engagement ring purchase. please advise

[KingOfJericho]

You're about 7 months late for me but I don't regret the way I purchased at all. I know I overpaid but that was worth it for my peace of mind.

When he said you could get it inspected by another person for a fee, did he recommend the person? That just screams scam to me. Those guys are all pretty tight which is another reason why I simply didn't trust them.

[chungdae]

I own a jewelry store as well. Shoot me a PM with your questions.

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

You're about 7 months late for me but I don't regret the way I purchased at all. I know I overpaid but that was worth it for my peace of mind.

When he said you could get it inspected by another person for a fee, did he recommend the person? That just screams scam to me. Those guys are all pretty tight which is another reason why I simply didn't trust them.

way I see it I'd rather overpay by 30% then buy something that's worthless lol

[FJUNO78]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

You're about 7 months late for me but I don't regret the way I purchased at all. I know I overpaid but that was worth it for my peace of mind.

When he said you could get it inspected by another person for a fee, did he recommend the person? That just screams scam to me. Those guys are all pretty tight which is another reason why I simply didn't trust them.

The diamond shop was not involved in the appraisal at all. I selected the appraiser. He was an Australian who was the former head appraiser of jewels at Sotheby's. They appraise everything from Jewelry to artwork. He has offices worldwide and credentials to back it up.

If you are in NYC, Macy's in herald square offers the same service too. The cost of the job is tied into the size of the diamond.

A year after, when we got wedding bands, we went to the designer who did her engagement ring setting, and they looked at the stone. They didn't do a formal appraisal, but they confirmed the details.

I don't think I got a tremendous deal, but I do not think I got ripped off either.

I agree, alot of the shops are beyond shady. The guys on the street level are obnoxious. But in my experience, if you go to a dealer, the transaction is much more professional.

[FJUNO78]

Ps. I would recommend engagement rings direct to anyone. These reviews mirrored my experience. With that said, you have to perform your own due diligence with any large purchase.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Engagement_Rings_Direct

[The J-Man]

Originally Posted by Freakazoid

if you actually are interested in this I can point you in the right direction.

But yes, there are manmades that look just as good (and many times 'better') than the real ones. Just as hard, and no person will be able to tell unless they pull out a scope or a loupe.
lots of shams out there, but there are legit ones. Also keep in mind the woman has to be on board with this. If she finds out years down the road when she goes to a pro jeweler, you'll be in for a world of shit and more money

Indeed, I am interested in seeing what's out there. If there are legitimate man made diamonds, why pay the higher price for the real thing? Oh yeah, because diamonds rarely occur in nature. Or maybe not? I have no problem paying for things that actually ARE rare, but I have a real problem paying a cartel a massively inflated price. So what quality manmade options exist?

[WWONG]

PRE-NUP. DO IT (unless you want her to have your ultimate driving machine. Also, your house.)

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by The J-Man

Indeed, I am interested in seeing what's out there. If there are legitimate man made diamonds, why pay the higher price for the real thing? Oh yeah, because diamonds rarely occur in nature. Or maybe not? I have no problem paying for things that actually ARE rare, but I have a real problem paying a cartel a massively inflated price. So what quality manmade options exist?

again this honestly has nothing to do with you. believe it or not. the price you have to pay is up to you. real or manmade is not a decision that should be made by you, and if you make the wrong one, I can pretty much guarantee some point down the road you WILL hear about it and you WILL end up buying a real one.

They are not that rare, diamonds are legitimately a conspiracy. A cartel controls them and really always have (since they became popular).

manmades have picked up in pace, when I bought my ring, the biggest manmade you could find was under a carat, now there's other ones. I'm going to pull out the old bookmarks and see what i can find

Again, they will say they're identical, unless something has changed in the past 5 years or so, they're NOT identical to a professional jeweler ( a GOOD one). this means at some point it will be 'caught' so to speak

[M3Bahn]

Originally Posted by 08rookie

check this out....i found this idea on another forum...seems like a possibility...kinda of a hassle but if you can save a couple thousand why not??

"""What i normally do is go to a pawn shop buy several high quality used diamond wedding rings. Remove all the stones from the rings (use a jewler to do this). buy 7 or 8 rings for less than 3,000 dollars. .42carat diamonds minimum size.

Then go to a jewelry store break out the loose stones and begin to talk wholesale prices. With your loose stones and strong negotiating you should be able to acquire that same ring you want to buy with an even swap of your loose stones and perhaps a thousand for the setting. This should save you anywhere from 4-6 thousand dollar"""

You get engaged every other week?

[s2k_335i]

Size: Minimum = .8
Color: Minimum = H
Clarity: Minumum = SI1

I'll go with 1.5/F/VS1 if possible.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by Freakazoid

\

manmades have picked up in pace, when I bought my ring, the biggest manmade you could find was under a carat, now there's other ones. I'm going to pull out the old bookmarks and see what i can find

Again, they will say they're identical, unless something has changed in the past 5 years or so, they're NOT identical to a professional jeweler ( a GOOD one). this means at some point it will be 'caught' so to speak

Manmade diamonds are DeBeers biggest fear. The reality is that they are being made in moderate numbers right now, and DeBeers is going to great lengths to keep it quiet. Both Chemical Vapor Deposit (google CVD Diamonds) and the type that starts with a seed diamond under huge pressures and heat are so good that they are all but indiscernible. DeBeers has spent a HUGE amount of money developing some very sophisticated equipment to detect manmade diamonds and it's largely the only way to tell.

Seriously experienced diamond professionals, you know the orthodox jews that fly to antwerp on a regular basis can speculate if it's a manmade and the only way they can get any indication is because they are "too perfect" the crystal structures are basically aligned too well in most cases for any type of natural diamonds other than some that are rated IF. These are not the guys that own local jewelry stores or your going to find at most online outfits.

When CVD reaches mass production levels the diamond market is going to crash in a big way. As stated earlier in this thread, DeBeers have gone to huge lengths and great marketing expense to ensure that women continue to feel like this stone created by nature is special and important, and chumps like us continuing to spend insane amounts of money on them to make girls happy. Truth is that they really hold no value and they aren't rare at all. My understanding is that DeBeers has more jewel quality diamonds in storage than there are in total in the worlds circulation.

As we reach the thermal limits of silicon, the microchip industry is going to weigh heavily to accelerate the mass production of CVD diamonds. Imagine making a 36"x36", 3" thick sheets of FLAWLESS diamonds by the thousands 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which are completely indistinguishable from their natural counterparts. You think that a diamond is really going to be forever then?

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by matthewk

Manmade diamonds are DeBeers biggest fear. The reality is that they are being made in moderate numbers right now, and DeBeers is going to great lengths to keep it quiet. Both Chemical Vapor Deposit (google CVD Diamonds) and the type that starts with a seed diamond under huge pressures and heat are so good that they are all but indiscernible. DeBeers has spent a HUGE amount of money developing some very sophisticated equipment to detect manmade diamonds and it's largely the only way to tell.

Seriously experienced diamond professionals, you know the orthodox jews that fly to antwerp on a regular basis can speculate if it's a manmade and the only way they can get any indication is because they are "too perfect" the crystal structures are basically aligned too well in most cases for any type of natural diamonds other than some that are rated IF. These are not the guys that own local jewelry stores or your going to find at most online outfits.

When CVD reaches mass production levels the diamond market is going to crash in a big way. As stated earlier in this thread, DeBeers have gone to huge lengths and great marketing expense to ensure that women continue to feel like this stone created by nature is special and important, and chumps like us continuing to spend insane amounts of money on them to make girls happy. Truth is that they really hold no value and they aren't rare at all. My understanding is that DeBeers has more jewel quality diamonds in storage than there are in total in the worlds circulation.

As we reach the thermal limits of silicon, the microchip industry is going to weigh heavily to accelerate the mass production of CVD diamonds. Imagine making a 36"x36", 3" thick sheets of FLAWLESS diamonds by the thousands 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which are completely indistinguishable from their natural counterparts. You think that a diamond is really going to be forever then?

I completely agree and thanks for a little more detailed information, I wasn't aware how far along the entire process was.

fucking bullshit is what it is if you spent any amount of money on a diamond...

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by s2k_335i

I'll go with 1.5/F/VS1 if possible.

Why? Your fiancee's girl friends, who are the only people's opinions that actually matter, couldn't tell the difference between that an a H/SI1 - Stupid to waste your money..

It's all about the cut...