Diamond Rings -- Advice

[Speedy]

I know there's mainly guys here but I'm assuming a good amount have purchased diamond rings for the lady. Any advice of where to go -- locally or chains such Kay's, Zales', Jared's? Custom or pre-made? What about the size? Clarity? What are things I should be wary of? Anything and everything is appreciated.

**No yellow gold -- she hates it. I'm looking to spend about $2000-$2750.

Spoiler

No, it's not a Kobe situation

Thanks!

[mjb2124]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

Much depends on what your lady wants. Example - My wife chose a smaller diamond with higher clarity as opposed to a larger diamond with less clarity. The larger the diamond the higher the price...the better clarity the higher the price. It seemed like clarity caused the price to jump a bit quicker than size though.

Also, negotiate! Buying a ring is like buying a car. You can negotiate the price. A lot of people don't do this and pay more than they need to pay. I negotiated my wife's ring down $4000 from what the list price was. So there's a lot of room to negotiate. Ironically enough, the person who told me this was a jewelry salesman.

[fistofrage]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

My best advice would be to spend the cash on a really nice wedding band and put a synthetic diamond in there. Diamonds are a huge waste of money(I did a case study on the diamond market for my MBA). Synthetics are so good now, an untrained eye would never know the difference.

I bought my wife a really thick platinum band with real diamond baggetts in it. I put a 1 carat synthetic in the centerpiece. The platinum was so stunning and its a thick band so it needed a Carat stone in there to make it look decent. It would have required a diamond of ridiculous clarity to look decent in there. Most diamonds looked yellowish when placed against the platimnum.

Needless to say, if I would have put a real diamond of great clarity in there the ring would have cost $10K +. I got out the door for about $3700. And yes, my wife knows, but she doesn't care, she loves the ring and the savings paid for all the new furniture in our house and some of the honeymoon. Seemed like a no brainer to me.

***Edited, this was a few years back before the precious metal market went nuts, I bet that platinum ring may cost alot more now.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

http://www.jewelryexchange.com/index...FYrt7QodExUgXg

Where my brother got his, thay have actual stores. Was a lot cheaper then then places like Zales and Tiffany's you raise the price because of the brand name.

[ryan36]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

So many dudes in line to give up half their stuff...lol

[AUChase]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

I know there's mainly guys here but I'm assuming a good amount have purchased diamond rings for the lady. Any advice of where to go -- locally or chains such Kay's, Zales', Jared's? Custom or pre-made? What about the size? Clarity? What are things I should be wary of? Anything and everything is appreciated.

**No yellow gold -- she hates it. I'm looking to spend about $2000-$2750.

Spoiler

No, it's not a Kobe situation

Thanks!

Damn dude. Someone makes bank.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

He is not a Walmart worker thats for sure, LOL.

[WazzuRC]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

I know there's mainly guys here but I'm assuming a good amount have purchased diamond rings for the lady. Any advice of where to go -- locally or chains such Kay's, Zales', Jared's? Custom or pre-made? What about the size? Clarity? What are things I should be wary of? Anything and everything is appreciated.

**No yellow gold -- she hates it. I'm looking to spend about $2000-$2750.

Make sure you know whether it's princess cut or round cut she wants. Also, does she like the thicker band or thinner band? Just a few things I didn't even know about before I started shopping around. Also, ask her best friend/friends. They can snoop for you or they might already know. It helped me tremendously.

Personally, I chose clarity over size but that's just me. You'll pay more for clarity so you might have to get her a smaller carat, but the ring will look nicer and the diamond will seem shinier IMO.

I went through a chain store when they were having a sale and got a good deal on mine. I don't make a very good salary at my job so my fiancee understood I couldn't get her a huge rock. She was just happy I proposed.

[Speedy]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

[Wow] dude. Someone makes bank.

He is not a Walmart worker thats for sure, LOL.

I've been saving up for about 4 months. I could've bought a ring a while back for like $500 or $750 but figured if I'm going to put money into it might as well make it worth her while.

My best advice would be to spend the cash on a really nice wedding band and put a synthetic diamond in there. Diamonds are a huge waste of money(I did a case study on the diamond market for my MBA). Synthetics are so good now, an untrained eye would never know the difference.

I bought synthetic diamond earrings (what are they called again?) and they messed up her ears somehow. They were markedly bigger than a real diamond and she couldn't tell a bit. I'm a bit wary of synthetics for rings though as it's something she will wear for (near) eternity...I'm unsure of the durability and the warranty.

Make sure you know whether it's princess cut or round cut she wants. Also, does she like the thicker band or thinner band? Just a few things I didn't even know about before I started shopping around. Also, ask her best friend/friends. They can snoop for you or they might already know. It helped me tremendously.

Personally, I chose clarity over size but that's just me. You'll pay more for clarity so you might have to get her a smaller carat, but the ring will look nicer and the diamond will seem shinier IMO.

This a huge help, I always thought the bigger the diamond the better. The band isn't a big of a deal to be as is the diamond(s)...I've seen the princess cut and it's too rectangular -- I don't like it all.

Do y'awl have any issues with the ring "snagging"?

[WazzuRC]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

This a huge help, I always thought the bigger the diamond the better. The band isn't a big of a deal to be as is the diamond(s)...I've seen the princess cut and it's too rectangular -- I don't like it all.

Right, but ultimately it's what she wants .

Maybe some of the other guys who've bought diamond rings can chime in on this, but I think clarity trumps carat size.

[fistofrage]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

Right, but ultimately it's what she wants .

Maybe some of the other guys who've bought diamond rings can chime in on this, but I think clarity trumps carat size.

Clarity is everything. And of course size always matters. The OP said the woman doesn't like yellow gold. So if you go white gold or platinum, the diamond has to have great clarity or it will look yellowish. Thats what will cost you. A 1 Carat diamond in the clarity I wanted was over $6,000(just the free standing stone). The Synthetic was $150. Unnoticable to the untrained eye. After I saw that, no way was I paying 6 large for a pebble.

Also, my wife has had her synthetic diamond for over 5 years and it looks the same as the day we got it. She does get the ring cleaned and rodenized or whatever they call it every year though for $40.

Good luck with your purchase. Do whatever makes you and your wife happy.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

Depends on the woman honestly. Some rather have size, some rather have clarity. My wife rather have clarity......her sister on the other hand rather have size.

Then you have those who only care if it looks pretty, they could careless if it is real or fake. Buying stuff for women in general is one of those your damned if you do and your damned if you don't type of situation.

[Speedy]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

A 1 Carat diamond in the clarity I wanted was over $6,000(just the free standing stone). The Synthetic was $150. Unnoticable to the untrained eye. After I saw that, no way was I paying 6 large for a pebble.

@ the pebble comment.

This is extremely intriguiging, especially if getting a synthetic took away $6000 grand...and you haven't had any issues (rust, color, etc.)? Out of curiousity, I would love to see it.

[fistofrage]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

I'll have my wife take a picture of it tonight.

[Speedy]

Re: Diamond Rings -- Advice

Depends on the woman honestly. Some rather have size, some rather have clarity. My wife rather have clarity......her sister on the other hand rather have size.

Yeah, I understand the catch-22 sense for trying to get good clarity while also getting a nice sized diamond.

Anyone get anything custom made? How do you go about it (what to make, look for, etc.)?