Upgrading my ring?

[Kaitlyn_v]

My husband and I are wanting to upgrade my ring. The jeweler that we purchased from says we may upgrade for anything that is twice the amount of our original ring.

My question is, do we have to go with the jeweler that we originally purchased our ring from? Are there jewelry stores out there that will allow us to upgrade or trade it in for cash value (the amount that we purchased it for or close to) for something else?

Any other ideas ladies? Thanks!

[Loganz]

I upgraded my center stone with the jeweler who my DH bought the ring/stone from because they offered the same deal.

I had looked around to see what other jewelers offer; here is what I uncovered:

I found that some will not accept rings not purchased from them for any "upgrade"/"trade-in".

Some stores will offer you a credit - but, they will determine the value of your stone - and I got the feeling you would not be receiving full value/or original paid value.

Also, I found there are online retailers of stones who literally BLOW away the pricing a brick and mortar jeweler can/will give when it comes to diamonds. So, some people think it is worth it to buy a stone/ring online and then privately sell the existing ring.

For me, the jeweler my DH bought my ring/stone from was able to find me a beautiful new, larger, diamond, meeting the 4C criteria I had requested, and because of the credit from my original center stone I basically got my new one for a steal.

I would give the original jeweler a chance to earn your business - you never know what they can find for you that will blow you away.

[ahertz]

Yes, many independent jewelers will upgrade and take trade-ins and most will likely give you more "bang for your buck" than a chain jewelry store. Is there a jewelry district where you live? If so, that's a good place to start.