Engagement Rings: Where to buy?

[aphex]

Was with the girlfriend up in NYC a few weeks ago and we were checking out Tiffanys, of course they have the most perfect diamonds imaginable *cough*FREAKINGEXPENSIVE*cough*, but noticably better than any other ive seen.

Where did you end up buying your engagement ring?

Local Place in the Mall? (i.e. Whitehall, Zales, Mayors, etc..)
Famous Store? (Tiffanys, Cartier, etc..)
Internet? (Ashford.com, Newegg.com Refurb)
Cheap Ass? (Sams Club, Walmart, Pawn Shop)
Dumb Ass? (Cracker Jack Box)

I want a good deal, but i do not want sh*t. Lookin to spend $3k ~ $6k

 

[Orsorum]

Mt. Doom.

 

[ManSnake]

If you had to ask, then it's Internet: Newegg.com Refurb

 

[Mr N8]

Local Jeweler. Avoid the mall like Osama avoids the U.S. military.

 

[ArmenK]

The only rings I know are token rings.

 

[FuZoR]

umm did you check out the jeweler shops in chinatown/soho ?

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: FuZioN
umm did you check out the jeweler shops in chinatown/soho ?

Kinda, we breezed through there one late afternoon, but it was fuggen COLD so we werent down there too long. Good deals to be had on decent diamonds?

We were staying at the Sofitel on 44th, so were were only 3 blocks or so from the Diamond District. Nice stuff, but we were just lookin.

 

[LordSnailz]

Isn't it hard to tell if your local jeweler's shop is legit or not? How about some other well known places ... don't know of any but I'm looking as well

 

[fredtam]

Look for all the divorced people selling theirs in the newspaper. Great deals on high quality rings. Get a tiffany"s box from ebay.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: LordSnailz
Isn't it hard to tell if your local jeweler's shop is legit or not? How about some other well known places ... don't know of any but I'm looking as well

The only place in the mall i've REALLY liked so far was Whitehall Jewelers. They have this stone called the White Star, beautiful and nicely priced, but im still weary about buying in a mall.

Hell, Sears has a 10% off sale today...

Nah, couldnt do that to my girl...

 

[WhiteKnight]

Superbcert
Good Old Gold This place looks cheesy, but it really is top notch.

Bigger places:
Blue Nile

Don't buy from the mall and don't buy from Tiffany's unless you are in the financial position where you can afford to fork over at least 50% more just for that little blue box. There are equal/better quality diamonds out there for much lower prices.

 

[iamwiz82]

http://www.bluenile.com

 

[BassDominator]

I buy all my wife's jewelry at Ideal Diamonds on 47th street.

 

[Cal166]

Chinatown has good deals and you can always bargain with them and knock off about $100-200 the original asking price. PLAY HARD BALL WITH THEM.

 

[CChaos]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
http://www.bluenile.com

I bought my wife's ring here. I was very happy with the service and she loves the ring.

Luck!

 

[blackdogdeek]

i bought at tiffany's. spent ~$8K.

i'm sure people will say i got ripped off, but i also paid for the known quality, the lifetime of resizing and polishing, and the peace of mind.

it was well worth it.

 

[DBL]

As someone who has been working in the diamond industry for the past 5 1/2 years, I can tell you that there is nothing special about the diamonds that Tiffany?s sells. They may have their own style of setting but the diamonds aren't special. They only carry diamonds above a certain quality level, which you can easily attain by checking the GIA cert of any diamond you were to purchase. Just make sure you get the diamond independently appraised before you purchase to verify it matches its GIA cert. The only reason Tiffany?s can charge such high prices is b/c of their name. Most likely, you could find a ring in Tiffany?s, let's say a 1ct, F and VS2 stone for $14k and then walk 10 blocks to the diamond district and purchase the same stone in an identical setting for $7K. However, you do want to shop around and make sure you get a GIA cert and an independent appraisal.

 

[LordThing]

I bought mine at GoldStock. It's a local place here in Pittsburgh, so I don't know how well you can purchase from them. They take 15% off the Rapp sheet and gave me 0% for 12 months. I saved a good grand over doing it at Jared's.


I agree with avoiding chains or mall stores. They will rip you. But they will also provide convience for repairs if you ever move. I guess you pay for that.

 

[aphex]

Thanks for all the great info guys....

DBL, how do you go about getting the diamond independantly appraised before you purchase it?

 

[maziwanka]

wow. i know nothing about engagement rings, but for that amt of cash i could supercharge my car. that would be a dream....

 

[Falloutboy]

just get her an onion ring and with the extra money build a super computer

 

[WhiteKnight]

Originally posted by: aphex
Thanks for all the great info guys....

DBL, how do you go about getting the diamond independantly appraised before you purchase it?

There are a number of well known independent appraisers. Dave Atlas and RockDoc are two of the well known ones in the internet diamond world.

 

[Dulanic]

Im buying mine from BlueNile.com and also dont forget to use fatcash.com for it Get 5% cashback for it LOL gotta be a bargain hunter when you spend that much money!

 

[DBL]

Originally posted by: aphex
Thanks for all the great info guys....

DBL, how do you go about getting the diamond independantly appraised before you purchase it?

If the dealer is legit, then he should have no problem letting you get an independent appraisal. Leave a credit card and drivers license and take the stone to someone else. I have had a couple of friends bring a stone by my place to have someone take a look at the stone. Actually, when I said appraisal, I meant more of a verification of the GIA cert. That shouldn't cost much at all. A real appraisal might cost more than you would like to spend. It helps to have a dealer who you can trust, if not to buy the stone from them directly, but also to verify the quality of a stone you bought elsewhere. Also, after a dealer is willing to verify a stone you brought in from elsewhere, it may be in you best interest to explain to them that you have already purchased the stone and you want to verify it against the GIA cert. Otherwise, you may have to hear a sales pitch explaining why one of their stones is better. If you don't know the dealer, you should be all right with forking over $20-$40 for them to do this. It's worth the piece of mind however. Another thing to know is to not let the dealer take the stone out of your sight when you bring it to them. They should be able to look at it in front of you. The whole process should take less than a minute.

Good luck

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

eBay?