[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by comeback1

I got the car...she got the ring and dog in the divorce. No regrets but make sure you get insurance (only valid with GIA cert)

yes DEFINITELY on insurance

I'd highly highly highly HIGHLY recommend chubb. if you do research you'll realize they're virtually one of the best if not the best out there

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by Sean05

ok wish you were in Los Angeles.. cause your 15k ring you can get for 8-9k...

Here is what i got my fiance....

GIA cert 1.92c, vs2, G

EX, EX, EX HEARTS AND ARROWS

$8200 this is only the diamond not including the settings. its another 2k for the settings depends on what you like (or she likes)

BTW this is all in CASH TRANSACTION.. when you start showing cash to persians and chinese... you can deal with them and compare prices i got mine at the jewelry district and it took 2 hours to get the deal i want.

maybe legit...maybe not. You put it under a scope to see the hearts and arrows? I'd wanna say that's not legit....

also you could have been sold a manmade

[KingOfJericho]

Yeah I work about 6 blocks from the diamond district in NY but didn't feel comfortable at all with the way they conduct their business. Very confusing and frustrating and with a for the money I was spending, I just wasn't comfortable enough with those guys. I fully realized I was going to pay up a bit by not doing that but it was worth it for the peace of mind.

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Yeah I work about 6 blocks from the diamond district in NY but didn't feel comfortable at all with the way they conduct their business. Very confusing and frustrating and with a for the money I was spending, I just wasn't comfortable enough with those guys. I fully realized I was going to pay up a bit by not doing that but it was worth it for the peace of mind.

I compare these districts to the rolex sellers. If you know your shit, and know it REALLY well. You can get a hell of a steal and get a legit piece.

If you screw up for even a second you spend many grand on something that is virtually worth next to nothing.

[Grail05]

Originally Posted by Freakazoid

maybe legit...maybe not. You put it under a scope to see the hearts and arrows? I'd wanna say that's not legit....

also you could have been sold a manmade

yeap i was able to see it on a 10x and 20x scope they had the scope set up for you to see... they dont play when it comes to selling they sell it cheap and make sure that customers are happy with purchase depending on how much you want to spend. the only inclusion on the diamond i purchase was 3 tiny dots... which is slightly visible on a 10x scope.

AND YES I SAW THIS on a 20x magnified

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by BMW335iOn18s

PM'd.

Oh, and any certificate other than one from the GIA is considered irrelevant. Straight from the dealers mouth.

1000000% BS..

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by Freakazoid

diamond that he has 'featured' that is a turn off to me about his other stock:
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/7885/
That's virtually a mall store diamond at not much cheaper than a mall price. J and SI1 on an IGI cert. Ugh... guarantee the yellow is QUITE obvious (K or L in GIA) and despite the microscopic picture, I bet you can probably see the inclusion in person.

it's a "J" it should be yellow to a degree. I don't disagree that they aren't all flawless, I am sure he has to appeal to a wide range or customers and price points. Like I said I don't know the guy personally, just someone that everyone in the industry really respects.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by comeback1

I got the car...she got the ring and dog in the divorce. No regrets but make sure you get insurance (only valid with GIA cert)

10000000% absolutely not true!!!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Freakazoid

yes DEFINITELY on insurance

I'd highly highly highly HIGHLY recommend chubb. if you do research you'll realize they're virtually one of the best if not the best out there

Intially went with Chubb who has great rates and takes a verified Jewelers appreciation (so although your jeweler said it cost XXk you may want to find a verfied jeweler who can objectively price it out becuase if you have an artifically inflated cost of the ring you will be poaying a higher prem.) Its usually around 1-2% a yr of the total cost, so VERY worth it.

Eventually I rolled it into Homeoweners policy and they only went by the GIA cert.

Talking about this makes me so mad hahaha I know she definitley sold it and used it for her next ring or apt. ugh women. NM sorry!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by matthewk

10000000% absolutely not true!!!

Fixed....
certain INS homeowner policies do only accept GIA (otherwise some are laser corrected or mosonite etc)
But yes Chubb and others do take jeweler price work ups

[CollinsE90]

Comeback, did you have kids with her?

[Dave]

Originally Posted by CollinsE90

Comeback, did you have kids with her?

none that i know of yet

that was one of the big factors... she went from maybe kids to a def. no on kids and just wanting the penthouse couple life in NYC forever...

I did fight tooth and nail to get my nice knives and also literally took the sheets of the bed. Its so insane in the end how arguing over hangers and towels becomes an issue!

Sorry to derail the thread with a downer

[CollinsE90]

You win in the long run, you get your penis back. Surprise butt secks to as many females as you can .

[KingOfJericho]

Guys, get back on topic or I'll lock this thread.

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Guys, get back on topic or I'll lock this thread.

[Dave]

i would never lock this thread.... that illegal immg thread thou... god its like staring at a brush fire. Just waiting for the stupidity to spread

[Dave]

Oh and to actually contribute to this thread I went with a family jeweler in Denver CO for the ring and thought I got a smoking deal, but in the end when compared+priced it out I got an average deal. Only people i know who got amazing deals were the ones who really went back and forth over months to the Jewelery district.... the place he used was in the main exchange building called Design 2000. I am not just comforable spending 15-25k in a lil booth. Call me crazy, but I want to know the place will still be there in a yr or two.

Ps if she ever wants it cleaned just take it from her and rinse with cold water and tooth brush and a tiny (tinnnnny) bit of windex. Stupid women always putting lotion on with rings and makes it all cloudy eventually

Edit: My typing and spacing and spelling sucks on da phone

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by comeback1

Oh and to actually contribute to this thread I went with a family jeweler in Denver CO for the ring and thought I got a smoking deal, but in the end when compared+priced it out I got an average deal. Only people i know who got amazing deals were the ones who really went back and forth over months to the Jewelery district.... the place he used was in the main exchange building called Design 2000. I am not just comforable spending 15-25k in a lil booth. Call me crazy, but I want to know the place will still be there in a yr or two.

Ps if she ever wants it cleaned just take it from her and rinse with cold water and tooth brush and a tiny (tinnnnny) bit of windex. Stupid women always putting lotion on with rings and makes it all cloudy eventually

Edit: My typing and spacing and spelling sucks on da phone

yep and if you have pave or micro pave diamonds, don't do sonic cleaners, they'll rattle the little guys off

[The J-Man]

So are there any man-made substitutes to a real diamond that look as good
to the naked eye? Lots of websites out
there making such claims.

Originally Posted by 08rookie

im well versed in the factors (cut, clarity, carat etc)...i was just wondering what kind of deal can i expect if i were to pay entirely in cash at a jewelry store. ive been saving for some time. can a 7k ring go for 5k cash? would a retail 15k ring go for 10k cash?

also, do diamonds increase in value? my mother wants me to cash in on a ring she bought for herself in 94. she paid 2000 bucks for the ring back then...still has the paperwork with all the specifics and the receipt from the place she bought it...i pry should just call the store she bought it from considering they are still in business...but in general would a 2k diamond ring be worth the same today? more? less

Cash should get you about a 3% discount, unless the dealer is cheating tax by accepting cash, in which case it would be less the tax also. Diamonds do indeed increase in value, but bare in mind that when you pay a mark-up to the jeweler, you will lose that amount when you come to sell it back to the trade.

[Freakazoid]

Originally Posted by The J-Man

So are there any man-made substitutes to a real diamond that look as good
to the naked eye? Lots of websites out
there making such claims.

if you actually are interested in this I can point you in the right direction.

But yes, there are manmades that look just as good (and many times 'better') than the real ones. Just as hard, and no person will be able to tell unless they pull out a scope or a loupe.
lots of shams out there, but there are legit ones. Also keep in mind the woman has to be on board with this. If she finds out years down the road when she goes to a pro jeweler, you'll be in for a world of shit and more money

[FJUNO78]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Yeah I work about 6 blocks from the diamond district in NY but didn't feel comfortable at all with the way they conduct their business. Very confusing and frustrating and with a for the money I was spending, I just wasn't comfortable enough with those guys. I fully realized I was going to pay up a bit by not doing that but it was worth it for the peace of mind.

i work by the diamond district too. the guys on the street level are something else. i purchased my wife's ring from engagement rings direct. his office is at 580 5th avenue... that building is like the diamond headquarters of nyc. The owner was a nice guy. Very helpful and informative. He gives a lesson in diamonds before you jump in and start asking to see stones.

great service, good deal... he has access to diamonds from alot of competitors websites, bluenile, james allen, as there offices are in the same building. His website is engagementringsdirect.com. He has fantastic reviews available.

what i would do is make sure you get an independent appraisal before you finalize the deal. this 3rd party appraiser looks at the stone and setting and you have the certificate. he then looks at it and confirms that the stone in his hand matches the certificate you are holding... he confirms the dimensions, reads the laser inscription, confirms color, cut and clarity. He then told me what it was worth, and what I should have paid for it in the diamond district, vs a store etc etc.. This appraisal cost me a few hundred dollars, but I felt the peace of mind was worth it.

from what I learned, cut is most important. Also make sure the stone is eye clean... think thats vs2 or better... its been a few years. He explained that it is hard to confirm the color once it is in a setting. Once the stone was set I was only able to tell the difference between two grades... (ie.. D and E looked identical to me, but I was able to see the difference between D and F) He explained to me the correct way to tell is by putting the stone face down on a white piece of paper... something that your fiance will never do.

I would ask to look at the stone through an ideal-scope. it measures the cut. under this lens, the stone should be a solid ruby red color... http://www.ideal-scope.com/1.using_reference_chart.asp

good luck