Canadian Newbie requesting some guidance and assistance

[teripg]

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie but I have learned so much in a couple of days  What an AMAZING website with so much useful information. Thanks to everyone who has assisted me so much already. I really do appreciate it.

I live in Toronto, Canada. DH and I will be renewing our vows next year for our 25th anniversary. We have started with the hunt for new white gold wedding bands. Sorry but I don’t have pictures available. I can’t get them from my computer to post. I have one ring on hold at a wholesale jeweller in Toronto. It is close to 3 ctw. It is a white gold band that has five sections to it. Each section has 4 invisible set princess cut diamonds that are followed by a vertical baguette. So the ring has 20 princess cut diamonds and 4 baguettes. It is an invisible setting. Since joining here, I have learned that this setting is not sturdy. When I asked the jeweller (prior to me joining here), he indicated that it’s as sturdy as other settings. He also said he would size the ring for me but I have also learned that sizing this style of ring will likely make the stones fall out!! I am pretty sure I will NOT be purchasing the ring on hold nor will I be dealing with that jeweller. I am on the hunt for something a little different now. I definitely need to do more research on diamonds but I am leaning towards a princess cut and baguette band that has 7 stones (I wear a size 9 ring) in a white gold bar setting. My budget is $5000, so I am not sure how big these stones will be.

Another thought I had was to make the ring with a bezel/semi bezel setting. The stones won’t be that big and I am not sure if bezel settings make diamonds look smaller.

I have given consideration to possibly purchasing a ring or diamonds online through a US company. Has anyone who lives in Canada purchased an online ring from the US? If yes, were you only required to pay the HST?

mimi123 is from Ontario Canada and she indicated that worked with Diamond Exchange in Toronto and she was very happy with them. Using a Canadian company is also another alternative Anyone else use them?

Are there any other reputable dealers in Canada you would recommend?

Again, thanks so very much for everyone's input. This site is truly invaluable and having people offer their expert advice is really appreciated!!!!

Teri

 

[mimi123]

Hi teripg, all I can tell you is that on the Canadian side I looked high and low and found a few online sites primarily in BC, but didn't feel good about them from the start. Diamond Exchange in Toronto is the only Canadian site I would deal with. It's slim pickens online for quality without the outrageous price tag this side of the border. On the other hand, I have purchased many antique pcs online from the US on Ebay, Ruby Lane and such and have been satisfied with 99% of my dealings. Good luck with your hunt!

 

[JulieN]

USA Certed Diamonds is in Toronto and has a good reputation. Their website is kind of hokey, though. http://www.usacerteddiamonds.com/usagia/introaboutus.html

 

[JaneSmith]

Welcome Teri, and congratulations on your upcoming anniversary.
I am in a different province but have had no big troubles with purchasing online from the US from trusted PS jewellers and getting items fedexed to me. I just payed local provincial tax via FedEx.
I would suggest you give Luann or Yekutiel at ID Jewelry in New York a call. They are great at working with people on a budget and will be honest with you about setting options.

Here are some pictures of what I think you mean, and some similar ones I just thought were pretty.

 

[JaneSmith]

A couple more pictures.



Good luck!

 

[teripg]

Hi everyone,

mimi123 and Julie N. thanks so much for the contact information for the Toronto jewellers. I will definitely contact them but I will be doing my diamond research first

JaneSmith--Thanks soooooooo much for the pictures of the wedding bands the second ring on post 3 is the EXACT ring I speak of!!!!!!
I am so excited AND appreciative that you posted all those pics for me. Can you tell me where you found that pic. I have searched and searched and couldn't find anything on that LOL

Thanks everyone,

Teri

 

[phtp]

Hi mimi123, which places have you dealt with in BC? I been to two and have iffy opinions about them.

 

[JaneSmith]

Glad I could help. I just did a google image search for 'princess and baguette diamond band', and those came up.
The one you like turned out to be from sears and is discontinued. Zales has a similar one. The sears one had less prominent bars though.

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12247945

Please don't buy from Zales! If this is the design you like, please just show it to a PS vendor like ID Jewelry and they will make you one with bigger and better diamonds for the same price!

 

[Enerchi]

Hi Teri,
I bought my centre princess from Shaun at Diamondexchange.ca. He was a real sweetheart - very pleasant to talk to, very knowledgeable and very helpful. I was in Toronto for a visit and booked an appointment to see him. He showed me a variety of stones but I did buy a virtual stone instead (This was all pre-PS). It was a very smooth transaction and I loved my solitaire that they made for me..until this past summer/fall, I decided to make it into a 3 stone!

Good luck!

 

[teripg]

Hi all,

All this eye candy is making it harder for me to choose just one ring LOL I kind of like the Tiffany band now too LOL

JaneSmith, thanks again for all the pics. The ring I am/was interested in is NOT the one from Zales and I do know NOT to purchase from them When looking closer at the 2nd ring in post three, it's different than the one I found on the internet.

The band I fell in love with did NOT have the bar setting. It was a row of diamonds, alternating with a horizontal baguette. There is NO gold between the stones, it seems that each stone is next to each other. Would that type of setting be considered invisible setting?

Enerchi, thanks for the contact name at Diamond Exchange. I LOVE the sparkles on your ring

Now I need to get reading all I can about trying to select diamonds!!

Thanks everyone,

Teri

 

[mimi123]

Hi mimi123, which places have you dealt with in BC? I been to two and have iffy opinions about them.

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, my presence online is spotty at best! Gosh, it's been a few years since then and all I can recollect is that their online site was not user friendly - they had pages of stones in lists and did not have enough info on each. You would have to go back and forth emailing which was slow plus they had no pics.....
I see Enerchi bought from Shaun at Toronto Exchange. I met with him too as well as his father Michael Baumbach (who may or may not be retired now) - both were great to deal with.
There's no such thing as too much knowledge - especially when considering big ticket items - there's a lot to learn, and this is a fantastic place to do it.