Yeah I completely agree and I've done a ton of research on diamonds, settings, etc and feel I got myself the best deal possible on my budget.
I was originally looking at buying online through a site like since1910.com and a year or so ago that would have been the way to go(It probably still is but I'll explain my position). I loved Tacori rings and was originally looking to find one online but with the Canadian dollar it was sort of pricing me out of the market for one as I wanted a 1 carat diamond and usually a 1 carat diamond with a Tacori setting will run you $8-12k.
Funny enough I'm a huge Costco fan and have always thought there was a lot of value to be had buying a ring through Costco. Luckily enough this ring was in Costco a few months ago and she even pointed it out saying how beautiful it was. So when I saw that I wasn't going to be saving as much by buying online I revisited the Costco ring and luckily enough it was the last one in the city and because it was purchased before the drop in the Canadian dollar, it was still priced very well at $7000. I looked online and Costco in the US was selling it for $7500 Canadian after exchange so I figured it was a good deal to buy now. Thankfully I did because now they are charging $7600 in Canada for the ring. It's not a lot but I saved $600 right off the get go.
I took the ring to Calgary Jewelry to get sized and get an appraisal and they came back with an appraisal of $20k. If you take the general rule that they appraise the ring at double the replacement value then they are roughly valuing the ring at $10k which is exactly what another independent jeweler said they would charge for a ring like that when I took it to them right after I bought it.
Overall I'm super happy with the purchase and feel I saved a ton going through Costco and it's a ring I know she'll love which is all that really matters to me.
+1 for Costco engagement rings!
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