any thoughts on stone size? I'm worried the 6.5 mm stone gets a bit overwhelmed by the setting?

12/28/2013 11:29:35 PM

It looks amazing in the picture. I guess it all depends on how it looks on her hand.

12/29/2013 12:44:44 AM

glorious

12/29/2013 1:21:59 AM

Then I think you are good. Lol. Has she seen it?

12/29/2013 1:43:06 AM

not yet. she's got a general idea of what's going on. She know's the cut of stone she prefers and she likes antique ring stylings. But she doesn't know the specific ring I've picked out.

I showed her this one initially to see if it was something she was interested in

http://www.moissaniteco.com/square-brilliant-antique-moissanite-engagement-ring-p-5178.html


she is adamant about not seeing it before hand

12/29/2013 2:18:43 AM

I'd definitely go with the 7.5, for the reason you mentioned

12/30/2013 2:41:31 AM

There doesn't seem to be a 7.5 but moissenite is such a good price if you are concerned I see no problem bumping to the 7 or 8. It will be worth the money to be sure she will like it and you are only talking a few hundred more instead of a few thousand for a diamond.

12/30/2013 8:02:41 AM

And purchased


Processing time can lick my balls

1/2/2014 1:03:06 PM

Does she know it's a moissanite? Good on you for getting her one just don't try to pass it off as a diamond....
Gorgeous setting too

1/2/2014 6:36:52 PM

she told me not to get a diamond specifically.

and thank you !!

1/2/2014 11:23:03 PM

finally came !! pics in my album... sorry they're so enormous. making the box for it now... I'll post pics when it's done

1/16/2014 3:19:54 PM

annnd tardis done.

1/16/2014 4:06:42 PM

Woohoo!

1/16/2014 4:11:01 PM

^^ that Tardis box rules

1/16/2014 7:42:09 PM

wow that ring is so pretty. also tardis ftw

1/17/2014 3:17:54 PM

i told bbehe he should propose to minka that way, but he totally missed the boat. oh well i'm sure it was magical anyway

[Edited on January 17, 2014 at 3:49 PM. Reason : ]

1/17/2014 3:49:14 PM

Don't judge me!

1/17/2014 4:40:00 PM

haha thanks ! she absolutely loved it and said yes.

1/17/2014 5:17:55 PM

Yay, congrats!

1/19/2014 1:43:52 PM

Quote :

"i told bbehe he should propose to minka that way"

well he did incorporate Tardis blue into my ring (plus I love sapphires) so it is in a way "doctor whoish" lol

1/24/2014 4:46:20 PM

I am so excited about all these nerdy weddings coming up! Well, all two of them.

1/25/2014 5:14:40 AM

^^yay!



[Edited on January 25, 2014 at 8:14 AM. Reason : ]

1/25/2014 8:14:01 AM

Meg I am also excited for you but I have no idea how nerdy you are.

1/25/2014 9:05:58 AM

Awww well done and congrats Steve!

I also like how you have a photo of Sabrina in your album

1/25/2014 9:08:28 AM

sometimes i think i'm nerdy, but it's probably mostly awkwardness. which can be nerdy. i guess.

[Edited on January 25, 2014 at 9:20 AM. Reason : ]

1/25/2014 9:20:15 AM

Awkward weddings can be fun too

1/25/2014 10:28:33 AM

Awkward > white trash

1/25/2014 11:00:10 AM

Am I being insulted?

1/25/2014 11:06:17 AM

thems fighting words.

1/25/2014 12:48:44 PM

Lol, no, not saying that about anyone at all. Well, not anyone here. I'm just saying I'd rather be awkward than white trash. I'm really determined to not have a white trash wedding.

1/28/2014 7:58:13 AM

I'm sure it will be awesome. No worries. What matters is that hopefully you can relax and enjoy yourself and in the end no matter what happens the end result is the same. You and your man are married which is what this is all about. I found that giving in to my mom on a few things made her loosen her grip on other things and in the end I didn't care about those little details that she was so dead set on. Prioritize your list and give in a little on the less important things and planning will go much more smoothly.

1/28/2014 8:23:31 AM

I need some advice for a really good friend of mine

I have friend going through an annulment. She is a single mom and was able to keep the ring. I don't want to get her business online but it wasn't a good situation and she made some brave moves for her and her child.

She has a really nice ring and all this paperwork / documentation but is having some trouble selling it. She tried a few pawn shops and I feel they are low balling her.

Anyone have any experience on how she can maximize her return? I tried to give her a few options but I'm not really sure.

Selling as is?

Scrap the stones and the metal?

2/8/2014 3:02:24 PM

Ordered this one at Diamonds Direct a couple weeks ago

Round Brilliant
0.80ct
G color
VS2 clarity
GIA certified
Cut: Very Good
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent

HCA score: 4.4

I paid $4400 (negotiated down from $4700).

Here is a link to the GIA report:
http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?reportno=2156055535&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&pagename=GIA%2FDispatcher&c=Page&cid=1355954554547

TWW jewelry experts, how did I do???

I can still cancel the purchase (DD offers a 30-day cancellation period) and they will price match if I find a comp at a lower price.

5/15/2014 3:36:38 PM

did you check costco?

5/15/2014 4:03:52 PM

Yup. They didn't have a great selection. No loose diamonds. The rings are already put together so no flexibility/customization

A lot of the diamonds there weren't certified either...

5/15/2014 4:10:37 PM

Richard and I skipped the engagement rings altogether but picked out matching Damascus steel hand forged wedding bands (well, mine is a 3mm and his is a 6mm).

I lose rings because I'm pretty careless. I want something I'll NEVER have to take off when I work in the lab! I assume I'd manage to keep up with an special sparkly like an engagement ring, but I already have so much neurotic general guilt I'm afraid I'd just keel over if I lost it or knocked the stone out.

I love all the pictures though!! Show me more!

5/16/2014 10:41:29 AM

^^ I negotiated $400 off $2000 for a non-certified, non-name brand ring and band at DD. I'm thinking you could have gotten a better deal there with some added pressure but maybe there was more wiggle room on my non-certified rings. I'm confident coming in there with a pad and competitor prices having already checked out Bailey's, etc. helped me out too.

[Edited on May 16, 2014 at 3:19 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2014 3:17:14 PM

Just picked this up for my lady over the weekend: http://www.tacori.com/engagement/2571rd7.html

Paired it with a GIA 1.01 carat round, E color, SI2 clarity (though that must have been strictly graded), VG cut, X polish, X symmetry. I'm super impressed with the entire package. Short story: I ended up looking at about a dozen loose stones, but ended up sticking with the 2nd one I saw. It just stood out to me, played the light nicely and worked with the floating look of the setting as far as the inclusions go.
http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?pagename=GST%2FDispatcher&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&c=Page&cid=1355954554547&reportno=5166952224

Had been to a few stores in the area & landed on Diamonds Direct (Jodi there is awesome). They already had a lower price than listed for the setting & everything about the store/staff/services was top notch IMO. I even walked in there without an appointment and was helped on a busy Saturday within 10 minutes, of course I'd been in there 3 times already, maybe they know I'm a spaz

For other dudes getting ready to start looking but dragging their feet: just do it. Educate yourself & go to a store. I ended up loving the process. It's all about finding the package that fits your lady's personality. You should know, and you'll know when you see it. Just make sure you're giving it to the right person.

General question: for those who have purchased, is it normal for an appraisal to be around 30% over the paid value? I realize that depends on the wheeling & dealing that occurs, but I honestly have no clue what is to be expected.

[Edited on June 25, 2014 at 9:24 PM. Reason : bad at mental math]

6/25/2014 9:17:25 PM

My ring cost 70% of the appraisal price. We also bought from diamonds direct. Who doesn't love free beer or champagne when spending lots of money?

6/25/2014 9:40:50 PM

Congrats! Beautiful ring.

6/25/2014 11:41:07 PM

my grandmother just passed and she left us a few of her diamonds. 2 of them are set in a necklace and ring that have sentimental value, however one is newer and in a pendant with no family history or sentimental value and i would like to put it in a ring for my wife.

can anyone recommend a local jeweler to help me find a new setting? i'd like to do this for our anniversary that is coming up in a couple months.

thanks

6/26/2014 7:14:30 AM

Diamonds direct. Love that place. But a wolf webber works somewhere and she does an awesome job. She made zorthage and ambrosia1231's engagement ring. Was it QTpie?

6/26/2014 8:44:41 AM

^^^thanks! I'm excited to give it to her. Planning on a scenic Blue Ridge mountains proposal. Just the two of us & the new pup. Really excited

Also, after doing a little reading online, I guess appraisals can be used as a ploy from the seller to artificially create a bargain. I'm sure this is somewhat true...

6/26/2014 10:02:55 AM

^^Yes, it was QTPie.

^^^You should shoot her a PM to see if she would be interested.

6/26/2014 10:23:16 AM

2^ our was not appraised by an in house appraiser.

6/26/2014 11:11:42 AM

I had mine appraised outside the store as well. I don't even recall what the DD appraisal was...

6/26/2014 2:16:55 PM

QTPie did my wife's as well...and it was the fucking jam. She also did my band...and I got an awesome deal.

6/26/2014 3:37:30 PM

Shop around for an appraiser like you would a seller depending on what you want. Or just get a few. If you are wanting an appraisal to make you feel like a baller, go with someone who errs high. If you're using it for insurance purposes and you don't anticipate actually losing it (not that anyone does), might as well go with someone on the true/low end.

Some will inflate the value, I guess to try to make you feel good and maybe get some more of your money. Others will give you a true best estimate of replacement value, which is admittedly less than the normal sticker value. We had one of each.

The first jeweler my husband went to appraised basically just the center stone in my ring and gave a somewhat ridiculous number. After it was set in my new band, worth way more than the old one, I had it appraised again for about a $10K decrease in appraised value. The latter jeweler (at Joint Venture in Cary) basically said anyone else would appraise it for more, but he was going with the bare bones replacement value because any more valuation he slapped on it now would be more insurance dollars we would pay over the years.

6/26/2014 10:08:28 PM

if you have a ring with a halo, is it possible to upgrade the diamond to a larger size, can they replace the halo?

11/14/2014 10:58:15 AM

I guess it's about that time....



[Edited on November 21, 2014 at 8:04 PM. Reason : ha]

11/21/2014 8:03:52 PM