Engagement ring help

[5stone]

I don't know if you've chosen your ring yet but here are my 2 cents.

My husband bought all of my diamonds (except for the diamond wedding bands, those we purchased at Tiffanys) on BLUENILE. If you want to see the pictures I'd be glad to show you. The point is, Bluenile is wonderful, they are very helpful and costs much less than any other jeweler yet provide equal or better service than any other jeweler. We looked at every single store that there is for engagement rings and places like Tiffanys, Winston etc.. you end up paying for their name. You might find that on bluenile, you can completely customize your ring & probably will be able to spend much less on platinum settings.
My ring is 1.6carats set on platinum Flawless, F color, Solitaire & VS2.
My wedding band is from Tiffanys and has rectangle circle rectangle circle diamond pattern on platinum, tiny thin little thing and it cost us close to $5000.
My other diamond ring has 5 stones each weighing about .76 set on platinum also from Bluenile and guess what, it cost less than my wedding band. Each stone was selected by my husband, flawless, F color.
All Bluenile diamonds have either GIA or AGSL certificates.

The bottom line is, I hope you will try Bluenile, save yourself the trouble and save some $ for a nice bag!

P.S. D, E, F, G, H are acceptable colors at Tiffanys, I wouldn't go below VS2.

 

[A-T-G]

When I got engaged, there was only one place for me, T & Co...I wanted the box and everything. My husband was so impressed with the service and attention to detail that it's the only place he'll got to for Jewelry for me (yay!).

As for your ring, have fun shopping! It doesn't matter where you get your ring, as long as you are treated well and enjoy yourself! And if you've EVER wanted to walk into one of the upscale stores to try on rings, now is the time!

Cut is the most important thing in a ring--a gem can be cut to hide or minimize flaws, so try to stick with reputable places (avoid the mall). As for size...here's the tip I learned at Tiffany's--stay away from the 1 carat. The reason? It's the watershed for pricing. The most expensive ring? A one carat diamond--Go for one that either slightly UNDER the carat or over the carat and you'll get a better price. I went with one slightly under but, you'd never know it from looking at it. I went with a G in the color department and a VS2 for the incusions (flaws). I got my band with similar stones (half-channel). For the hardware, we went platinum but, T & Co. will clean it for free whenever I wish (and it's an excuse to go back to the store!).

Have fun shopping! and browsing and looking at your hand under the lights!

 

[Vegas Long Legs]

Go to Tiffany but only to get the info on the 4 c's from them. You can get the same Tiffany quality (standards) from a diamond broker. Do not buy from a mall chain store. There are only 2 grading systems that are worth it. My appraisals are at the bank so I can't remember them off hand right now. Do alot of research before buying. Only buy what you can see in person, if you need to make a trip to see something, do it. A good broker will bring in stones from around the world for you to see.
Cut is the most important, then clarity, then color. If the stone has poor clarity(anything less than a VS) you wasted money on getting an excellent or ideal cut. Cause it won't reflect light like it should.
Platinum scratches easy. Look at 18ct or rose gold depending on skin tone if you like.

 

[Eugin]

I'm going for white gold band, and looking at a stone that is slightly over 1 carat, G, and VS2. I think I have one picked out, but I feel I should look more before making a final decision. Then again, with all the different choices you could keep looking forever!