K so time has come to settle down. Been looking for rings and i first bought her ring at Helzburg so i'm planning to go there to upgrade her final wedding ring. Anywho the main question is why is other dealers like Hoff is offering a diamond with the same size, clearity and color but far less expensive (like 2k less) compared to helzburg. Is there other diamond places that i should look at? i'm planning to get at least a Carat, less yellow the better, under 3k maybe? lmk choung
I was pretty happy with my engagement ring purchase at Shane as well, and that was a year and a half ago. Cut can have a lot to do with diamond value as well. My opinion though? She'll probably like whatever you get her. If not, you should think otherwise about getting married!
PM Michael48 Michael knows his stuff. They're out in Monticello, but worth the drive. www.lochjewelers.com
Go to Shane Company. They'll take the time to sit down with you and teach you about diamonds so you know what you're looking at.
I bought all of my wife's stuff and mine at bergstrom's downtown Minneapolis. http://www.bergstromjewelers.com/ I'd go back. The one thing I will say is I would stay away from your mall jewelers.
I went to jared in maple grove (LOL) they have taken very good care of me with cleanings and re brushing of my ring, plus my wife lost the main diamond on her ring, baam, they covered a new one.
Look up Hartquist Jewelers in Saint Paul. It's a tiny shop, he's the only one that works there, and he doesn't keep much of anything on hand at all. It's more of an antiques shop to be honest. Once you find a style or even brand you want, give him a call or stop down and thumb through his catalogs. He's one of the nicest guys I know and completely honest. No 'big store' markups or BS. He also completely stands behind his work and will help you out in any way possible. Very knowledgeable, and does all his own work as far as mountings/brushing/cleaning. Nothing is sourced out, so you know you're talking to the guy who does the work. Honestly, it's hard to find places/people like this so give him a shout.
If you are one of those people that like to learn a lot about something before buying and are willing to invest a lot of time into this, I would highly suggest buying online. Gain knowledge at pricescope.com, while keeping in mind that the people on the forums are crazy for diamonds and take information with a grain of salt. Then after some learning, venture off to sites like bluenile, JamesAllen, GoodOldGold, etc. At this point you'll know what diamond you can afford. If I were you, I would not worry about yellow that much, just make sure its a great cut and then go from there. Disclaimer: Many will disagree with buying online as buyers like to look at the diamond before buying it. Also, there is nothing wrong with finding a local honest jeweller. I knew I was going to spend a ton on this purchase and wanted to find out everything about it and I like that I can take the middle men out. Good luck!
ShaneCo is just awesome, if you're at Minnetonka ask for Anthony (Tony) and tell him I referred you. He's just awesome to work with and remembers us every time we come in
I agree, and on that note. I purchased on the basis that it looked amazing with the naked eye. We got a 1.2 carat "D" color I2. The inclusions are white and practically invisible unless you have the little scope thing. It color is more noticable than the clarity. You can see the yellow in a diamond, you can't always see the inclusions. We wanted to get more weight versus clarity. It all depends on what you want. On a side note, ShaneCo doesn't have their diamonds independently certified. They do it themselves. Keeps the cost down. Buy local either chain or mom&pop, either way you have somewhere to go to get it maintained.
I am sure the diamond you bought is beautiful and holds a special value in your heart and your loved one. However, I very respectfully disagree with you on several points. First, I2 clarity is visible to the naked eye. Secondly, clarity is more noticeable than color. Color is 'generally' only an issue when you have two diamonds next to each other of vastly different colors. Lastly, I don't understand your statement of weight vs clarity. Anyways, I am not trying to pick on your purchase and its not my intention at all. Please please, do not take this personally; I apologize if I have offended you. I do agree with your statement 'It all depends on what you want'. To TS, even if you don't end up buying a diamond online, I would still spend some time on pricescope.com to learn about the 4 C's AND their importance in buying a diamond. I would also use the 'cut adviser', ASET images, etc in relation to all the other tools at your disposal to make a decision. Again, good luck and remember no matter what you buy, its the intention that matters the most to your loved one.
Yes and no. Yes it had visible inclusions. No they are not visible as they were hidden under the prongs. Luckily the diamond we chose had the inclusions to the outside. They are white not black inclusions, harder to see. Not if you have a G or H. Very visible yellow to those. After we chose our diamond, we were then given three more diamonds without knowing anything about them. It was very easy to pick out our diamond from the three again, the other two were yellowish. But before all three were in front, we could already see the yellow in the first. So no, they don't have to be next to each other to see the color. TIP: always look at them in natural light. We wanted the fatest diamond we could get in our budget. That was important to fill in the ring we chose. So clarity took a back seat to the size of the diamond. But not color, we wanted "D". The sparkle has a lot to do with the cut and color. The yellow ones seem to sparkle less. Truth. Back in in 1970something my Dad bought my mother a perfect diamond. It was flawless and "D" in color. It was not a very large diamond. But it was perfect. It's all about what you want. Always do your research. Go from store to store. Don't do it all online. If you don't go to at least a half dozen stores, you won't know who has what for deals and who has what for good diamonds.
Know what size of diamond you want. That will eliminate one feature of the diamond puzzle. You want one solid rock, dont get one with many rocks in it to make it look big. Then all youre left with is Cut, I'd say round, because you can dump them easier, but not alot of women really like those princess cuts Id say. Next is color, Get at least a J. That D-I color is super spendy, and at retail you will get robbed. Next, inclusions. VS1, VS2, I call BS. Youll barely see a SI1, or SI2, But once you start getting into that crap, the color starts to darken, so watch that stuff and try to match the color to the diamond shade so they dont rob you cause its easy to go tdown a ladder of color and get took for $800 bucks on a 3/4 carat is not fun. Get at least an I color, at least a carat, at least, a si1. Should pay 100 bucks a tenth carat Id say or less. for .10 upgrade should be a hundred bucks. According to the market its 200 bucks a tenth. Looks to be right now its 199.10 for a carat wich is down 10 bucks from January. Screw retail these days bro, there are some good pawneries around and you will defiantely save money if you shop around. I know its dirty talking about pawns, but you can find a good deal around town. And its fun too purchase a loose diamond, then find the perfect ring and youll save a lil loot. Ask for diamonds or rings on consignment with jewelers you may go to from past customers, maybe youll get a really good deal if you dont purchase brand new.
predavore, I am glad you guys got the diamond you liked. It is a tedious search! I agree with you, do your research online and go to lots of stores to compare diamonds and apply knowledge. It also gives you good bargaining power; Yes, you can bargain! Good advice! Also, don't worry about getting a carat or two carats. You can get a 0.91 that will look larger than a carat (Ideal cut) with a decent color, no visible problems and still get it cheaper. Again good advice. Round Brilliants have the most fire and sparkle and brilliance.. Again good advice. Don't worry about color too much between D and J. The right Cut and Clarity will make sure you get the fire and sparkle. This guy is full of good advice! I would stay away from an I1 or I2. The only thing you have to worry about SI1 or SI2 is clouds or carbon or feathers or something similar. Granted you wont see em from 10 feet away, but a diamond is about sparkle, IMO. Guess what the inclusions do? hahaha.. THIS!!!!
Difference between a D and J is like a white albino compared to ol' yeller to barack obama. Start to go over J and they get yellow. Take the rock(s) outside to see the blang if you want cause those jewelry store lights will fool you. Dont be afraid to grab that loupe and take a look yourself.
