buy a wedding ring w/o getting screwed?

'89cab · '89cab's Garage

I am very distrustful of the diamond/jewelry industry and my son is preparing to propose to a young lady that my wife and I absolutely adore. He wants to propose in a month or so and wants to present the actual ring in the process. Problem is the jeweler wants an arm and a leg for the basic ring without the stone. Kaching-kaching-kaching -- without appropriate value in my estimation.

How does an average guy buy a ring and diamond without getting screwed? Two scenarios: He wants a particular design available only from a particular jeweler. Or secondly, he wants to shop around and get a fair deal.

How do you determine who the trustful dealers are? Am I wrong in my distrust?

dtw · 08-22-2006, 09:19 PM

www.bluenile.com

Oracle · 08-22-2006, 09:32 PM

Did you know the place that sell the most diamonds in North America is Walmart? There are some very nice pieces worth checking, especially if he's on a budget. Most likely Walmart won't give you a zirconia (when you paid Diamond) like many other small retailers...
I think the rule of thumb is to buy a ring worth a full month of salary.

HardDrive · 08-22-2006, 10:09 PM

Costco also sells quality jewelry.

What wrong with a simple 1 carat solitare? Christ, the money people on spend on getting married boggles my mind. The wife and I got married by a judge, on our lunch hour, then went back to work! As we got established, my wife has build up a nice collection of jewelry.

Vipergrün · 08-23-2006, 12:10 AM

I second the Costco option. They have some really nice stuff that appraises for 2x what you pay typically. If the girl is sweet, she'll care more about your son that the ring on her finger. Plus, if he buys at a place like Costco, he can probably get 2x the ring for the same $$.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

www.niceice.com

They specialize in Ideal Cut diamonds, which produce the most reflected light. If nothing else, read the site and learn a bit about diamonds.

I have not connection with these people except for having spent thousands of dollars there!

Oh Haha · 08-23-2006, 03:17 AM

We bought my wife's first engagement ring at JC Penney. She has since upgraded twice to different styles. They have a great buy-back policy. She didn't care where it came from.
I could have got it from a machine and she would have been happy.

Jeez, the missed opportunities in life, huh?

Paul T · 08-23-2006, 03:28 AM

I used Diamond Brokers of Florida and had great luck. They were very nice to deal with, offered a full return if not satisfied, and I had the ring appraised later at a very high end dealer locally and was quite pleased.

charlesbahn · charlesbahn's Garage

The ring has important value in the relationship beside the cost and where you buy it. If the gal hasn't had a chance to say what she'd like, she should. I believe choosing the style and size of the ring, where it is purchased, etc is an important first step in the relationship. If they want an expensive ring from Tiffany's, that means putting off buying a house, or when they can afford to start having children and they both should agree on that.

Also, for the most part, parents should stay out. It's time to let the young'uns pick what they want and feel they can afford.

Just my 0.02.

legion · 08-23-2006, 04:50 AM

I used a small, independent local jeweler.

I avoided the mall jewelers, they just sell overpriced crap IMO.

I did my research and was informed when I shopped. I had one jeweler try to sell me a diamond with a big chunk missing out of the side. I simply got up and walked out of the store while the saleslady was still speaking (spewing B.S.).

It took me going to 5 jewelers before I found one I could work with. I was very careful to avoid talking price, but instead talked about the kind of diamond I was looking for...then had them make an offer.

The particular jeweler I ended up buying from was very straightforward, ended up ordering several diamonds until I found just the right one, and quoted me a price that was so much better than everyone else I couldn't say no...let alone pick my jaw up off the floor to negotiate. How do I know they didn't sell me a cubic zirconium? Well, this particular jeweler reviews all diamonds with you using a microscope/HDTV setup, and then there's the deBeers laser engraving on the girdle...

RoninLB · 08-23-2006, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by '89cab
my son is preparing to propose to a young lady

tell the jerk not to get married till he's 40.

Dantilla · 08-23-2006, 05:02 AM

I designed my wife's ring, and got it wholesale with a local guy who supplies a couple high-end stores.

It appraised at three times what I paid for it, and I had a lot of fun in the proccess. I also got a great education about diamonds.

If you don't have an option like that available, the first advice is to stay away from the mall jewelers. The local little independant guys sell higher quality stuff, and will usually negotiate, whereas most mall employees are just paid retail workers, with no real expertise or authority to negotiate.

I have a friend who owns a hole-in-the-wall type independant jewelery store, and he is continually amazed at the silly high prices the mall ratailers charge for low-quality stuff.

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

I also went with a small local retailer because sometimes places like bluenile can't do what you're looking for. Also the fact that they will clean your ring anytime for free and fix problems quickly is a big plus. My fiance broke a prong off of her less than a year old engagement ring recently and they fixed her ring promptly and at very minimal expense. Be careful though many places push the bigger is better philosophy which I don't belive is the case. I went with a smaller, but near perfect ring which Steff and I both think is more classy and easier to live with day to day.

Tervuren · Tervuren's Garage

^

My brother went with quality, not as huge as stone he could go, and it looks top notch.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

If he's contemplating buying a wedding ring, he's already screwed.

Moses · 08-23-2006, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by HardDrive
Costco also sells quality jewelry.

A friend of mine owns a jewlery store, after a few beers he admits that no one can touch the prices at Costco.

Also, the solitaire is a classic. Can't go wrong there. Can always be changed later.

gaijindabe · 08-23-2006, 05:35 AM

Of the "four Cs" - color is important than clarity. You can tell a G or H stone with the naked eye (compared with a D or E) - but an inclusion has got to be pretty big to see at all.

CarreraDan · 08-23-2006, 05:37 AM

Shop around--I have casually been looking for a while and prices can be drastically different for basically the same thing. I am lucky that my future mother in law was very involved with gems and diamonds and really knows her stuff, she has friends that even cut their own diamonds--one has a huge blue diamond he got in South Africa. Stay away from the mall, my best friend did that route and got ripped for the quality (or lack of it) in his wife's ring. I am kinda stuck b/c my girlfriend likes a certain style that is only available at one jeweler locally. Also, be sure he gets ring insurance in case something happens like the ring gets lost--my brother's ex lost her ring at the lake one day and they had a new one within a couple weeks.

jriera · 08-23-2006, 05:48 AM

Unless you know someone in Amsterdam or in the industry, your best choices are either Costco (price) or Tiffanny's (design) I have used Tiffany's for most of my transactions after I moved to the US. My wife's wedding ring is a Tiffany design and only 5 where made.

Maybe someone from New York can chime in ...

id10t · 08-23-2006, 06:20 AM

And whatever you do get one of the "we inspect it every few months and replace it if it goes AWOL from the setting" insurances on it. My wife's ring was like that from a mall retailer (marks & morgan), but she stopped going in, and a couple years ago the stone went awol. Still haven't been able to afford a replacement for just the stone...