Best place to buy engagement ring

[Romeomikehotel]

Hey guys,

Like the title says, where’s the best place to buy an engagement ring? Jewelry store, online, some guy in a back alley?? Lol.
But seriously, I’ll be needing to buy one here in the next month or so and want to make sure I do it right and get the most for my money and I figured this forum is probably a place to get some good advice.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Valenciawatchrepair]

Know any privately owned jewelers? You'll get the best service that way. Worked in my dad's store and another store. Now one man show watch repair. Find someone active in the community. You won't get that service anywhere else.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of online shopping supporters though.

[Naples09]

whiteflash.com

Their ACA diamonds are beautiful.

[HobokenRolex]

I am no expert but I bought through blue nile. That was over 12 years ago (people thought I was crazy then to buy something so expensive online - much more common now). I saw no point paying the retail markup, similar to buying a watch here from a trusted seller vs. AD).

[BNA/LION]

http://www.rtajewels.com/rtaj/

Setting and Diamonds... You can create a custom set.

[michaelodonnell123]

"..and want to make sure I do it right and get the most for my money "...

That is not the approach I would take. A woman wants her ring to be noticed, she is not concerned about the resale value. Why not look for a ring that looks distinctive with character rather than 'most for my money".

Today's rings all look like they came out of a cookie-cutter machine. Big diamond on a boring band. Yawn. Is that what you want for your money? I recommend looking into a vintage ring, They have a distinctive classic style and craftsmanship that you do not see in today's rings. And the prices are very negotiable.

A vintage $5,000 ring can easily look better than a modern $10,000 ring.

[pjaffe]

I went though this recently. Fortunately my fiancee's stepdad is a jeweler so I got her diamond wholesale. One thing I'll tell you (imo) is it's better to buy a bigger diamond with a slightly lower grade of color and clarity. For example, a VS1-VS2 flaw can only be seen under 10x magnification and color all the way up to H-I shows no visible color.

It is NOT worth it to shell out big bucks for some VVS1 D color diamond when the differences are literally undetectable to the human eye!

[ckaynyc]

I think you should spend some time and get to know diamonds. There are a lot of different factors that severely impact the price of a loose diamond. A good start is to look for a diamond broker and ask him/her to walk you through the process of how to identify the right stone for you.

From a value retention point of view, you cannot go wrong with a round. Because of the value retention, they do trade at a premium over something like a cushion, or emerald, or pear.

Make sure it is a GIA-certified stone and have him/her show you where you would find the inscription and match it up with the certificate. While you are paying a premium for the certificate, you know what you are paying, unless you are a diamond expert and can spot the inclusions and make a value assessment on your own.

Lastly, benchmark your stone prices with bluenile and any other online broker. While those sites are retail, at least you know you are in the right price range and gives you a little leverage on what you should negotiate.

All I can say is take your time, learn about diamonds, and avoid the big name jewelers like the plague.

[ckaynyc]

Originally Posted by pjaffe

I went though this recently. Fortunately my fiancee's stepdad is a jeweler so I got her diamond wholesale. One thing I'll tell you (imo) is it's better to buy a bigger diamond with a slightly lower grade of color and clarity. For example, a VS1-VS2 flaw can only be seen under 10x magnification and color all the way up to H-I shows no visible color.

It is NOT worth it to shell out big bucks for some VVS1 D color diamond when the differences are literally undetectable to the human eye!

I think F-H color and SI clarity is a good middle ground. You won't see the color difference unless you have the stones next to each other to compare.

[ckaynyc]

Originally Posted by michaelodonnell123

"..and want to make sure I do it right and get the most for my money "...

That is not the approach I would take. A woman wants her ring to be noticed, she is not concerned about the resale value. Why not look for a ring that looks distinctive with character rather than 'most for my money".

Today's rings all look like they came out of a cookie-cutter machine. Big diamond on a boring band. Yawn. Is that what you want for your money? I recommend looking into a vintage ring, They have a distinctive classic style and craftsmanship that you do not see in today's rings. And the prices are very negotiable.

A vintage $5,000 ring can easily look better than a modern $10,000 ring.

Just make sure your fiancee will like the look of a vintage ring.

[Watchflair]

Find a jeweler you can trust. My wife and her family have been in the jewelry business for over 100 years now - there's a reason a small business lasts that long.

As others have mentioned stay away from the mall staples ie Zales etc.

As others have said don't entirely focus on the stats of the diamond. See many and see many different qualities cuts etc.

[Art 1]

Originally Posted by Romeomikehotel

Hey guys,

Like the title says, where’s the best place to buy an engagement ring? Jewelry store, online, some guy in a back alley?? Lol.
But seriously, I’ll be needing to buy one here in the next month or so and want to make sure I do it right and get the most for my money and I figured this forum is probably a place to get some good advice.

Thanks in advance for any help.

There are Mayors in Florida. They are good.

[singe89]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

I think F-H color and SI clarity is a good middle ground. You won't see the color difference unless you have the stones next to each other to compare.

not all SI are eye clean. Even some GIA certified VS2s have visible inclusions with the naked eye. I went through this process little over 5 years ago (today is actually my 5 year anniversary). I did an extensive amount of research and its not just about he "4 Cs". There is a priority of the Cs for the $ and there are also things like florescence you have to be aware of.

Most important to least...
Carat Weight...most will want the largest quality diamond they can afford

Cut...this is what makes the diamond shine/sparkle (I would suggest ideal/excellent) they REALLY sparkle

Color...don't want too much yellow (you can get away with a little more yellow if its in a yellow gold setting or slight florescence will offset the yellow and make the diamond appear more white). I would suggest nothing lower than H

Clarity...see the diamonds in person and make sure its eye clean. I would suggest nothing lower than VS1 but if you find a VS2 or even SI1 that is eye clean you can save some $$$. Or where the inclusion is and can be covered by the setting.

Go on https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-sea...iamondSearchRD
and start playing with the specs you want in your price range and find a nice balance then you have a good baseline to look a local stores.


and I would ALWAYS get a GIA certified diamond. They have some of the most consistent grading systems and the diamond will have the laser serial number that can come in handy. My wife's ring was stolen by our nanny. She pawned it and the pawn store replaced the diamond with a lower quality one for when the police came looking. We were able to call him out and get the original diamond back and get $10k from him for a new setting. The nanny ended up with 2 felonies because of the cost of the ring.

[katiedaddy]

I suggest buying the stone from jewelry district in NY and have its setting custom made from local jeweler. My friend did this and saved quite a bit compared to B&M stores.


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[watchmework]

I went for a local jeweler that has been in business for a long time. Better customer service in my opinion and more competitive pricing than the big box places.

[denmanproject]

I used Ritani last year and had a great experience, got an amazing price too. I really liked how I was able to order online but pick up at a jeweller in my city, also have taken it in for sizing and cleaning (no charge) so is just like buying from brick mortar, best of both worlds IMO

[mementomori1983]

Lots of great advice already posted here. I went through this process about a year ago and got really in-depth. I'd echo the advice that you need to do a lot more reaserch to educate yourself on the 4C's, and on which of those C's you can compromise.

That said, the one C you should never compromise on in my opinion is CUT. This is very important. An extremly well-cut round brilliant diamond that is cut closely to Tolkowsky Ideal specs will reflect back so much light that it will look bigger, hide inclusions better, and face up whiter than its GIA color grade.

The easy way would be to buy a "branded" diamond, which would ensure an extremely well-cut diamond. Whiteflash A Cut Above was already mentioned here. Crafted By Infinity by High Performance Diamonds is considered the cream of the crop. They'll actually ship diamonds to their brick-and-mortar partners for you to view in person, which is a nice perk.

My suggestion would be to visit the good folks over at the Pricescope.com forums. They are super helpful and will sometimes they'll even help you pick out a stone given your budget.

Good luck and happy hunting!

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Romeomikehotel

Hey guys,

Like the title says, where’s the best place to buy an engagement ring? Jewelry store, online, some guy in a back alley?? Lol.

i think it depends on how you met your fiancee... normally (that would be brick and mortar), online, or back alley.

Consistency and expectations is the key here.

[Ferdelious]

Costco

[mfer]

Does she have a preference? Mine did. Tiffany or bust. She knew it wouldn’t get her the biggest but she didn’t want a doorknob.

Not suggesting you go to Tiffany just suggestion you get what she wants (if you can find out).

[LAFLARE]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

i think it depends on how you met your fiancee... normally (that would be brick and mortar), online, or back alley.

Consistency and expectations is the key here.

[dmash]

I’m so happy my wife is an anomaly and only wanted wedding bands. I think I’m sure to of messed this up

[Kimber007]

Originally Posted by mfer

Does she have a preference? Mine did. Tiffany or bust. She knew it wouldn’t get her the biggest but she didn’t want a doorknob.

Not suggesting you go to Tiffany just suggestion you get what she wants (if you can find out).

You beat me to it. Exact same situation here.

[tjfslaughter]

H&H in Miami. If you are willing to fly to North Jersey or trust shipping I have an Awesome guy in Paramus. It would be worth the flight. If you want his number I can PM it to you.

[CRM114]

Originally Posted by mfer

Does she have a preference? Mine did. Tiffany or bust. She knew it wouldn’t get her the biggest but she didn’t want a doorknob.

Not suggesting you go to Tiffany just suggestion you get what she wants (if you can find out).

Originally Posted by Kimber007

You beat me to it. Exact same situation here.

Yep. The blue box trumps everything in the "what she wants" department, they all do even if they say they don't. No woman ever thought "A Tiffany diamond ring?...phhhht. Whatever, I guess it's okay,...I suppose".

The OP's requirement....

want to make sure I do it right and get the most for my money

Sure, one might get a larger diamond using other avenues "value-shopping" the 4 C's-to-$$$, but that's a limited perspective of what "getting the most for my money" is when it comes to an engagement ring. There will be plenty of other opportunities down the road to muck-about with "value-shopping" 4C vs $$$ for other rings and jewelry, but for this one it's just best to free one's mind from that sort of thinking because one must remember that "value-shopping" any diamond dollars and cents-wise is merely pseudo-rational anyway, a mental exercise one does to create the illusion of "got a good deal, this one is better" for what is nothing more than a sparkly rock used for decoration. So, for an engagement ring, one can't go wrong dispensing with this mere illusion of rationality altogether because doing so lays bare and exhibits irrational behavior in a way women don't mind at all; showing that you're crazy for them in the good-kind-of-crazy way.

Tiffany is foolproof in this respect and removes all doubt about "doing it right" for the ring that will always be her "daily wearer".

[Rolex Essex]

I would suggest www.jamesallen.com

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by katiedaddy

I suggest buying the stone from jewelry district in NY and have its setting custom made from local jeweler. My friend did this and saved quite a bit compared to B&M stores.

Great advice, as i believe more diamonds move through there than anywhere else within the USA. Can't stress enough how common small 2 ct diamonds are in the world. Diamond marketing and the emotional 'allure' work wonders to empty the uneducated wallet.

LOL about 'chocolate' diamonds one store seems to push.

BTW, here's a fun thing to do. Buy the diamond, then take it to other stores and ask them what they'll pay you for it. As we all know those insurance papers that store supply and claim XYZ value are generally incredibly inflated.

OP: Please get a great jewelry connection you trust, hopefully in NY or some other 'hotbed' where these common diamond stones are bought and sold.

[pyrostick]

I had a 1oz gold krugerrand, so I wound up going to a silver smith to have all of our rings made. It turned out amazing, and basically just the cost of materials, and labor. My buddy did the sane after seeing our set, his turned out fantastic also.

Another cool thing is you get to be apart of the whole design process.

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[james1787]

I went with a Jeweler that a friend has used for years.. small, family owned. Learned all about the 4 c's, GIA, etc. That was a while ago. I don't know if I would ever just walk in and buy from the chain places.

[The Libertine]

Originally Posted by mfer

Does she have a preference? Mine did. Tiffany or bust. She knew it wouldn’t get her the biggest but she didn’t want a doorknob.

Not suggesting you go to Tiffany just suggestion you get what she wants (if you can find out).

Same.