That's what I did, I looked at the solitaire I could afford next to a Sapphire/Diamond combination (think Princess Diana but smaller) and went with the sapphire.

She loved it.

I also can't say enough about the Customer Service at Longs jewelers in Burlington, MA.

At the time she was living out of state and the stone's setting got loose.

The paid to overnight each way to have it fixed and threw in a $250 gift card for our troubles which we used towards wedding bands 6 months later.
[Reply]

Just go get tats on your right fingers.
[Reply]

After Tiffany's, my wife wouldn't mind passing by Bvlgari either.
[Reply]

Great thread, I am also in the market for a ring so I will be checking out all the suggestions. Thanks :-)
[Reply]

You and me both, throw in Harry Winston and Ferregamo scarf...
[Reply]

I purchased one about this time last year. I only went to local jewelers. I found it really annoying that most of the places didn't want to offer much service wise once I told them I wasn't interested in the $6-10G rings they were showing me. I managed to find someone who would sit down and explain things to me, and then show me rings in the price range I was looking for.

The best advice he offered was to spend money on the diamond, and save on the ring itself. I went with a bigger stone with a simpler setting and she loved it. This worked for me because I won't be offended if at some point later on she wants to pull the stone out and put it in a nicer setting, that might not fly with you, but it is fine with me.

Good luck and congrats!
[Reply]

I bought about a year and a half ago. I have the advantage of working in midtown Manhattan, so just took a walk down to the diamond district on 47th St, going to a jeweler that several friends at work recommended. Between the price I got on the stone and what I paid for the setting, I saved quite a bit of money(probably 20% less) off what the same ring would have cost me at blue nile.

If you are going for a diamond, do yourself and your future wife a favor and buy the best color you can afford, you can sacrifice a bit in clarity and just get the size/cut you want to pay for, but don't sacrifice color. if you haven't already, ask your girlfriend what cut stone she wants. If it's a pear or other less-in-demand cut, you can get a larger stone for the same money. But either way, you want to look at the stones you are considering in person and not set. Tell them you only want D-F color, and look at the stones. For me, one of them popped. It had more inclusions than most of the others, but the depth/length/width was such that it just sparkled more. She loved the stone, and the platinum setting.

Ken, if you feel like taking a trip down to the city for a couple of days, I can introduce you to the jeweler I used. You will likely need to meet with him a few times, first to discuss what you are looking for, then to inspect stones - probably a day or two later, and finally to pick up the ring.

Btw, most jewelers will not set a ladies ring in paladium. They will do white gold or platinum, but you might have to hunt for one that will do paladium.
[Reply]

Blue Nile is where I got my wife's. If you use discover you get like 10% cash back also from shopping there and linking from their site. I don't think you can beat them dollar for dollar and all are certified.
[Reply]

I'm not sure I agree with this statement. I just bought an engagement ring from Blue Nile a little over three months ago after a long time comparing both online and B+M options. My fiancee wasn't concerned about any fancy setting, so I got her a solitaire diamond in a "plaint" platinum setting. I found that, since I was largely just paying for the diamond, Blue Nile gave me the best price. According to my "research," a similar diamond to what I got from Blue Nile would have cost me around 30-40% more from any other store. Blue Nile made it easy to pick exactly which diamond I wanted, it came with certification, and the appraisal was right on. When buying from Blue Nile you lose a lot of the other services a B+M will provide and the sales relationship, but I'm convinced that I got what I paid for and could not have gotten that I would have gotten less diamond for my money had I gone anywhere else.
[Reply]

Guess most everything that needs to be said has been said. Can't stress enough about knowing the 4C's and educating yourself about what is acceptable for you in each.

If I was you, I'd spend a fair amount of time wasting a few jewelers time concerning this. That may sound chitty...but it is how I feel. Who knows, maybe one of them will surprise you....

Guess each lady has her own taste....and I guess men do as well. I am a firm believer of as large of HIGH QUALITY stone as you can afford. Stick it in a basic setting that makes you focus on that stone.


All that behind me.... CONGRATS!!
[Reply]

Blue Nile appraises their own diamonds and they are grouped into lots of similar diamonds. While their appraisal will be exactly what you think you paid for the diamond could be a full color off or otherwise different than what is represented by their website or papers they sent with it. I am only speaking on the knowledge from people inside the diamond business, I lack the personal experience as I have never purchased a diamond from them. By in large, most jewelers have said that Blue Nile is not giving you exactly what they represent. :-)

At the end of the day, if your fiance/wife is happy with the ring, there is no problem about the price paid regardless of whether you got what you paid for. Unless you somehow got the most sparkling cubic zirconia. :-)
[Reply]

I got one at Zales. I got the protection & theft plans. Good thing too, the Misses somehow lost a diamond out of it and they replaced it for free. That and the free cleanings/sizings is nice too.
[Reply]

Wow, you inmates are wealth of info. And to Ryan yea, yea, yea :-)
[Reply]

I did the same thing, for the same reasons. I was able to beat the old boy down in price a long way, but I'm sure he came way out ahead of me, he's been playing this game a lot longer than I have. :-)

In the past, I've shopped diamond stud earrings, necklaces and bracelets, then taken the specs and shopped the same stuff online. I can find things of the identical specs for half the price or less.
I paid more at the local shop because I wanted the "traditional" factor, and the ring and band set were perfect. When it all works out just right, I figure there's no sense messing with it.
[Reply]

Lousy picture, but to give you an idea with the wedding band we got to fit around it:

Image

Of course, now she wants a band for the other side too.

I told her to start looking - in about 5 years :-)
[Reply]

One other thing: if you end up with a pricey ring, make sure you take out a jewelry rider on your homeowner's insurance for it. It's not much/year, but it's good piece of mind and you'll be thankful if anything happens to the ring.
[Reply]

My two cents...

I came about this close to buying from an online dealer that I had researched thoroughly. The guy spent total, probably 3+ hours on the phone with me over time and faxed me countless certifications for me to look at. I felt totally comfortable with him and if I made a purchase from him could have had my own certification done and if I wasn't happy with the stones I could have gotten a full refund no questions asked. I would highly recommend that guy.

That being said, I had a local wholesaler recommended to me that happened to be in my office building at the time and I didn't even know it. I worked with him over a period of a couple of months looking at different stones until he finally found me the ones. Then we worked and designed a custom setting for them which he had another jeweler make. And I did go the platinum route and couldn't care less about the softness of the metal. If you want a platinum ring you know the metal isn't going to be impervious. Hell, my wedding band is platinum and looks awesome with scuffs on it. And when I look at my wife's rings I guarantee you it isn't scratches that catch your eye. :-)

All said and done, I probably got twice the ring for the amount of money I wanted to spend. So in sum, find yourself a local wholesaler. Thats the dealio. And I won't talk about stones, that's a personal deal and you'll know the difference when you start looking at them. And do your homework like with any large purchase.
[Reply]

That should include any fancy jewelry or watch.
[Reply]