-4mm-Pave-Set.html

I just realized I live very close to the James Allen store in Frederick MD. Would I be better off dealing with JA folks in person & try to get a better deal in the ring & setting together, deal with some of the on-line PS vendors mentioned in this thread or both?

I''m feeling a little overwhelmed & want to make this process a little easier.

Thank you all so much for comments, opinions & support. I see why people come here for a some quiick purchase advice and end up staying part of the community.

 

[Hest88]

Kolchak, is this for an e-ring? The reason I ask is that some women are very particular about the rings they want, so do make sure you''re sure of her tastes or preferences before choosing a ring. She may be one who''ll be delighted with whatever you get her, but it doesn''t hurt to be sure.

Heck, if you live really close to JA, why not go in? It wouldn''t hurt to call them in advance to give them some idea of what you''re looking for, in case they need to bring stones in. In person, they can really show you what different stones look like how different factors may impact the look of a stone.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 11/6/2009 12:03:05 PM
Author: kolchak
As it turns out she faxed me the cert for a different CE stone and not the non CE 1.7 I saw. With all the time spent here I now know it''s probably not a good deal but I feel better it was an honest mistake.

Couple more questions -

Should I try to buy the setting & stone from the same place to make things easier?

While she really likes the ratani classic, the ''ratani'' and the ratini modern they would cut into the stone budget. She also liked the james allen tapered knife edge pave micro setting - http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2.4-4mm-Pave-Set.html

I just realized I live very close to the James Allen store in Frederick MD. Would I be better off dealing with JA folks in person & try to get a better deal in the ring & setting together, deal with some of the on-line PS vendors mentioned in this thread or both?

I''m feeling a little overwhelmed & want to make this process a little easier.

Thank you all so much for comments, opinions & support. I see why people come here for a some quiick purchase advice and end up staying part of the community.

Definitely call James Allen and tell them what you are looking for. No need to guess online when you can see the stones in person.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/6/2009 12:03:05 PM
Author: kolchak
As it turns out she faxed me the cert for a different CE stone and not the non CE 1.7 I saw. With all the time spent here I now know it''s probably not a good deal but I feel better it was an honest mistake.

Couple more questions -

Should I try to buy the setting & stone from the same place to make things easier?

While she really likes the ratani classic, the ''ratani'' and the ratini modern they would cut into the stone budget. She also liked the james allen tapered knife edge pave micro setting - http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2.4-4mm-Pave-Set.html

I just realized I live very close to the James Allen store in Frederick MD. Would I be better off dealing with JA folks in person & try to get a better deal in the ring & setting together, deal with some of the on-line PS vendors mentioned in this thread or both?

I''m feeling a little overwhelmed & want to make this process a little easier.

Thank you all so much for comments, opinions & support. I see why people come here for a some quiick purchase advice and end up staying part of the community.

JA are an excellent vendor and can do the complete ring for you, you would need to make an appointment in advance to meet with them. It can be preferable to have the diamond set by the vendor that sells it in order to make sure the diamond is covered against damage, JA will set diamonds bought from other vendors but I believe in those cases they charge a setting fee.