• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Engagement Rings

I have a strange fear of picking out a diamond and the jeweler switching it out for one of lesser value during the mounting phase. Does/did anyone else have this fear / think about it?

Typically you get it appraised before and after to ensure a switch has not occurred, though I doubt that is too common of a practice these days.
 
Just go see Zack Hayes (WFU '83) at Hayes Jewelers of Lexington. He can handle any need that you might have re: diamonds, jewelry, etc...
 
I have a strange fear of picking out a diamond and the jeweler switching it out for one of lesser value during the mounting phase. Does/did anyone else have this fear / think about it?

My wife had that same fear last year when I told her I was getting her engagement diamond re-remounted for her Christmas present. I told her she was over-thinking it and to just relax -- everything would be fine. A couple of days later, I had the pleasure of calling her up and telling her that her fears of the ol' switcheroo were unfounded and that she should have been more concerned with the chance that the dude doing the remounting was an idiot who would break her diamond.

Anyhow, with respect to your concern, get one w/ a serial number etched onto the girdle and a mounting where you can see the s/n under a scope.
 
Anyone have experience with buying an engagement ring (or other expensive jewelry) online. I've done my research, understand the 4 C's, been to a couple brick and mortar stores and generally know what I'm looking for.

Going the online rout saves me about 10-15% and more importantly brings the ring I want to get within my budget. James Allen has 360 degree pics of their diamonds, full refund within 30 days, and all their reviews check out.

Am I missing anything? I'm uneasy buying something this expensive and important without seeing it in person first, but this seems like the best option.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ITK
woah there fella pump the brakes. We don't even know anything about this girl fella (or guy fella- it's cool). How long have you been dating? Cohabit? City or country fellas? How many bases/RBI max and most consistently? What do y'all do for livings and enjoy in free time?
Let's start there and work our way to the perfect ring.
 
$3000 for 1 carat is going to get you a pretty crappy stone. Downsize and step up on the other Cs.

Just thought I'd post a little PSA, I should have mentioned a few years ago.

I worked with Lane Schiffman on my wife's ring. I had no clue what I was doing. He seemed very helpful.

He verbally told me total carat weight (3 stone ring) and the weight of the center stone.

He sent the actual paperwork 29 days later, which declared the total weight ~10% less and the main stones weight ~20% less than he had stated when I made the purchase.

I had the ring for another ~9 months before I proposed, and ultimately decided that I liked it enough to justify the cost.

In hindsight, though... that was some shady ass shit & likely a bigger rip-off than I originally thought.
 
Anyone have experience with buying an engagement ring (or other expensive jewelry) online. I've done my research, understand the 4 C's, been to a couple brick and mortar stores and generally know what I'm looking for.

Going the online rout saves me about 10-15% and more importantly brings the ring I want to get within my budget. James Allen has 360 degree pics of their diamonds, full refund within 30 days, and all their reviews check out.

Am I missing anything? I'm uneasy buying something this expensive and important without seeing it in person first, but this seems like the best option.

BlueNile was great.

...engagement didnt last, but the ring was beautiful and exactly as described/anticipated/expected and also cheaper than a comparable option in C-ratings would have been at a brick-and-mortar joint (we checked out a few).
 
With 30 days you could take it to a jeweler to get appraised and make sure it's legit.
 
woah there fella pump the brakes. We don't even know anything about this girl fella (or guy fella- it's cool). How long have you been dating? Cohabit? City or country fellas? How many bases/RBI max and most consistently? What do y'all do for livings and enjoy in free time?
Let's start there and work our way to the perfect ring.

5+, Cohabit, City, NOYB, I work for the man, she works for the Dark Side (for now), Netflix and Chill/Brunch. She has not been subtle about what she considers the perfect ring. I'm trying to get as close as I can considering my budget, thus the desire to go online.

One thing where I'm still undecided is how high on the color scale to go. I'm getting a yellow gold band and heard that being in the D-F range isn't quite as important since it's not a platinum setting. Any thoughts?
 
5+, Cohabit, City, NOYB, I work for the man, she works for the Dark Side (for now), Netflix and Chill/Brunch. She has not been subtle about what she considers the perfect ring. I'm trying to get as close as I can considering my budget, thus the desire to go online.

One thing where I'm still undecided is how high on the color scale to go. I'm getting a yellow gold band and heard that being in the D-F range isn't quite as important since it's not a platinum setting. Any thoughts?

I would agree with this - a warmer stone will look nice with the band. You don't necessarily want that icy-blue undertone to the more "perfect" colored stones.
 
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. I was hoping to propose before Christmas but I've likely missed that mark so I can take my time now.

Ugh. Don't promise at Christmas, valentines, or her birthday. Just don't.
 
Ugh. Don't promise at Christmas, valentines, or her birthday. Just don't.

Yeah I wasn't going to do it on actual Christmas (i.e once we were back home). We were supposed to get snow this week so was hoping to get the ring in for that but forecast has switched to rain and I'm a procrastinator. Looking like early January now.
 
Anyone have experience with buying an engagement ring (or other expensive jewelry) online. I've done my research, understand the 4 C's, been to a couple brick and mortar stores and generally know what I'm looking for.

Going the online rout saves me about 10-15% and more importantly brings the ring I want to get within my budget. James Allen has 360 degree pics of their diamonds, full refund within 30 days, and all their reviews check out.

Am I missing anything? I'm uneasy buying something this expensive and important without seeing it in person first, but this seems like the best option.

With 30 days you could take it to a jeweler to get appraised and make sure it's legit.

Yeah that's what I did. It was like 15 years ago, but I the local place did the appraisal on the spot. You just have to make sure the etching matches when they give it back so you're sure they didn't swap it out for a CZ. It actually appraised for like 30% higher than I paid for it. But the whole fucking thing is a racket, I don't trust any of those sheisters, they all benefit from driving up the market as a whole and the entire market is completely artificial so there is no way to control it.
 
Yeah I wasn't going to do it on actual Christmas (i.e once we were back home). We were supposed to get snow this week so was hoping to get the ring in for that but forecast has switched to rain and I'm a procrastinator. Looking like early January now.

ask the inlaws for their blessing
 
Anyone have experience with buying an engagement ring (or other expensive jewelry) online. I've done my research, understand the 4 C's, been to a couple brick and mortar stores and generally know what I'm looking for.

Going the online rout saves me about 10-15% and more importantly brings the ring I want to get within my budget. James Allen has 360 degree pics of their diamonds, full refund within 30 days, and all their reviews check out.

Am I missing anything? I'm uneasy buying something this expensive and important without seeing it in person first, but this seems like the best option.

Just my two cents, but it's worth the extra 10-15% in cost to have someone you trust and can rely on if anything should ever happen to the ring. The guy I bought from was referred to me by a close friend and turned out to be incredible. I originally sized the ring too big for my now-wife's finger, and he got it resized without hesitation (and expedited the process). One of the smaller stones that encircles the main stone fell out about a year after I bought the ring - we took it to him and he replaced it in just a few days without charging us or invoking my insurance policy.

Again, this was obviously just my experience. The online plans you found might provide the same services that I just described, but IMO, the peace of mind is worth the extra $$. Not to mention the fact that established jewelers will often sell a ring for much lower than the appraisal, as mine did. So you end up with something that immediately increases in value.

Edited to add - you're also going to need a matching wedding band down the road. It's much easier for a jeweler to find something within your budget and specs that matches, than you doing it on your own online. Your wife may eventually want similarly matching pieces (earrings, etc) later on, which may create the same problem for getting it done online.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top