Diamonds, Real Ones

[grocery_mony 8]

There's a guy owns a kind of high end country club out here, built a private steak house for the members, and put in a display case with tons of diamonds. Says that the price of diamonds is going up, so he spent about $25Mil on some stones as an investment. By putting them on display I guess he gets to right off the purchase now instead of later.Def the nicest diamond necklace I've ever seen

anyone have a reliable fence for high end jewelry?

[mtdesmoines 3]

At times I feel men are just like animals, stampeded into buying something of artificial and perceived value for an overinflated price to symbolize something in the heart that by consumer goods like jewelry is truly misrepresented to the point of becoming the opposite of what love really means anyway. Further, the purchase of diamonds is a relic of the guilded age, when new wealth competed with old money via symbolic purchases. You know the routine, the men bought a bigger diamond than the one their competitor bought, yada, yada, yada, and the women wanted a bigger diamond than her rival, because it showed that the man she was going to marry was worth more, yada, yada, yada.In the end, the entire enterprise become a ludicrous exercise in futility and when you overthink it, despair eats you like hyenas.On the other hand, traditional symbolism is an important tool that helps us manuever through our social and business networks, and no matter how silly it may seem, it might be best that we should pay homage to it via participation, in spite of how ridiculous it makes us feel. Further, we in many ways beyond diamonds symbolize emotional bonds through consumer goods, so why ignore the primary one accepted by the most people if we indeed feel that we value our partners in life, love and marriage? Ultimately, for me, the thought of handing over sums of money counted in thousands for these things makes me want to slit my own throat.

[Balloon guy 158]

I can't afford real diamonds

Fyp

[ShakeZuma 585]

I say, dump the bitch.

this is by far the best answer

[Merlopj 0]

take out a home equity or other low interest loan. Use the money to buy the stone. Get married ...because the best part of getting married is that "my debt" then becomes "our debt". just a thought.Honestly tho, do some networking and find someone with 'connections' to a jewelry store or diamond brokers. I did and had an awesome ring made with some very nice stones for a fantastic price. (brag post: it's been appraised higher than what I paid for it)One sacrifice I made was not paying the dummy tax on the "ooh this diamond is such n such" certificate. Total waste of money. Trust me. total waste. Nobody out on the town or any of her girlfriends will ask to see the certificate when they admire the ring anyway. Besides, you still have to have the diamond appraised by another party to have it insured, and they will know what quality, clarity etc.. it is anyway.good luck.

[chrozzo 19]

Does anyone know anything about how much diamonds cost? I'm looking for a princess cut stone, 0.7-1.0 ct, of clarity VS1 or VS2 with a good color, F or better. Do you know how much I should pay for a loose diamond at this quality. I was quoted $3500 for a 0.71 ct stone in a plain setting. I want to know if I'm getting hosed.

yes!i WILL marry you!

[mellinac 0]

The girl is worth it and I will be paying with cash. It still seems like a big purchase though and the money is hard to part with. I'll also make her very happy, which is important to me. Of course, I did read a long article today from 2003 on wired . com about man made diamonds. Now that seems like a cool business venture.Good night. Thanks for the replies.

[speedz99 145]

Wow good post. People look at me like I'm crazy when i try to explain this to them. It is 100% artificial market. I guess if you have the money to burn and thats what you want to spend it on then go for it. I'm not using my money to line the pockets of the MEGA rich. And I do mean MEGA rich. My wifes wedding ring is cubic zirconia(sp?) I paid $300 or so. It looks nice and it serves the same purpose as a 5k ++ ring.I do however have a small weakness for watches, my current is a Movado 2 tone which cost slightly more than my wife's wedding ring. I guess i got a decent deal on it however.

Riiiiight.

There's a guy owns a kind of high end country club out here, built a private steak house for the members, and put in a display case with tons of diamonds. Says that the price of diamonds is going up, so he spent about $25Mil on some stones as an investment. By putting them on display I guess he gets to right off the purchase now instead of later.Def the nicest diamond necklace I've ever seen

Write.

[mtdesmoines 3]

Fyp

Not the kinds worth having anyway.

[finztotheleft 0]

But isn't this exactly why men do buy diamonds?

lol....pretty much !I really like Ross Simons Jewerlers (and it's where my hubby got my diamond and several other gifts over the years). If you puchase an ISA certified diamond, you are really safe even ordering online. Obviously, you also pay the $25 to get a local appraisal.....she'll need that to put it on her homeowner's or renter's insurance.For what you described (VS1-2, color D or E, princess cut) in the 3/4 carat range, these stones are $2000-$2500 loose diamonds 3/4 caratIf you go up to the 1 carat range, these are $4000 to $5000 loose diamonds just under 1 caratI'm not sure what your maximum money amount is (and not to sound like a jewelry snob) but you really want to get close to that 1 carat mark if at all possible. It really does look a lot bigger than a 3/4 carat......and trust me, all women can tell that at a glance. Go to a reputable jeweler near you and look at a lot of stones. with the very good clarity that you are looking at, I've seen some stones down to an H that look really bright/white in color, not at all yellowish. Other women, please pitch in here with your opinions too, but I would rather have a 1 carat G color than a 3/4 carat D color. The difference incolor is not as noticable as the change in size.Does she really love a princess cut, or was that your choice ? I feel like that is kind of "now" but might look dated in a few years.....like all of those marquis rings from the late eighties. I've just always been more partial to round or oval cuts. I love the sound of any of these round 1 to 1.49 carat stones at $5500 to $14,000: DE stones 1 to 1.5 carats. These are the full carat plus, going down to F to G color: just over 1 carat F to G colorThese are just under 1 carat: .90 to .99 carat, F to G colorAnd I'll finish with the ovals starting at $4000: over 1 carat, F to G, ovalStaring at $3000 if you move down in color: over 1 carat, H to I, ovalIt is a visual trick, but an oval really looks bigger in the same carat weight than the same size round or the square princess cut

[finztotheleft 0]

Ugggg.........after looking up pages of stones, I just went back to one of those links and it didn't work. Use this one and import your own info : Ross Simons

[mellinac 0]

Thanks Finz. She likes the princess cut. I went back to the money pit today and still like the stone he is holding for me. I'm waiting for the guy to get some more 1 ct loose stones in to look at. I'm getting more comfortable with the dollar amount. It still sucks to spend that much, but what else am I saving for anyway? If it makes her happy, then I'm happy too. I'll post pics in a month or so when I finally pick the stone, choose the setting, get it appraised and insured. If anyone wants to steal the ring after I buy it, let me know and we can split the insurance money...

[finztotheleft 0]

Good luck !

[Jam-Fly 8]

yo

[BigLebowski 0]

Of course, I did read a long article today from 2003 on wired . com about man made diamonds. Now that seems like a cool business venture.

Do this. It will look better than any real diamond and it will cost a fraction of the price. The only way they can tell it isn't a real diamond is that it is TOO perfect. There is a reason the US will not let DeBeers operate here. Don't fuel the fire.

[RoadDOG813 0]

You'd have a better bet buying a loose stone from a wholesaler and get it set at a local retailers like Zales, Whitehall, etc.

[mellinac 0]

I went to NYC and priced diamonds there. Their prices were comparable to the prices my diamond guy was giving me. If you've never been to the diamond district in NYC, go. It's fun looking at the stones and dealing with the salesmen, especially when you know you aren't there to buy from them. Quite the experience.Well, I decided to ask my diamond guy to get in a couple 1 ct stones for me too look at. He got in two that I really liked and chose one that was 1.0 ct, princess cut, H color and VS2 Clarity. BONUS: The setting I chose was supposedly 14k white gold with 6 small stones in the band, which was included in the price. When I came back for the ring the next day I was informed that the setting wasn't white gold, but was platinum. Since it was their mistake, the price difference was on them. Upgrade.I asked Bonnie to marry me on 26 April. She was super surprised and said Yes. This is such an exciting time for us.Just wanted to share.

[coesillian 0]

niiiiiiiiiiiice, congrats man!wish you both all the best.

[quadaces 0]

You're asking about diamonds so you must be thinking of getting married. A little advice......DONT ****.ING DO IT!, But if you feel that you must, I suggest buying the cheapest ring you can find. You will be getting divorced! The odds of it lasting are worse than drawing to gutshot straight flush that you have to hit to win.....oh and by the way the card you need was folded! Back to the ring......why buy an expensive ring that she is going to pawn when she leaves you or you leave her. Save the money for yourself, or invest it and use that money to buy a ring for wife #2!

[AmScray 355]

Speedz, you were right!

[mellinac 0]

AmScray, That was a sweet cartoon. Of course, I guess you know considering the ring you just bought. Money in, cash money out. Thanks for the laugh.

[finztotheleft 0]

Congrads !How did you ask her ?

[mellinac 0]

It was low key, but surprising. She knew it was coming, but had her completely convinced it wasn't for another 6-8 weeks. I've been laying the timeline for quite a while, telling her that the ring needed appraised and set and insured, etc, and that these things take weeks on end. Reality was I was in the process of buying the ring, and she was none the wiser.Anyway, she had a hair appointment on Saturday (something about her hair was green from water or something silly) and when she came home I told her how much her hair had improved (no change) and then let her know I left something in her room for her. She was really surprised when she found that I had gotten her 2 dozen red, long-stem roses. When she came back into the living room, I had the ring in the box and got on one knee and asked her to marry me. She was extremely surprised. She was in a state of disbelief because she was so convinced that she wouldn't see a ring until the end of May at the earliest.We spent the rest of the day going from her family to mine telling everyone. It was a really fun time.

[Balloon guy 158]

It was low key, but surprising. She knew it was coming, but had her completely convinced it wasn't for another 6-8 weeks. I've been laying the timeline for quite a while, telling her that the ring needed appraised and set and insured, etc, and that these things take weeks on end. Reality was I was in the process of buying the ring, and she was none the wiser.Anyway, she had a hair appointment on Saturday (something about her hair was green from water or something silly) and when she came home I told her how much her hair had improved (no change) and then let her know I left something in her room for her. She was really surprised when she found that I had gotten her 2 dozen red, long-stem roses. When she came back into the living room, I had the ring in the box and got on one knee and asked her to marry me. She was extremely surprised. She was in a state of disbelief because she was so convinced that she wouldn't see a ring until the end of May at the earliest.We spent the rest of the day going from her family to mine telling everyone. It was a really fun time.

Congrats.Now word of advice.Plan ahead for all your presents from now on. Remember, you will need to meet or top them each year. Start off too high and you are setting yourself up for failure.So anniversary one, get her a nice card, and a silk ficus. Birthday one - Gift certificate to starbucks, etc.Trust me on this one.