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Birks dilemmaaaaaa..

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val23

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
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11
Hello all,
I need a little bit of advice. My gf is not picky at all (thank goodness)... and i know she will love any ring I get her. But b/c this is her one and only engagement ring.. i want it to be really special. Few years ago, she fell in love with a Birks ring... but immediately upon leaving the store... she said.. "don't worry.. i know they're expensive.. and i don't want you to feel you have to get me something from Birks." She's really looking for just a ring from anywhere... as long as it's from me.
Anyway.. I really want to surprise her.. and I REALLY want to get her a ring from Birks just to make it extra special for her.
I walked into a Birks tonight.. and had a great customer representative... she took a lot of time talking to me, and explaining to me about diamonds... (lol.. though i can tell you i think i knew a bit more than her... after all my pricescoping experiences!).. anyway.. she was great... and so i felt comfortable giving her my budget... what I was looking for, etc.

So i told her i was looking for a 3-stone setting.... I fell in love with the AMORIQUE 3-stone (http://www.birks.com/index.asp?cFlag=products&n=1&PageID=1&SKU=911660&SecID=64&CatID=731&LangID=1) .. though its way over my budget. So we looked at other 3 stones.. not as nice.. but within budget.
Now she didn't provide me info concerning the table, depth, crown, pavillion.. but here is one ring she told me about:
3-stone setting, white gold 18k.. Center Diamond (0.41 ct, G, VS2), Side stones (.23 ct each, G, VS2). Altogether, the price was 5100$ (CAD). Now, my dilemma is this... for 5100$ CAD... can I get a better ring elsewhere? Or is 5100$ CAD reasonable for a BIRKS ring? Can i do MUCH better?? And are the BIRKS cuts reliable?? I did told her I wanted at least a 0.45 ct for the center... so she said she'll keep a look out and will be in touch. My gf has small fingers (4.5 size) so she said that 0.45 will work well with her hands and not look small.... Please help! =)
 
You could get a better price, bigger rock and better cut quality from a pricescope vendor
 
Thanks for the reply...
but how much bigger, how much better and how much of a better cut can i get?
I know that there''s a premium to pay at Birks for the name... so i''m in that dilemma b/c if i can''t get a significantly better ring at a significantly better price.. i''m willing to go with Birks. I know it sounds dumb..... but i know my gf will be very surprised.. which is all im going for anyway. For instance.. if it''s only gonna cost me 800$ more for a Birks.. i''ll go with it. But if it''ll cost be 2000$ more..then obviously i''ll reconsider. =)
 
As a fellow Canadian, I think you can get something much nicer and cheaper than going to birks. I would suggest that you contact Mark at Engagement Rings Direct and see what he can find for you. Just let him know your budget and min specs - he will let you know what he can find. You can get a 0.4 ct G VS2 cushion for under $600 USD. I think given your budget, you can get a signficantly larger and better quality diamond.

I personally don't place a premium on the Birks name. They have never blown me away and does not hold its value like T&CO rings.
 
I was looking around and found these and this and this setting but I did not post bc I don't know about shipping to Canada and what other things you would have to do to get this.....with all the Pricescope discounts it would be $3808.

You could probley do better pricewise if you go thru jamesallen

I would also look at goodoldgold.com
 
hmm.. i see what you mean...
wow.. thanks so much for the help... =)
the 3808$ you quoted is in US dollars though right?
 
Are you considering a round diamond or a cushion shaped diamond? The AMORIQUE DIAMOND is a cushion cut diamond. Cushion cuts are generally cheaper than round brillant by ct weight.
 
thanks for pointing that out too =)
though i''m actually more interested in the setting than the cushion cut... i''m actually going for a round cut diamond.. but if it came in the amorique setting.. that''d be nice. =)

Thanks for the help everyone !
 
Date: 12/19/2008 2:20:58 AM
Author: val23
hmm.. i see what you mean...
wow.. thanks so much for the help... =)
the 3808$ you quoted is in US dollars though right?
Click to expand...
Yes US$

Ha, they are cushions........i was just looking at the setting! Silly me!!! Does she want cushion cuts?

If she wants cushion cuts then I would cantact Mark like Charmypoo said and goodoldgold.com
 
lol.. i was looking at the settings too.. i love how the entire diamond is visible and not blocked by the setting...
She''s actually looking for a round cut diamond. =)

if i haven''t said so already... this forum is wonderful!!
 
Date: 12/19/2008 2:13:44 AM
Author: Mrs W
I was looking around and found these and this and this setting but I did not post bc I don''t know about shipping to Canada and what other things you would have to do to get this.....with all the Pricescope discounts it would be $3808.
Click to expand...
Now, THAT would make a nice ring!!!
 
3,808.00 USD = 4,639.59 CAD

Plus whatever the cost of shipping is and any other potential costs such as customs fees and taxes.
 
Did she say she wanted a 3 stone ring or is that something you liked? The reason I ask is because people have different preferences. You could get a very nice solitaire instead of spreading your budget across three stones. If this has already been answered, I apologize.
 
I just want to add something to val23. I`m in Canada also and have this same dilema with regards to Birks. I`ve been a member of Pricescope for about 2 years now but a lurker way before I decided to join so I`ve read alot about the merits of buying online with reputable vendors vs. buying from big outfits like Birks or Tiffany`s. I have made a purchase from an online vendor often talked about here (WF) and was very, very pleased with the product and service and final cost of said product compared to what I could of gotten at Canadian B & M`s and Birks (our dollar was stong then). This being said, there are times when you just want to go in somewhere, see something you like, try it on (or in your case, manipulate it yourself - mabye on a pinky
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) and then say "this is the one" and buy it knowing full well that you could of gotten this product at a much better price and perhaps better quality too. It could be a question of convenience, impulsiveness or whatever but in the end you may decide that it`s just far easier going this route then going thru the hassle of calling, e-mailing, waiting, transfering funds, calling some more, e-mailing again etc. And then if there`s a problem, the whole thing start over again. It`s not a bad thing, it`s just for some, this may not be worth the savings you would have made for that product. I`m kindof in the same boat at the moment because I am close to upgrading my e-ring (been with my hubby for 20 years, married close to 17 - I`m do
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) and I love some of Birks products (the Amorique also!) but I also know that I could get more bang for my buck (for lack of better words right now) with any one of the reputable online vendors often talked about here on PS.

What I`m trying to say (sorry so long winded but you`ve started a thread that I could of started myself
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) is go with what you are comfortable doing. Our dollar isn`t very strong right now so that`s a factor if you want to go the online route (not as much bang for your buck but you only pay the Canadian taxes and no duty on the final price) and also are you ready to start the process of calling, e-mailing, calling, transfering funds etc.

I don`t have an answer for you, sorry, but mabye I gave you some food for thought.

Best of luck to you.
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*´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•'Cachette
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Hey Beach.. yeah.. she is looking for a 3-stone..
Thanks cachette for your insight... that's another thing I was thinking about.
I really wanted to know if I would be making significant savings purchasing online vs at Birks b/c I am willing to spend a bit more for a Birks ring (b/c i know it'll surprise her like mad)... but it all depends on how much more.
For example, the ring that was quoted for 3808 USD or 4639 CAD looks wonderful... but with shipping/taxes/customs etc.. I'd be saving only about 500$... which i'm willing to pay for Birks (ALTHO.. i just realized that the carat weight is much larger in the ring quoted ... ahhh more to think of). But if I'd be saving over 1500-2000$ going with an online vendor... then i'd probably go that route.

lol... didn't know there was sooooooo much that needed to be considered when buying a ring... =)
i've had a wonderful time shopping for them though.... i love planning surprises for the SO... and pricescope is a DREAM come true.. hahaah. it's made the process so much easier!
 
Date: 12/19/2008 3:47:22 AM
Author: swingirl
Date: 12/19/2008 2:13:44 AM

Author: Mrs W

I was looking around and found these and this and this setting but I did not post bc I don''t know about shipping to Canada and what other things you would have to do to get this.....with all the Pricescope discounts it would be $3808.
Click to expand...

Now, THAT would make a nice ring!!!
Click to expand...

Ditto, it would be beautiful
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I don''t know if it is added in that but your currently get 10% off the setting and your get a PS discount on the diamonds as well.

Comparing the ACA''s to the Birks diamonds is like comparing apples to oranges we don''t have enough information about the birks diamonds cuts to comment so comparing cost is kinda hard as well.
 
Found something else but you would have to call to get them to set it like this: 3,235.00 USD = 3,924.06 CAD

setting

sidestone 1 and sidestone 2

center

EDT: I would personally go online bc you know you are getting Ideal cuts....so you know they are going to sparkle. You could do other center stones which would make the price even lower at jamesallen.
 
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