Dang. Wish I woulda got that deal. I'm sure I overpaid for mine, but it was the only one I wanted....and she likes it, so I guess I'll deal with it. It won't be the last thing I overpay for.
Engagement Ring Advice Needed
- Thread starter twa5786
- Start date
Dang. Wish I woulda got that deal. I'm sure I overpaid for mine, but it was the only one I wanted....and she likes it, so I guess I'll deal with it. It won't be the last thing I overpay for.
russian starz man made diamonds are out of business, but I bought a 1.5 c diamond for 300, at the urging of my (now) wife. That way we could splurge on a platinum band. 5 years later, I bought her a 2 c diamond for about the same money, that kind of made me mad, but it kept her happy. 
You guys are great! Lots of good info here.
I've been just about everywhere, and as far as visiting physical stores locally, it seems like Josephs and Anglo are the best. It's definitely been a lot easier as I've gone on, because it has been really easy to eliminate 95% of them right away, knowing what I am looking to buy and what doesn't make the cut.
I read somewhere that most salespeople will typically take up to 15% off without a ton of haggling, but after that it gets a bit tougher.
I've been just about everywhere, and as far as visiting physical stores locally, it seems like Josephs and Anglo are the best. It's definitely been a lot easier as I've gone on, because it has been really easy to eliminate 95% of them right away, knowing what I am looking to buy and what doesn't make the cut.
I read somewhere that most salespeople will typically take up to 15% off without a ton of haggling, but after that it gets a bit tougher.
russian starz man made diamonds are out of business, but I bought a 1.5 c diamond for 300, at the urging of my (now) wife. That way we could splurge on a platinum band. 5 years later, I bought her a 2 c diamond for about the same money, that kind of made me mad, but it kept her happy.
you bought a 1.5 c diamond for $300?! What is it, dark yellow with black spots? Sorry to say, but you got a crappy diamond.
nope- flawless, technically a diamond, although man-made. They say that only careful jewelers can tell. My wife wanted to have a nice piece without the cost of money or guilt. (white people problems)
I like how you just assume what he bought is crappy based upon the price... you would think if it's synthesized the quality should be higher than the average mined diamond
i've never looked into it before, but a quick google search brought this up... $300 for 2 carats:
Diamond Nexus Labs Lab Created Signature Series Gemstone
I went to Anglo as well and have nothing but great things to say about them! I had a ring custom designed and they actually had to special order a diamond in from Belgium because they don't stock trilliant cut diamonds as large as I wanted to get (triangle to non-jewelers). But I ended up getting a fantastic deal on both the band and the diamond since I negotiated and knew what I wanted in the diamond. I would highly recommend trying to pay in cash also if you can since they were more than happy to work with me getting all the money at once.
Their post-sale support has been awesome too, as we can go in and have the custom band no one else seems to want to work on cleaned and tightened at no cost and they usually recognize both me and the ring when I walk in.
Their post-sale support has been awesome too, as we can go in and have the custom band no one else seems to want to work on cleaned and tightened at no cost and they usually recognize both me and the ring when I walk in.
When others say "custom" what are you referring to? Sorry for the stupid question, but just curious. I'm assuming on the band itself, which then I'm curious to know how you "customized"....
I went to Ames Silversmithing...great experience, I was treated very well. With them being a local Ames company and the warranty/assurance they offer (no required inspections, etc) I don't think you can go wrong there.
I could not find a ring like the one she created in her head. So, I brought the owner photos of three different rings I liked parts of; well my fiancé liked. He used a program, similar to autocad, and designed it.
Bluenile.com
My wife and I are jewelry experts. That is by far and away the best company to buy an engagement ring from. Quality and cost effective. Build your own is a great feature. Highly recommend it.
My wife and I are jewelry experts. That is by far and away the best company to buy an engagement ring from. Quality and cost effective. Build your own is a great feature. Highly recommend it.
Go to Greenbergs at Ankeny, ask for Greg. Tell him Ed from Sioux City Greenbergs sent you. He will take very good care of you. He is a big ISU fan, store manager.
Not sure what you are getting at. Maybe it was expensive but I will have it paid off next spring which will be about 10 months into the 2 year loan so I felt it wasn't bad. I have also known of people buying $5,000+ rings and knew someone that bought a $10,000 ring so I felt I was doing great.
i think he was giving you crap about how much you spent based on the "rule" that the ring should be worth 2-3 months of your salary. Unless you only make $15,000 a year..
Synthetic diamonds are "real" diamonds. The only thing at sets them apart is that they are flawless and way cheaper. That said, I still bought a real diamond about a month ago. Check out siegels in cedar rapids. Although it's a pawn shop with a jewelry store, they sell GIA certified loose diamonds at a fraction of what big name stores do.
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Cyclone1985 nailed it. No ill intentions, just something that was in my mind as one of my good friends is going through this exact same process. We both thought the "2 month salary" number was a bit ridiculous. Should have put a