| Jarrett, first congratualtions, second good luck finding a ring. Its a bit tougher than you'de think. Not to discourage you, but approach buying the ring with the same tenacity as you would buying a new trumpet. Most men don't take the ring as seriously as our female counter parts.
I replaced my wifes wedding set this last year. After 20 years it was time.
I tend to learn as much about my purchases as possible and Skip is correct the 4 C's are very important (color, clarity, carat and cut) The first thing with diamonds is that not all stores rate their diamonds equally. The major chains here, Zales, Kay Jewelers & Fred Meyer Jewelery seemed to have different standards. The private Jewlery stores, didn't necessarily have a better selection and the most notible thing was their prices were anywhere from 20% to 30% higher.
First, decide the style of cut (my favorite is the Princess cut) that will narrow your search considerably. fortunatley for me, my wife is very petite, so a large ring looks akward. What style does she like? I was able to keep this secret by letting my wife wander into the jewelry stores. I ho-hummed as usual. I was paying very close attention to what she was picking out. It was a sacrifice to "go shopping" but the surprise was worth it.
Second, decide what you are willing to sacrifice for your purchase. In other words, if you want a big diamond and your budget is $3000. Then you'll have to buy a diamond that is limited in color or clarity. If you want a high quality diamond, you'll have to sacrifice size for under $3000.
Remember, most people see the ring from arms length. They don't get out the jewelers loop to examine for the occlusions. So if a ring has a few flaws I wouldn't sweat it. Especially if you can't see it from at a glance.
With all that said, I ended up purchasing a custom design ring with a 3/4 carat Princess cut ring with 1 carat of princess cut stones on the band in a channel set for $4500 (my insurance company insured it for $7000) The amazing thing, in all my research, the best quality, fairest rating, the clearest diamonds for the price was at Fred Meyer Jewelry (yep at a grocery store jewelry). It was during the Thanksgivng Sale which ends up being a hugh discount.
Let me know by PM if you have any more questions.
Best wishes,
Thevor |