Engagement Rings

[DMickey28]

Chris - We bought my engagement ring online through BlueNile. Very reputable site. It took a lot of research and searching though. What I did was research the 4 C's of a diamond and went to the regular jewerly stores to find out what each one was. For example, I found out what colors looked like in comparison to the D at the jewler. I looked through the microscope to see what the clarities were. I made my choice based on all the research and then bought the stone online and had it set. We ended up with a ring that appraised at 60% more than what he paid, but it was hard work. Anything that looks too good to be true probably is. It also depends on what you are looking for.

In all my research I have never heard of primestyle.com so I can't vouch for them. As far as the ring specifically that you have shown the Color I-J is on the lower end, with the white gold you might not be able to see the color but it's a color that would be visable to the naked eye. VS1-SI1 is a very broad band of clarity. VSI and VS2 are blemishes that are not visable to the naked eye but SI1 and SI2 are.

With the ring you posted you could end up with a beautiful ring that is totally clear to the naked eye with very little yellow or you could end up with one that is tinged and/or has lots of blemishes.

www.beyondthe4Cs.com www.bluenile.com

Good Luck!!!

 

[MScott1851]

I will tell you this...

Have her go try on a ring in that style, with similar sized diamonds.

I thought I knew what I wanted, but when I tried the rings on, I HATED the way they looked on my hand! I thought I wanted a ring like you are looking at, but it just didn't flatter me. I had always said I would NEVER, EVER get a round diamond, and guess what's sitting on my ring finger right now?

This is very close to my ring, except in the bands, I have two princess cuts stacked on top of each other, alternating with the baguettes, which are longer.

 

[Independent]

That is a rather huge variation possibility in clarity. Most reputable places will tell you exactly what each of the larger diamonds are. VS2 is a decent diamond, SI1 is on the other end of the spectrum. Unless you know for sure what you are paying for, I wouldn't touch this ring with a ten foot pole. Ask if they will fax you the appraisal before you purchase.

If you want to ask questions of some experts and get some recommendations for reputable places to purchase, here is a pretty good board:

www.diamondtalk.com

 

[Caradana]

I echo Misty on this one. Find a reputable jeweler nearby, take her with you, and try on lots of rings before settling on any one style. I have relatively long, thin fingers, so guess what looked best on me, surprisingly enough?

 

[LoraJ]

Stay away from the mall, go for quality over size...ie VS or better and IMO G or better color and the appraisal replacement value should be 2-3 times the cost of the ring!

I agree with staying away from the mall. You can get a much better diamond for the mall store price at eitehr bluenile.com or a local diamond/jewelry exchange.

And definitely have her try on a similar ring before you buy. I wanted the 3 stone, but when I tried it on, it just didn't look right on me.

 

[MagicKingdom05]

I agree with LoraJ. It might give away a little bit of the surprise since she knows you are looking, but atleast you will get what she wants. My girlfriend when with me and found the one she wanted, so obviously she knows I'm looking for one, but she doesn't know when or the fact that I actually got he one she wanted.

Doing it this way removes all the worrying of if it's something she will like or not.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yep, I agree with the person who recommeded Blue Nile. bluenile.com

This is where I got my ring!!

You can pick out the exact stone, size, and quality to be set in your favorite setting. The diamond, and all of its attributes size,color,clarity, etc. are all verified by a major independant diamond laboratory. You will get the official certificate with your ring.

I am a stickler about COLOR!!!

Mine is a D... the very best rating. Colorless
No way would I want to wear a milky or yellow diamond.
Glass or CZ would look better.

I have a very good cut. Cut (and polish) is more important than you might realize, because it is the exacting angles and porportions that actually create the 'sparkle'.
Where I compromised a bit was on clarity.
I am thinking that mine is VSI (very slightly included) no flaws that could ever been seen with the naked eye. (if my memory is correct)

You will find that a diamond that rates excellent in ALL of the attributes mentioned below will come with a PREMIUM price. If you are ready to spend that much, If not, you may want to decide which of these attributes are most important, and which you can compromise on.

Color - D or E (Scale starts at D and goes down the alphabet from there)
Cut-Excellent
Carat-about one carat or larger
Clarity- VVSI or better

Price at Blue Nile online was WAY better than the mall or chain jewelers.
I saw milky yellow diamonds at Jerod's for much more $$$$$.

Check out Blue Nile

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

The internet sites are great for reference, but I wouldn't buy a diamond that I had not actually set eyes on. The cut is so important, not only for the sparkle,but for the way the diamond sits in the setting. Like many have said, don't even consider going to the mall, go to a diamond dealer.

 

[MagicKingdom05]

Wishing on a star,

The only issue I have with getting it online is what happens if it isn't what she wanted. Atleast if it's from a local place it could be exchanged for something she does like much easier. I would almost say if Red Sox Idiot finds something online he should take it to some local places and see if they have something similar.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Let's see if I can help a bit.. I buy and sell jewelry, but primarily deal in antique jewelry..

What you need to do is this, before you buy online, do some shopping. Compare color, cut, carat weight and clarity with the one you are viewing online...and of course price..

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=112740 here's a chart to go by... it helps if maybe you print it out so you know what each color should look like, all white, tinge of yellow, etc.. and then the inclusions, whether they should be visible to the naked eye or only with a loupe or barely at all.

I buy on Ebay all the time and have bought diamonds there as well.. I try to do with sellers that I know are reputable and usually ones I have bought from before.

Good luck and if I can help, feel free to pm. Anyone who is a Red Sox Idiot is ok in my book.

 

[Wishing on a star]

BlueNile, and other online jewelers, have a very easy and liberal return policy. This may be by law??? Jewelry like this, expecially an engagement ring that for a hopeful fiance, is something that is subject to personal tastes and acceptance. Blue Nile has an excellent reputation and PR.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Excellent link MackyMouse.
Very simple and easy to understand information on the different 'grades' and how to select a diamond!

 

[lil mermaid]

I would say that the ring you are looking at is NOT a good value. The thing that especially troubles me is that it doesn't even tell you what you are getting! It just gives you a range of color and clarity grades, and doesn't say anything about a certificate. It also doesn't mention cut.

Bluenile.com is a great site, and they have very competitive prices. They only sell diamonds that have certficates. They also have a good reputation and excellent return policy. It has a great search function and most of the certificates can be viewed online. You can choose each diamond seperately. I think that you could do very well by choosing 3 seperate diamonds on bluenile then having them set in a ring.

Cut and color affect the beauty of the diamond more than the clarity does. Most inclusions can't be seen with the naked eye until you go to SI1. Don't necessarily be afraid of SI1 either, because you may not see the inclusions with the naked eye, or they may only be visible from the side - if you are doing a 2 stone ring, that diamond could go in the center. It all depends on that particular diamond.

Stay away from chain mall jewelry stores. A woman I knew who works at Tiffany said they are "finance companies that happen to sell jewelry."

 

[DMickey28]

Something to think about too is that the clarity, while you may not see it, can have an effect in the refelcting of light and therefor sparkle of a diamond. There is a website that I found, I'll see if I can find it again, and you can put in the dimensions of the diamond and it spits out the "fire" and "sparkle" of the diamond. Alot of the diamond sparkle has to do with the cut. It can make or break a diamond. You can get a .75 carat diamond that looks like a .5 carat or you can get a .75 that looks like a full carat.

My diamond is just shy of .90 of a carat, but the cut creates sparkle and the "look" of a full carat. The difference between and .90 and 1.0 in price is too much in my opinion just to be able to say you have a full carat!

I found that website through the pricescope.com website that some posted earlier, but this was three years ago.... It was a great place though!

 

[MagicKingdom05]

lil mermaid,

I agree. The engagement ring that my gf loved so much which is the one I went back and got later is an SI1 and sparkles so much. I actually think it's a VSI1 more than an SI1, but what do I know. In my case the cut of the diamond (princess) and the color HI make all the differance in the world. The only way you can see the small minor inclusion is to look at with 10x magnification and even then its hard to see. With the naked eye you can't see anything at all so noone will know that the is a minor inclusion.