What is the best way to buy a diamond engagement ring?

Hi,


I live in Wash DC area and need to buy a diamond ring for my girl. What is the best way, the mall, a wholesale discount store. What is the most efficient way so not to over spend?





Thanks|||All the ideas you mentioned are good. Although, like you said, the mall may be overpriced. A wholesale discount store might be good. Ebay is also good...they have some really beautiful diamond rings!|||Talk to a diamond broker and get his her help in sourcing a stone that fits your requirements of cut, colour, clarity, and price then get the stone set in whatever kind of band you like. This is the best way to get a good quality stone for a good price rather than buy a pre-made ring at a store in the mall. Also, you'll have put a lot of thought into each piece of the ring, which will mean a lot to your fiancee.|||Shop around and do your research before you start looking. Be aware of the "c's." Also, what type of ring she would like, the color and type of the material (platinum, palladium, white or yellow gold), know what shape of stone she likes (princess, round, asscher, etc), and her sense of style. Is she traditional and wants a diamond? Or does she want something different like a sapphire, ruby, emerald, or Alexandrite?





Remember that in this market luxury sales are down and you can negotiate. Most stores ahve at least a 3x markup, so you can bring them down at least 10%. The will try to make a sale right there because chances are if you walk out, you won't be back, so be aware of that. They want to get you in for the initial purchase, because they hope you will be back to buy more. So, they will try to work with you on this very special sale. Just remember you have the power ;)





You can get good deals online, however caution needs to be used. Blue Nile and others do have problems with not giving the promised stones or using laser enhancement. If you do decide to buy online, take to a jeweler as soon as you get it and have them look at it to make sure you get the stone you were promised and can return if it wasn't.|||First educate yourself on the 4c's or ask a jeweler to help you with that. Then find a private local importer and go see him. Tell him your budget. He will show you rings, stones and settings and he can also make a custom ring for you based on your specifications and budget. You will develop a relationship with this person and can use them for years to come!





Mall stores have high markup and low quality for your money. If you use a website you never know what kind of quality you'll get, you get little to no customer service or personalized attention and there's nothing worse than getting ripped off or getting a product that does not look like the one promised!





Good luck!|||My boyfriend and I picked out my engagement ring set at BELK (this last weekend actually!!!!) ~ he got it on sale by getting the credit card from Belk, that knocked off 15% and there was already a 30% sale going on. We got a ring that was originally $2300 before tax to less that $1600 after taxes which is a great deal! I dont know if my boyfriend could have come up with this by himself so that is why we picked the ring together. I think you should come up with a budget and find out what styles your girl likes before you buy anything. Good luck!!!|||I can tell you right now that mall (franchise) jewelery stores are going to overcharge you because they're paying ridiculous money to rent the space in the mall...as well as a franchise fee, and they've got to offset their costs somehow...and guess who foots that bill?





Wholesale diamond brokers are the best way to go. The quality and selection is the same (if not better) than the mall stores.|||Everywhere you think possible to you..but see their testimony first, cuz everything will be happen.


P/s:Diamond is not cheap you know..=)





below is some link might be help you|||Actually buying them on line is the best way to get what you want and at a fair price. There are websites where you can pick out the diamond and the setting. My sister in law's fiance ordered hers from online and it was such a smooth transaction. They send the certification and everything. Adiamor.com is where she got hers. There are plenty of other ones though. Bluenile is good as well. My fiance has bought me jewelry from there.





If you want to buy it in person though I would recommend a wholesale store if you have one near. Name brand stores, (Zales, Kay, Etc) always mark up the price so unreasonably.





Hope this helps!|||i don't know about anyone else but I think buying an engagement ring online is the worst way to do it. thereis no sure gurantee you are getting what you see. the ring can get lost in the mail .. i don't know but id say your best bet is to go to a store, if you are concerned about price go to a wholesaler. and there are some places well most places that offer you a payment plan on the ring. good luck :o)|||Its not that uncommon to buy from an online diamond vendor.





I bought my diamond and ring through an online vender. The service was very good and I had no problems with delivery. If you are a U.S. resident and pay via wire transfer the vendor may offer free shipping with Fedex Overnight Priority.





You can purchase a stone with either a GIA or AGS certification. The certification gives you a plot of the diamond outlining the specifications of that particular stone. Every diamond plot is unique as no two diamonds are the same.





I bought my diamond from Whiteflash.com. They have every certified stone verified by an independent appraiser and send the written appraisal packaged with your purchased stone.





If you need further verification you can always send the stone to a Certified Gemologist.





I liked buying online because I got a photograph of the diamond, an idealscope image of the diamond showing how well cut the diamond is. Which is important in terms of the diamond having minimal light leakage.





I also received a 10 day money back guarantee a year buy-back at 70% of the original purchase price and lifetime upgrade policy. Not many retail outlets are willing to provide this service.





Try visiting this website to start your education in diamonds. Its a very informative site.





http://www.pricescope.com





IdealD|||Look here


http://www.jewelryexchange.com/productli鈥?/a>





You want to look at the cut and clarity though just because it is inexpensive, it could be for a reason.





I like this one and the cut and clarity are good!


http://www.jewelryexchange.com/productde鈥?/a>


but im not sure about the cut and clarity.|||Most average price is about $1000... But really, it's your preference.


My suggestion is to look around, A LOT...


Even look online to make it easier to compare prices... Then, when you found a few, write down or print the page and go look at them in person.|||Either a local reputable jeweler, a wholesale discount store, or www.bluenile.com. They have good prices.





You can also research diamonds on pricescope.com.|||Anywhere where they have certified diamonds. So you know you're getting real diamonds. Like Kay Jewelers, or Zales. I'd say try the mall first. I hope everything turns out well! :)|||The best way to do that is to a diamond store and you should make sure it costs at least 1000 dollars.|||The best places to buy diamonds and engagement rings would be online. Try http://www.jamesallen.com or http://www.bluenile.com . If I am not mistaken, James Allen is located not far from DC.