Who''s bought their engagement ring online? What were your experience?

[Quincy]

Just trying to get a feel of buying online or going to a real store here in the Bay Area. If you''ve bought online, what site did you purchase your engagement ring from? Also, if you did any shopping at stores, what stores would you say has the closest pricings as internet prices?

Thanks again!

One more thing...when you bought your engagement ring, was it paid off or are you still financing it still?

 

[Lorelei]

We bought my pear online from a PS vendor. Thrilled with it and would do it again in a heartbeat!!! That is the only downside that you can''t see stones in person, so education is very important - you need to know what you want and have a working knowledge of diamonds. The diamond vendors I dealt with were very helpful and experienced, it is in their interests to make sure you are happy with your purchase as they don''t want their stones to keep being returned. You will find lots of advice here if you want to go the online route. We paid for our diamond in full when we purchased it.

 

[Ricker]

I am in the process of buying from BlueNile. The ring Ships out tomorrow. I am paying less than half the price that the local store here in Canada would be charging, based on the specs I have been given. I feel confident about the sale, and purchasing from BlueNile.


BTW I would never finance a ring....

 

[MissAva]

If you read around you will find that PSers in general are anti-debt in general. I think personally that you would be better off spending within your budget. Debt puts a strain on any relationship. There is always time for upgrading later on in life. As for buying on line I trust Lenoid and Irina 100% to have throughly checked out the vendors they allow to advertise here. If you were to buy online I would look to them first.
So what sort of ring do you have in mind? Metal? Stone/s? Setting?

 

[theboss]

I also bought the stone from blue nile, although I bought the ring locally (so getting the stone mounted has been a bit of a challenge), I didn''t do a lot of shopping locally, mainly just stopped into two stores and pulled a few stones. For the most, part blue nile is on the higher end for internet stones and they were still significantly cheaper than the stones I found in stores. And that''s comparing BN''s AGS and GIA graded stones to the stores'' EGL stones (mostly) of similar grade which are probably inferior to begin with.

More than anything I just didn''t like shopping in the stores, they can pull a few stones out and I can pick the one that sparkles the most but it''s all relative with their selection.

 

[Ricker]

With regards to shopping locally, I found it very interesting that none of the retailers I went to knew about any of the online jewelers I mentioned including Blue Nile. Somehow, I didn''t believe them, especially when their service degraded after online shopping was mentioned.

 

[bien64]

Quincy,

I was in your situation 6 months ago. I ended up getting the stone online and purchased an A.Jaffe setting at WillowGlen Diamonds/Jewelry. They mounted it for no explicit addl charge. I could have purchased the setting online as well for less, but wanted to deal with them for the mounting, and got confirmation that I got the diamond that I requested at the same time.

Another good store is Joe Escabar in Campbell.

...Bien

 

[Quincy]

So for those that has bought online..what''s the process of purchasing it? Do they send you pics of the certificate, the diamond in "every angle", other scientific pictures of the diamond, etc?! How did those go about getting them appraised before purchasing online? Just have that feeling when everything is good, they send you the wrong diamond and everything just becomes a hassle on returning, etc. What if you want to upgrade in the future? Do most of these internet retailers allow trade in for newer and bigger diamond?

 

[s95]

I just purchased a ring online and even though I ended up having to exchange one setting for another, I feel like it was less hassle than buying locally. I happened to get a great stone and a wonderful setting for much less than I could have locally. The comparable rings were too much for me locally and by going online, I was able to get more stone for my money.

The choice of stones that I have been seeing locally hasn''t been that great, either. The other day, I saw a bunch of stones for more than mine (smaller, too) with visible black inclusions!!

Also, it''s kind of nice to go through a PS or DT vendor since you have the forum to really hash out some issues. This can be good and bad publicity for them.

Don''t know if I just didn''t go to the right local vendors--I''m sure there are many great B&M vendors with great stone selections that I didn''t get to. I just think I would have paid more.

 

[IrishEyes]

I got my ering and wedding ring from a B&M, before I had found PS. It''s beautiful ring, gorgeous diamond, but in hindsight, I know we payed too much. Oh, well.

However, I am working on an upgrade for the center stone ( although it''s going to be awhile!) and when I buy, I already know where I''m buying from: Whiteflash, an online vendor. They are so highly recommended, and if you look around here on PS, SO many people have stones from them, and they are all gorgeous! The prices are very reasonable too.

I would vote for buying online. Like another poster said, you have to rely on certs, reports, pictures and the opinion of the vendor ( make sure you talk thoroughly with someone and develop a relationship with them, this way you can feel confident about their opinions), but I do think it is very worth it!

 

[Rebemdee]

I bought from BlueNile. We did a lot of stone research before, so we were happy with the stone, it''s lovely. The ONLY thing I wish is that I could have tried on the setting in person; it''s a bit "chunkier" than I wanted, and the photo of the setting on BlueNile isn''t EXACTLY the setting I got. There are minor changes, and it''s no big deal, but when you pick a setting you want it exactly the same! BlueNile has a generous return policy, however, so if you don''t like it you can send it back easily.

 

[Regular Guy]

LynnB makes a good suggestion; I''m quite the blabbermouth on some of these issues like how to work the appraisal etc. I''ve purchased about 4 diamonds so far...the first 3 some 16 years ago, and then more recently, as a replacement engagement ring. This time, I did buy on the internet, with DirtCheapDiamonds, but only after a number of phone calls to B&M & local vendors first, to see what it would cost to get the goods I wanted. Based on reading the positive feedback I had read on this board, I felt comfortable going forward, and am happy with the purchase.

Much of the descriptive info that might be available from a vendor is already on-line with them, and available for you to see right now, and for example, three vendors that come to mind that do this a good deal are Good Old Gold, NiceIce, and Superbcert. A second tier but quite good is White Flash. Though I sort of stumbled into DCD, I got the necessary info from them I was looking from over the phone, and on that basis, went forward. Doing it again, I might want more pictures first (and they probably would have helped with that as necessary); it does help to know what you want to know.

Best of wishes,

 

[Mara]

Our first two purchases for diamonds were locally from a jeweler who was great and does have some lovely jewelry pieces....then we got smart and found the internet. Now I doubt I will ever buy another loose diamond offline, unless it's an 8* or something branded where I know the quality of the cut is going to be top notch, but even then I could probably use an online vendor...I would buy jewelry design pieces offline if I liked them in person..and I am less strict about cut quality in many of the melee pieces.

I like all the fun little reports, images, tools that come with buying a diamond online and honestly I am too lazy to go into a store and hem and haw over something in person or feel pressured to buy now or do something right away. I tend to mull over something for weeks if not months. I have been VERY pleased with every diamond purchase online, you have to shop smart online just like you would offline....it's not all just about price either online or offline. But it does help that online the diamonds are usually cheaper than what I'd pay (or have paid in the past) offline. And since diamonds are a luxury, every penny counts!

Edited to add: We had our e-ring made locally by our jeweler and I had my w-ring made to match the e-ring with an online vendor. Both were done in a superb manner, and each have somewhat unique characteristcs that only my eye can catch since I wear the rings daily. So I would definitely do custom work both online and offline depending on who I am using.

 

[jennyann2]

i''d highly recommend Good Old Gold. Both my ering and my sister''s came from there and we get so many comments. People on the other side of a restaurant have come over and after seeing the sparkles! Jonathan is great and super knowledgable. I''d recommend doing some more reading here and in the educational part of his site (www.goodoldgold.com). He''ll tell you everything you need to know before spending your hard earned bucks.

 

[quicksvo]

I also used www.winkjones.com for the stone and a custom made e-ring and couldn't be happier. I was able to view pictures of the stone as well as all of the specs, H&A views, Idealscope pictures, etc before I asked for it to be sent to me. Wink's guarantee allowed me to see the stone in person and take it to an appraiser of my choice before deciding for sure to keep it. I then sent the stone back to be mounted in the new ring. I didn't look in many stores, but from what I saw, I got a lot more ring and stone than I would have from most retail stores. I was also able to work with someone who knew what he was talking about and was not pushy at all.

 

[hawaii 5-0]

i bought from whiteflash... great experience and a nice diamond
i also would do it again in a heartbeat...

paid in full when i purchased

hope this helps

 

[sxn675]

Hi! My engagement ring is from Whiteflash. My husband is a resident and money was tight. I think he would have financed my ring, but I really didn''t want him to AT ALL. I''d rather have a ring that he could afford. I was at a party on Sunday and there were people there with HUGE rings but a couple of people complimented me on mine, which was so nice. I am purchasing a pendant from them as well. Good luck to you!

 

[Ricker]

I just recieved the ring I bought from Bluenile today. They surpassed all my expectations thus far. I dont think I need to bring it for a second opinon locally, because you can tell by looking at it, that it is QUALITY. Here is a pciture, it''s a little blurry, but you get the idea - It looks better in person.

BlueNile gets 2 thumbs up from me.

Picture:

http://img349.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1035xp.jpg

 

[pyramid]

Buying online is starting to become the ONLY way to go.