Trust is the most important in business. I think you made a good choice.

Thanks for your input.

There may be deals to be had from the internet, but I didn’t have enough confidence in spending that much money purchasing diamonds from the internet.

But i find the suitable place from where i can purchase diamond jewlery. that place is http://www.aceexclusive.com/products/jewellery/rings/?cid=31

Novice, I don’t know where you are getting the BN is more expensive and for the less sophisticated. That is absolutely not true. Even if you got to periscope that you recommended, you will see BN at the top of the list for the cheaper diamonds. Additionally, BN has one of the better CS that I’ve seen, where you can get the loose diamond shipped to you and return it and get a different one if you choose without having to pay shipping. I’m not trying to sell BN, but your statements are absolutely false.

Another point to note is that GIA has gone to a new certificate with more information. New certificates can be purchased from GIA or free depending.

If having an independent gemologist look at your stone, ensure that the gemologist is actually one that has training on the specific stone. Also look for other things like being a member of one of the appraiser groups. Not all jewelers are necessarily qualified or can give you an accurate valuation. You might feel good that you paid $3k for the diamond and the jeweler gives you an appraisal for $10k. What does this mean, it means you are going to pay more for insurance (presuming you are insuring it) than what the diamond is worth. Figure spending about $100-$250/hr to appraise a diamond from a certified appraiser. remember, you want to get an accurate valuation of what your insurance company will more than likely be able to replace a lost ring for. since they buy alot or have dealings with stores to replace rings, they are obviously going to get a better deal on replacement than you will. So the actual cash value claim, might make you unable to buy the same stone for the same price you had bought in the first place.

Don’t be lured by “wholesale”. There is no such thing as wholesale diamonds. the RAP sheet is also a ficticious pricing list for diamonds and used to control the cost of diamonds in the industry, nothing more.

If you buy on the net off an auction site or sites like Craig’s List, and you are trying to buy a name brand (i.e. Tiffany’s, cartier, etc) ensure that the ring actually makes sense. I saw an add for a Tiffany’s diamond engagement ring, that was something like H, SI. Knowing that Tiffany’s does not sell an H, SI engagement ring, you can avoid these kinds of traps. What happened was that the seller was trying to sell the ring as a Tiffany’s ring, because the band said Tiffany & Co, but the diamond was clearly from some other source.

You can also go to sites like GIA’s site to put in measurements of the diamond.

The problem with name brand stores like tiffany’s is that is what you are paying for is the name, so you pay a huge premium because of it. My wife’s friend absolutely in no uncertain terms had to have a tiffany’s engagement ring, despite being able to buy the same diamond ring for half as much. In the end, it is what your finacee will be happy with in the long run.

Grant,
If the internet price is not 15% cheaper, I probably won’t consider such method either. Back in 1997, internet prices were probably some 25% cheaper. But of course, things have changed a lot.

There may be deals to be had from the internet, but I didn’t have enough confidence in spending that much money purchasing diamonds from the internet.

Grant

The 4Cs are really the barebones basics, and it takes a basic understanding of cut angles like crown and pavilion angles to get a diamond that is truly amazing. The Holloway Cut Advisor is also a must to double check that your diamond will be amazing http://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

You’re definitely doing the right thing. When you’re fiscally responsible to yourself, you are helping yourself AND your family.

Best luck.

My sister is a certified GIA gemnologist and she works as a jewellery designer here in bangalore.

Looks like that was a pretty smart move on your part. Thanks for sharing these tips (though having said that, I bought mine at a plain old fashion jeweller!). You clearly did your homework on this one.

I’ve made a promise to myself that as soon as we are debt free and have some emergency savings I am going to sink some funds for a few months and upgrade her ring. Maybe I’ll do it for an anniversary gift.

I’ll hang on to this post so I can be an informed shopped when the time comes. Thanks for passing along the info.