Last thread (http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=375407&page=1) was dead

I noticed that many people were praising Blue Nile in the thread. Is that still the common thought?

I want this to be a surprise, so I don't want her to go somewhere and pick out a ring with me. I will be talking with friends/sister to determine the very best for her taste, so I'm not worried about picking a bad one.

The problem I was curious about with Blue Nile is that I've noticed that if you purchase it at a Jewler's, they will sometimes have cleanings and repair for life...yet all I can find on Blue Nile is a "30 day return"...is there any type of extended warranty just in case?

Or is it worth the extra price to go to a jewler's?

2/1/2007 10:10:14 PM

I got mine from deSignet International (online)



http://www.raru.com

[Edited on February 1, 2007 at 10:12 PM. Reason : a]

2/1/2007 10:12:39 PM

this makes me think of that new H&R block commercial about "I don't know, how bout we ask the box..."

My opinion is buy the ring at a jewler.

2/1/2007 11:02:13 PM

deSignet has stores in New York, not just an online thing

2/1/2007 11:11:03 PM

i would talk to QTPie before making any large jewelry decisions

2/1/2007 11:31:51 PM

look on ebay

just make sure your seller has at least 5,000 feedback, and read every neg

if you see ANYTHING you dont like, go elsewhere

2/1/2007 11:33:37 PM

How much do people spend on engagment rings anyway?

Mom my said once that it was supposed to be 2 months salery but that doesn't seem right

2/1/2007 11:37:21 PM

My wife loves her Blue Nile engagement / wedding bands.

There's a 10% off (doesn't count off on the actual diamonds, just metals) floating around right now that's good through the 6th (PM me if you need one) and $10 off through Google Checkout.

Here's the biggest pro to Blue Nile: No sales tax. You can buy 7% (that's a lot) more ring. If you don't like, they take it back no questions asked. Best customer service ever.

The biggest pro to buying in a store: repairs/cleaning/resizing. I hadta pay Bailey's @ Cameron Village (highly recommended, btw) to resize BOTH my wife's bands (she lost weight, fingers got smaller) and since they were both platinum & I didn't want any non-platinum "filler" going into the meld, it cost $50 each. Of course, each came out perfectly flawless, but had I bought from Bailey's, all that would've been free. Also, cleanings from here on out are on my dime.

I'd price out your "perfect ring" on Blue Nile, then try to find a comparible one in store, and compare prices. If it's like 2-4% more in-store, go with that. It's worth it for resizing and cleaning and what not. With me, I couldn't find anything close in a store within 15% or so (pricewise) of the ones I found on Blue Nile.

Good luck!

EDIT: ^ to that, it's not about the money, or at least it shouldn't be. Buy what you're comfortable affording. Personally, I wasn't going to go into debt for a hunk of metal and rock. I got an internship my junior year, saved up ~$4k, and got both bands with that. Sure, it's not the hope diamond or anything, but she loves 'em. Buy the best you can afford, and strive for making the whole engagement thing "unique" rather than letting the rock do ALL the talking.

[Edited on February 1, 2007 at 11:41 PM. Reason : .]

2/1/2007 11:39:03 PM

PM Sent

2/2/2007 12:01:19 AM

bbehe I absolutely love that ring and that site! They have gorgeous stuff!

2/2/2007 12:35:23 AM

yes...the ring he picked out is insanely awesome.

gg.

2/2/2007 12:48:37 AM

Quote :

"The biggest pro to buying in a store: repairs/cleaning/resizin"

There are three prices you should be looking at: cost at a discount place (say Blue Nile), average cost, and retail cost at various stores. The average cost I found in http://tinyurl.com/yt5s5c. What SouthPaW12 said is fairly accurate, you buy from a retail store, you buy all the guarantees/services that go along with it. Some people may want that and are willing to pay for it; others don't need it. Blue Nile quoted me only $100-$200 less than retail. If you TAKE YOUR TIME, you'll find a good deal and won't overpay.

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 3:21 AM. Reason : .]

2/2/2007 3:20:40 AM

You should buy mine.

2/2/2007 8:27:28 AM

I thank god my wife isn't high maintenance like most woman (looks like your women if you've gotta make a thread about it). I went out and bought a plain ring and could spend a lil extra on the rock since she didn't want a big diamond (or anything "in"). I spent that money to get very nice clarity and nice color.

2/2/2007 8:33:07 AM

Quote :

"The biggest pro to buying in a store: repairs/cleaning/resizin"

two points discredit this line of thinking

1) The only store worth buying jewelry from is a non-mall store
2) Unless you're planning to live your whole life in the same neighborhood, the "free cleaning" will be worthless in year or two anyway.


Whiteflash is a very good online retailer. Look them up.

Quote :

"I spent that money to get very nice clarity and nice color."

Hate to break it to ya, but clarity and color are nothing more that words on a cert, my friend. Cut is what sets a diamond apart. If you can find a diamond with great light return and superior polish, it will appear 1-2 clarity/color grades higher than it is.

you got suckered for a fool by the diamond marketing biz

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 8:38 AM. Reason : s]

2/2/2007 8:36:09 AM

hey.. i went by my eyes my friend.. i spent hours upon hours looking at diamonds and i bought the best looking one

i didn't get suckered, its just that people on TWW think they know everything about everything.

the best looking diamond in my eyes was the one with best color/clarity

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 8:50 AM. Reason : for fuck sake.. look at your name.. who can take you serioiusly?]

2/2/2007 8:49:44 AM

8=======D wins dude. you did get suckered.

2/2/2007 9:04:14 AM

I researced quite a bit, and I found that Blue Nile had the best selection of rings I was interested in, good prices, and good piece of mind. I too did it as a surprise. You can order a "ring sizer" from Blue Nile. I then used old rings she had to size for the proper ring size....it worked like a charm.

I don't have much to say about cleaning or repair, but she got a $5 ring cleaner solution at target (or something like that) and it works great. I also added the ring to my homeowners insurance policy, so if anything happens to it, its covered.

This is what I ended up getting:

2/2/2007 9:09:27 AM

while im no diamond expert and have no opinion one way or the other. trying to discredit the guy based on his user name is quite the lame fallback.

2/2/2007 9:13:12 AM

Quote :

"8=======D wins dude. you did get suckered."

I'd love to know how I got suckered when I got the ring that looked the best.

It just so happened that the ring I liked had higher color ratings and clarity ratings that the rest.

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 9:14 AM. Reason : I've said enough.. she's happy.. TWW doesnt matter. I was just presenting a point.. No need to argue]

2/2/2007 9:13:26 AM

nm

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 9:34 AM. Reason : nm]

2/2/2007 9:17:03 AM

Quote :

" The biggest pro to buying in a store: repairs/cleaning/resizing. I hadta pay Bailey's @ Cameron Village (highly recommended, btw) to resize BOTH my wife's bands (she lost weight, fingers got smaller) and since they were both platinum & I didn't want any non-platinum "filler" going into the meld, it cost $50 each. Of course, each came out perfectly flawless, but had I bought from Bailey's, all that would've been free. Also, cleanings from here on out are on my dime. "

dude, you paid to have them take platinum out of your rings and keep it....my father's a goldsmith, and I never could understand why they charged to downsize rings. Upsizing takes more metal, and that I could understand, but you got it twice when you paid $100 to downsize your wifes bands...unless they gave you the removed platinum back....

2/2/2007 10:15:56 AM

I saved close to $1000 by shopping at Blue Nile. They offer the same services as any jewelery store, you just have to go through the mail. I needed a resize done and all it took was 2 weeks and a trip to the post office to send it registered mail. I've shopped with Blue Nile 3 times and I've yet to be remotely unsatisfied. The get my full endorsement.

2/2/2007 10:19:53 AM

wow brad that's really pretty...GG!!

2/2/2007 10:34:18 AM

^ I agree! I think that's one of the prettiest engagement rings I've ever seen. But then again, I'm partial to sapphires.

2/2/2007 10:42:49 AM

The only person with any credibility on this topic is QTPie

2/2/2007 10:53:24 AM

she has credibility, but she still only worked at a jewelry store and I've been to a LOT of jewelry stores, including high-end independent shops, where the salespeople didn't know half as much as I did after just a few months of research into the science of diamond cutting

2/2/2007 11:18:31 AM

thanks...i really wanted to have color in the ring, so i thought the saphires really looked good.

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 11:22 AM. Reason : d]

2/2/2007 11:22:23 AM

you can get a canary diamond on the cheap side (like 2-3 carats) if you know what you're doing...

2/2/2007 11:33:00 AM

my ring pwns this thread

2/2/2007 11:40:34 AM

Quote :

"you can get a canary diamond on the cheap side (like 2-3 carats) if you know what you're doing..."

That's because yellow stones look like pee.
Unless it's her favorite color, please, anything but yellow.

2/2/2007 12:27:38 PM

I got minez from blue nile with a top grade clarity and cut marquis diamond. It's a white/blue with medium florescence - giving it a strong white/blue in bright light.




The lady was beside herself b/c I popped it on her completely unawares at St. Charles Bridge in Czech Republic...overlooking Pražský hrad (Prague Castle) as it was snowing and the moon was coming up. That shit was mad scary....proposing aint easy.

The lady was freaking beside herself. And well, Blue Nile was fantastic in making it happen. A+++ in my book

2/2/2007 12:30:23 PM

saying the lady once is kind of gay

saying the lady twice is just ridiculous

2/2/2007 12:39:56 PM

the lady
the lady
the lady


IM CRAZY!!!!!

2/2/2007 12:40:43 PM

I bought mine from a "Mall store" and got great service and a great ring for a great price. Not to mention 6 months no interest HOLLA

2/2/2007 12:44:44 PM

Quote :

"The only person with any credibility on this topic is QTPie"

hey, i started doing jewelry work in my dad's shop when i was like 8 years old....

2/2/2007 12:46:25 PM

this ring kicks ass... seriously

2/2/2007 12:46:37 PM

If you're gonna buy a diamond then I also recommend Blue Nile.

I got my girl an emerald but everybody thinks it's a promise ring. Hehe. I guess people don't realize how expensive good emeralds are.

2/2/2007 3:45:31 PM

yep, normal diamonds are pretty cheap when it comes down to it. The colored stones are where its at bling-wise.

i think sapphires are the most valuable

2/2/2007 4:16:28 PM

forge your own

2/2/2007 4:19:29 PM

Kerry Catherine is really great, btw. She does full custom designs and is really easy to work with to get what you want

2/2/2007 4:22:15 PM

Quote :

"you buy from a retail store, you buy all the guarantees/services that go along with it. Some people may want that and are willing to pay for it; others don't need it. Blue Nile quoted me only $100-$200 less than retail. If you TAKE YOUR TIME, you'll find a good deal and won't overpay."

Our lifetime warranty is free of charge, as it should be. If you get platinum, you'll make up the $100-$200 difference from an online 'deal' in re-sizing and free refinishing as often as you'd like in the first year or two.

Quote :

"she has credibility, but she still only worked at a jewelry store and I've been to a LOT of jewelry stores, including high-end independent shops, where the salespeople didn't know half as much as I did after just a few months of research into the science of diamond cutting "

I'm not trying to change your mind... You clearly feel strong and secure with what you know. However, without knowing my sales/ training/ experience or anything else about me, I find it rather strange that you'd make a statement like that. You didn't learn in your little 2 month study what I have experienced and learned over the past 11 years, I assure you.

Quote :

" hey, i started doing jewelry work in my dad's shop when i was like 8 years old...."

Welcome to the club! If we're counting what I did before I was old enough to have a work permit, I guess I'm about 13 years in now.... Fun times, Fun times.

2/2/2007 6:42:58 PM

As an addendum, I wouldn't worry too much about the ring.

Just make sure that you're giving it to the right girl.

2/2/2007 7:13:30 PM

^ There's someone that 'gets it'

2/2/2007 7:25:46 PM

Quote :

"However, without knowing my sales/ training/ experience or anything else about me, I find it rather strange that you'd make a statement like that."

alright, what does painting and digging have to do with the performance of a diamond

furthermore, when the stone i selected gets an average of about one stranger demanding to have a closer look at the stone every few weeks, that does say something.... not trying to brag, just trying to show that "the 4 Cs" means about jack when it comes to evaluating a diamond.

if you know whats actually important about a diamond, you can get a superior performer that looks bad in the "4 Cs" but out shines and out sparkles every other woman's stone in the room.

and if it looks bad in the "4 Cs" - guess what, you get it cheap as hell. Who cares? when it comes down to it, except for the anal bitches that you shouldn't marry anyway, a woman doesn't give a rats ass about the clarity and shit - she just wants a stone that takes her breath away whenver she looks at it.... and one that makes her woman-friends green with envy

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 7:53 PM. Reason : s]

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 7:55 PM. Reason : s]

2/2/2007 7:49:15 PM

Ok, lets look at it like this - pretend a diamond is an intricately hand-carved stone figurine. what's the largest portion of its cost due to? That's right, the hand craftsmanship in it - not the actual stone.


Now, we know that DeBeers has huge vaults full of diamonds of all sorts and its only their monopoly that creates an artificial "shortage"

Look at the 4 Cs - Cut, Clarity, Color, Carat..... HMMMM, forgetting the monopoly, which one of those do you think has the most impact on the cost of the diamond? That's right, CUT - but wait THREE OTHER METRICS are biasing the price point towards the raw material .... which, you guessed, they have plenty of.

Three of the C's are practically free to DeBeers, the one C that they can't reduce the cost of is cut, so if they can convince you to buy a diamond that is perfect clarity, perfect color, and huge size, but just average cut, guess what - they just sold you a $10,000 diamond that only cost them a few bucks to have cut by a machine.

On the other hand, this can also work in the favor of a discerning customer. Because they've done such a good job of convincing people of hte importance of color, clarity, and carats, if you find a diamond with a superior cut that is lacking in the other three C's you can buy it at a steal

But i probably shouldn't be explaining this shit to you dolts because its your sheep-like persistence for clarity and other stupid shit that enables me to make your girlfriends go to sleep at night wishing they had a diamond that sparkled like it does on my wife's finger. PWN 2 U

Quote :

"hey.. i went by my eyes my friend.. i spent hours upon hours looking at diamonds and i bought the best looking one"

looking at a diamond is "important" but if you're not looking at it outside and in a normal office env. then it doesn't mean SHIT.

crunching the numbers is where its at - don't even waste your time looking at a diamond until you've calculated its predicted performance. Then once you've narrowed it down to a few potential knock-outs, then you can schedule appointments to take the diamond out of hte store and AWAY from those fucking lights. Also, rub your finger over it to grease it up a little like its gonna be 99% of the time in real life.

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 8:21 PM. Reason : s]

2/2/2007 8:07:52 PM

My point was that clearly you care about the technical aspects far beyond what most people get into, far beyond what is in many cases necessary, and you pride yourself in that you have all this information. Great! Fabulous! Wonderful!
That does not mean that everyone who ever purchased a diamond before you needs to be any less excited about their purchase... It just means what makes you tick is different.
I am glad you are happy and the diamond you chose gets so much attention. I'm glad you get that cut is what makes a diamond sparkle above all else, and any jeweler who told you otherwise likely just didn't have availability on what you asked for and tried the pushy car salesman pitch to sell what they had, as opposed to catering to your 'needs.'
You may ask OmarBadu, Just because a diamond is correctly proportionate and superior/ ideal cut on paper, also doesn't mean that they will look the same in person. I agree 100% that cut is most important... Our diamond business is built on just that. You had your moment, you researched, you learned a lot in the process. Awesome! It's more effort than a lot of people go to, but others are just as pleased by walking around until they see 'the one' that they want to give her and say 'I'll take it' before even looking at the specs.

At the end of the day, an engagement ring is a symbol that you should be proud to give her.

Quote :

"she just wants a stone that takes her breath away whenver she looks at it.... and one that makes her woman-friends green with envy"

Actually, I'm more concerned with the right man giving it to me for the right reasons.......


Congratulations on your wife, your purchase, and your education.
Have a lovely evening

2/2/2007 9:24:17 PM

Picking out a ring with no guidance from the girl must be really nerve-wracking. You guys are brave as hell. I guess you can always return it if she hates the ring, but isn't it much more practical to ask the woman what she'd want to wear on her finger for (presumably) the rest of her life?

Quote :

"she just wants a stone that takes her breath away whenver she looks at it.... and one that makes her woman-friends green with envy"

We sigh because we've found the right guy, not the right ring.

[Edited on February 2, 2007 at 9:33 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2007 9:30:02 PM

I love my blue nile wedding set...he loves his wedding band. My set was over $5000 LESS than the appraised value. Plus, they are BEAUTIFUL and very high quality diamonds.

2/2/2007 9:41:32 PM

Quote :

"hey, i started doing jewelry work in my dad's shop when i was like 8 years old...."

I know, i have been in my dads store since I was like 3 or 4. I pretty much grew up there

2/2/2007 11:46:45 PM