Jewelry Recommendations

[ugadevil]

I don't know if there are any jewelry experts on the board, but I am currently looking at buying an engagement ring. I am not familiar at all with jewelry and what type of places to look for. I've looked online at the big chains (Zales, ShaneCo, Jareds, etc.) but was wondering if that's the best way to go? Are places like that reliable and quality or is it better to go to local stores? Any help would be appreciated, by myself and the person who will be receiving the ring:)

[Exiled_Devil]

My personal opinion, and a strong one. It stemmed form a generic dislike of chains for luxury items, but was verified when I went to purchase a set of earings for my wife. The chains I had poor experiences with (pressure, sub-quality, and huge prices) included Jared and Zales. If you are in the Triangel area, I can suggest three different jewelers that have spectacular products and provide great service.

My wedding band is an original form one of them, and the only time I have ever seen another like it is when I see my best friend, because he is a copy-catting kind of guy.

FYI, the 'two months salary" thing was made up by marketers - it is not a rule of any sort. You may have to negotiate that with your intended, of course.


Edit: Also, there are two gem-grading services. One ois for-profit and tends to give higher grades. The chains use this one. I don't recall its name, but I know it is the service Jared uses.

Exiled

[billybreen]

I don't know if there are any jewelry experts on the board, but I am currently looking at buying an engagement ring. I am not familiar at all with jewelry and what type of places to look for. I've looked online at the big chains (Zales, ShaneCo, Jareds, etc.) but was wondering if that's the best way to go? Are places like that reliable and quality or is it better to go to local stores? Any help would be appreciated, by myself and the person who will be receiving the ring:)

First of all, congrats. Big step. I went through this process two years ago, and getting a ring was actually a lot of fun.

I would steer well clear of the big chains. It's just so impersonal. I can give you the name of a fantastic jeweler/artist in Columbia, SC who created engagement rings for my sister, many of her friends, and my wife. Her prices are competitive, and she is incredibly particular about the quality of stones she selects (and the symmetry of stones, if you are thinking of a multiple stone setting). Fantastic quality, and I trusted her enough to go through the whole process without ever seeing the stones myself (I live in Boston).

Are you doing this as a surprise? While it may be easier to have the future wife involved, I took the more traditional route. To help vet the ring design, I enlisted my wife's sister and best friend. I think it was worth it.

[Indoor66]

When I bought jewlery in Durham I went to Carlyle & Co. They are, I think, at Northgate and at Southpoint. They were knowledgeable, helpful and honest. My favorite was Connelly's on Main Street. Tom Connelly made the first basket at Duke Indoor Stadium in 1940. Unfortunately, it is closed and Tom as gone to shooting baskets on high.

[billybreen]

A couple of other points: take the time to learn about diamonds. My jeweler gave me homework, strongly suggesting that I read this book cover to cover (http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Ring-Buying-Guide-Evaluate/dp/0929975324/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200694150&sr=1-2). It only took an hour or two, but it made me feel far more comfortable making these big dollar decisions.

Also, 2 months salary is definitely just marketing. You can do better than 2 months ;)

[gadzooks]

FYI, the 'two months salary" thing was made up by marketers - it is not a rule of any sort. You may have to negotiate that with your intended, of course. That bears repeating. If you want and are able to spend that amount, by all means do, but don't feel that you are obligated to simply because you heard it in a commercial. I personally did NOT want a ring that cost that much, and made sure that my then-boyfriend was aware of that before he went shopping.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I like the radio ads for this place. Sounds like they give you better than average value for your money.
http://www.diamondsdirectraleigh.com/
They also have an offshoot, Varia Designs (you can Google that).

David Glenn on 850thebuzz does their radio ads.

[blublood]

Yes, please avoid the chains! Maybe I'm biased, but I think it's really cool that I can say my ring came from Barton Clay rather than Zales/Diamonds R Us, etc.

Also, I really think guys overspend on engagement rings. Obviously, you don't want to cheap out just for the sake of cheaping out, but all the diamonds and shadow diamonds and blah blah blah just get overwhelming after a certain point, especially if your bride-to-be has a small hand. Because our engagement was a kind of impromptu decision, my now-husband had to put the whole ring on his college student's credit card. It's a small diamond, very delicate and beautiful, and I will absolutely love it until the day I die. : )

[Clipsfan]

The rating institute that you should pay attention to is the GIA. One of my friends is a jeweler (family business) and his family have been very involved with the organization and it's a good one with good ratings. When I bought my engagement ring a couple years ago I bought it from my friend, but he also mentioned that www.bluenile.com has really good prices on the whole on stones. You can buy either just the stone there or a stone and a setting. The downside is that you don't see it all in person before you buy, but I believe that you get better quality (the stones are all certified) at what really seems like good prices. The chains often have inferior stones.

I also second that you don't need to spend a certain amount because the ads say that you should. I probably spent a little more than necessary on my wife's ring, and even this morning she was talking about not wearing it because she feels that people pay too much attention to it (and it's not an outrageous ring by any means). I was talking to a friend of mine from Japan at the time I was thinking about buying the ring and he just laughed at me, saying that in Japan rings often end up costing in the low hundreds.

[sue71, esq]

There was an article a few years ago where the chains were compared to high-end (Tiffany's, etc) to Sam's Club.

Bottom line was don't go the the chain stores.

If you wanted to feel really, really special (ie major VIP treatment), and wanted the prestige of the blue box, go to Tiffany's. Good-great quality, but you're paying for that AND everything else. Very knowledgeable.

Sam's Club, on the other hand, did not have as knowledgeable a staff, the surroundings weren't as posh, nor was the treatment VIP as with Tiffany's, but the quality of the stones were on par with them and you got a MUCH better value.

The article basically said that if you want to feel really special and important for spending that kind of money, go ahead. If you don't mind not being pampered and were concerned only with getting the ring, Sam's was a great deal.

Anyone else remember this article? Consumer Reports maybe? NYT? I think the Today Show may have done a piece on it at the time as well.

Sue

[xenic]

I had some repair work done at the jewelery store in the Wachovia tower. They came highly recommended, and they did excellent work (nothing too difficult though.)

Also, I don't know much about her business (and whether she does engagement rings), but Catherine Calloway (sp?) over in Hillsborough made me a beautiful custom Jewish Star about 15 years ago.

I met a guy named Travis Kukovich (sp?) that runs a jewelry shop in the granville towers plaza over in Chapel Hill. He showed me some of his work and it was awesome.

[cato]

There was an article a few years ago where the chains were compared to high-end (Tiffany's, etc) to Sam's Club.

Bottom line was don't go the the chain stores.

If you wanted to feel really, really special (ie major VIP treatment), and wanted the prestige of the blue box, go to Tiffany's. Good-great quality, but you're paying for that AND everything else. Very knowledgeable.

Sam's Club, on the other hand, did not have as knowledgeable a staff, the surroundings weren't as posh, nor was the treatment VIP as with Tiffany's, but the quality of the stones were on par with them and you got a MUCH better value.

The article basically said that if you want to feel really special and important for spending that kind of money, go ahead. If you don't mind not being pampered and were concerned only with getting the ring, Sam's was a great deal.

Anyone else remember this article? Consumer Reports maybe? NYT? I think the Today Show may have done a piece on it at the time as well.

Sue

I would second the recommendation of blue nile and the like, and add them to the same category as Sam's Club/Costco. But it may be a good idea to get a sense of what your girlfriend would think of that. My wife wanted me to get as good a deal as I could have at blue nile, but she didn't want me to buy her ring over the internet.

Most important of all, if you are surprising your girlfriend and you don't know what she likes, make sure that you can exchange the ring. She'll be wearing it for a long time, so it's important to get it right.

[sue71, esq]

Most important of all, if you are surprising your girlfriend and you don't know what she likes, make sure that you can exchange the ring. She'll be wearing it for a long time, so it's important to get it right.

Also, with Sam's, you need to know your basics before you walk in. Again, no one there to hold your hand, so maybe the 2nd most important point (as said by others, you should know the basics regardless of where you go).

That being said, I received a diamond bracelet from Sam's (a gift that I picked out). I had it appraised a few years later, and it was valued at more than double what was paid. YMMV but the article said this was somewhat typical for the engagement rings as well.

[DevilAlumna]

Congrats on a very big decision!

I would second the Blue Nile recommendation; I've heard very good things about them and their service. But, I've never used them.

If you're unsure of what you want, I would also consider checking to see if there's an engagement ring store specialist in the area. (Up here, we have EE Robbins, but they're local.) They typically have ONLY rings (no necklaces, earrings, etc. to clutter the store) so you get a wider variety of styles, designers, and folks who really know how to do up the big event. (EE Robbins chipped in a Limo for the night my husband proposed.)

As for styles, consider that of your fiance-to-be. Is she a traditional type? Maybe just the standard solitaire diamond. A little more on the fringe? A custom design might be the thing. Is she active? Maybe platinum, which scratches easily, isn't the right metal. What color jewelry does she usually wear? Try and get the metal color to match.

For the stones themselves, again, what might your gal prefer? Knowing it's a higher quality stone (good clarity) and willing to sacrifice on size; or a little flashier, so a fancier cut and larger size, but maybe not the best color. It's good to know in advance which of the 4 c's matter most to you. (Yes, you need to learn about the 4 c's. Blue Nile has some good online training; any decent store will spend some time and show you comparisons too.)

In the end, if you're not asking for her input, it means you want this to be an expression of your choices. So, take confidence in that. Enjoy thinking about what cut you find prettiest (personally, I like the brilliant or princess cuts), and what size(s) of stone(s) you could arrange in a design.

I guarantee, she will say yes, no matter what the ring looks like. That it came from you, with all the commitments and love it implies, will be the most special part.

[Lavabe]

I am unsure about the jewelers in Athens. I know a few over here in Cobb, but I'll echo the sentiment ... avoid the big chains.

I know a fantastic jeweler in Diego-Suarez, Madagascar.:D

Cheers,
Lavabe

[tecumseh]

Congratulations
At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon I would ask you to reconsider the diamond purchase if you wife is a liberal creative person she might go for it. Still a ring of course but why a diamond? The diamond engagement ring was largely a creation of a monopoly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engagement_ring) DeBeers to sell more diamonds, it is an artificially, commercially driven tradition.

I really like jewelry and this Christmas I bought my wife a beautiful Topaz ring and a nice pair of emerald earrings. I find other gemstones far more interesting than diamonds. I do not think a diamond solitaire ring is very attractive unless the stone is quite large and of good quality but then you are talking some very serious money. But even with serious money a decent sapphire, ruby or emerald to me is a far more interesting gem, note that good quality sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are more expensive than diamonds on a per carat basis. Plus everyone knows diamonds then they are always sizing upthe gem and figuring how much it cost you much better to add some mystery to the whole thing.

If your bride to be has blue eyes consider getting a blue sapphire to match. If you are on a tight budget you can even consider getting an "artificial" or laboratory created sapphire. Here you can get a really large stone that is perfect (too perfect?) is genuine sapphire and in a setting with some genuine diamonds along side can really look stunning. If anyone asks yes it is real ruby or emerald or sapphire.

[Jim3k]

A couple of things. I'm in agreement about the chain stores. I also agree you should read up on diamond quality - size, cut, clarity and color.

Then decide whether you are feeling moral or not. There is a movement against so-called blood diamonds, from places where the miners are, or have been, exploited -- Sierra Leone, Angola South Africa (though SA has been better of late. There are diamonds of excellent quality now coming from Canada and Arkansas that many people prefer because they are not at risk for being blood diamonds.

The other thing is that after you have read up on what to look for, consider buying a loose diamond in a wholesale diamond district -- New York and L.A. have them. I imagine Atlanta does, too. Then you can choose a setting separately from any source you like, or even have it custom made. If you can't go to a diamond district, go to a reputable local jeweler and ask to see his loose diamonds. It will be an eye opener. He will certainly let you use his loupe and may even have a diamondscope to look through. You can both have fun with that.

Ed. Wow, Jeff Capel. What's 434 stand for?

[Lavabe]

Congratulations
At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon I would ask you to reconsider the diamond purchase if you wife is a liberal creative person she might go for it. Still a ring of course but why a diamond? The diamond engagement ring was largely a creation of a monopoly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engagement_ring) DeBeers to sell more diamonds, it is an artificially, commercially driven tradition.

I really like jewelry and this Christmas I bought my wife a beautiful Topaz ring and a nice pair of emerald earrings. I find other gemstones far more interesting than diamonds. I do not think a diamond solitaire ring is very attractive unless the stone is quite large and of good quality but then you are talking some very serious money. But even with serious money a decent sapphire, ruby or emerald to me is a far more interesting gem, note that good quality sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are more expensive than diamonds on a per carat basis. Plus everyone knows diamonds then they are always sizing upthe gem and figuring how much it cost you much better to add some mystery to the whole thing.

If your bride to be has blue eyes consider getting a blue sapphire to match. If you are on a tight budget you can even consider getting an "artificial" or laboratory created sapphire. Here you can get a really large stone that is perfect (too perfect?) is genuine sapphire and in a setting with some genuine diamonds along side can really look stunning. If anyone asks yes it is real ruby or emerald or sapphire.

If I may be a "curmudgeon" as well ... the sapphire mining I've seen in developing countries has its own issues as well. A number of social scientists have written about its effects on deforestation and public health (can discuss in a PM). Having said that, some of the SE Asian ones (Lao/Thailand) have posed fewer of these issues.

I finally agree with tecumseh on something, but my wife pretty much didn't want the engagement ring to be sapphire, despite her blue eyes. If I had gotten sapphire, she wouldn't have married me.:rolleyes: As someone else suggested, check with her best friend or family before going away from the culturally-mandated diamond.

Then again, if her name is Ruby ...;)
Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

A couple of things. I'm in agreement about the chain stores. I also agree you should read up on diamond quality - size, cut, clarity and color.

Then decide whether you are feeling moral or not. There is a movement against so-called blood diamonds, from places where the miners are, or have been, exploited -- Sierra Leone, Angola South Africa (though SA has been better of late. There are diamonds of excellent quality now coming from Canada and Arkansas that many people prefer because they are not at risk for being blood diamonds.

The other thing is that after you have read up on what to look for, consider buying a loose diamond in a wholesale diamond district -- New York and L.A. have them. I imagine Atlanta does, too. Then you can choose a setting separately from any source you like, or even have it custom made. If you can't go to a diamond district, go to a reputable local jeweler and ask to see his loose diamonds. It will be an eye opener. He will certainly let you use his loupe and may even have a diamondscope to look through. You can both have fun with that.

Ed. Wow, Jeff Capel. What's 434 stand for?

Good tips

434=assists(though 1 site i looked at said 433 assists were his career total)

[tecumseh]

If I may be a "curmudgeon" as well ... the sapphire mining I've seen in developing countries has its own issues as well. A number of social scientists have written about its effects on deforestation and public health (can discuss in a PM). Having said that, some of the SE Asian ones (Lao/Thailand) have posed fewer of these issues.

I finally agree with tecumseh on something, but my wife pretty much didn't want the engagement ring to be sapphire, despite her blue eyes. If I had gotten sapphire, she wouldn't have married me.:rolleyes: As someone else suggested, check with her best friend or family before going away from the culturally-mandated diamond.

Then again, if her name is Ruby ...;)
Cheers,
Lavabe

I didn't want to get into the politics or greenness of jewels because they are all pretty much bad news. We know about blood diamonds, Lavabe talks about sapphires but if you look at how we get our rubies it also appalling most come from Burma and they rape the land and abuse child labor in the process. Emerald mines are not pretty sights either. In fact mining by its very nature is not green and never can be.

Another (cheap) suggestion is sometimes there is a family heirloom like grandmas engagement ring. This creates kind of a living tradition of marriage and is a strong "welcome to the family" kind of message. My grandmother had the sweetest emerald ring which unfortunately was stolen.
I whole heartedly agree a lot of women want that diamond and anything else is trouble. Here is a link (http://ezinearticles.com/?Engagement-Ring-Trends-of-2006&id=197075) which suggests more women are getting colored stones and like them because they seem more individualistic. (plus they look a whole lot betterhttp://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[ugadevil]

Thanks for the help so far. I'll be shopping in the Atlanta area today for rings (also going to have to tape the game tonight!) and I have a decent idea of what I'm looking for. For those of you who asked, she's more interested in a diamond than other gems. I'm trying to get a princess cut center diamond, and then channel set diamonds in the ring. In all, I'd like for it to be a little over one carat. As for the 2 months salary thing or whatever, that's irrelevant for me since I'm a senior in college who makes a couple hundred a month from being a basketball referee.

I've looked up a couple places that have been mentioned, and am still open to whatever suggestions.

[tecumseh]

It is really pretty amazing what deBeers did with the diamond engagement ring they managed to create a cultural standard. This is the power of a monopoly, they cannot grow their slice any bigger, so the only way to grow is to grow the pie. I mean the whole marketing is about buying diamonds, "diamonds are a girls best friend" we don't have to tell you which ones. deBeers has been very successful in Japan at creating this diamond ring tradition. They still have great ads especially at Christmastime and they don't have to tell you which diamond to buy because the reality it you have no choice. I like the fact they even tell you how much to spend: two month's salary.

Remember the Ma Bell line "reach out and touch someone" when you control all the long distance you just have to drive up usage. One of my favorite monopoly things was the Hula Show in Honolulu sponsored by Kodak. United also had a monopoly on the air travel to Hawaii so they had some great ads selling the Islands, they did not have to sell the brand cause if you went to Hawaii you went United.

[Exiled_Devil]

I had some repair work done at the jewelery store in the Wachovia tower. They came highly recommended, and they did excellent work (nothing too difficult though.)

Also, I don't know much about her business (and whether she does engagement rings), but Catherine Calloway (sp?) over in Hillsborough made me a beautiful custom Jewish Star about 15 years ago.

I met a guy named Travis Kukovich (sp?) that runs a jewelry shop in the granville towers plaza over in Chapel Hill. He showed me some of his work and it was awesome.

I can highly recommend Travis (www.williamtravisjewelry.com)- he made custom pendants for me for my Mom and MIL. Also where I got my wife's engagement ring. A good guy for special work and also for more standard fare.

Also, Goldworks (which is in University Mall) does good work. And Hamilton Hill is more of an importer than jeweler, but she brings in amazing pieces from interesting European jewelers.

These are all in Durham or Chapel Hill, and if you are in the area well worth a look. I don't knwo how they work out price-wise - probably not as cheap as Sam's but less than Tiffany's, but they all give a feeling of special attention and quality work.

exiled

[Cavlaw]

When I went shopping I had the advantage of Chicago's jewelers' row, which made it easy to find wholesalers, and I had a particular individual recommended to me.

I took my wife (then girlfriend) over to the shop, and let her have a look at the stones. A little gentle guidance kept her within the scope of my budget, but I wanted to know what mattered to her in terms of the look of the diamond. I discovered that she really wanted a stone of high quality, and that was far more important to her than the number of carats. As it turns out, the first stone she looked at was the one I ultimately bought; the way her eyes lit up when she saw it (and how she kept looking back it to compare the others to) made it an easy choice.

On the basis of that, I highly recommend taking your girlfriend with you. It sounds like she already expects the ring to be forthcoming, so there's no surprise to ruin, and the single most important factor, above and beyond the four c's and any other story that some salesperson tried to sell you on, is whether or not she's happy with the selection.

To poke my nose in a little further than necessary, I'll add this on: if you're still in school and don't have the budget for a diamond that your girlfriend will really be excited about (a high quality stone of around a carat costs a lot), then consider not getting one right now. There is no rule that says your engagement ring must have a diamond, nor one that says you can't get a new engagement ring after you start working. It might even be worth considering getting the wedding band now to use as an engagement ring (which would cost a fraction of the price) and to give her the diamond "engagement ring" at your wedding.

Heirlooms can also make a great alternative, if your family knows her well (in which case she would hopefullly see it as being welcomed into the family; if they don't know her, it would probably be awkward for her).

[devildeac]

They are forever(hopefully). That should start a spin-off Bond thread.
Brief hijack over. Back to the original subject.

Cavlaw's advice and that of others is very good. We have dealt with Bailey's in Raleigh for almost 20 years now with several purchases and I can recommend a sales consultant via PM if you'd like. We ALWAYS wait for their various sales and have purchased good quality stones at fairly reasonable prices. Educate yourself(and your soon-to-be wife), especially looking at the choices under a 10x microscope.

Our story is kinda funny and I will try to keep it short. When we got 'engaged', we decided to buy a dining room set instead of an engagement ring. Yea, practicality and common sense rules sometimes, but romance wins in the end. A friend of my future wife(the young lady introduced us) then got engaged with a small, but nice ring and that, of course, changed the mind of my bride-to-be and she announced she wanted a ring, too. I swallowed hard and told her we would talk about it after exams. Little did she know that I had already bought the ring a month or so prior to her new request. It was small (.35 carat) with nice clarity, cut(round) and color. She wore it happily for 10 years until I bought her an anniversary band and then started wearing both. I added a right hand ring(more clever marketing from the diamond industry) for a 15th year anniversary and earring studs for the 20th. Then, for the 25th, I had the original engagement stone reset with another comparable stone on either side of a larger stone with a very nice semi-custom setting. For our 30th this summer, we are going on a cruise. No surprises planned there-she has enough jewelry:D . What an awesome woman/wife! The main point of the story is that we have simply added on to her jewelry collection as time and finances allowed and didn't break the bank early in our relationship when we could least afford it. Congratulations and best of luck.

[tecumseh]

A friend of mine who I grew up with is a jeweler and when I am in town visiting my mom I say hi and make a few purchases. I bought a blue topaz ring from him this Christmastime which cost about $750 and really is a beautiful ring I am sure a similar one could be gotten cheaper. I have no idea what your budget is but if it is say $1000 then you can get a diamond solitaire ring which will frankly look cheap or get a great topaz or similar ring. And as Cav Law said you can always buy that big diamond later. (did I actually agree with Cav Law)

One thing you cannot do later though is go on a honeymoon. I hear about all these practical couples postponing the honeymoon or making it simple. IMHO this is nonsense. Sure you can postpone it but then it is just a vacation nothing wrong with that. I guess I am a romantic at heart but there is something special about a honeymoon. We had no money but my bestman gave me his travel miles and we went to the Greek Isles and it was unbelievable. The memories will really last a lifetime or at least until that Alzheimers kicks in.

[SouthgateWindsor]

They are forever(hopefully). That should start a spin-off Bond thread.
Brief hijack over. Back to the original subject.

Cavlaw's advice and that of others is very good. We have dealt with Bailey's in Raleigh for almost 20 years now with several purchases and I can recommend a sales consultant via PM if you'd like. We ALWAYS wait for their various sales and have purchased good quality stones at fairly reasonable prices. Educate yourself(and your soon-to-be wife), especially looking at the choices under a 10x microscope.

Our story is kinda funny and I will try to keep it short. When we got 'engaged', we decided to buy a dining room set instead of an engagement ring. Yea, practicality and common sense rules sometimes, but romance wins in the end. A friend of my future wife(the young lady introduced us) then got engaged with a small, but nice ring and that, of course, changed the mind of my bride-to-be and she announced she wanted a ring, too. I swallowed hard and told her we would talk about it after exams. Little did she know that I had already bought the ring a month or so prior to her new request. It was small (.35 carat) with nice clarity, cut(round) and color. She wore it happily for 10 years until I bought her an anniversary band and then started wearing both. I added a right hand ring(more clever marketing from the diamond industry) for a 15th year anniversary and earring studs for the 20th. Then, for the 25th, I had the original engagement stone reset with another comparable stone on either side of a larger stone with a very nice semi-custom setting. For our 30th this summer, we are going on a cruise. No surprises planned there-she has enough jewelry:D . What an awesome woman/wife! The main point of the story is that we have simply added on to her jewelry collection as time and finances allowed and didn't break the bank early in our relationship when we could least afford it. Congratulations and best of luck.

"The main point of the story is that we have simply added on to her jewelry collection as time and finances allowed and didn't break the bank early in our relationship when we could least afford it. Congratulations and best of luck."

Good advice!!! No need to get something huge now.

The huge ring can wait for the baby (or babies!)! :D
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/fashion/06push.html?em&ex=1197262800&en=ea59d304e4c03a8a&ei=5087%0A (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/fashion/06push.html?em&ex=1197262800&en=ea59d304e4c03a8a&ei=5087%0A)

Congratulations!!

[Lavabe]

Thanks for the help so far. I'll be shopping in the Atlanta area today for rings (also going to have to tape the game tonight!) and I have a decent idea of what I'm looking for. For those of you who asked, she's more interested in a diamond than other gems. I'm trying to get a princess cut center diamond, and then channel set diamonds in the ring. In all, I'd like for it to be a little over one carat. As for the 2 months salary thing or whatever, that's irrelevant for me since I'm a senior in college who makes a couple hundred a month from being a basketball referee.

I've looked up a couple places that have been mentioned, and am still open to whatever suggestions.

As far as smart advertising goes (I agree completely w/tecumseh ... GO FIGURE), the diamond folks in Atlanta advertise extensively on the sports talk radio channels. Can't say that I've ever been to shop, but I would know where to go. Heavy advertising on Braves games, etc...

I like Edward-Johns jewelers in East Cobb. It's family run. No heavy advertising. Nice stones; good, friendly service. I first ran into it when I met the owner (on the Cobb School Board).

Umm... shopping for diamonds on a Saturday? Isn't that like shopping for beer on a Sunday in Georgia?

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Lavabe]

...I'm a senior in college who makes a couple hundred a month from being a basketball referee.

OH BOY ... THIS could be a good thread.:D

At what level are you reffing?
Cheers,
Lavabe

[tecumseh]

Umm... shopping for diamonds on a Saturday? Isn't that like shopping for beer on a Sunday in Georgia?

Cheers,
Lavabe

I love it, He Lavabe I often agree with you.

Now that I am middle aged my perspective on vacations and travel have changed quite a bit. I used to second guess all the money I blew on travel but realize it was money well spent. My oldest brother won a trip for two to Nepal thirteen years ago and took my youngest brother on it and invited me (I would have to pay) I was "practical" and said no and still regret it. So if you have little funds I would not spend all your wedding budget on your ring and short your honeymoon. If anything short the ring and make the honeymoon memorable. Ultimately what makes a marriage is shared experiences not possessions. God I do sound like an old fart.

[Lavabe]

I love it, He Lavabe I often agree with you.

Now that I am middle aged my perspective on vacations and travel have changed quite a bit. I used to second guess all the money I blew on travel but realize it was money well spent. My oldest brother won a trip for two to Nepal thirteen years ago and took my youngest brother on it and invited me (I would have to pay) I was "practical" and said no and still regret it. So if you have little funds I would not spend all your wedding budget on your ring and short your honeymoon. If anything short the ring and make the honeymoon memorable. Ultimately what makes a marriage is shared experiences not possessions. God I do sound like an old fart.

Geez ... so far today I am in complete agreement with Chard, tecumseh, and Jumbo. What's next, Gary?;) Bluedawg??;)

As a grad student, I managed to get a photo (my avatar) in a magazine, and it gave me enough money to buy a nice, but small diamond ring. My wife is still happy with the ring. The ring still is going strong, as are the memories of our honeymoon in Canada. Don't shortchange the honeymoon. Whatever you do.

Yep ... it's those experiences that count. Word to tecumseh!!

Cheers and bliss,
Lavabe

[Pacer]

I just went through this about three months ago... I could be even more help if you were looking for a round cut...

But, at the size you are looking, the savings you will see from Blue Nile are minimal. Accordingly, the convenience of being able to see and hold the diamond in person will likely outweigh the minimal savings at BN. (Although they do not add on tax).

That said, to maximize your dollar without sacrificing the look of the stone, look in the G-H color and in the SI1-2 range on clarity. You can find great SI2's that have very small inclusions that are outside of the table. Furthermore, if the inclusions are really near the edge, they can often be put under a prong of the setting to further diminish their appearance.

[devildeac]

I love it, He Lavabe I often agree with you.

Now that I am middle aged my perspective on vacations and travel have changed quite a bit. I used to second guess all the money I blew on travel but realize it was money well spent. My oldest brother won a trip for two to Nepal thirteen years ago and took my youngest brother on it and invited me (I would have to pay) I was "practical" and said no and still regret it. So if you have little funds I would not spend all your wedding budget on your ring and short your honeymoon. If anything short the ring and make the honeymoon memorable. Ultimately what makes a marriage is shared experiences not possessions. God I do sound like an old fart.

I made $1000 doing some research the summer we got married and spent $999.03 on our wedding trip. We arrived home to our new apartment with $.07 after our week long trip and are still reliving that trip nearly 30 years later. Tecumseh is an old fart(I really don't know that;) ), but he is correct. Marriage is hopefully a very long journey and we have had plenty of potholes and flat tires but the memories we share are truly priceless. Enjoy your travels and enjoy the material AND emotional and romantic moments you accumulate.

If this is a duplicate post, please excuse it as I am not sure I ever submitted the 1st one(too many tear drops on the keyboard from the pleasant memories). Plus, the 1st one included a math error, I believe.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

If you are still shopping, I'd like to add a few comments for you to consider as you look for an engagement ring.

Most women are very opinionated about what sort of engagement ring they want. While it may seem romantic to make the ring a surprise, don't be surprised if she would want to be along to pick it out. If you involve her in the selection, go shopping by yourself first to find the store you want to use. Introduce yourself to one of the sales people and spend some time talking to him or her about what you think you'll be looking for and state clearly what your budget is. Agree on a time with your fiancee and make an appointment with the sales person. (Reiterate your budget amount when you make the appointment.)

Don't think anyone has mentioned that diamonds may be cut in a number of shapes. Round is the most common one, but other shapes can be quite beautiful as well. Some cuts are considerably more expensive than others. It's important to know what shape your fiancee likes. If she wants a pear, emerald or marquise cut, she might be disappointed with a round one.

Another issue is what type of metal for the ring. Women can be rather particular about whether they wear yellow gold, white gold, etc. jewelry.

I would add as a consideration that the engagement ring and the wedding ring should be designed to be pleasing when worn together..... they don't have to be a "matching set," but they should compliment each other.

I agree with the comments about not buying online or from chains. This purchase is important enough to spend time in person in a store.... if you can find a local jewelry store that's been in Athens for years.... "college towns" seem to have such establishments.... give them a try.

Congratulations and very best wishes!

PS. I went to a wedding reception in June 2006 where the bride arranged for the DJ to play one of the Duke fight songs for the couple's entrance to the reception. It was a surprise for the groom who is a Carolina fan!

[kexman]

The 4 C's and your budget are important. Unless you have lots of money you need to make compromises on the 4C's. I think clarity and color are the least important since they can not be seen without a loop for inclusions or a series of diamonds to compare color.

A great cut will give you the brilliance and sparkle...not all diamonds are cut with the same quality. Some diamonds are rated on their cut and brilliance, but your unskilled eye can see this if you look at two diamonds side by side in the store. It is kind of fun and a good jewelry store should take the time to show you the difference. Compromise on the caret size versus the quality of the cut depending on which is more important to you or your fiance.

Also the diamonds become significantly more expensive if they are 1 carat versus 0.95 carats. You can barely tell the difference by eye if at all, but it is significantly cheaper.

Congratulations!

[billybreen]

I think clarity and color are the least important since they can not be seen without a loop

loupe ;)

[dukepsy1963]

I agree with the oldsters on this one. I speak from much, much experience...:).
If you must buy a diamond ring, why not wait until your 5th or 7th (inch) anniversary.

Take a wonderful honeymoon now...and buy a ring later if you must. Or buy simple/or unusual wedding bands....:).

Ah me.................

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tecumseh]

I made $1000 doing some research the summer we got married and spent $999.03 on our wedding trip. We arrived home to our new apartment with $.07 after our week long trip and are still reliving that trip nearly 30 years later. Tecumseh is an old fart(I really don't know that;) ), but he is correct. Marriage is hopefully a very long journey and we have had plenty of potholes and flat tires but the memories we share are truly priceless. Enjoy your travels and enjoy the material AND emotional and romantic moments you accumulate.

If this is a duplicate post, please excuse it as I am not sure I ever submitted the 1st one(too many tear drops on the keyboard from the pleasant memories). Plus, the 1st one included a math error, I believe.

Hey I am a middle aged fart. Think Jim Sparnarkel. I was digging through my Mom's closet (my father passed away several years ago) during a visit and came across an old Kodachrome of her on their honeymoon. It is a great picture taken with a Leica and she is in a convertable with her hair in a scarf and palm trees and water in the back with big old 50s sunglasses on. I had it blown up and framed and gave it to her on her 80th birthday and I know when she looks at it everytime it brings a small smile to her face, the memories of her honeymoon are truly priceless. So yeah we are in total agreement her.

[TillyGalore]

I love that so many men have posted about their great honeymoons and marriages. Warms my heart and gives me hope.

Ugadevil, good luck with the ring and the proposal. Looking forward to reading about both.

[devildeac]

I agree with the oldsters on this one. I speak from much, much experience...:).
If you must buy a diamond ring, why not wait until your 5th or 7th (inch) anniversary.

Take a wonderful honeymoon now...and buy a ring later if you must. Or buy simple/or unusual wedding bands....:).

Ah me.................

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you really mean 7 INCH anniversary, or 7th year ITCH anniversary(as in the old movie)? Don't mean to be suggestive hear but....;)

[SmartDevil]

Some good advice in this thread.

I'd also encourage you to 1. try and get some right of return within 3 business days minimum specified in writing--preferably for refund not exchange; and 2. As soon as you have your stone/ring, have it and the GIA grading examined by an independent professional jeweler who knows what he is doing. These steps can protect you to some extent against dishonesty or simply a bad deal.

Too often, stones are switched either as a matter of corporate or employee greed.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Did you really mean 7 INCH anniversary, or 7th year ITCH anniversary(as in the old movie)? Don't mean to be suggestive hear but....;)

Did you mean hear or here?

If you haven't bought her a ring and you have a 7 year itch anniversary, don't bother buying your first ex-wife a ring. Save it for the second one. ;)

Congratulations and good luck, from a 30 year veteran.

[SmartDevil]

The caution I have provided above should also be kept in mind not just regarding the purchase of jewelry but also when having jewelry repaired. Unless you have an expert eye, you may not notice the stones you brought in for repair aren't exactly what you leave with when you pick the item up. Moreover, try "proving" an employee switched a stone on jewelry you own which you left for repair.

My mother designed for Tiffany's and Cartier and ultimately left the business in disgust at how she saw consumers exploited.

"A diamond is forever"--forever, a dirty business.

[devildeac]

Did you mean hear or here?

If you haven't bought her a ring and you have a 7 year itch anniversary, don't bother buying your first ex-wife a ring. Save it for the second one. ;)

Congratulations and good luck, from a 30 year veteran.

Oops, preview post was sloppy on my part. I meant here.

We might have to start an anniversary thread at some point.

[tecumseh]

The caution I have provided above should also be kept in mind not just regarding the purchase of jewelry but also when having jewelry repaired. Unless you have an expert eye, you may not notice the stones you brought in for repair aren't exactly what you leave with when you pick the item up. Moreover, try "proving" an employee switched a stone on jewelry you own which you left for repair.

My mother designed for Tiffany's and Cartier and ultimately left the business in disgust at how she saw consumers exploited.

"A diamond is forever"--forever, a dirty business.

My friend who is a very honest jeweler has had kind of the opposite experience. People bring in heirloom jewelry and what not that they think is so valuable and he has to break the news to them that it is not what they think it is and he has gotten accused of switching them. He never lets anyone drop anything off for repair without giving the jewels a quick once over appraisal in front of the customer.

Honeymoons continue remember Georgia Devil that you cannot give your bride the finest ring but you can give her a top notch memorable once in a lifetime honeymoon and it does not have to be expensive. In fact there are a lot of romantics out there (some posters) who would love to help, perhaps a friend of your fathers has an apartment in Paris, a condo in the Bahamas etc. where you could stay for no charge. You can backpack or cycle or sleep on trains going to Paris....ah to be young and in love.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

ah to be young and in love.

Let's keep this simple. Ah to be young!

[devildeac]

Let's keep this simple. Ah to be young!

I will be sure and tell your dear, sweet bride of 30 years the next time I see her you left off the most important part of Tecumseh's 'wish':D.

[ugadevil]

I had a very good experience today and the other half told me as we were leaving the store, "I'm done looking because I loved that one!" Thanks to all of your responses and for your advice. I appreciate it a great deal and thought about a lot of things as we were looking today/yesterday.

Hold off on all the honeymoon recommendations! I'm fond of the Greek Isles but that's a long way away. I'll start another thread asking for more recommendations when we get closer to planning out that and then everyone can talk all about it:)

Lavabe - To answer your referee question...because of my current school and work schedule, I only do rec league (Ages 6-16) in Oconee County (right outside of Athens). High school basketball has been my highest level of officiating.

[DukieInKansas]

PS. I went to a wedding reception in June 2006 where the bride arranged for the DJ to play one of the Duke fight songs for the couple's entrance to the reception. It was a surprise for the groom who is a Carolina fan!


I like this bride. I hope the groom had a good sense of humor.

[billybreen]

I love that so many men have posted about their great honeymoons and marriages. Warms my heart and gives me hope.

Alright, I'll qualify this story it by saying that I'm a fairly average guy and have been accused, probably fairly, of not being romantic enough. I put a ton of work into our engagement to make it a (good, hopefully) surprise. For a not especially romantic nerd, I think I did fairly well. I'll consider Tilly's post enough of an opening to brag about our story :)

My wife and I did things in a fairly unconventional way. We dated for 6 years before getting engaged: 1 year in college, 2 years long distance, and 3 years living together (including buying a house, combining finances, treating the dog as a child, etc). We talked about marriage for several of those years, but neither of us were ready. We were committed to our relationship, but we wanted to take our time before taking the next step. That's a long way of saying that I needed to do something impressive for a proposal so it wouldn't feel like an afterthought. I was also ferociously committed to making it a surprise.

I started planning about 8 months before popping the question. The first step was to start planting the seed, so I structured the whole thing around a trip to Europe. She had never been, and I had at the time not taken her on nearly enough vacations, so the trip was an easy sell. I also needed a new car, so that became the excuse for the trip: picking up the car in Germany. We spent several months planning for the trip, which kept her distracted while I was getting the ring in place.

Early in the process, I brought her sister and best friend into my conspiracy and the three of us teamed up to determine what type of ring she would like. I took those ideas to my excellent jeweler / artist, knowing that she could design something fantastic. I did my homework, learned about diamonds and settings, and looked at hundreds of potential styles to get ideas. I knew my wife well enough that I had a good sense for what would work: something understated but eye catching. Based on our carefully extracted intel, that turned out to be a 3 emerald cut setting: 1 large center stone and two smaller symmetrical stones on either side in a platinum setting with no filigree or ornamentation (here it is (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/54896298_39378e7bc9.jpg?v=0), in situ).

The hardest part was getting an accurate ring size for her, but I concocted a story that plausibly explained why I suddenly had a set of ring sizers. It made sense that I would need her size given that a proposal would happen at some indeterminate point in the future, but she certainly wasn't expecting it on the trip. Key point: she was convinced I was broke due to the whole new car + trip thing and my chronic inability to hold on to money, so that helped with the disinformation campaign.

I had the ring in hand with about a month to spare, so I placed it underneath our financial papers (the one place I knew she would never look ;)). There was no way I was putting it in checked luggage for the flight to Europe, but it made the trip safely in the bottom of my laptop bag (and no airport screeners busted me). Once we were on the trip, it was just a matter of finding the right time. I waited a few days until we had recovered from jet lag and red eyes enough not to be grumpy.

On the 4th day of the trip, we were in Interlaken, Switzerland and took a series of trains to the top of the Jungfraujoch (http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-8//183_read-808), the highest mountain in the Swiss Alps. I had the ring in my jacket pocket, so I found a spot on the observatory platform (you can see it in the top banner image of that previous link) and asked her to take a picture of me in front of the peak. As she was distracted with the camera, I went down on one knee and proposed. We were married a year later.

That was probably the most rewarding experience of my life. It was a lot of work, but she was completely surprised, she said yes, and she always gets compliments on her ring.

[TillyGalore]

Alright, I'll qualify this story it by saying that I'm a fairly average guy and have been accused, probably fairly, of not being romantic enough. I put a ton of work into our engagement to make it a (good, hopefully) surprise. For a not especially romantic nerd, I think I did fairly well. I'll consider Tilly's post enough of an opening to brag about our story :)

My wife and I did things in a fairly unconventional way. We dated for 6 years before getting engaged: 1 year in college, 2 years long distance, and 3 years living together (including buying a house, combining finances, treating the dog as a child, etc). We talked about marriage for several of those years, but neither of us were ready. We were committed to our relationship, but we wanted to take our time before taking the next step. That's a long way of saying that I needed to do something impressive for a proposal so it wouldn't feel like an afterthought. I was also ferociously committed to making it a surprise.

I started planning about 8 months before popping the question. The first step was to start planting the seed, so I structured the whole thing around a trip to Europe. She had never been, and I had at the time not taken her on nearly enough vacations, so the trip was an easy sell. I also needed a new car, so that became the excuse for the trip: picking up the car in Germany. We spent several months planning for the trip, which kept her distracted while I was getting the ring in place.

Early in the process, I brought her sister and best friend into my conspiracy and the three of us teamed up to determine what type of ring she would like. I took those ideas to my excellent jeweler / artist, knowing that she could design something fantastic. I did my homework, learned about diamonds and settings, and looked at hundreds of potential styles to get ideas. I knew my wife well enough that I had a good sense for what would work: something understated but eye catching. Based on our carefully extracted intel, that turned out to be a 3 emerald cut setting: 1 large center stone and two smaller symmetrical stones on either side in a platinum setting with no filigree or ornamentation (here it is (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/54896298_39378e7bc9.jpg?v=0), in situ).

The hardest part was getting an accurate ring size for her, but I concocted a story that plausibly explained why I suddenly had a set of ring sizers. It made sense that I would need her size given that a proposal would happen at some indeterminate point in the future, but she certainly wasn't expecting it on the trip. Key point: she was convinced I was broke due to the whole new car + trip thing and my chronic inability to hold on to money, so that helped with the disinformation campaign.

I had the ring in hand with about a month to spare, so I placed it underneath our financial papers (the one place I knew she would never look ;)). There was no way I was putting it in checked luggage for the flight to Europe, but it made the trip safely in the bottom of my laptop bag (and no airport screeners busted me). Once we were on the trip, it was just a matter of finding the right time. I waited a few days until we had recovered from jet lag and red eyes enough not to be grumpy.

On the 4th day of the trip, we were in Interlaken, Switzerland and took a series of trains to the top of the Jungfraujoch (http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-8//183_read-808), the highest mountain in the Swiss Alps. I had the ring in my jacket pocket, so I found a spot on the observatory platform (you can see it in the top banner image of that previous link) and asked her to take a picture of me in front of the peak. As she was distracted with the camera, I went down on one knee and proposed. We were married a year later.

That was probably the most rewarding experience of my life. It was a lot of work, but she was completely surprised, she said yes, and she always gets compliments on her ring.

Reaching for tissues, hang on!!

I love reading stories like this, I guess it's the romantic in me. Thank you for sharing. :D Excellent job on planning, and executing, your proposal. The ring is beautiful! May your life together always be full of wonderful surprises.

[devildeac]

Well, BB, ya got me beat. I will recount the story of our engagement hoping to get voted into a distant 2nd place on the 'Tear Factor' scale. See one of my prior posts for 'how I got the ring before we decided to get the ring' story.
After 1st semester of medical school, I flew back to NJ to spend Christmas with my parents and brother for about a week. I flew back to Raleigh and had my bride-to-be pick me up at RDU and we gently 'discussed' the ring on the way back to her parents house on 12/31. That afternoon, I asked her father and mother if I could marry their daughter and they both gave me their blessings. This is where the conspiracy begins. At that point I told them and her sisters that I had the ring already and would not be returning to Crabtree Valley Mall the next day to shop for it like everyone thought. We were going to a party that night and I decided on a small corsage to celebrate the New Year and hide the ring. Her older-younger sister and I then went to a local florist, selected the 'wrapping', err, flowers for the corsage and arranged delivery, by the owner himself, a family friend. He showed up an hour later and announced the delivery, prompting a "why am I getting a corsage-we're only going to a New Year's party" response from my future bride. Well, as she opened the box in her bedroom, with her parents and 2 younger sisters, all of whom were aware of the plot, peering(leering?) around the corner, she suddenly realized that the ring had been wired into the center of the flowers and she tearfully and graciously accepted the ring and life-long commitment we had just made.

BTW, BB-simply gorgeous ring.

[DukieInKansas]

OK - do any of you romantic guys have single brothers? What great stories and obviously great guys. Your women are lucky.

[billybreen]

After 1st semester of medical school, I flew back to NJ to spend Christmas with my parents and brother for about a week. I flew back to Raleigh and had my bride-to-be pick me up at RDU and we gently 'discussed' the ring on the way back to her parents house on 12/31. That afternoon, I asked her father and mother if I could marry their daughter and they both gave me their blessings. This is where the conspiracy begins. At that point I told them and her sisters that I had the ring already and would not be returning to Crabtree Valley Mall the next day to shop for it like everyone thought. We were going to a party that night and I decided on a small corsage to celebrate the New Year and hide the ring. Her older-younger sister and I then went to a local florist, selected the 'wrapping', err, flowers for the corsage and arranged delivery, by the owner himself, a family friend. He showed up an hour later and announced the delivery, prompting a "why am I getting a corsage-we're only going to a New Year's party" response from my future bride. Well, as she opened the box in her bedroom, with her parents and 2 younger sisters, all of whom were aware of the plot, peering(leering?) around the corner, she suddenly realized that the ring had been wired into the center of the flowers and she tearfully and graciously accepted the ring and life-long commitment we had just made.

That's awesome! Having her family involved is a nice touch.

I forgot to mention that I delayed calling to ask for her father's blessing until I was heading to the airport. Her stepmother is a notorious motor mouth, so I didn't want to give her any opening to spoil the plan.

[billybreen]

Reaching for tissues, hang on!!

I love reading stories like this, I guess it's the romantic in me. Thank you for sharing. :D Excellent job on planning, and executing, your proposal. The ring is beautiful! May your life together always be full of wonderful surprises.

Thanks! :D

[tecumseh]

The hardest part was getting an accurate ring size for her, but I concocted a story that plausibly explained why I suddenly had a set of ring sizers.

Nice story, Ring sizes are easy did you ever buy clothes for your wife? I mean the sizes mean little unless you know the designer or manufacturer. This was a little surprising to learn my wife was size 2 or 4 or 6. Then when you buy something if it is too big you get looks like you think I am that large and worse yet if it is too small you get "you think I should lose weight". Still if you get it right it is worth it.

[billybreen]

Nice story, Ring sizes are easy did you ever buy clothes for your wife? I mean the sizes mean little unless you know the designer or manufacturer. This was a little surprising to learn my wife was size 2 or 4 or 6. Then when you buy something if it is too big you get looks like you think I am that large and worse yet if it is too small you get "you think I should lose weight". Still if you get it right it is worth it.

Heck no. I know my limits, and buying clothes seems like a guaranteed loss.

[Cavlaw]

Class Action Alert!

Apparently if you bought a diamond between Jan. 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006, you may be entitled to a bit of refund courtesy of a class action lawsuit against De Beers (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/ConsumerActionGuide/BuyADiamondGetARefund.aspx).

[billybreen]

Class Action Alert!

Apparently if you bought a diamond between Jan. 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006, you may be entitled to a bit of refund courtesy of a class action lawsuit against De Beers (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/ConsumerActionGuide/BuyADiamondGetARefund.aspx).

Wow, thanks for the tip! Between that and tax refunds, I might be able to buy myself some of the toys from my 'Happy MacWorld' thread ;)

[DevilMayCare]

Diamonds Direct in Charlotte is fabulous both for price and quality and definately worth traveling from anywhere to get there.

[Cavlaw]

Wow, thanks for the tip! Between that and tax refunds, I might be able to buy myself some of the toys from my 'Happy MacWorld' thread ;)
Just don't spread it around too much. :)

They only have a couple of hundred million to allocate to the entire class, which will be divied up pro rata among the claimaints based on the amount you spent. I.e., even if you spent quite a bit, you won't get much back unless an absurdly low percentage of diamond buyers make claims.

[devildeac]

Just don't spread it around too much. :)

They only have a couple of hundred million to allocate to the entire class, which will be divied up pro rata among the claimaints based on the amount you spent. I.e., even if you spent quite a bit, you won't get much back unless an absurdly low percentage of diamond buyers make claims.

Thanks for the linky-we have a couple purchases that may qualify and my wife will investigate it tomorrow.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Just don't spread it around too much. :)

They only have a couple of hundred million to allocate to the entire class, which will be divvied up pro rata among the claimants based on the amount you spent. I.e., even if you spent quite a bit, you won't get much back unless an absurdly low percentage of diamond buyers make claims.

Claimants will probably get about a buck-seventy five after it's divvied up. Only the lawyers make out well on these class action settlements; the claimants get screwed.

[Cavlaw]

Not always true, but often. It's a flaw in the system. I recently did up an analysis of the suit against Microsoft for the 2 week downtime of xbox live to explain to a bunch of gamers why the suit was filed over a service that costs $7.50 per month.

[Clipsfan]

I just went through this about three months ago... I could be even more help if you were looking for a round cut...

But, at the size you are looking, the savings you will see from Blue Nile are minimal. Accordingly, the convenience of being able to see and hold the diamond in person will likely outweigh the minimal savings at BN. (Although they do not add on tax).

That said, to maximize your dollar without sacrificing the look of the stone, look in the G-H color and in the SI1-2 range on clarity. You can find great SI2's that have very small inclusions that are outside of the table. Furthermore, if the inclusions are really near the edge, they can often be put under a prong of the setting to further diminish their appearance.

These are all great suggestions as to how to maximize your bang for the buck. I ended up buying a ring close to the above specifications and the inclusions were extremely minor and a good G/H will look almost the same to the naked eye as a more expensive stone. Higher quality (color) diamonds just cost WAY too much.

[cato]

Class Action Alert!

Apparently if you bought a diamond between Jan. 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006, you may be entitled to a bit of refund courtesy of a class action lawsuit against De Beers (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/ConsumerActionGuide/BuyADiamondGetARefund.aspx).

No. Freaking. Way. I just checked the bill of sale for my wife's engagement ring. April 1, 2006. That is a bad April fools joke.

[Lavabe]

Lavabe - To answer your referee question...because of my current school and work schedule, I only do rec league (Ages 6-16) in Oconee County (right outside of Athens). High school basketball has been my highest level of officiating.

I hear the Carowhina refs get paid well.;) Have you considered working a Tar Hole game?:D

Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

I hear the Carowhina refs get paid well.;) Have you considered working a Tar Hole game?:D

Cheers,
Lavabe

I think they get paid twice-once from the acc and once from unc...

[Lavabe]

I think they get paid twice-once from the acc and once from unc...

Your tax dollars at work!

Cheers,
Lavabe

[ugadevil]

Your tax dollars at work!

Cheers,
Lavabe

I had an 11-12 year old rec league game this week where I had to throw a parent out of the gym. Later, I found out that the man I threw out was the principal at the school the game was being played at. What a great example for the kids!