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I have been looking for a diamond eternity band in white gold or maybe platinum. I don`t know where to buy it? Fortunoff seems to be twice as much as Tri County for the same thing. Is something wrong here? Where can I get a reasonable reliable jeweler?
I am buying mine from Fortunoff's but that is because I got my e-ring there and want the matching eternity band. The band design will be hard to match elsewhere. But if I could find it for less I would.
About Tri-County..you just need to be careful to go to a reputable jewerler. Call the Better Business Bureau and see if they have any complaints, get everyting in writing and have the ring appraised.
just my own 2cents....
my fi's parents are jewlers (and no, this is not a plus, so I will not mention where they are) but I do have to warn you that flea market jewlery could be a lesser wuality than you are expecting. They don't have 'jewlers' on hand to tell you what you are buying. Unless you know all about diamonds and other stones, you should stay clear of them. Whenever looking at any stone, you should ask the jewler to see it's 'papers' (egl cert. papers) that will map out it's flaws and be able to tell you what it is actually worth. I do want to alert you on this because one on my best friends got engaged 4 years ago (since then she is no longer with her fi) and he had bought her a '$10,000' diamond from tri-county for only $8,000. Well, when she broke it off with him (and yes, she had the receipt, but no papers) she wanted to re mount the diamond into a necklace (since he didn't want the ring back). Well, after several jewlers (not my fi's b/c we hadn't met yet) she found out that her supposedly 1.78 ct. ring was only 1.23 ct and was lesser in color and clarity than what the receipt stated (also was appraised at $2,000). She knows her ex-fi spent $8.000 on the ring b/c she had the receipt.
moral of the story is BYER BEWARE!
don't want to make bad names for places, just do your research before hand~ my fi's parents have told me many stories of yourn couples getting 'ripped off' when buying jewler. They come into my fi's parents store wondering why their ring isn't all that it's supposed to be.
good luck! and find a jewler that your gut instinct tells you is good.
When you shop at a flea market you need to be very careful and do your research. Check the vendor out with the BBB. Never buy a diamond without GIA certification. Ask to see the certification papers before you buy. Always ask to see the diamond with a loupe - if they won't let you, then you know there's a problem. Also, many diamonds are now laser inscribed with serial numbers so you can make sure you get the diamond you were promised. Ask if the diamond has this and ask them to show it to you if it does. Before you buy, check about the return policy - if the ring is appraised for less than you paid can you get your money back? And get it in writing.
Unfortunately, the bottom line is that it is easier for a small flea market vendor to scam you than an established reputable jeweler. Just be careful, and remember that spending more to get what you paid for is better than learning later that you were ripped off.
Try going into Manhattan and look
at the prices on Jewelers row.
I got my wedding bands and they cost about 1/2 the price of what we saw in the stores
