I'm looking to finally make ';the purchase';. My dilemma is, I'm about as comfortable in a jewelry store as a bull would be on ice. Are the sales people gonna see me as some sort of ';easy commission'; should I come in not knowing anything? Do engagement rings have their own section within the jewelry store? My only request is to not suggest bringing my g/f because I need the surprise factor (we're traditional). If the ring really stinks we're cool like that and she can trade it back for something she likes better after the proposal. Thanks!Men or Women: Advice on purchasing the engagement ring please?
I worked (for 2 years) at a privately owned jewelry store and we were never like ';sharks'; towards our customers. Sadly, I moved to a different city and got a job at a ';chain'; jewelry store (for 3 weeks...i quit because the company wanted me to lie to customers about the quality of their jewelry and I was told by my boss ';Do what you have to do, and say whatever you have to say, to get people to buy, buy, buy';). I'm not saying that all jewelry stores in the mall or ';chain'; jewelry stores are bad; but understand that the employees have to meet their ';numbers'; every week and the managers typically are not GIA, EGL, or IGA certified. If you want to purchase a quality piece and get your $'s worth, then you need to buy from a store where its employees, or managers, are GIA, EGL, and/or IGA certified.
Engagement/Bridal jewelry should have its own section in the store. First, you need to know if your girlfriend prefers yellow gold, white gold, or platinum. (Here's a secret... platinum really isn't all that great...and it's gonna cost you a lot more $$$ now and in the end.) Platinum pits very easily, and it also is prone to getting a patina on it. A patina on platinum is like tarnish on silver. Once it gets a patina, the only way to bring back its luster is to re-rhodium the entire piece (which you will have to do 4 or more times per year and it will cost you $$$). Rhodium is a liquid metal that only adheres to metal. All white gold pieces and platinum pieces have a rhodium finish on them (it's what gives the pieces that ';shiny white'; look.) White gold pieces only need to be re-rhodiumed about once every 3 years.
Once you've decided on the metal, you need to decide on a cut (round, princess, emerald, oval, pear, marquee, radiant, heart, trillian). The round and the radiant cuts have the most facets. A round is a circle and a radiant is a square/rectangle with cushiond points. A princess is a square cut stone with a lot of facets. An emerald cut is a rectangle w/ the LEAST amount of facets. A pear is shaped like a tear drop and a marquee is shaped like a surf board. A trillian is a triangle, and hopefully you know what an oval and a heart look like.
Next comes clarity and color. Without me going into MAJOR details, just know this: don't go lower then an ';H'; in color or a ';SI-1'; in clarity.
The stores you go to should have loose stones for you to look at, and the employees ';favorite'; vendor catalogs. The employees should educate you on every aspect of cut, color, clarity, metal, cost, settings, carat weight/measurements, mountings, etc. because so far, the only thing I've covered...is the center stone...good luck...Men or Women: Advice on purchasing the engagement ring please?
My advice would be, before going into the store, think about how much you want to spend. When you get into the store look around, when approached by a sales person, tell them what your looking for , and tell them a couple hundred under what you are willing to pay at least, this way you can low ball them, and it will give you some breathing room if you do like something a bit more.
Just go to a nice jewelry store where the people are friendly, because then you'll be able to tell whether or not they will be helpful. If you go and they aren't very friendly go to a different place. Usually you can find a nice salesperson that actually wants to really help. Just tell them what type of style she likes (if you know) or what kind of girl she is, and answer any questions they have. They should be more than willing to help. It might be a little helpful to do a little reasearch online before you go just so you know general price ranges for what kind of rings, or what styles you really like or prefer more than others. Good luck!!
=]
Just remember, you may be uncomfortable in the first place (What guy isn't, it's a very nerve wracking experience!) so if you go into the store and the sale people are pressuring you to buy something that you can't afford or making you feel uncomfortable in any way then feel free to walk away and go to another store. You'll find your right fit. My husband told me that he went to 8 different jewelry stores before he found the right one.
Do you have a sister or mother? ask them to tag along. If not just do your research- have a price in mind (and stick to it) a cut of the diamond id recommend the princess cut, what type of metal yellow or white? what size you want- no smaller than a 1/2 is my advice. know her ring size as well . they have there own sections but if you want something like a gemstone ring they'll likely be where the gemstones are.
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/ring鈥?/a>
you can buy online
1.Select your alternative
2.Compare price
3.How there ship
4.Their testimonial
5. check their warranty
6.any optional..
Could you get one of your friends (or their gf or wife? women have a LOT of diamond/jewelry buying knowledge) that has been through the experience to go with you? It's a lot better to take someone with you that knows the ropes than to go it alone. Good luck and congratulations!
What if I said, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! Or I will LOVE YOU TO DEATH
I would HIGHLY suggest doing your research before shopping a jewelry store!
My fiance told me his horror stories of finding my amazing ring. He went to many shops all over New England and had salespeople at a few different shops tell him that it was ';ok to buy a low quality diamond because she'd never know the difference...'; I thought that was TERRIBLE! I am pretty sure these jewelry salespeople just wanted a sale. My fiance knew I had done my research and he knew I knew the difference (it's all in the sparkle) between a good, high quality diamond and one of lesser quality. One thing Tiffany%26amp; Co taught me was that if you take a diamond out of direct light and it still sparkles like crazy, it's a good stone! My fiance went to a small jewelry shop about a 2 hour drive away and special ordered a .75 carat heart-shaped diamond that was of higher quality than anything Tiffany %26amp; Co showed me. He had it set in a simple 5 prong yellow gold setting. It is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen!
One place that is good to start is to learn about the 4C's. You can also read about girdle, culet, facets, fluorescence, certifications etc. Each one of these can be researched and more!
Amazon.com actually has some pretty good information. They even have a section where you can build your own ring for purchase. I caution you about buying a ring/setting with sidestones because often the diamond side stones are of much less quality. Amazon is also great because as you go through the build your own ring section, the information about the 4C's has a link on the left of the screen. Once you select a diamond, you can click on any of the other aspects of it to learn more about them as well! http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Engagement鈥?/a>
Also, if you want a diamond that was not a ';blood diamond,'; like those in the movie also named ';Blood Diamond.'; I would suggest using http://www.brilliantearth.com/. Brilliant Earth has beautiful rings that are made from recycled metals and have diamonds that are mined in conflict-free Canada! If your girl is in to the whole ';going green'; thing, it may be a smart move to look there.
I would look into the 4C's first (color, cut, clarity, ct. weight). Get some basic knowledge before going in there. Most sales people are good, but there are some that are out to get you to buy anything - they have quotas, and in this economy they may not be selling as much as usual. A good site to get basic info on diamonds is:
http://www.nefj.com/4cs_of_buying_diamon鈥?/a>
Google some more to get some other sites. It's always nice to know the info as a frame of reference.
Also, I personally would stay away from mall jewelers. They tend to have higher mark-ups (200-500%) than free standing stores. Do some research and ask around about good store that are willing to legitimately assist you.
Remember the prices are always negotiable. Plus, you are in a better place for negotiations if you have knowledge regarding diamonds before looking. Always look through a loop to see the stone up close, and make sure the stone has a certification with it.
You'll find something. Just don't let them talk you into the credit cards or going over your budget. Stick to your guns and read up on diamond information and you'll be all set (and stay away from the overprices, and lower quality mall jewelers!).
Good Luck!!
After having worked in a jewellery (I'm Canadian, pardon the spelling!), you don't need to worry about the salespeople being pushy, at least I wasn't. They really like to help the guys that seem confused. And yes, there is a special section for engagement jewellery. Some jewellery stores even have custom designed engagement rings, so if that interests you, ask one of the salespeople and they'll probably refer you to their goldsmith/gemologist/custom jewellery designer. I would go into the jewellery store knowing the 4 C's of a diamond: colour, cut, carat and clarity. This will help you understand the pricing of diamonds. Second, you should know if your soon-to-be fiance wears white or yellow jewellery. White and yellow gold are great for engagement rings, and platinum tends to cost more.
Hope this helps, and congratulations!
No comments:
Post a Comment