Angara.com?

[picklemethis]

Hello all, This is my first time on the forum. I am looking to buy a sapphire engagement ring for my girlfriend, and was wondering if anyone has any experience with angara.com? We are "burning man" type people, so she does not want anything fancy at all - simply something that will serve as a physical reminder of our promise, versus anything to show off.

I have also read a bit about using palladium, and was wondering if anyone could recommend any wonderful jewelers who use palladium, either from this site or external?

Thanks!

 

[neatfreak]

Angara is a drop shipper, so I personally would stay away from them. They can't really provide you much information on stones, which is really important when choosing a colored stone. There is a list at the top of this page that lists our favorite colored stone vendors. I personally would start there!

I believe Whiteflash is now working in palladium...they do nice work! I would bet that Wink at Winfield's Jewelers would also work in palladium.

In addition Pearlman's Jewelers has quite a few settings on their website that are available in palladium and they are super nice!

ETA: Here is the link to the thread with some PS favorite colored stone vendors:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sites-selling-colored-gemstones-and-jewelry.94723/

 

[laurel25]

Knox Jewelers (www.knoxjewelers.biz) works in palladium and they also can get stones for you. I do know, however, that they won''t set non-diamond stones that were purchased somewhere else, so you would have to get the stone from them to use them for a setting.

 

[Tropicmaster]

I just finished your exact project, in fact I pick up the finished e ring Friday. I dont know how to link to old posts, but if you search on my screen name you will find the whole process, including pictures. There are many others on here as well that I searched out and read for my research. I found that I could get a lot more for my dollar by purchasing the stone and setting seperately. Purchasing the stone direct from a custom cutter or more correctly a lapidairy, will allow you to do away with at least 2 and possibly as many as 4 levels of mark up, as well as getting you a much higher grade finished stone. Go out with her and look at as many settings as you can in person. Take the one she likes best and then start searching on the PS list untill you find one that matches. If she ends up liking a specific designers setting you will have to purchase it from a jeweler who carries that brand, but you dont have to pay as much as you will probably be quoted at first. I ended up almost a thousand dollars below the first quote by aggresively calling around to dealers of that designer in other states and getting quotes. Once I had a number I liked I went and gave my local guy the chance to match, which he did. Do some research on here and you will be amazed at what you can end up with for your money!

 

[chrono]

I have not bought anything from Angara but it looks like their gemstones aren''t really pretty enough for e-rings. Don''t get me wrong, they look decent but look very ordinary and of commercial quality. If on a tight budget, you can get great gemstones at a good price from Gary at www.diamondexpert.com

 

[picklemethis]

Hello,

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone! I'm glad to have found a group of knowledgeable people to help me!

Just a not regarding the eRing and what I'm looking for...the ring is being presented as a show of my love and respect for her, not because of others or to show off, etc. So while I don't mind spending 1K on the "perfect" ring, I can also just as easily spend $300. We will be switching to wedding rings after the wedding, so it will be kept but probably not worn. We're kind of the artist/hippie types, so nothing fancy here! I am looking for something with a nice sapphire, either round 5mm or oval. Palladium as opposed to white gold since I read here about its merits, and something tasteful and not too big - she is only 5'1". It also does not have to look like a traditional eRing - can even be a promise ring type. These are the ones that caught my eye at Angara:

/www.angara.com/shop.do?cid="1850&pID=568628">

/www.angara.com/shop.do?cid="1782&pID=568625">

If anyone would like to offer advice, jewelers, rings online to look at, etc. PLEASE HELP! I will be sure to post the final purchase up here as well!

 

[chrono]

Date: 10/22/2008 7:06:00 PM
Author: picklemethis
Hello,

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone! I''m glad to have found a group of knowledgeable people to help me!

Just a not regarding the eRing and what I''m looking for...the ring is being presented as a show of my love and respect for her, not because of others or to show off, etc. So while I don''t mind spending 1K on the ''perfect'' ring, I can also just as easily spend $300. We will be switching to wedding rings after the wedding, so it will be kept but probably not worn. We''re kind of the artist/hippie types, so nothing fancy here! I am looking for something with a nice sapphire, either round 5mm or oval. Palladium as opposed to white gold since I read here about its merits, and something tasteful and not too big - she is only 5''1''. It also does not have to look like a traditional eRing - can even be a promise ring type. These are the ones that caught my eye at Angara:





If anyone would like to offer advice, jewelers, rings online to look at, etc. PLEASE HELP! I will be sure to post the final purchase up here as well!

I''m afraid I don''t see any links or pictures of what you have in mind.