NeuseRvrRat, there is still a huggggeee range. we need more information. No side stones, side stones or channel set side stones? solitaire? simple band or fancier band with design or what? Even the quality of the diamond you want. Just to give you an idea, searching in Blue Nile JUST for loose diamonds at 1 carat, round cut brings up 845 different diamonds priced from $2,800 to $19,000. Bands can range from as little as $200 for the most basic 18k yellow gold band to multiple thousands of dollars for more intricate bands and sidestones etc.

If it were me and I was getting a full carat? Based on Blue Nile's set, I set my slider at 1.00 carat, left the price range wide open, set the color at H or higher, set the cut at very good or higher, set the clarity at VS2 or higher. This mainly weeded out the areas I considered to be lower tiers. After that, the cheapest diamond left is $5,400, Ideal cut, G color, VS1 quality. But based on my search as a whole, there are a lot in the $5500 to $6500 range that fall in my range of good quality, but not yet spending tons of money for the small gains that people will never notice outside of an appraisal. If all you care about is the size then as I said you can get the diamond for $2800 or so(still using Blue Nile prices here since its easiest). Expect a markup on that through other retailers or an in store visit, plus whatever you spend on the band to set the diamond in.

[Edited on June 2, 2009 at 11:20 AM. Reason : ]

6/2/2009 11:13:35 AM

that's all i needed

thanks

[Edited on June 2, 2009 at 11:56 AM. Reason : bullshit like this is precisely why i think this whole diamond thing is a crock of shit]

6/2/2009 11:46:54 AM

Quote :

"did you guys propose with the ring in the box or without it?"

My fiance used the box. He was taking pictures of a waterfall and he had me search for a "lens cover" that was in a green box in his camera bag. When I found it I opened the box to hand it to him and thats when I found the ring. And since he had the camera in his hand he was able to take a picture of me when I saw the ring.

6/2/2009 1:56:11 PM

I used the box because I was afraid I'd lose the ring.
The box mine came in had a grippy surface so it was much harder to drop it.

6/2/2009 2:30:37 PM

^^ AWWWWWWW

6/2/2009 2:33:06 PM

Quote :

"don't spend less than 4k, otherwise you will get something that you regret and want to replace at some point."

I'd be pretty upset if my boyfriend spent that much on a ring

6/2/2009 7:18:45 PM

^^^^ Clever fellow

6/2/2009 9:02:00 PM

so a girl i know recently got engaged. i haven't seen her in person since the engagement but i'm friends with her fiance and he showed me the ring before he proposed.

i saw her today and randomly she pushed her hand toward my face to "look at my ring!!"

i mean, i know she's engaged and i've already congratulated her but i feel like its kind of rude. is this common? unless the ring is unusual or unique in some special way, i can admire it from where i'm sitting and don't need to inspect it.

6/2/2009 10:11:43 PM

She's just excited. Lots of women do this. Lucky for me I live on the other side of the world so they just email me pictures of their ring

6/2/2009 10:14:31 PM

Mine's pretty unique, and I still didn't do that. I always asked "Would you like to see my ring?", if they hadn't torn my arm off already

[Edited on June 2, 2009 at 10:50 PM. Reason : sd]

6/2/2009 10:48:19 PM

Quote :

"don't spend less than 4k, otherwise you will get something that you regret and want to replace at some point. i aim to spend 6k, and i'm relatively frugal with my money."

no. don't spend more than 4k imho. and there's nothing wrong with adding an anniversary ring or whatever later. most people don't want to spend a ton of money on jewelry when they are first starting out with school debt, house debt, etc.



my rings ~1500 total and platinum too.


[Edited on June 3, 2009 at 12:59 AM. Reason : .]

6/3/2009 12:38:06 AM

^^Most of my friends asked to see it, if they didn't I didn't say anything.

6/5/2009 8:12:54 PM

i expect Jenniferyan to post the rock soon

6/5/2009 9:24:12 PM

4K on an engagement ring. Hahaha I love it

6/6/2009 7:33:38 PM

Haha, thanksOmarBadu - here's my ring! (also - never added pics before, so if this doesn't work... please don't destroy me!)

6/7/2009 4:40:59 AM

^

6/7/2009 6:21:48 AM

Love the details on it. It looks very vintage but so much shinier.

6/7/2009 6:54:13 PM

4k to 6k seems pretty reasonable. the thought of my girlfriend walking around with 2 months of my salary on her hand at all times seems like its going to be a bit over the top.

6/7/2009 11:07:29 PM

^^ Thanks! I'm all about the vintage look - it was really important for me to get something timeless. I also wear David Yurman every day so this kinda compliments their ring.

Also - we got it at Diamonds Direct here in Raleigh. I think he was a little nervous about buying a ring online, but their costs were comparable to Blue Nile and the experience was outstanding.

6/8/2009 7:57:48 AM

^ grats jennifer!

6/8/2009 11:49:22 PM

lol@slut acting like 4-6k is not two months salary for most young career folk.

6/9/2009 10:20:41 AM

not even after taxes would it be for a large number of the people who are on this message board.

6/9/2009 12:02:58 PM

officially engaged up in here now

too bad I was way off on the ring size, now I gotta send it back to blue nile... anybody that's ordered from there, does it really take 10 days? that's a bummer

6/23/2009 9:07:27 AM

grats!

6/23/2009 9:29:05 AM

Hey guys...i haven't really had any luck selling the ring on craigslist.

Here is the posting:

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/jwl/1219533133.html

It's for a 1 Ct Platinum Engagement Ring and Platinum Wedding Band Set.
Seeing if TWW can help out. I even paid for an appraisal from a jeweler which I can scan and put up.

Thanks
Mark



[Edited on June 23, 2009 at 9:00 PM. Reason : :]

6/23/2009 8:54:28 PM

holy jonas brothers engagement ring

7/3/2009 1:36:11 PM

Anyone bought or looked into buying an enhanced diamond? I have done some research on them, but just curious if anyone else has had a personal experience with them. Perceptions on them?

7/14/2009 11:42:48 PM

Enhanced diamond sounds like some marketing mumbo jumbo.

7/15/2009 2:00:37 AM

ladies, thoughts?

7/15/2009 3:42:24 PM

this is second hand so take it as you will

but "enhanced diamonds" have been treated in some way to reduce inherent flaws, feathers are drilled out and filled as are other 'bubbles' basically they are usually sub-par rocks that have attempts to correct them up to a more expensive level.

7/15/2009 3:52:56 PM

^^ I like it. It's nice and simple.

7/16/2009 12:09:17 AM

they should make a 4k+ ring that is electrified so that it can kill the owners for being fucking stupid

7/16/2009 1:19:12 AM

4^ I have the same ring, but with a marquis cut. I <3 it. very classy!

7/16/2009 8:21:47 AM

OK everyone, we got our wedding rings at Whitehall Jewelers which has since....gone under. So much for those warranties and free cleanings.....

Where can I go to get my ring cleaned like a jeweler would clean it? I mean, I can't just walk up to any random store and ask them to clean my rings for me, can I? I liked being able to walk up to Whitehall in the mall, drop off my ring for 20mins, go shopping, then get it back sparkly and shiny. I'm sad they closed.

7/16/2009 8:59:00 AM

any jewelry store should clean your ring for free, ive never found one that didn't

7/16/2009 11:05:53 AM

seriously? you can just go up and be like "hey clean my rings" and they'll do it? even if it's obvious you just want your rings cleaned and have no desire to buy anything?

that's weird, haha.

7/16/2009 11:09:20 AM

Yeah, most jewelery stores I've been to will do this.

7/16/2009 11:38:34 AM

Or you can buy an ultrasonic cleaner and throw all your shit in it.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Ultrasonic-Jewelry-Eyeglass-Cleaning/dp/B000GTQUAO
That's the first one that came up on google, I am NOT recommending it, just saying that's what they look like.

7/16/2009 1:35:54 PM

Yep, that is what you need! My mom has an ultrasonic cleaner and it works well. For some reason it also seems like a capful of ammonia is involved sometimes, but I may be way off there.

7/16/2009 2:19:49 PM

i got my gf an ultrasonic cleaner and i wasn't very impressed

the little dip things w/ the tiny brushes are more useful imo

7/16/2009 2:22:29 PM

unless you are buying a lapidary grade ultrasonic cleaner, they are usually not so great. we clean jewelry for free where I work because when you polish jewelry the tiny bit of metal that gets polished off goes into our machine, so we do get a little money off of it in the long run.


oh, and we put this cleaner called totally awesome in our ultrasonic mixed with water, about half and half. we get it from dollar general and i think it works pretty well, but that is just cleaning gunk off, not shining it or anything.

7/16/2009 7:07:20 PM

^where do you work? i'm coming to see you

7/16/2009 7:42:56 PM

anyone else have experience with "enhanced diamonds"? thanks

7/16/2009 11:24:50 PM

My jeweler recommended using almost-boiling water, a tiny toothbrush and Wisk to clean my rings. (I use a tiny bit of detergent, scrub all over, and swirl it around in the water to rinse everything off.) It works really well and takes all of two minutes to get them super shiny before work if I can keep my hands out of my pockets.

7/16/2009 11:32:28 PM

nm I'm being bitchy for no reason

[Edited on July 17, 2009 at 1:22 AM. Reason : c]

7/17/2009 1:22:40 AM

Quote :

"anyone else have experience with "enhanced diamonds"? "

If you care about lots of flash for very little cash, they're fine - - usually laser drilled and have the inclusions busted up -
so if they (the broker) originally paid for an I2 stone, and can make nearly double on it because now it's "eye-clean".... but have you(the consumer) still pay less $ than an SI clarity stone is, that's the general theory.

Basically, they aren't nearly as valuable, but if all you care about is big and cheap - there ya go

7/21/2009 11:07:44 PM

Didn’t take the time to read the whole thread so I apologize if this has been talked about in here already. I’m just starting to look into engagement rings for an early fall engagement, and have been “informed” that she would rather have a sapphire over a diamond. Didn’t know if anyone on here has had any experience with a sapphire ring over a diamond ring or if there was anything I need to look out for when looking and pricing. THANKS FOOLS.

7/22/2009 10:50:52 AM

^^see, this is why i hate this whole diamond scam. prettier and bigger doesn't even necessarily mean it is more desirable. and the desirability of the diamond is simply set by how expensive it is, not the other way around.

it's a crock of shit

[Edited on July 22, 2009 at 11:11 AM. Reason : the souls of the dead mine workers make it glimmer ]

7/22/2009 11:11:13 AM

Yup, no need to waste your money on an overpriced stone. And really, if the enhanced stone doesn't look bad who cares? Most women may be bitches about it, but I've never them carry around a loupe and go "OMG, that's an enhanced diamond. He don't love you girl!"

7/22/2009 11:33:54 AM

http://www.truthaboutdiamonds.com/truth-about/diamond-clarity/
An important read about clarity...
Summary: it's MUCH more about where the inclusions are rather than the clarity itself... only some of the blue nile certificates have the inclusion mapping on them, if your SI1 stone is included on the side and not the table you can't tell.

http://www.truthaboutdiamonds.com/truth-about/diamond-color/
an important read about color...
Summary: A) the setting will color the stone more than itself
B) just like audio speakers, you will only notice when put directly beside a better one (which is actually incredibly important when comparing "penis size" as mentioned much earlier in this thread, which, btw, I found to be hilarious and incredibly apt)

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198202/diamond
an Article as old as I am about the evils of De Beers and how all of this is made up...

You see the sell your old gold now stuff all the time... it seems fitting to set up a website for "buy your old diamonds now"... pay 30% under wholesale, smelt the metal and sell it wholesale, remove the stone and sell it wholesale... profit.

mkay so before reading those articles I was looking entirely at Blue Nile... but James Allan has the better loupe tool and I think I might head that way... When I began this post I was going to ask about "what are the 'eye clean' points" but then I did a quick google search and found those fine reads... So I think I'm heading to James Allan to visibly look over some 1ct ideal H si1 stones to find a bargain...

8/23/2009 4:11:21 PM