Hi, I am in the process of selecting an engagement ring and wonder would you mind sharing as to where yours was bought? I would rather pick my own as its such a big thing and I am afraid if my boyfriend chooses I won't like it and will be stuck with it for life!!I need to actively start looking in the new year or else he is just going to go and get one!! Any ideas?
Betty
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Go to the diamond district in the city.....there are SO MANY places and types to choose from....Good Luck
megan2
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Thanks Betty. I will go there in January.
junebride04
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I second the Diamond Distrcit in NYC....There are so many places and you can go and try on different styles.
Happy Shopping for your
MarcellaBella
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while the diamond district is fabulous, as all places, be careful.. I got mine through a diamond cutter, who's a friend of the family and deals directly with the brokers, before the diamond's sold to vendors in the diamond district, so FH not only got a good deal, but a great quality diamond.. let me know if you/fh want his number.. he lives in LI, and works in the diamond district.. he's really great!
alina
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Megan, I would disagree about the diamond district. I have found the selections of settings to be quite limited and very 'everybody has the same setting' kind. Its very pushy there, and unless you know who to go to, I don't recommend going there at all. I felt like I was in a vegetable or any other grocery market, not at all the experience that I desired when looking for a special ring. Most dealers also expect you to have to want your ring very soon, and they will start showing you diamonds first, not settings... We tried to look at settings first and most jewelers didn't take us seriously b/c they thought we were doing things the 'wrong way'. But it worked well for us, and I am very happy with the final choice (from www.r8w.com's retail store)
If you would like to get a nice idea, try www.r8w.com, they have a lot of pictures there, and list all settings by designer. Then all you would have to do is find a local dealer for the designer that you like.
megan2
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Thanks everyone for your help.
Misty
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The Blue Diamond in Cedarhurst, LI is great. They work out of two locations, one in the diamond district where they cut the diamonds, and the one in Cedarhurst where you can sit and look at the diamonds, pick them out and place them in settings. They do fantastic work....and they also appraise when you purchase it.
Have fun!
megan2
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Thanks Alina, I am going to look at that website right now!
Licia
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FIrst I would say...study Diamonds...there are so things to know about diamonds...go to Debeers.com or the tiffany web site. They have an overview of what to look for in a diamond. It is so much better to let the jeweler know you know about diamonds...so that they can't take advantage of you. Make sure all of the diamonds you look at are GIA certified (very important). Request to see the certificate. It will show you all of the inclusions magnified on the actual diamond. The most imoprtant think is to shop around unless you know a jeweler very well...stay away from large chain stores thay are over priced. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Betty
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Re: Engagement Rings
Be careful with websites though, you definately need to try them on. Rings that I liked in books etc. didnt look right on my finger. I disagree with Alina, all the vendors in the city let me try settings w/o bothering us about diamonds. Just let them know you are looking for SETTINGS. When your FH goes back to BUY, they can talk diamonds. The vendors I went to wee fine with that. The only problem I found is that there are SO MANY vendors you feel bad walking away from one to look at another.
NovemberSue
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You definately have to try on different styles. I always liked round but it looked horrible on my finger.The marquis looked great on my finger (because my fingers are long & thin).
Valenia
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I would like to second the importance of a GIA cerificate. It is critical that you buy a diamond the has this if you want to know what you are getting.
Bluenile.com is a great place to shop for a loose diamond. They sell GIA certified, and have fair prices.
flyin'bride
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I agree with Valenia. Also, if you want to look at different settings just to get an idea of the styles you like, www.bluenile.com has a great website. You can even place different shaped stones in the settings you like to see how they look.
kptoys
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I am a BlueNile.com bride-to-be. Their site is great. If you know what you are looking for. I called and spoke to an employee because I was having a hard time finding the one I wanted... he was more than helpful. I did however go to jewelry store (with all the pushy people) to find the ring I wanted. I was able to get a larger diamond for what FH wanted to spend because Blue Nile doesnt have the overhead like a regular store.
karen32
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I highly recommend Elsa's in Farmingdale. That's where we went. We used Stephan - he really took the time to explain everythings about diamonds. He made FI very comfortable - FI was freaked about the entire process, deathly afraid he was going to get ripped off.
Definitely get a diamond that is certified. It's well worth it for piece of mind.
Good Luck!!!
Ronnie&Theresa
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Pick out 3 you love and let him pick from there.
I am the biggest brat and always change my mind..
Remember you will wear it forever..
How many times a day do you look at yours girls....!!!!!!!!
michele31
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DH got mine at Fortunoff's. The diamond district is NOT easy to go thru unless you KNOW a ton about diamonds or know someone on the inside. My DH didn't want to deal with 'this is the best diamond' ever type sales stuff. He wanted to know that what he brought was exactly what they said it was. A lot of places lie or fake certification.
jennbaby
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my jeweler who several ladies off this board went to. He is located down near Bowery & Canal & sells wholesale, and is very honest and reputable. He starts with loose stones and has many setting to choose from or you can design your own. Forum mail me if you want his info. I love him!!!!! At my appraisal, it appraised for more than double and my certification was right on the money edited to say you never appraise your stone where you bought it, you go somewhere else, (Macy's on 34th st appraises the highest)
cluelessbride
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I would read about buying a diamond before making a purchase. Apparently there are many dishonest jewelers and diamond dealers and many ways they scam customers. There are some good books on the subject, just do a search on Amazon. In my opinion, I would be very hesistant to buy anything in the diamond district or anywhere unless they allow you to have the diamond independently appraised - and not by an appraiser they refer you to. Just my $.02 Good luck!
