THE RING (not the track)
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Originally Posted by mxt_77,Nov 23 2008, 01:58 PM
I had 2 buddies recently buy engagement rings. Both went with man-made diamonds. Both spent about $300 on the rock and another 700-900 on the setting. Both rings were really nice.
Personally, I have no experience w/ ring buying.
Personally, I have no experience w/ ring buying.
If indeed your friends bought actual real diamonds, they probably got fairly small or fairly poor ones for that price.
Do you happen to know from whom or where they bought them?I looked into them for my wife and couldn't find anything over 0.3 ct (top quality) for less than $1K.
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From: Wylie, TX
^ I'm not sure where they got them, but I can ask if you're really interested. I know one had looked at Diamond Nexus and Apollo diamonds, but I'm not sure if he ended up buying there. His was ~0.75 carat. My other friend's was bigger... close to 2 carats, I think, but I'm not sure. He never actually gave his to the girl because they broke up.... all the more reason that he was glad he didn't spend a lot.
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From: Longmont, CO
Huh, interesting. Reading through the Diamond Nexus website, what they sell (3ct for $300 for example) are "diamond simulants." So while they do have some carbon atoms in them (they're not clear on what the actual chemical structure is - far as I know, they're 99% carbon with some impurities from the manufacturing process) I don't think they can quite be called "synthetic diamonds." On the other hand, I bet they look just as good as diamonds so if you want something pretty, they're the way to go. If you want a statement to the world on your purchasing power, look elsewhere. (I recommend Dutch tulips! 
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There are only three companies (as far as I know) that actually create real diamonds that are physically/chemically identical to a mined diamond. Those processes require time (two to three days, minimum) and quite a bit of high dollar technology.
As I said, they're cheaper by about 50% but for now, they're sticking with bigger stones, it seems, and they're pretty expensive since the stones are, quite literally, "perfect"...
As I said, they're cheaper by about 50% but for now, they're sticking with bigger stones, it seems, and they're pretty expensive since the stones are, quite literally, "perfect"...
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And the "diamond simulants" are just cubic zirconia, despite all the ring-around-the-rosies jargon and word games. Multiple people have tested them and they're definitely CZ. In other words, paying $300 for a Diamond Nexis "diamond" is overspending by about $290.
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From: Sun★Works
<---not going to go into this again 
spend what you want on the stone and setting you and/or your SO thinks is the best looking
Do take into account the 4 c's and if you dont know them, spend a good amount of time educating yourself on them.
the salary equation is a marketing ploy and should never be adhered to IMHO.
spend what you want on the stone and setting you and/or your SO thinks is the best looking
Do take into account the 4 c's and if you dont know them, spend a good amount of time educating yourself on them.
the salary equation is a marketing ploy and should never be adhered to IMHO.
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From: Wylie, TX
Originally Posted by JonBoy,Nov 24 2008, 09:27 AM
And the "diamond simulants" are just cubic zirconia,
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From: USSA
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From: Chicago
Originally Posted by tenblade2001,Nov 23 2008, 09:36 PM
I spent about 19K on the ring..no joke. BUT, I got a lot for that. Several things to do when buying a ring:
(1) educate yourself on how to judge a diamond i.e. cut, clarity.. you dont won't to buy a big cloudy diamond. Better to get a smaller, clear diamond
(2) read about spotting "inclusions" little black spots in the diamond. All diamonds have them. The less inclusions, the higher the price.. BUT you can save money by getting a stone with the inclusions that can be masked by the setting.
(3)DONT go to a mall or big retail jeweler...they will rip you off. Better to go to smaller jeweler.
(4) make sure the diamond is certified and most quality stones will have a laser inscribed ID#
(5) spend most of the money on the stone, you can always upgrade the setting later.
(1) educate yourself on how to judge a diamond i.e. cut, clarity.. you dont won't to buy a big cloudy diamond. Better to get a smaller, clear diamond
(2) read about spotting "inclusions" little black spots in the diamond. All diamonds have them. The less inclusions, the higher the price.. BUT you can save money by getting a stone with the inclusions that can be masked by the setting.
(3)DONT go to a mall or big retail jeweler...they will rip you off. Better to go to smaller jeweler.
(4) make sure the diamond is certified and most quality stones will have a laser inscribed ID#
(5) spend most of the money on the stone, you can always upgrade the setting later.
I think we got taken for a ride to some degree, but in the end, people who have spent more $$ on bigger rocks have all come back to my wife's smaller stone and been impressed/jealous. I paid about $6k for the whole shootin' match.
I picked up a 1.01ct stone, round cut, solitaire setting with 6 prongs, like the image below. The band is platinum, but doesn't have the knife's edge that Tiffany & Co. are so proud of. My wife preferred the lack of knife's edge on the band...
At any rate, I did the research and even picked up my own jeweler's loop to examine the stones myself. In the end I chose cut/clarity over size and her 1.01ct stone looks bigger and sparkles more than bigger stones that cost twice as much.
