Ring Shopping

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by aaronzaski

Just wait until you have to plan the wedding. 3 weeks in and I want to kill her (and vise versa).

Take notes, it gets easier the second time around

Only 2 weeks left untill d-day for this guy but getting married in Vegas makes it so much easier.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Husky

Adiamor. Us version of bluenile. Cheaper and dollar is above par. Same website setup. Go diamond. To me anyone suggesting otherwise is cheap.

With all due respect this was not a cheap ring, and it sure as hell pulls in more looks than an average diamond engagement ring.

Obviously I am biased but you can get way more stone for the same amount of money. Diamonds are an over inflated market, that is why I went with a 2 carat sapphire.


photo cred: Regulator75

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by return to the red

TBQH I paid nothing ordering from Adiamor I do believe

When was that? Since they've changed the duty-free limits I've got nailed on almost everything coming across.

[Finner]

www.jamesallen.com

Uses canadian diamonds and rings are made in the US so no duty.

Actual diamond pictures are online.

[mykalberta]

I assume if you already have a diamond that there are jewlers who will set it on a ring for you?

Bluenile appears to be ~$1000 less for a comparable diamond than say a place like ADX or a few other places I have been to.

[LChoy]

I realized I have 3 different posts already about diamonds from the various diamond threads that have existed on CP. So here is the combination of my opinion:

- There is no hard and fast rule about buying a ring. Spend as much as you are comfortable with. There is no reason to go into debt as you still have to plan a wedding

Diamond Characteristics:

- The most important decision you'll need to make off the bat. Carat or Cut (or for those where money is no matter, then do both). Carat size is by weight, not size. The better the cut, the more "sparkle" the diamond appears. A well cut diamond will look bigger and better than a large carat diamond with an inferior cut. For me, I got the best cut diamond I could and reduce the carat size to .8
- D E F are the colourless grades. Stick with F as you don't really need to get an E or D colourless diamond. With a yellow gold band, you can even go with a little yellower grade and it won't be obvious.


Budget:

If you are on a budget, you have 3 choices to consider:
- Carat
- Shine (How "sparkly" she wants her diamond to be)
- Design

If size is all that matters, try to land on a caret weight (it's really a weight not a size when you talk about carets) that's just under a popular weight. On diamonds, the markup jumps after .25, .5, .75, and super jumps at 1 and above carets. Therefore, a .48 caret can save you some money but is close enough to a diamond that's .5

Sparkle - This is arguable, but in my opinion, cut is more important than caret size. A better cut diamond will appear larger and shine more than a bigger caret diamond with an inferior cut. It's really a matter of illusion, but if she wants a sparkle, compromise on caret and focus on the cut. Also, some cuts will sparkle more than others (Brillant/round and Hearts on Fire cut being generally reflecting the most light)

Design - If your future wife prefers a design over the diamond, you can save a lot of money. My wife wanted a simple band, but there are many customized rings out there in the marketplace. I seen antique looking ones, intricate engravings, unique metals...etc. With this option, it's probably the most difficult as you really have to know her, and it's the ring that's the main feature, the diamond/gems would just be an accent to it. Also suggest if diamond doesn't really matter, gems like Sapphires and emeralds are increasingly popular (see Princess Kate's ring)

For me, I wanted an ideal cut (excellent grade) or higher, F colour (the first category of "Colourless"), VS2 (will need 10x and a trained eye to see any inclusions), and no less than 0.75 carat.
- Naturally, the more higher qualities you seek, the price goes up. Find what qualities you can sacrifice to make it more affordable
- Canadian diamonds will have a markup compared to diamonds coming from elsewhere. The advantage is that Canadian diamonds are laser inscribed so it gives people the confidence that it is not a blood diamond or something shady
- Mine came to be about $8k (damn Ontario taxes) but appraised for almost 17k

Where to Buy:

- A diamond purchaser/wholesaler can be cheaper than getting it from a commission store. Diamonds are traded at an international standard, so the base price shouldn't change very much. Several vendors confirmed that their profit margin on a diamond is between 10-15%.
- Don't be afraid to buy the diamond and ring separately.
- www.bluenile.ca (online, very popular and good value)
- www.brilliantearth.com (My financee is a enviro girl, so she liked them. a bit more than blue nile, but diamonds are Canadian and she likes how they give a portion of their proceeds to maintain environmental sustainability to the Canadian Northern communities the diamonds are mined from)
- www.abdiamond.ca/ (on 17th ave, diamond wholesaler. Very good customer service, diamond dealers)


Warranty:

In terms of coverage, if you buy it from a store, they generally sell warranty and insurance for the diamond/ring. Online stores don't usually have such things. However, it is recommended that you get the gem independently appraised.


Last piece of advice. A ring is a great way to start a new chapter of your life. You'll give her the best ring you can get her now, but you don't want to set the bar so high that the ring will be the most important/pretty thing she'll ever get. Perhaps in ten years when you are in a better place financially, you can upgrade it or make changes to it. Fortunately, there are a few retailers and diamond wholesalers, many of which her named in previous posts, that allow you to trade up your diamonds. Diamonds don't depreciate very much, so they'll take the value of your diamond, and you'll pay the difference for one that's higher in value. Good trade

Hope this helps


LChoy

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Take notes, it gets easier the second time around

Only 2 weeks left untill d-day for this guy but getting married in Vegas makes it so much easier.

We got married in the Dominican Republic, easiest wedding ever. 2 hours meeting with our wedding planner when we got there and everything was done except to party.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

We got married in the Dominican Republic, easiest wedding ever. 2 hours meeting with our wedding planner when we got there and everything was done except to party.

same thing with my vegas wedding destinations ftw

[troutman]

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I dunno maybe it's because I'm a planner by nature. Maybe it's because I've organized bigger events than a wedding, but I love planning mine.

The crazy stuff you get to come up with to personalize it, the fiancée shooting down your "dumb" ideas, you planning to do them anyway. It's great!

Your wedding is a chance to plan the bigges party with all your closes friends and family, have fun putting it together.

I need to meet with our DJ to ensure we can work our WWE style entrance videos for the wedding party members.

[fundmark19]

I'm scared of my wife and all my ideas were stupid so I gave up trying to help. I thought a potato bar was the best idea ever! She didn't agree so in return I just got ###### drunk and made a fool of myself at my reception. I wish I could get married again so much fun. Way to expensive though

[Maritime Q-Scout]

You need to know where to draw the line between silly fun and just plain dumb.

Having the ushers work the door with velvet ropes allowing all the chicks in first. Hilarious idea, but it would have poor execution.

Having TV theme play during the supper (starting with instruments and slowly working upto childhood cartoons) would be amazing. This is our biggest point of contention. I'm he'll bent on making it happen and asking for forgiveness later (as it'll totally be well received, I can see her dad giving me a thumbs up during the M*A*S*H theme)

[mykalberta]

Anyone have any experiences with Birks. They have a really nice 3 diamond ring but I am hesitant to even go in there. Some of the reviews online are horrid.

[J Diddy]

I had a very good experience at Brink Haus: http://www.brinkhaus.com/

[Locke]

This is probably a stupid question, but if you buy online how do you know what size to get?

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Locke

This is probably a stupid question, but if you buy online how do you know what size to get?

Not a stupid question at all.

Step 1 put on a suit

Step 2 look at yourself in the mirror and say "Bond, James Bond"

Now that you're in spy character...

What I did was pay attention when she ordered her grad school ring.

Other options, take one of her rings (one she wears on her ring finger) then take it to the mall and ask them to measure it. They should have a thingy-ma-gigger (I believe that's the technical term) that almost looks like a round knife sharpener that will tell you the size of the ring.

You could find a friend that has similar sized fingers as a last resort if you don't have another covert way to determine.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Not a stupid question at all.

Step 1 put on a suit

Step 2 look at yourself in the mirror and say "Bond, James Bond"

Now that you're in spy character...

What I did was pay attention when she ordered her grad school ring.

Other options, take one of her rings (one she wears on her ring finger) then take it to the mall and ask them to measure it. They should have a thingy-ma-gigger (I believe that's the technical term) that almost looks like a round knife sharpener that will tell you the size of the ring.

You could find a friend that has similar sized fingers as a last resort if you don't have another covert way to determine.

Where do you get both your girlfriend and a friend of hers to stick their fingers so that you can get an accurate "similar size"?

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

Where do you get both your girlfriend and a friend of hers to stick their fingers so that you can get an accurate "similar size"?

Excuse me best friend of my girlfriend but I need you to wrap you hand around my member... It's for my girlfriend, trust me

[bcsoda]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Not a stupid question at all.

Step 1 put on a suit

Step 2 look at yourself in the mirror and say "Bond, James Bond"

Now that you're in spy character...

What I did was pay attention when she ordered her grad school ring.

Other options, take one of her rings (one she wears on her ring finger) then take it to the mall and ask them to measure it. They should have a thingy-ma-gigger (I believe that's the technical term) that almost looks like a round knife sharpener that will tell you the size of the ring.

You could find a friend that has similar sized fingers as a last resort if you don't have another covert way to determine.

I'm not sure if this is something that is obvious, but I feel like it's not, so maybe it's worth mentioning.

If you're going this route, don't assume the ring finger on her right hand is the same size as the ring finger on her left hand. It might be close and usable, but a ring that I wear on my ring finger on my right hand is big enough that it fits the middle finger on my left hand (though is too small for the middle finger on my right hand), and easily slides off the ring finger on my left hand.

[cKy]

Bumping this thread, as I am now apparently in the market for an engagement ring. She had one picked out for years from Tiffany, but now has changed her mind to wanting a Black diamond ring for something a little unique (and its way cheaper apparently - which isn't a bad thing). All of the usual suspects (bluenile) don't seem to carry black diamonds. Any sites people suggest that carry black diamonds? I'm in Victoria, so obviously local Calgary joints won't work for me.