Who to buy from (rural location)

[dpilot83]

I just found this site about an hour ago and am nearly overwhelmed with what all I have to learn and do in the next month. I thought I was well prepared and then I stumbled upon this site and have found much more to learn. It appears there is a wealth of knowledge here so maybe with your help I can get it done.

An hour ago when I thought my knowledge level was at an acceptable place, my primary concern was "where should I buy from?". I do not have a lot of options locally because I''m in a rural area. I could drive 3 hours to Denver or 6 hours to Kansas City or I can go with a local jeweler. I want to do business locally (small town mentality). Not only would I be supporting a local business, but service would be fast and friendly I''m sure. However, quality is important to me and it''s becoming apparent to me that I don''t have the knowledge to judge whether I''m seeing something that is of high quality or not. The people around here that I know who have dealt with the local place probably didn''t scrutinize the quality to the degree that would make me comfortable trusting their recommendation.

I ruled out mall jewelry stores because I don''t know their reputation and they''re not local. I ruled out the likes of Zales/Jarod/Kays etc because they seemed like the Wal-Mart of jewelry stores. The last option I was looking at was Tiffany & Co. I felt like if I went there, yes, I would have to drive awhile to get service, but without becoming an expert, I would know I was getting something of quality. However, it appears that I''d be getting charged two to three thousand more than what the local guys would do for a similarly graded ring.

To make matters more complicated, from this site I''m hearing that online vendors such as whiteflash (can''t remember if that''s right), winkjones or goodoldgold would provide quality comparable to Tiffany & Co at a significantly reduced price point.

The last little glitch is something I''m concerned about as well. Not really a glitch but it is in regards to my girlfriends preference. She wants a solitaire princess cut (totally OK with me), white gold or platinum (also totally OK) and less than or equal to 3/4 of a carat. She feels that things larger than 3/4 of a carat would look gaudy on her. She is about 5'' 6" and has a size 6 finger and a slender build. I have no problem with getting a 3/4 carat diamond since she feels uncomfortable with something larger (she has tried on various sized princess cut rings at the mall with me). I just don''t ever want her to feel bad about the ring if she is in a situation where people are comparing rings and hers are smaller than the others in the group. I don''t know if this is something I should be concerned about or not.

Anyways, now I''m leaning towards getting something from whiteflash and...and I don''t know where to begin. Any help on any topic would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Regular Guy]

Welcome,

(If you're dpilot, where are we going?)


Consider this strategy...

1) Identify two local places to work with

2) Pick one you'd like to work with to ask if they'd get an AGS0 princess in, get the specs, and a provisional price, compare specs from places like WF & GOG...see if they're in the ball park. Your AGS0 will be a pretty good protection for quality. If you don't mind the price differential (you could even tell them the internet options you're considering before asking their price), you could be done. But...if you don't like the price spread...consider instead...

3) Buy your diamond at a distance (AGS0 specs still good target).

4) Consider lying to local place #2, telling them you inherited the diamond. You'd be going to them to set it only. See if they'll agree.

5) Get JM insurance (read multiple threads on how to do this) to cover self while setting.

6) Have local place set your diamond, making your local place your friend.

Have fun while doing!

 

[dpilot83]

Thanks for the reply

I may be a little more rural than you would imagine. The closest place is a 25 minute drive. The next closest place is an hour and a half and that''s getting to the point that you can''t hardly call it local anymore. I have already talked to the closest place. This was earlier today when I thought the 4 C''s were all there were for ratings. I was unaware of AGS stuff. Anyways, I got a quote from them for a .75 D VVS1 platinum princess cut for just under $6000. It was GIA certified. Before that I had called Tiffany and Co and they quoted a .74 F VVS1 for 8450. That was awhile back...a month maybe. The local place cannot set anything in platinum, only gold. I had originally intended on platinum just so we wouldn''t have to do as much maintenance with it. In addition I felt that since the size was limited a little I would be able to afford some more expensive options on the rest of it. I don''t know how I would get the stone set if the local place cannot set it...

 

[jstarfireb]

Whiteflash has absolutely beautiful AGS0 princess cuts (their ACA line), as well as their X-factors which are princesses with clipped corners. I have an ACA, and it''s a firecracker! They do fantastic custom work, and I highly recommend buying from there. Their stones will be comparable at the least to Tiffany''s (generally better than Tiffany''s, but Tiff has some decently cut stones, to be fair), for a much lower price.

You can also go significantly lower in color and clarity and still have a very white, clean stone. My ACA princess is an I and faces up like an F because of how well-cut it is. And clarity really doesn''t matter if you can''t see the inclusions with your naked eye. Some people have a "mind clean" issue in which they will not go below a certain level, say VVS2 for example, but most people around here don''t like paying for what you can''t see.

I''m not sure what your budget is, but WF has some great looking princesses in the 0.7ct range:
0.71 G VS2
0.728 F SI1
...and there are plenty more; these just seemed to have pretty nice looking ASET and IS images.

As you can see from the prices of these stones, the quotes you got are way overpriced! Stick with a trusted PS vendor and do the online thing; it will save you gas money too.

The Legato Sleek Line is my favorte solitaire setting for a princess, but WF has tons more that are reasonably priced. Take a look at their website! They have plain Tiffany-style settings too.

 

[Regular Guy]

D,

So...consider laying it on the line, and consider you have only one local option...

1) Send them to Pricescope...let them see who you''re getting advice from.

2) The options on this board with similar specs to your $6K guy tend to run here for about $4100, give or take $1K.

3) I understand that a jewler in good standing can order in anything they want, and should be willing to, to get your business.

4) Something like this for $3 K is what you probably want.

5) I''d guess if he''d get in a comprable option for $4K (and by comparable...we DO mean comparable for a) color, b) clarity, and c) with AGS0 papers for a princess), and charge comprable for the setting as WF does...you could consider saying yes.

6) If not...go mail order all the way.

7) But...take your shot...make your 25 minute away guy aware he has one shot at your business. If you like him OK, it may be worth it to you both.

 

[Regular Guy]

P.S. It''s possible that AGS0 princesses aren''t the easiest jobby to get in the virtual market...but I''ll bet doable.

Consider reading my notes below my signature...and consider triangulating with WF and your local guy on a final choice.

For example, on the virtual DB here...several vendors, including Union AND White Flash offer this one...coming with an AGS certificate, but we don''t know if it''s AGS0, or how it is. We see even at WF, the $3 K comes with a $1 K premium, maybe, for their brand. But...this specific option is probably also available to your local vendor...that''s how virtual options can work. But...it may not be. Working with both vendors this way...you may be more likely to move the number of your local guy down towards $3 K, since this generic option comes to you at a discount from WF. But...WF DOES uniquely have branded options...so they can help you evaluate both their option in hand, and at a discount.

If this makes any kind of sense.

 

[dpilot83]

Date: 7/23/2008 10:01:59 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Whiteflash has absolutely beautiful AGS0 princess cuts (their ACA line), as well as their X-factors which are princesses with clipped corners. I have an ACA, and it''s a firecracker! They do fantastic custom work, and I highly recommend buying from there. Their stones will be comparable at the least to Tiffany''s (generally better than Tiffany''s, but Tiff has some decently cut stones, to be fair), for a much lower price.

You can also go significantly lower in color and clarity and still have a very white, clean stone. My ACA princess is an I and faces up like an F because of how well-cut it is. And clarity really doesn''t matter if you can''t see the inclusions with your naked eye. Some people have a ''mind clean'' issue in which they will not go below a certain level, say VVS2 for example, but most people around here don''t like paying for what you can''t see.

I''m not sure what your budget is, but WF has some great looking princesses in the 0.7ct range:
0.71 G VS2
0.728 F SI1
...and there are plenty more; these just seemed to have pretty nice looking ASET and IS images.

As you can see from the prices of these stones, the quotes you got are way overpriced! Stick with a trusted PS vendor and do the online thing; it will save you gas money too.

The Legato Sleek Line is my favorte solitaire setting for a princess, but WF has tons more that are reasonably priced. Take a look at their website! They have plain Tiffany-style settings too.

Thanks. You''re right, that Legato Sleek Line does look very nice. I''ve got to go to work for now but I''ll take a look at that stuff and see what I can come up with.

 

[dpilot83]

Date: 7/23/2008 10:35:25 PM
Author: Regular Guy
P.S. It''s possible that AGS0 princesses aren''t the easiest jobby to get in the virtual market...but I''ll bet doable.

Consider reading my notes below my signature...and consider triangulating with WF and your local guy on a final choice.

For example, on the virtual DB here...several vendors, including Union AND White Flash offer this one...coming with an AGS certificate, but we don''t know if it''s AGS0, or how it is. We see even at WF, the $3 K comes with a $1 K premium, maybe, for their brand. But...this specific option is probably also available to your local vendor...that''s how virtual options can work. But...it may not be. Working with both vendors this way...you may be more likely to move the number of your local guy down towards $3 K, since this generic option comes to you at a discount from WF. But...WF DOES uniquely have branded options...so they can help you evaluate both their option in hand, and at a discount.

If this makes any kind of sense.

You''ve had some really good advice, I appreciate it. When I get back from work I''m going to do some more research and then I''ll probably have some more questions. Thanks again so much for the advice.

 

[honey22]

I would recommend you check out Whiteflashs range of ideal cut princess stones - ACA Princess. They are gorgeous top quality stones that have been handpicked.

If your gf prefers the 0.75ct mark, that''s fine. I bought a 0.8ct RB as I didn''t want anything larger, there is nothing wrong with that.

The great thing about Whiteflash is their upgrade policy, if you both decide in the future that you would like a larger stone, you can always upgrade to something larger.

Good luck with your search!!

 

[dpilot83]

Date: 7/24/2008 7:31:41 AM
Author: honey22
I would recommend you check out Whiteflashs range of ideal cut princess stones - ACA Princess. They are gorgeous top quality stones that have been handpicked.

If your gf prefers the 0.75ct mark, that''s fine. I bought a 0.8ct RB as I didn''t want anything larger, there is nothing wrong with that.

The great thing about Whiteflash is their upgrade policy, if you both decide in the future that you would like a larger stone, you can always upgrade to something larger.

Good luck with your search!!

Thanks for your comment on the size issue. I''ve been fretting, probably needlessly over it. I just want her to be very happy with it and not have regrets soon afterwards.

 

[dpilot83]

Date: 7/23/2008 10:01:59 PM
Author: jstarfireb
Whiteflash has absolutely beautiful AGS0 princess cuts (their ACA line), as well as their X-factors which are princesses with clipped corners.

I am now confused. I have been looking at the ACA princess cuts on the Whiteflash site and they do say AGS but they do not say 0. Are they all AGS0? Thanks.

 

[honey22]

I might pop in another point, just to confuse you though! When I first started looking I thought 0.5ct was a great size! Then over the space of about 2 weeks, I went to 0.7ct looks a great size, and isn''t too big. I didn''t want to suffer from DSS (Diamond shrinkage syndrome) so I bought a 0.8ct. At first it looked huge but I have gotten used to it very quickly. If you are thinking the 0.75ct mark is perfect, then maybe you could look up to 0.8-0.85ct just to ward off any future case of DSS, and I am sure she will get used to the size pretty quick smart - diamonds have a nasty habit of shrinking you know!

I am at work now, so can''t really search much, but if you post your budget, we are always happy to suggest some beautiful stones.

 

[honey22]

I don''t know what colour and clarity you are looking for, so I just did a very broad search for WF ACA Princess lines - these are all ACA princesses. Have a look at a few, maybe decide on a colour and clarity combo, then we can narrow down some stones.

I gotta go, so going to get fired for Pricescoping at work!!!

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/SearchResult.aspx?isStatic=false

You can narrow or broaden your search parameters on the page. Good luck!

 

[dpilot83]

A comfortable range for me financially speaking would be $3K to $4K. However, I would be willing to consider slightly more than double that. Thanks.

 

[honey22]

Alrighty, I am not sure of the settings you would like so I have linked to a few ones here in wgold (as she doesn''t really have a preference and plat is quite expensive, you can also order these in plat, you can see the price differences listed).

Like you, I found that my desired size stone easily fit into budget, so I could afford to get a D, which I know is overkill but I wanted the icy white of a D, and also to know that I had the whitest I could get.

So, you can fit something into your budget and still get a stone in the colourless range I think.

Settings:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Legato--Sleek-Line_1118.htm $750

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Fine-Line--Platinum-Solitaire_691.htm $695

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Sleek-Lines--Solitaire_688.htm $595

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/4-Prong-tiffany-style-for-fancy-cut_756.htm $295

I prefer legato sleek line and the sleek line as they are only 2.5mm wide, and I think a thinner band will look nicer with a stone of that size.

 

[honey22]

Stones:

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-312242.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-114369.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-912086.htm

I can only find some around the 0.71ct mark which by the sounds of that should be perfect. Then the next size available seems to jump to the 1ct mark (searching down to VS2 clarity).

Honestly, any of these stones in either of those settings should be stunning. And, if she doesn''t like the setting etc, she can swap it for something else, or even upgrade the stone in the future.

You now just need to decide how high a colour you want to go I guess. I would go the highest colour possible personally.

Hope this helps, good luck! If you still can''t decide, give Lesley a call at Whiteflash and she can discuss your options a bit further. She is fantastic and a great help!

 

[dpilot83]

Date: 7/25/2008 2:02:04 AM
Author: honey22
Alrighty, I am not sure of the settings you would like so I have linked to a few ones here in wgold (as she doesn''t really have a preference and plat is quite expensive, you can also order these in plat, you can see the price differences listed).

Like you, I found that my desired size stone easily fit into budget, so I could afford to get a D, which I know is overkill but I wanted the icy white of a D, and also to know that I had the whitest I could get.

So, you can fit something into your budget and still get a stone in the colourless range I think.

Settings:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Legato--Sleek-Line_1118.htm $750

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Fine-Line--Platinum-Solitaire_691.htm $695

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Sleek-Lines--Solitaire_688.htm $595

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/4-Prong-tiffany-style-for-fancy-cut_756.htm $295

I prefer legato sleek line and the sleek line as they are only 2.5mm wide, and I think a thinner band will look nicer with a stone of that size.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. Do you know how comfortable the Legato line is? Having the ring thin is something I know she would like, but not at the expense of comfort. If you or anyone has any advice on that, I''d appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[swingirl]

I don''t own one but I would think the Legato would be very comfortable with its smooth sleek band. It''s a real classic.

 

[honey22]

The legato is an extremely popular setting, and I really don''t think there would be any problems at all.