Rings from Sam''s club...??

[Jean]

Hello everyone. I am asking this question for my sister who has been the looking at ring process with her boyfriend. She lives in North Carolina and I am on Mass so I can''t be there to help her. My sister is a modest woman and she is a state trooper down there and does not want a flashy ring not only because of her career but also because she is not a flashy girl.... They have decided on a budget of $3000. They fell in love with a ring at Sam''s club, I asked her who certified it and she did not know but she said that it was 18k wg, the stone was a g, vs1. Around a carat and the setting was a thick pave setting. I told her that she needs to do some research on here and that her and her fiance should look into buying online. She is stubborn so I am not sure if I made an impact but does anyone have any knowledge of buying a diamond from Sam''s club? Who certifies the stones they sell and has anyone on here actualy bought from them? I want to be able to give her as much info as possible.

Thanks!

 

[Murr4168]

A friend of mine got her ring from there. I think she said it was IGI certified. It''s a gorgeous ring and she has no complaints. I guess it all depends on your comfort level.

 

[diamondfan]

I cannot comment on all things but they did have on ring for 500,000.00 so who knows?

 

[ebonykawai]

I''ve never looked too closely at their jewelry before. I''ll have to check it out. Who knows, LOL?

 

[Unearthed]

Not sure about individual rings but their ideal cut 1 carat ring online is 6k. If they have a 1ct for 3k I''m sure it is not up to the cut standards most on this site would judge it by.

 

[jaz464]

Tell her she should learn about the importance of cut in a diamond. The only thing she knows is the weight, color, and clarity (which is very common with the average consumer). Even if she is modest, I am sure she wants a diamond that will sparkle, which means she needs a great cut!

 

[Jean]

I am trying to teach her the value of the cut but I am not sure she gets it. I refered her to this website so hopefully she wil take a look and get addicted. I doubt the ring she looked at was 1ct, I have a feeing it was a 1ctw. Thanks

 

[Tacori E-ring]

where in NC does she live?

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I have gotten a diamond anniversary band from Sam''s Club, and it was very good quality. I am not sure who certifies their stones, my band was not certified. From what I have seen of their jewelry it is all very nice quality. Still, she should do some research just to be sure.

 

[MWG]

IGI does the certification for diamonds Sams. All the diamonds I saw were I in color. Clarity ran from VS1 to I1.

They also carry Regal Brand Hearts and Arrows cut solitaires. I looked at their .50 Round Regal Hearts and Arrows and I was not overwhelmed. I viewed it with what I would call an IDEALSCOPE, but of course the salesperson said it was a "loupe" Clarity was a VS and the color was an I. Also, the loupe showed in Blue and white colors instead of red and black. The price was $1500.

This is the first Hearts and Arrows diamond, I have ever seen in person. After reading on here, the Arrows tips were not straight and the pointed cutlet was not centered in the stone, thus making half the arrows shorter. It was mounted in 18k white gold, so I could not see the hearts, but they would have to be off as well if the cutlet was off centered, this is just a guess.

I compared it to another diamond that was the same color and regular, but larger (.96cts, that looked small, I am guessing lot of light leakage was the reason) and I did not see that much difference in sparkle between the two. I looked at the regular cut diamond in the LOUPE and it looked "jumbled" on the inside of the diamond, but diamond did sparkle.
The price of this .96 was $4200.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

Keep in mind the lights at the jewelry counter too. Tell your friend that jewelry counters have intense lighting to make the diamonds look better.

If she can get the sales clerk to walk away from the jewelry counter with her and the ring, she''ll get to see the ring in more regular type lighting from the main part of the store.

 

[Jean]

Thanks for all the advice! I will try and educate her will all the knowledge you have given me....

Tacori, she lives in Wilmington.

 

[denverappraiser]

Sam’s and similar stores offer attractive prices and very agreeable policies. The return policy is very reasonable, the payment terms are convenient, etc. The tradeoff is that they don’t offer much in the way of sales assistance, customer education, helpful displays and the like. This is all up to you. They would have you believe that all ‘certified’ stones with similar specs are identical and it makes no difference which one you buy. If you believe this than the deal is easy. Pick one at random, pull out your credit card and go home happy. This isn’t as bad an idea as it sounds and for most people it works fairly well without interfering with your TV watching time. You can do it in 15 minutes on your lunch hour. If you want to take a more proactive approach you will need to plan on some time (and money) with an appraiser, some time reading through this forum to educate yourself and some time looking at different stones in different lighting environments. Personally, I think this will result in getting a better diamond and that the emotional commitment to choosing for the ‘best’, whatever that means to you, will make it more valuable for both of you.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver