Question about buying an engagement ring

CentralFloridave

I have been married once before and the engagement ring I used was one that had belonged to my grandmother. I have been with my current girlfriend for close to 2 years, feel like she is the one I should have been with all along and am interested in making it official. The issue is that I have no experience buying engagement rings. I still have the ring that belonged to my grandmother but I think my current girlfriend and I agree that we would rather make one out of paper than give her the one that was worn by my ex, even if the ring was appraised at $10,000 for insurance purposes. I also know that I have looked into selling the wedding band that I bought for my ex at one of the larger chains for right at $1000 and the most any jewelry store, or anyone else, has been willing to offer me for it was $200 and that was with documentation of diamond size and clarification. The amount they were willing to offer me was so insignificant that I decided not to do anything with it because I refuse to give something away for $200 that I paid $1000 for. I am not trying to be cheap about this but want to get the best value for my dollar and based on my experience, I have to think that there is an enormous markup on diamonds and rings. Does anyone have any suggestions on good places to look for quality diamonds and/or rings where you are strictly paying for the quality of the diamond or ring and not being sold on the "experience" or coerced into paying too much for the diamond by a salesperson at one of the chains? Any information or input would be greatly appreciated.

CASK85

Check out bluenile.com  as they tend to have diamonds for less than real stores you can visit. Many friends of mine have had great experiences with them. 

becunning2

Goodness.  I have never bought a diamond before either, so I'm really not sure.  You could look online at the different places you're interested in and do some comparison shopping to begin with that way. I always like to play around on bluenile, and I've  had great experiences when I've bought other jewelry from them (like pearl earrings!). You could get a better feel for what you're looking for and how much it costs by playing around online with diamond-finders before you go into the store.

But yes, there's a huge resale cut for used jewelry because, as you've found out, people want their jewelry to speak to them about the future, not the past. You could maybe try to do a trade-in whenever you end up at the place you want to buy the jewelry. You might get more for it that way.

But those are my thoughts, I'm by NO MEANS an expert. Heck, I'm not even a novice.

becunning2

Oh, and GOOD LUCK!

lennonkdc

Would it be possible to have the Diamond from the ring you have re-set? Would GF be ok with that? The diamond has family history, and maybe if GF could design the setting then it would not seem like a recycled ring. 

If she's not cool with that I would check out Blue Nile as well.

jaycee7389

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_question-buying-engagement-ring?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:7d838bd8-c642-4a09-87e0-4a096206ee7aPost:d79a442f-5a00-4a30-9be7-9583def389c0">Re: Question about buying an engagement ring</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Would it be possible to have the Diamond from the ring you have re-set? </strong>Would GF be ok with that? The diamond has family history, and maybe if GF could design the setting then it would not seem like a recycled ring.  If she's not cool with that I would check out Blue Nile as well.
Posted by lennonkdc[/QUOTE]

I think that's a great idea. I personally would be ok with it if I were her, but everyone is different.

lavenderfields13

I've heard good things about bluenile also. I wouldn't go to a chain to buy since I think their prices are seriously marked up because they advertise, etc. I'd go to a smaller jeweler.

lavenderfields13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_question-buying-engagement-ring?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:7d838bd8-c642-4a09-87e0-4a096206ee7aPost:6357d486-47d7-4195-8d59-5ca2b0acc492">Re: Question about buying an engagement ring</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Question about buying an engagement ring : I didn't have that experience with my setting (from Zales) - it was definitely on par with what I've seen from Blue Nile and far less expensive than designer jewlers.  I think my diamond came from an independent jeweler (Solomon Brothers), or maybe they are a small chain.  Either way.  That diamond was cheaper than what you usually see in the chains, and on Blue Nile, but it was EGL graded rather than GIA.  (GIA diamonds are better.)
Posted by yaga13[/QUOTE]

That's good Yaga. I honestly haven't compared so I was just assuming. Also my mom's always told me the chains mark up their prices so I just took her word for it lol.