Diamond Engagement Rings

[Thunderballs]

Beaver:
Stay away from Spence. I agree that going to a smaller non-chain jeweler is best. Ask your buddies where they got theirs.
Don't think size. Most guys go for the biggest size they can afford and end up with a big grey rock that looks like crap because they compromised on quality.
Get the best clarity you can. A VS1 should do. From there get the best color you can. F-G or G-H should do there as well. As for cut, a round brilliant lets in the most light and therefore sparkles the most. With other cuts, you have to go higher on quality which will cost more for the same sparkle. Once you have this all settled, then the size will determine itself by your budget. I have seen .5cts that totally outsparkle 1cts or more simply because they are of better quality.
Choose the diamond separately and then have it set. Make sure that it comes with a certificate of authenticity and ask to see it under magnification so you can spot the flaws.
White gold prongs are stronger and will also let it keep its color more than yellow gold. You can get a white gold prong setting on a yellow gold ring though.
As for 3 months salary? That's set by jewelers. So much for objectivity. Set a price that you can afford and then get the best quality you can for that price. Remember that you still have a wedding to pay for.
Above all, do not take her with you and above absolutely everything, DO NOT ALLOW HER TO BRING ONE OF HER LITTLE FRIENDS ALONG!!! If you do, then I pity you. I saw one poor bastard who did that and it looked like he was about to cry in the store while they blew his life savings.

 

[Sargeant StiffCock]

Aaahh good old Serge and Kevin (Diamonds 4 Less) Great con artists. Most dealers won't even let them in their office as they are known not to pay their bills. They also have a few appraisers in their pockets.

Anyways let me tell you about the 4Cs.

Remember that diamonds are sold by carat weight not size.

The CUT (Priority 2)
Beaver, the most important aspect of any diamond is the Cut. Whether it's a Brilliant, Marquise, Princess or whatever shape, the cut has to be proportional. That's what determines a diamond's brilliance. As an example a round brilliant 1 carat should measure 6.5 mm in diameter and about 3.8 mm in depth, and the "girdle" no bigger than 3% of the depth. Those are the very basics. Now they may try to sell you a 1 carat that looks like a 1.20 because it's "shallow" and you'll think great the stone looks bigger than the other guy's but the stone won't shine because it's "shallow". Now the same thing can work the other way where you can have a "thick" stone where it weighs a carat but looks like a 0.90 Thick stones will keep their brilliance but you're still not getting your money's worth. So INSIST on a "good" cut stone with "very good" proportions. Those are the proper terms that will appear on the certificate but i'll get to that later.

The COLOUR (Priority 3)
The second thing the untrained eye can notice is the color. You don't want to go lower than an "H" on a large stone as most people will notice the tint on an "I". Also, ask to see different colour loose stones side by side. You''ll be amazed how white a "G" colour looks only until you put an "F" on it's side and all of a sudden the "G" looks yellow in comparison. So on and so forth all the way up to "D" colour which is colourless. The only way to properly determine the colour of a stone is when it's loose and by comaring it to "masters' (samples) of different colours. A good jeweller will have masters so he can show you the difference. (not just a chart printed on paper)

The CLARITY (Priority 4)
The breakdown is as follows
F (Flawless), IF (Internally Flawless),
VVS1 (very very small inclusion), VVS2, VS1 (very small inclusion), VS2, SI1 (slightly included), SI2, I1 (Imperfect), I2
The clarity is pretty complicated. Even though there are standards that determine the clarity of a stone, it is, after all, a matter of opinion, again I'll get to that later. Clarity does NOT determine how a stone looks unless you go way down into the I s (imperfect) To put it in perspective, an SI2 stone with a good cut outshine a VS1 stone with a lousy cut ANY DAY. In fact, the only time you can see the inclusions in a stone with your naked eye is when the stone is of I1 or I2 clarity. If you want to get your money's worth go with a nice SI2 or at the most an SI1 because NOBODY, not even Thunderballs, can tell the difference with their naked eye (probably not even with a loupe) when your wife has that ring on her finger. My wife has a 2.03 SI2, H that will outsparkle almost anything because of it's ideal cut nothing else.

CARAT Weight (Priority 5)

This one needs no explanation. Obviously the bigger the better but it has no effect on how the diamond looks... other than how it looks of course. LOL.

THE CERTIFICATE (PRORITY 1)

This is where the money is made (or lost in your case) in the diamond business. Since the certificate or the appraisal is only a "matter of opinion" there is a lot of slack here. It is really important that you get a second and even a third opinion on your diamond. The one that is given to you by the store that is selling you the diamond is not enough since most jewellers and I say most not all are pretty good friends with their appraisal service. So you get the picture here.
First of all if you're getting an "in store appraisal" one that is written by the jeweller himself who is selling you the ring, you can consider that worthless.
If he tells you that an independent appraisel service will appraise the stone, you can consider that pretty worthless as I mentioned he is probably "good friends" with whoever he uses. You only but the ring if he agrees to have it appraised by your appraiser, after he gives you his appraisal.

Those, my friend are the the best pieces of advice I can give you. Good luck...happy shopping

PS: White gold is NOT stronger, it is harder (more brittle) because of the alloys mixed in to make it white. Yellow shank (ring) with white top is pretty standard though and yes it is to complement your white diamond. You may want to consider a Platinum top for the ultimate whiteness.

 

[Sargeant StiffCock]

As an appraisel service GEM SCAN (27 Queen Street East 4th floor) is way overrated and "friends" with most jewellers. And as a result 95% of the dealers now use GEM SCAN to pre-certify their stones. DON'T settle with just a GEM SCAN appraisal even though they have become an authority.You can get the most unbiased appraisal at GS (Gem Service) at 55 Queen Street East 12th Floor. Ask for Anne. These two are the biggest in the city. Even go with a smaller guy as a third opinion there are plenty of them in these 2 buildings. Remember to get the stone appraised before AND after it's set.

 

[mottel]

European jewelers are the best in Toronto.
several stores listed in the yellow pages.
I am a happy customer

 

[mottel]

Great place for Diamonds and Diamond Jlry.

Manufacturer jewellery / Studio 106

106 Bathurst Str. ( NW corner King st W & Bathurst )

 

[ohyavay]

Tiffany's if you have the money apparently.

 

[ohyavay]

Who would be foolish enough to declare a diamond ring at the border.!! Such a small item would be easy to hide.

tax evasion is not a insignificant criminal offense. some hobbyists on this site likely have professional designations which may be revoked with numerous offences. e.g. a cfa, ca, etc.

 

[Goo Leader]

you would be a "birk" (english slang) if you bought a diamond at Birk`s. Nyc diamond district is the best place and worth the drive.
I hope she is worth it.

Always go for the cut rather than the rating when buying a rock, I got a Brilliant Cut 20 years ago and it is still astonishing today, I got it at a mom and pop jeweler at chinatown

 

[Goo Leader]

Never buy a diamond from a big name like Birks unless you got money to blow. Going to New York is NOT worth it. You are going to get hit with so much taxes at the border (25% in total) that you could go for a much bigger and better diamond. Unless you want to smuggle the ring in. But why go through all the hassle when somebody here has already done it for you. (I am assuming you're in TO) Plus it's always nice to have a place you can go back to easily in case there is someting wrong or something has to be changed on the ring. There are plenty of "small" jewellers here in Toronto that can give you the same price and service. The diamond industry (like everything else) has gotten so competitive in the last few years and the public has gotten so much more knowledge as a result of the internet that no jeweller is stupid enough to try and rip you off.
Then there are the wholesale dealers that have started to sell to the public (mainly at 27 and 55 Queen street East, the two main jewellery buildings in Toronto) but you need to know someone to get in. The security is high for obvious resons and you can't just walk in off the street.

a couple things I paid for in my life that I think were actually good deals:

1) a half carat Brilliant cut I got from chinatown, brought me a good blowjob at the night of presentation and a wondering family

2) $8000 USD for a single luxury room for the birth of my first born, remains a good deal until this day

 

[Goo Leader]

Re: I have one for sale

One lady’s white gold engagement ring set with one round brilliant cut diamond in four claw setting and four princess cut diamonds.

One Round Brilliant Cut Diamond
Carat Weight: 1.00 ct., Clarity: VS-2, Colour: G, Cut: Medium

Four Princess Cut Diamonds
Carat Weight: .20 ct., Clarity: SI-1, Colour: H-I, Cut: Medium

Total Weight of Item: 3.50 grams

New in box still, with Certificate of Evaluation, bought it last Nov.

Any interested ladies and gentlemen?

Paid 10k, any offer?

puck, if this thing's real, it's a deal, 10K's about right, minus the tax it's a good price