Bought at Spence 7 years ago. Great selection, price seamed reasonable. I liked being able to see everything in person vs shopping online
Bought at Spence 7 years ago. Great selection, price seamed reasonable. I liked being able to see everything in person vs shopping online
_____ASP______
current ski quiver:
park, all mtn 181 ON3P Kartel 98
park,all mtn: 181 Armada AR7
big mtn, pow: 185 Armada JJ
I'd try and figure out what your wife to be is happy with too. Its going to be on her hand afterall. I got some good hints from my wife (and her friends) prior to getting mine at Gem by Carati.
I'm really struggling with this right now because the diamond industry absolutely disgusts me. It is controlled by a monopoly that grossly inflates pricing and preys on social stigma to the absolute maximum. Try to sell a 'used' diamond which does not change or depreciate, sold purely on spec with certification certificates, and you'd be lucky to see 25%-30% of what you pay a jeweler. I don't know if I can get away with Moissanite (which to many people actually looks better than a diamond). Lab grown is obviously the next best bet.
Personally speaking, I was very surprised to learn that a modestly sized lab-grown diamond + what I think is a simple custom setting was still over $6K so I have no idea what I want to do haha. The sole purpose of a diamond ring is to show it to friends and compare carat size/sparkliness which I also have a really hard time with.
Yes, the industry is disgusting, and the social pressures around it are also disgusting, HOWEVER, most couples will conform to social norms, and thus, a certain type/size/cost of ring is required. If your fiancee has friends who show off their rings, then you probably should "keep up with the joneses" in this regard. Your engagement ring is a tough place to show your rebellious side unless your fiancee is on board.
The ring shouldn't matter to anyone but you two, but in most cases, it does. If the ring is a source of constant tension and stress, that's not going to help your marriage.
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
About the lab grown diamond thing, when I was looking ~3 years ago, the reputable grading labs (GIA and AGS) refused to grade lab grown diamonds. You're then left with the 2nd tier graders which some people didn't seem to trust as much. At the time, it also seemed like the better diamond cutters also refused to cut lab grown diamonds and therefore their cut quality was also lacking.
Has this changed?
ftfyThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Plenty of fish in the sea.
All the ones on RareCarat appear to be graded by IGI. They don't have a reputation as good as GIA but it really makes you wonder how much of that is industry politics. And really, unless your friends are gemologists with a 10x loupe, every diamond looks the same after a certain point.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Hey man, I don't disagree.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
came across this site while browsing reddit today:
https://www.idonowidont.com/
worth looking into if you want to save money but not sure if it works in Canada
If the story was posted along with the ring, that would be the biggest time sink of a websiteThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I would be willing to put a diamond and moissanite side by side, if you can tell me the difference I would be amazed (without looking through some sort of magnification)This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
My wife's moissanite ring looks incredible, I won't ever buy a diamond.
FYI, I bought it through Justin at Gem, go in and look at their moissanite stones.
I 100% agree, I am just not completely sure what would happen if my GF asks me if it's a real diamond and I don't lie haha. Kind of an awkward conversation to have before the fact too. I guess if it was a huge issue I could always get it swapped down the road. I don't think she will care to be honest.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Yeah I am going to see if Justin can show me lab vs moissanite - I am pretty sure I already know the answer, but I need to try find out if my GF is OK with it haha.
https://www.idonowidont.com/weddingb...25-worn-5-daysThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
This item description
Haha, I didn't notice that they actually had little blurbs - awesome.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
This is JUST me, but if my wife was pissed off it wasn't a diamond, I know I chose the wrong girl.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
A diamond shouldn't symbolize your love...
Not to mention there is a much better way to spend the $$$ thousands saved and put it towards something useful.
In our case we put the savings towards an epic African honeymoon.
Experiences>>>>>>>>>>> Material goods.
Edit: That said, my wife was the one who told me about moissanite in the first place, god bless her.
Last edited by vengie; 01-06-2020 at 03:26 PM.
Yeah I understand - and I don't think she'd care or I wouldn't even be considering it. For sure she wouldn't even know unless I told her haha. We aren't having a wedding though, so since we're saving so much money there, I think it's reasonable to get her a little bit nicer of a ring (if it makes sense). There is no way I am buying a mined diamond though.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
moissanite's for phonies bronie
Lol you shut up, go tend to your mushroomsThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Thanks for the mentions guys, much appreciated!
Missed a lot here, sorry.
swak, it looks like you're in Edmonton so dropping into my store might not be possible, but feel free to pm or e-mail me with questions you may have. I'm always happy to help and guide you along in wading through some the misinformation you'll see.
As a general rule of thumb, and I'm sure the guys who have come to me can attest to, we run in a very transparent manner. We guide you to find the right ring and stone vs giving you the hard sell on something in inventory we really want to move. 95% of our engagement ring sales are some form of custom. We look at stones loose and compare side by side so there's nowhere to hide any imperfections or abnormalities in a stone.
I'm going to try to write a comprehensive engagement ring buying guide in the coming weeks here. Long overdue, sorry about that. In the meantime people are always welcome to contact me for an honest answer on anything.
I know we have sponsors on here so I don't want to step on any toes. My dad was a jeweler for 30+ years so we've connected with alot of the local shops over the years and I've looked at wholesaler prices.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Since moissanite stones are typically more yellow, I'd say looking for a DEF coloured moissy would bring the price up substantially. Some people would prefer to have a colourless stone and that's their call.
Other than that, lab grown diamonds are the next most economical choice but nowadays storefronts don't always price them proportionately because they can capitalize on the eco-friendliness of cultured stones. That said, you're more likely to get the specs that you're looking for in a lower price range.
Maxime's quoted a friend of mine $6100 for a 1ct SI1 G cultured stone which is ludicrous. Wholesale cost was way below that.
Jewelry has one of the highest markups in any luxury product so just stay within your lane, get something she's happy with, and call it a day. People judge others whether they have no ring, a medicore ring, or a mack daddy ring.
Thank god I was able to go through my dad's stash and make a custom ring at cost haha, 'cause ring buying sounds irritating as hell when you get selection paralysis.
Last edited by rx7boi; 01-06-2020 at 04:37 PM.