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E ring question

MustangSally67MustangSally67
10 Comments
in California-Northern
Hi Ladies, I am new on this board but have been on NEY for a while. BF & I are planning to go look at e rings tomorrow to get a better idea of what we might want and are planning to go to Shane Co since that is where he has purchased jewelry for me in the past. I wanted to see if anyone has had any bad (or good!) experiences there, or if they have any other recommendations for bay area jewelers?
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Re: E ring question

  • sm23sm23 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    My fiancee did a nauseating amount of research before he bought my engagement ring. In the course of that research, he learned that Shane Co. buy their stones in bulk and very few of them are certified. Also, there are no assurances about where the stones come from - and that's a human rights concern.Basically, you'd have to sort through a lot of their stones to find a nice one, but since they're not certified, they don't give you the measurements you need to determine if the cut is ok or not. Under the lights in the store, their stones look ok (notice how those diamonds always sparkle most at the store...) but that is not natural light.Also, it turned out they don't provide a very good deal for your money even though their stuff isn't certified.My fiancee recommended you check out pricescope.com. If you guys post on there what you're looking for and what your budget is, people there are very helpful in finding it. Do a bit of window shopping at stores, but be picky when you actually go to buy.Good luck and have fun shopping!
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  • jackelbridejackelbride member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    IMHO, only buy estate jewelry! Emkay Diamonds in San Carlos is my jeweler of choice just because Kavita has been so awesome to me.
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  • tosheckytoshecky
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    My FI's family owns a jewelry store and he is GIA-certified, so he knows his stuff, so he has taught me some useful things.  I don't actually know anything about Shane Co (sorry!), but I do have a couple tips I can share.  Do NOT buy from department stores (macy's, jc penney's, etc), as they mark up their stuff like crazy (even though they'll always say they're having ridiculous sales).  Also, a good place to get quality diamonds is bluenile.com.  You can buy the diamond from there, and then either buy the setting from there too or buy the setting from a jeweler and have the jeweler set it.  Diamonds are much cheaper on bluenile.com because they are only an online store and therefore have very low overhead costs they have to cover.  Bluenile provides information on the 4 C's of every single diamond, and most (if not all?)  have accompanying GIA reports, which means the diamond has officially been examined by a trained professional.Regardless, it's a good idea for both of you to understand "the 4 C's" of diamonds, so that you have a better grasp of what makes a diamond more or less valuable, more or less sparkly (I'm a big fan of sparkly hehe!), etc.  I'm sure any salesperson you talk to can explain these to you.  If you find a particular diamond you like, try to look at it NOT in the store lights (either go outside - if they let you of course! - or shield the ring from the lights with your hand or paper or something).  Also, it's great to shop around so you can get a feel for what you actually like!Good luck with the shopping and have fun!!!
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  • SpiffyJIASpiffyJIA member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We went with a custom jeweler that is GIA certified.  She was absolutely fantastic!  She met with us to teach us everything there is to know about diamonds, metals, etc.  and helped FI find the highest quality diamond in his price range.  Then, after he proposed, she worked with me on the design of my engagement ring and on both our wedding bands.  I can't tell you what a good experience it was.  We knew we were getting the best products, with tons of one-on-one attention, and our rings are completely unique!  Her name is Diana Van Haeften and she works mainly on the penninsula, but does travel.  Let me know if you want her contact info.Good luck!!!
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  • nikilynnenikilynne
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    FI had a family friend pick out my diamonds/get the ring set in Hong Kong, but we got our wedding bands from Shane Co--I have a lot of jewelry from there and in my opinion, they have really great customer service (I've been to the one in Walnut Creek a few times and they were amazing--the one in Roseville is great, too).  I didn't feel pressured at all to buy anything.  We like their lifetime guarentee for everything, and they always clean my E-ring, too, even though it's not from there...Don't remember her name (Andrea?), but there is a girl in the Roseville one who's 20-something, recently married, great makeup...she was REALLY helpful--HTH...
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  • MsBlondie5MsBlondie5 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    FI got my engagement ring from Shane Co. and we recently bought our wedding bands there as well.My stone is certified, and we have the measurements, color, weight, any defects, ect all on the paperwork. I get compliments all the time on how my ring sparkles. I think you just have to find the right stone. FI took quite sometime to find the right one. He bought my band and setting separate from the center stone.I go in maybe once a month just to have my ring cleaned, and every time they do a quick check to make sure everything looks good with the ring. They are very helpful, have layaway if you need it, and do work with you on the price.Hope this helps. :)
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  • MustangSally67MustangSally67
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks ladies that is lots of helpful info! I feel like we've learned a lot about the 4 c's, etc, but have yet to look at anything in person. this should be fun!
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  • MustangSally67MustangSally67
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Spiffy- I thought about trying to have a ring designed because I think I know what I want but can't find the exact ring anywhere, but was it way more expensive to have a ring designed?
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  • laabejalaabeja
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I also got my engagement ring and wedding band at Shane Co.  LOVED their customer service, the diamonds we were showen were certified, I get compliments all the time on how sparkly mine is, even when I haven't washed it in a while, and except for online buying (bluenile.com), Shane Co. had the best deal for the best quality.
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  • SpiffyJIASpiffyJIA member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    MustangSally - Having it designed was actually CHEAPER!  When we got it appraised, it was worth...well, we'll say a significant amount more than we paid for it.  Diana is very selective about the stones and work she does, but gives a great price for all of it!  I would never have done it any other way, my ring is 100% unique and FI and I know so much about jewelry now!  Don't hesitate to email me if you want more info, I'd be happy to share!  jamieromnes@gmail.com
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