too many wants and not enough money

[chanel-girl]

thanks so much everyone for your responses! i love love love this forum. if i had posted this anywhere else i would have gotten not-so-nice comments, but you ladies are so helpful and friendly. after working on it all week, i finally found an authorized dealer who did 26.5% discount on the rolex.... so it comes up to almost $8,000......i have roughly $9,000 left i can spend. the same dealer said she could get a chanel j12 for 20% off for me....that would be $3,320 and would leave me with about $6,000 if i were to get the j12. i'm still thinking about the j12 though.

i went to look at diamond studs and the jeweler priced it so high. one diamond with a H color and SI1 clarity was priced at $6,xxx.....i thought that was much higher than what i saw on pricescope (thank you ladies for the pricescope recommendation). it makes me kind of want to give up on the studs though because i'm bad at negotiating prices and since that jeweler is selling it at almost doulble pricescope prices, its going to be tough getting him to come down.

Would you mind telling me which authorized Rolex dealer gave you 26.5% off? I am purchasing that same exact style and that is a far greater discount then I have seen before! I would love to give them a call...

The Rolex ia a great choice by the way, I would keep working on the studs though, going to different jewelers and getting prices.

 

[jan228]

i went to look at diamond studs and the jeweler priced it so high. one diamond with a H color and SI1 clarity was priced at $6,xxx.....i thought that was much higher than what i saw on pricescope (thank you ladies for the pricescope recommendation). it makes me kind of want to give up on the studs though because i'm bad at negotiating prices and since that jeweler is selling it at almost doulble pricescope prices, its going to be tough getting him to come down.

What size was the diamond and was the cut ideal or GIA certified? If you were looking at a well cut 1+ carat stone graded with that color and clarity, that's an engagement ring quality diamond and that's what you should expect to pay for one. The price seems fair to me if the stone were graded by the GIA with an excellent cut, but you should always have some room to negotiate the price.

I would take a look at Pricescope again. You'll see that a 1 carat stone with H/SI1 grading ranges from $3700 to $6200. You have to take the cut into consideration because that will drive the price up and down.

 

[chanel-girl]

I was also going to ask what size the studs are since $6000 is actually a great price for that quality for 2 carat total weight and a very low price for that quality in 3 carat total weight, actually much lower then you would expect to pay directly from a diamond dealer which for 3 carats in that quality would be around $9500. Are you located anywhere near NYC's diamond district? I would recommend a Jeweler on Pricescope, ID Jewelry which is in the diamond district and have a website and can get you exactly what you are looking for if you give them the price and specs that you would like. I have been buying my diamonds from them for over 10 years.

 

[dari]

hi chanel-girl, i dont mind at all! but let me check with the authorized dealer first to make sure it is okay. it was through the kindness of another boardie (different board) that gave me the referral to go through that dealer......otherwise i'd still be dealing with dealers in my area who only offered 10-15%! (one did offer 20% but was so mean). the only reason why i am checking first is because the other boardie mentioned that the dealer is nervous with rolex about giving a steep discount.

regarding the diamond......i forgot to mention that the $6,xxx price was for ONE diamond, not a pair! it was a little bit over 1 ct (around 1.06 or 1.04 if i remember correctly) and egl certified, not gia. actually, the price on it was $8,xxx but when i looked closer at the tissue it came with, i noticed the jeweler wrote in pencil, "sell at $6,xxx"). i'm really bad at negotiating, as is my husband......so when we're given a much higher price than we thought (probably so there would be room for negotiating) we get quiet.

the jeweler said if i wanted excellent stones that are gia certified and ideal cut, it would be more than $14,000 or so. (for 2 ct total weight).

 

[black jade]

Congrats on your Mom's gift. That is so nice! You should enjoy yourself spending the money.

You should also get what YOU really want, not what you think will retain value or be a smarter choice. Everyone answering you is so kind and gave such good advice about getting good value, but I notice that the consensus was for you to get diamond studs, when you said that you really prefer diamond hoops. I myself have (new) diamond studs and love them and think they are classic but if you like diamond hoops, that's what you should get. Go to stores and try some on for a style you like, then order online at a place like bluenile.com or whiteflash.com or jamesallen.com. I see you have been told about pricescope.com, use them as a resource.

I know nothing about watches, but if you really want a chanel J12 why get a Rolex?

I am 50 years old now and for years and years I would talk myself out of getting what I really liked because people told me it was smarter to get something else. I remember once I went shopping with a friend and really wanted a beautiful red coat that I saw. She convinced me to get a grey coat because it was sensible--she said I would never wear the red coat. But I wanted the red coat! I didn't like the grey coat. Everytime I put on the grey coat, I felt grey. Years later, I got not one but two red coats and I wear them constantly.

I don't know if this is a once in a lifetime gift or not, but it certainly is a special one and I think you should at least look seriously at the hoops before going with the studs and be sure you don't want those instead.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jan228]

regarding the diamond......i forgot to mention that the $6,xxx price was for ONE diamond, not a pair! it was a little bit over 1 ct (around 1.06 or 1.04 if i remember correctly) and egl certified, not gia. actually, the price on it was $8,xxx but when i looked closer at the tissue it came with, i noticed the jeweler wrote in pencil, "sell at $6,xxx"). i'm really bad at negotiating, as is my husband......so when we're given a much higher price than we thought (probably so there would be room for negotiating) we get quiet.

the jeweler said if i wanted excellent stones that are gia certified and ideal cut, it would be more than $14,000 or so. (for 2 ct total weight).

That seems like a reasonable offer for a pair, but I don't understand how you expect to get a better price when you don't negotiate. You could probably get the pair from $10-12,000 (depending on the stats), or less if you go for .99 carat diamonds.

You can't just buy a diamond online and hope for the best because you got a good deal. You need to know what you're looking for. Are you familiar with diamonds?