buying the wife a rock

[MarieIG]

Pretty typical for a cash trade-in. One of those "things you should never do". If she had wanted to trade it in for a larger diamond, she'd likely get the $100k or thereabouts. As a cash trade, not so much.

Just went through this with my deceased mom's diamonds. DW got mom's original price (actually more) as a trade-in for some really, really nice diamond earrings. In fact, there was money left over which they are holding as credit when we decide to get something else. If we opted for cash instead of credit we'd get about half.

I never traded in Mom's or DGM's diamonds. I figure the sentimental value is more than the trade in value - and I like the vintage style and have the same ring size - so there is that.

You reminded me, I could use a nice pair of studs tho . . . The issue for me with those are the backs . . .

 

[JohnRM]

She loves this sort of thing

Not sure if this belongs here so if it needs to be moved please feel free. I'm going to purchase a 1 or 2 carrot Dimond ring for my wife of 38 years as of next February. I intend to present it to her on a Caribbean cruise for our anniversary. I'm just floating this here to get some feedback on various ways of going about getting the most for my money.
Thanks for any replies.

I was going to get my wife a diamond encrusted watch, but why? There is a clock on the stove.



I KID I KID it's on the microwave

 

[ProfessionalOnFire]

Another vote for Costco. Shop right online. Prices and quality beat any jewler hands down

 

[eytonxav]

I bought DW ring in NYC back in the early 80s. You need to be careful shopping in NYC. Online shopping might be a better way to go, Blue Nile or James Allen. This article has some good info:https://www.diamonds.pro/reviews/diamond-district-nyc/

 

[ksr]

I want to add something about jewelry insurance. I lost a diamond stud a few years ago. The loss would have been covered (less deductible) by my homeowners insurance BUT it would have been one strike against my policy. When I spoke to my agent about it, he told me that a claim is a claim, and that the size of the claim doesn’t matter. I decided not to make a claim and replaced the lost earring myself. I also realized that to be of any use to me, I wanted a policy separate from my homeowners policy. I now have the studs insured with Jewelers Mutual, although there are other companies out there that will insure just jewelry. This way if I ever do have to make a claim, it won’t affect my homeowners policy.

 

[ksr]

You reminded me, I could use a nice pair of studs tho . . . The issue for me with those are the backs . . .

I lost a diamond stud a few years ago, and it had a screwback. I always thought they were the most secure, but apparently the threads can wear down over time and the earring just “unwinds”.

I now have a type of locking backs. There are several names/brands for these -la poussette, guardian, protektor are the ones I am familiar with. If interested you can find some good info on the internet.

 

[Koolau]

I want to add something about jewelry insurance. I lost a diamond stud a few years ago. The loss would have been covered (less deductible) by my homeowners insurance BUT it would have been one strike against my policy. When I spoke to my agent about it, he told me that a claim is a claim, and that the size of the claim doesn’t matter. I decided not to make a claim and replaced the lost earring myself. I also realized that to be of any use to me, I wanted a policy separate from my homeowners policy. I now have the studs insured with Jewelers Mutual, although there are other companies out there that will insure just jewelry. This way if I ever do have to make a claim, it won’t affect my homeowners policy.

DW lost the diamond out of her engagement ring (after 40 plus years.) We talked to our insurance agent who is my cousin. He said if we filed a claim, we better not have another one for quite a while. Insurance companies hate jewelry claims. They are the hardest to verify I suppose. We did file the claim and then dropped the policy when we moved to the Islands.

 

[imnontrad]

Actually, real diamond rings are going out of fashion partly due to the way they are mined. Many people are gravitating to the high quality simulated diamonds for a fraction of the cost. So she may not want a diamond ring.
Personally, I would not want a diamond ring. I would be more thrilled to have that money put towards a college scholarship in my honor or and "experience". I can spend a few weeks in many countries for the cost of that ring.

 

[Love This Community]

Bought a ring for DW from Costco and she loves it. I am not an expert in this area but I don’t have to worry about whether I got a fair price or not and whether the product is of good quality or not. I’m sure reputable jewelers sell good quality products but you pay a significant premium. DW is not into jewelry but wears this ring everyday. Jewelry is very personal and as others have mentioned, unless you know for sure what your wife likes, it would be a good idea to go window shopping with her and then see if similar designs are available at Costco or Blue Nile. Even if you don’t find similar designs at Costco, it’s worth spending the $$ on something that she would enjoy wearing often if not everyday. Good luck with your search.

 

[Buckeye]

I would start with some studying, i.e. your 4 "Cs"

Cut

Color

Clarity

Carat

Now, I'm not saying to buy there, but you may be able to do some learning over on a site such as Blue Nile. You may want to find out what shape your wife prefers.

When you do buy, buy from a trustworthy location that provides you with a GIA certificate - takes returns - and allows you time to have an appraisal by an independent third party. There are a lot of tricks played with stones (drilling and filling and lab created and such) from which you want to be protected. (You know you can return to Costco - yes they sell diamonds - but e-bay can be dicey.)

Avoid places like Tiffany where you'll be paying for the box.

You can typically get a better deal on a carat slightly below the round number - like 1.75 vs. 2. You might be able to get a better deal on a less than D color, which still looks very good to the eye. There is a huge markup on jewelry, so you may be able to get a decent stone when there is a holiday sale.

The 5th 'C' is Costco!

 

[flatrock]

Surprise her with a shopping excursion together in St. Thomas. There is a very reputable jeweler there called Ballerina. They have bricks & mortar places in the US mainland also. When you buy something from them, you can decide to upgrade or trade out years later and they will buy it back at the price you paid. DH and I have bought pieces from them and the independent appraisals have always supported that we got a great price for the quality.

Our most recent purchase was my 20th anniversary wedding ring upgrade. We picked it out together so we both like it.

I never saw so many jewelry stores in one place as St Thomas. We bought some gold chains & Diamond earrings there. I felt like we got a very good deal after some price negotiations.

 

[MarieIG]

The 5th 'C' is Costco!

Very good!

 

[kongmen]

I want to add something about jewelry insurance. I lost a diamond stud a few years ago. The loss would have been covered (less deductible) by my homeowners insurance BUT it would have been one strike against my policy. When I spoke to my agent about it, he told me that a claim is a claim, and that the size of the claim doesn’t matter. I decided not to make a claim and replaced the lost earring myself. I also realized that to be of any use to me, I wanted a policy separate from my homeowners policy. I now have the studs insured with Jewelers Mutual, although there are other companies out there that will insure just jewelry. This way if I ever do have to make a claim, it won’t affect my homeowners policy.

This may not help because I think all insurance companies use a common claim database that will show a claim from any insurance company for any reason. I think it's kind of like a beacon score but instead of credit worthiness it's industry wide insurance worthiness.

 

[athena53]

I never saw so many jewelry stores in one place as St Thomas. We bought some gold chains & Diamond earrings there. I felt like we got a very good deal after some price negotiations.

That's true of most cruise ports. I frequently buy jewelry in other countries but nothing major- largest purchases have been in India, at places where my coworkers shopped and most of the value was in the gold (which was 22k). I'd be really wary of buying a large diamond in a cruise port unless it was a place with endorsements such as the one for Ballerina, above- there are just too many variables that affect the price of a diamond.

 

[kongmen]

Ok I have been doing my homework for this ring purchase (remember I have until our anniversary in February of 24 on the cruise ).



I found another site called rare carat that has some very good tools for learning about Dimond purchasing. I'm pretty sure at this point I'm going to forgo Costco and purchase online. There is a lot to learn about the 4c's of Dimond purchasing.



Has anyone had any experience using rare carat? Or for that matter purchasing Dimond rings online? I see that these online retailers are giving 30 day return policies so that means I will have to time this just right. Valentines day of 24 is the target date. I will have to purchase the ring and receive it in the mail within about one week before said date. The cruise is seven days so if everything goes as planned she will have roughly two weeks to make a decision upon our return.









Btw I did sell some assets from my portfolio for this purchase. First time ever selling for consumption! It wasn't all that bad .

 

[pacergal]

No experience buying online, if it were me, I would buy sooner than later.
The 30 day return gives you enough time to get an independent local jeweler/gemstone expert to give you an appraisal to verify the quality you buy.
If she has given you a picture, or shown you her choice, I would think she would like the ring you get.

 

[kongmen]

No experience buying online, if it were me, I would buy sooner than later.
The 30 day return gives you enough time to get an independent local jeweler/gemstone expert to give you an appraisal to verify the quality you buy.
If she has given you a picture, or shown you her choice, I would think she would like the ring you get.

Yes she has shown me the setting that she likes but it's on the site with clarity and the best Dimond deals are on rare carat. I could purchase them separately but I don't have a relationship with a local jeweler who could pair the two. If I trust any local jeweler they could switch Dimonds and I wouldn't know so I'm trying to find a setting at rare carat that is as close as possible to the exact one at with clarity and purchase as one piece.

 

[MarieIG]

I lost a diamond stud a few years ago, and it had a screwback. I always thought they were the most secure, but apparently the threads can wear down over time and the earring just “unwinds”.

I now have a type of locking backs. There are several names/brands for these -la poussette, guardian, protektor are the ones I am familiar with. If interested you can find some good info on the internet.

Thank you. I'll look.

 

[MarieIG]

Yes she has shown me the setting that she likes but it's on the site with clarity and the best Dimond deals are on rare carat. I could purchase them separately but I don't have a relationship with a local jeweler who could pair the two. If I trust any local jeweler they could switch Dimonds and I wouldn't know so I'm trying to find a setting at rare carat that is as close as possible to the exact one at with clarity and purchase as one piece.

Why don't you send the picture of the ring your DW likes over to Rare Carat and speak with one of the sales people there as to what they have and what they can do for you? In addition to their 190 settings or so, they customize.

 

[kongmen]

Why don't you send the picture of the ring your DW likes over to Rare Carat and speak with one of the sales people there as to what they have and what they can do for you? In addition to their 190 settings or so, they customize.

Very good suggestion. Thank you.

 

[Scuba]

Why don't you send the picture of the ring your DW likes over to Rare Carat and speak with one of the sales people there as to what they have and what they can do for you? In addition to their 190 settings or so, they customize.

Great suggestion! Not sure how picky your wife is, but if I had given DH a specific setting design and he got something different to save some money, I have to admit I would be disappointed.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Women that know what they want will be disappointed if it’s different. Marie’s idea is the best and I would have them make it exactly like the picture your wife gave you. Then when it arrives take it to a jeweler to confirm the quality.

 

[Koolau]

Women that know what they want will be disappointed if it’s different. Marie’s idea is the best and I would have them make it exactly like the picture your wife gave you. Then when it arrives take it to a jeweler to confirm the quality.

Yeah, men like to "surprise" their SO with a special gift. But when it comes to anything associated with "fashion" from clothing to jewelry, it's better to lose the element of surprise and be certain SHE is in control of the fashion. After all, SHE has to wear it and "show it off." I learned this when DW and I shopped for her engagement ring 50++ years ago. At first, we were "just looking." But I realized, for the real deal, it had to be her final call (heh, heh, all I had to do was say "yes, dear, it looks lovely on you" and then pay for it.)

 

[brett]

Yeah, men like to "surprise" their SO with a special gift. But when it comes to anything associated with "fashion" from clothing to jewelry, it's better to lose the element of surprise and be certain SHE is in control of the fashion. After all, SHE has to wear it and "show it off." I learned this when DW and I shopped for her engagement ring 50++ years ago. At first, we were "just looking." But I realized, for the real deal, it had to be her final call (heh, heh, all I had to do was say "yes, dear, it looks lovely on you" and then pay for it.)

Ditto.

Today my spouse decided that she had to have a new watch. She ask what should I spend and do you want to give it to me as a gift.

Two part question, two part answer. I said spend up to $10K and no it is not a gift. More like a gift to yourself. Go and select and get exactly what you want...not what I think you want.

She did. Costco $290. Done deal. Everyone is happy. Especially me! I drove her there so I knew I was safe vis a vis the price cap.

Been married 49 years...long enough to know that I cannot shop for her OR read her mind!

 

[SecondAttempt]

I asked for advice here about buying an engagement ring for my sweetie about a year ago and got excellent advice, mostly from the ladies, that I should let her pick out the ring, setting, etc. I'm looking in the same price/carat range as you but thinking of some very personal factors. My girl likes shiny stuff and isn't impressed by cost...although I was pretty shocked at how much she dropped on herself for Tahitian pearls last year...but her like of shiny makes me want a setting with a smaller stone with maybe some side stones and diamond dust around the sides. But I think I will let her do the design.

I've pretty much convinced myself to stick with Tiffany. I may pay a premium but I like their ethics and conflict-free guarantees and I think they are trustworthy on quality and grading.

My research also suggests that a good quality (color and clarity) diamond is far better to pay a premium for than size (carat). You can get a huge diamond that looks impressive but is total crap.

Finally, a 2 carat diamond might be a security risk if she wears it out much. Thieves have cut off fingers to quickly steal a large diamond. I hate to be so graphic but it's the world we live in. I might not be super worried about that in the small town in Hawaii we live in but it might be enough for her not to wear it when we travel which defeats the purpose.

Just my thoughts. I'm not an expert, on diamonds or women.