Engagement Ring Question
 

My boyfriend and I have been talking about engagement rings for some time now.

I had one picked out at a jewelry store a while ago, but my boyfriend and I decided that it was way over priced and that we could find something nicer.

I came across this website and found a ring that I absolutely love more than any ring I have seen. I would be so happy with this as my engagement ring. Here is the link for you too see: http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/r676a.html

The only hesitation that we both have is that we are reluctant to buy something online that is so expensive and has so much sentimental value.

Does anyone have any experience buying a ring or any other jewelry online? Were you satisfied with the product? Is there any reason why we shouldn't get it online?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. :)

Well, a quick search for "antiquejewelrymall.com reviews" listed it has a "Best of the Web" award from Forbes.com,for what that's worth.

Here's a site that's come recommended to me by folks who buy vintage jewelry:
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/yearsafter

I guess I'd just look for more reviews of the site.

Good luck!

funnily enough this was a conversation had over lunch on Sunday. A friend of my wife came over for lunch and mentioned she had bought antique jewellery off a seller on ebay. Sorry I don't have the exact seller name, but she said she was very happy with the items she had purchased.

I think you have to treat an internet shop the same as you would a bricks and mortar establishment. If you don't like the end result (i.e. what you end up with isn't what you expected), what is the mechanism to raise issues. I personally think we are moving into more things be available on the net and the seller has to treat his customers as well as he would if he had a shop front ~ customer service is definitely important.

I also agree with Sultana - awards/reviews are definitely worthwhile.

Good luck with the shopping!

I have enough personal problems buying diamonds as it is, without even adding onto them by buying from an online vendor.

buying diamonds are a subjective dealio, you have to really look at them for the one that is right for you. you could buy that ring and be forever happy, or you can be sorely disappointed. if you want to know, a 1ct total weight diamond looks much larger and stunning than multiple stones of the same weight.

if you want to make an investment, then you need a certificate. and the stone should be examined before it's set. you probably should do some diamond buying research if you want to buy diamonds as an investment.

if you don't want to buy a diamond with an eye towards investment, then you aren't going to do much better online than a reputable diamond store. you may pay a bit more, but not much if anything after all is said and done, but you get what you pay for.


you might consider buying a sorted diamond and having someone set it in a custom ring.

Smooth if you looked at the link she provided, its an Aquamarine

The main stone in the ring she posted isn't a diamond. The diamonds are just small accessory stones in the setting.

that said....I bought my ring (an amethyst) from a Scottish online vendor, granted its not as expensive as yours because I prefer sterling to any other metal, but I was HUGELY pleased with my experience. It took me a year and a half to find the "perfect" ring and when I got it, it was everything it had been advertised to be. We also bought our matching bands that way too, from an online Scottish vendor

I did look at the link...

you all know that if you pay $1600 for a ring, you're not paying for the aquamarine stone right? you're paying for the 40 diamonds surrounding it!

Yes that is true. I would be more concerned about the diamond if it were the centre stone, but in this case it's an aquamarine. Actually $1600 isn't that bad compared to some other stuff I've seen. There was a band I was ready to buy that had 1/3 carat of diamonds in the band and it was almost $2000. This one has more and they are of better quality too.

I don't think $1600 for an engagement ring is that bad. What do you guys think?

Sorry, the way you were talking about diamond singular made it sound like you were thinking the main stone was diamond. Don't forget the value of the 18K white gold is also a large factor in the price/value.

I wasn't sure if 40 diamonds with a combined total weight of .44 carats was/is worth that much evaluation, but heck, it can't hurt, right?

It certainly is a lovely and unusual item. But I wonder if anyone would really be able to see and appreciate the diamonds in the body of the band, you know know? But if you love that ring, get it. :)

I don't think $1,600 is excessive for a piece you plan to wear every day, with every outfit, for every event, for the rest of your life. :)

honestly? Personally, there is NO way I'd pay that much just for something to wear on my finger, having planned the perfect wedding for myself, there are so many other things that money could be used for either for the wedding itself, or the honeymoon or "setting up house", but thats just MY opinion.

My two cents? I want to see the sparkle of the rocks before I put down good money for anything. I've passed up otherwise good bargains for stones that I didn't think had enough fire in them. But that's me.

Pictures aren't worth squat, but again - that's me.

without seeing that other band you're referring to, it's hard to comment. but a larger diamond will cost more than two or more diamonds of an equal or greater total weight.

so if the other ring had two or twenty diamonds that equaled 1/3 carats, that will have more value and appreciation (both economically and aesthetically) than 40 diamonds totalling .44 carats. you're also comparing clarity and*

if it's a matter of whether we like it, yes, it's a pretty ring. and if you love it, and it speaks to you, then my opinion should have little relevance. but if it's a question of value, I don't think you're getting a "deal."

I think you could print that out and go to a number of reputable local stores and see what they can do for you. and if you have to pay a couple hundred extra to make sure it sparkles the way you want, then that would be worth it.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with paying $1500+ for an engagement ring. but you might want to look at how it will line up with your marriage band before plunking down that amount.

EDIT: *this got cut out, comparing clarity, color, and size, but you need to also consider cut. and cut, since the stone is already set, can't really be assessed without looking at the ring. It will have noticeable effect on the brilliance and sparkle (wow factor) of the ring.

I would just make sure you could return it if it is not what you want.

Yes, I'm with Nikki. Be sure that you purchase it from a site with an excellent return policy.

As for the cost - if it's what you've been looking for, and it's a price that you don't get into debt over, then I say it's worth it.

My ring, on the other hand, was exactly what I wanted and $80. But then again, it's a white-gold band with pretty edging. Not even the same league as the one you're looking at.

my wife's is a basic band, but the diamond *was* a perfectly cut, unblemished specimen. The appraiser was impressed. We bought it for $130 at a pawn shop. Had no idea what we were buying, just what we could afford.

I say "was" because she lost it New Years!
And now we're figuring out the best way to do it all over again...because we're not doing it a third time ;)

Anyway, we're doing the same thing as you...searching for new bands (albeit we already had a go round).


And as for going into debt...guess what, there's an etiquette formula. I think it's 3 month's wages. So your hubby to be is expected to go into debt :D

Pan bought my engagement ring for about $200. It has 3 sapphires with a tital weight of about 1.5 carats with 6 diamonds around them set in white gold.

Bargains are out there if you look for them.

Hey, this is my two cents worth. I bought my finace a ring from Bluenile .com and it had an exceptional return policy. ANYTHING FOR ANYREASON. It came w/ a lifetime warranty, and a certificate of something or other... anyway, check them out and see, unless you have your heart set on that particular one. Just something to think about.

having purchased a ring online a couple years back, it turned out to look very differently when I saw it in person finally.

Aquamarine is a difficult stone to produce photos of that resemble even close to what it would look like in person.

I would highly suggest you Not buy anything online. You have to wear this ring for the rest of your life, see it in person, make sure you love it.
that being said, if you must have this ring, make sure they have a 100% return policy.

that's a lot of money to spend for something online that's quality can vary so much from stone to stone... I would advise against it.

and congrats :D

etiquette smetiquette. What a stupid waste of 3 months wages. My wife and I picked a ring that she was happy with and which was in our affordable price range. Going into debt just as you're getting married sounds to me like the craziest thing you could do. As shani said wedding are a crazy money eater already without going overboard on rings. (yes, I saw the smiley - just couldn't resist responding...)

caveat: if you have three months wages lying around and don't have any other pressing concerns - knock yourself out ;)

I didn't look too closely at the picture earlier, but I agree - the aquamarine should be significantly bluer than in that picture.

The engagement ring I gave my girl was a clear plastic sno-globe ring. She loves it.

Go figure.

I bought Skogafoss' original engagement ring online. It was a 1ct cubic zirconia ring for $99.

She then picked out what she wanted one day at a mall instead of from the diamond district or family jewelers.

buy what makes you happy, that's what she did. she would have hated my choice as I showed her what I considered buying.

I found an Irish goldsmith who has a small workshop and an even smaller showroom. He does custom Celtic designs and gets the diamonds set for you. I saved about $300 over what the ring is valued at and I imagine it would have cost buckets more if I bought something similar at a corporate chain store--not to mention the fact that I wouldn't have found this ring there anyway. Oh, the ring was made in about a week, too.

If you want both value and worth, I suggest going the custom tradesman route as I did. Then you can ask for what you want, rather than ask for what they have.

Just be sure to do the usual checking out and shopping around, of course.

Would you mind sending me his information?
This is the route my wife and I decided to go for a number of reasons (difficulty in selecting something from an on-line vendor, personal feelings about diamonds in general)

i bought a ring at an antique market for my wife before we were married. i paid $150, which at the time, was a lot of money to me. it had a small diamond but it was the setting that i knew she would like.

she later had it appraised and the diamond though small, turned out to be a very good one. he appraised it at $1600.

a few years later the band broke.

on our tenth anniversary i had it melted down and reset into a new design and added a number of new stones with various meanings.

she loved that too.

http://www.claddagh-house.com/

Wow, this guy must be doing good, he's got a new, ramped-up web site now with a wide array of product offerings, which look amazing. Trust me, he does great work. My fiancee has a knotwork ring with a heavy beveled setting, which suits her quite well. When we finally do get married, we plan on getting matching bands made by this guy as well.

I wouldn't have any problem buying a ring from a properly researched website/seller.

Says who? De Beers?