Advice on buying an engagement ring in Boston

[andel321]

Hi all,

Having been reading your posts recently, I decided to join and seek some help.
My girlfriend had picked this ring in Zales

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11492152..

We are travelling to Boston next week (for Valentines Day) and I was just going to buy it there and then. I have her ring size from last time we were there and she has tried it (and many others) on and is very happy with it.
It did however scare me when reading lots of things here about the quality of the diamonds etc.
Other members of my family have bought theirs from Zales too and have never had any problems.

Nevertheless,I would like to see if I can get something similar from a different jewellers in Boston.
I don't know much about diamonds to be honest. I can find the same setting in many stores and the side diamonds, but the part she really wants is to have the diamonds coming up the front and down the back, its just a bit different to anything else we have seen.

I'm also not too happy about the GIA clarity of I2 and would just like something a bit better.
However we are only in Boston for five days and need to collect it before we return home, as we don't live in the US.

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

[bgray]

Hi all,

Having been reading your posts recently, I decided to join and seek some help.
My girlfriend had picked this ring in Zales

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11492152....

We are travelling to Boston next week (for Valentines Day) and I was just going to buy it there and then. I have her ring size from last time we were there and she has tried it (and many others) on and is very happy with it.
It did however scare me when reading lots of things here about the quality of the diamonds etc.
Other members of my family have bought theirs from Zales too and have never had any problems.

Nevertheless,I would like to see if I can get something similar from a different jewellers in Boston.
I don't know much about diamonds to be honest. I can find the same setting in many stores and the side diamonds, but the part she really wants is to have the diamonds coming up the front and down the back, its just a bit different to anything else we have seen.

I'm also not too happy about the GIA clarity of I2 and would just like something a bit better.
However we are only in Boston for five days and need to collect it before we return home, as we don't live in the US.

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

i would never ever buy from Zales nor would I ever buy an i2 stone. please dont buy simply because you are in a hurry. you should go to the jewelers row at 333 Washington St in Boston armed with information and questions

 

[andel321]

Thanks for your reply. As I said in my post I'm not happy with the diamond at all and I don't want to buy from Zales. I'm just hoping someone might have seen something similar in a more reputable recommended jewellers, as I'm tight on time. I have looked at quite a few jewellers websites located in Boston, but just can't find anything close.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Most of us came here like you did, and once educated about cut and pricing, we bought our stones from vendors we learned about here. In no way was I able to match quality of the diamonds and price locally. I would think good jewelry stores in Boston would be pricey. I would never buy anything with diamonds from Zales or any chain jewelry store because they quality is very low for what you pay. There were two or three people from Boston on here that I can recall who were buying over 2 ct diamonds and they bought through jewelers recommended here. None of us work for them or anything like that, but it is because of personal buying experiences that we can recommend them. My diamonds have come from Good Old Gold in NY and WhiteFlash in Houston. Both specialize in high quality diamonds. There are others as well. But I advise you to take some time to learn about diamond quality and even let some people show you some diamonds so you can see the quality and pricing you should expect.

 

[aron7awol]

If you definitely want to get it at a B&M shop in Boston, I would highly recommend Long's Jewelers to you based on my experience. I've been dealing with them recently and was able to find a really nice value in a 1.23 I SI1 stone which even outperformed an AGS 000 I compared it directly to. My girlfriend suddenly sprung on me that she really wanted blue fluorescence which made me purchase a Brian Gavin Blue instead, but I'm still going to be purchasing the setting at Long's. They have been very willing to honestly answer all of my questions and I really feel like they have my best interests in mind.

They have a few locations in the Boston area:
http://www.longsjewelers.com/locations

If you want to go there, PM me and I'll be happy to get you set up with the salesman I've been dealing with. He's been great.

Edit: I just realized this board doesn't have a PM function. If we aren't allowed to post our email addresses, how is a situation like this supposed to be handled?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just tell him the salesman's name and his location. Nothing wrong with a positive recommendation!

 

[JulieN]

Here's what to do: buy online from one of the PS vendors. Have the ring shipped to Jeff Averbrook for an appraisal, and is in the Boston area. See if he has time to do it before you have to leave. http://www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

Is it right it is the little round diamonds that go up and down vertically that she likes, and she doesn't care about the channel-set sides?

How about these settings? James Allen has a lot of settings you can look through.
http://jamesallen.com/#!/Engagement-Rings/Pave-Rings/18k-White-Gold-Graduated-Pave-Engagement-Ring-item-7832
http://jamesallen.com/#!/Engagement-Rings/Pave-Rings/Platinum-Single-Claw-Prong-Pave-Set-Surprise-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-item-585
Double claws look quite good with princess: http://jamesallen.com/#!/Engagement-Rings/Pave-Rings/Platinum-Double-Claw-Prong-0.18ct-Pave-Set-Surprise-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-item-177

The Js listed below all have pretty good spread for their respective carat weights. What is your budget? You need to get on this for Valentine's Day. You get 3 ASETs, if any of these interest you:
http://jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.14-carat-J-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-191503
http://jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.85-carat-J-color-VS1-clarity-sku-176830
http://jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.90-carat-J-color-VS2-clarity-sku-179959

Decent crown height on this one: http://jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.85-carat-G-color-SI1-clarity-sku-194110

 

[aron7awol]

Julie is giving you great advice, but if you decide you want to deal with a B&M store, definitely go to Long's. I just spoke with Judd, the manager there, and got the okay to give you his name. He is usually in the Burlington store so call there and ask for Judd and tell him Aaron recommended him to you on PriceScope. I'm sure he'll be glad to meet at whichever location is closest to you. He's aware that us PS members are serious about our cut and looking for a good value, so I know he'll take care of you.

You also can't go wrong with the PS vendors, so whatever you decide, good luck!

 

[andel321]

Thank you eveyone for the wonderful advice. You have been extremely helpful.
I will follow it all up now and be prepared for when we arrive.

 

[mrgoat]

I got my fiancee a diamond engagement ring from www.diamonddealerdirect.com - he had a very good price and was good to work with.

I love shopping online though, the savings are immense because they don't have the overheads of a brick and mortar store.