Secondhand ring advice?

[RockOnABudget]

I mean on the band itself, I like the idea of reaching out to Alex for that reason. Years ago, I was told by the appraiser working with my (Ritani) engagement ring, that she loved to see the metal underneath the stone. She said it was very well made (one reason I have always worked with Ritani). Her jewelry store spent a great deal of time fixing lost diamonds from mall jewelers because they skimped on the foundational metal and diamonds dropped out quite often.

How much is enough? I am not sure, but I am concerned about lightweight construction on a daily-wear pave ring. The ring is the one in my avatar, along with my Costco band.

I see! That's a really good tip and good point about wearing something daily and making sure it will hold up over time. I'll definitely keep that in mind as I'm looking. Your ring and band are both so beautiful!!

 

[newtojewels]

Oh wow, yeah the buyer I was looking at is a Japanese seller. When I asked they said the ring doesn't come with a certificate or a box, but they guarantee authenticity based on their specialist. Wasn't sure If I should just trust them? Are sellers from Japan known to be more reputable?

Japan has more rigorous laws against selling fakes than the US does so it tends to be safer to order designer brands from there -- plus the small ring sizes which is good for you!

For whatever it's worth, I bought a "Tiffany" ring on eBay and brought it into a local store to be resized. It isn't a guarantee of authenticity since they don't really do that but they sent it into their workshop and gave me an estimate to work on it. I decided against resizing in the end ($275 to go down a quarter of a size!) so I don't have the receipt for working on it, but I decided that knowing it wasn't a commonly-faked item, having seen the original in-store, and getting a repair estimate at all was good enough for me when I got it at a third of the retail price and was not ever planning to resell it. You may feel similarly! If you go into a store to try their bands on you will probably get a good enough feel of their quality to know if something from eBay is good enough for you to feel secure about, even if you can't 100% guarantee authenticity.

 

[RockOnABudget]

Japan has more rigorous laws against selling fakes than the US does so it tends to be safer to order designer brands from there -- plus the small ring sizes which is good for you!

For whatever it's worth, I bought a "Tiffany" ring on eBay and brought it into a local store to be resized. It isn't a guarantee of authenticity since they don't really do that but they sent it into their workshop and gave me an estimate to work on it. I decided against resizing in the end ($275 to go down a quarter of a size!) so I don't have the receipt for working on it, but I decided that knowing it wasn't a commonly-faked item, having seen the original in-store, and getting a repair estimate at all was good enough for me when I got it at a third of the retail price and was not ever planning to resell it. You may feel similarly! If you go into a store to try their bands on you will probably get a good enough feel of their quality to know if something from eBay is good enough for you to feel secure about, even if you can't 100% guarantee authenticity.

Thanks so much for sharing your purchasing process for your ring! I like how you phrased it like if it's something that you think you can live with knowing that it's probably good, but never fully being able to guaranteed 100%. And it was just helpful to hear how you kind of took those steps - really appreciate you sharing.

For now, I reached out to Alex Park and waiting to hear his response on something custom so I can get a ballpark idea of costs if I were to create something. And I think I'll keep looking around to see if I can find a place that might be more receptive in providing videos or authentication process for secondhand rings.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Haha right this is exactly my conundrum! I found some custom made rings on Etsy that I like in my price point, but have no idea how to tell if the craftsmanship is good whereas if I buy a brand, I'm assuming there is a level of reputation that proceeds them. But then my budget, it brings me to the used secondhand market, which I think can be a bit dangerous for potential counterfeits.

The seller that I reached out to said they have an their own appraisal sources, but don't provide certificates and also wouldn't provide a 360 video and since they're shipping internationally, it would be a bit of gamble for me.

im sorry it sounds like too much of a gamble to me without a video and returns are hard when not from the same country

 

[mayaINaU]

Oh wow, yeah the buyer I was looking at is a Japanese seller. When I asked they said the ring doesn't come with a certificate or a box, but they guarantee authenticity based on their specialist. Wasn't sure If I should just trust them? Are sellers from Japan known to be more reputable?

What I have head it is that there are strict laws against counterfeits in Japan so the sellers there are pretty trustworthy. I have bought a Tiffany item from a Japanese seller and I had a good experience. I’ve never gotten it authenticated, but I felt confident in the process.
Here are a few:

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

 

[RockOnABudget]

What I have head it is that there are strict laws against counterfeits in Japan so the sellers there are pretty trustworthy. I have bought a Tiffany item from a Japanese seller and I had a good experience. I’ve never gotten it authenticated, but I felt confident in the process.
Here are a few:

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

Security Measure

www.ebay.com

Oh!! That's really good to know about the counterfeit laws. Thank you for sharing the seller too!!

Yes, I think I would feel a bit more confident if they were able to provide some more photos and videos, because I've seen some other posts on eBay that looks almost identical to the original poster (maybe someone copying them) so that's why I got suspicious originally. Something to think more about..!

 

[newtojewels]

I don't think this is what you want but on my usual TRR hunt I saw this Tiffany ring in a size 3.25 and it's a style that I think is very unlikely to be faked so I thought of you:

18K Diamond Infinity Band Ring

From the Tiffany Infinity Collection. Rhodium-Plated 18K White Gold. Includes Jewelry Pouch.

www.therealreal.com

 

[RockOnABudget]

I don't think this is what you want but on my usual TRR hunt I saw this Tiffany ring in a size 3.25 and it's a style that I think is very unlikely to be faked so I thought of you:

18K Diamond Infinity Band Ring

From the Tiffany Infinity Collection. Rhodium-Plated 18K White Gold. Includes Jewelry Pouch.

www.therealreal.com

Aw thanks for sending this - I think this might be a different aesthetic than I was going for but really appreciate you thinking of me and sharing!!

I actually heard back from Alex Park and I think his prices seem very promising and within budget, so I might go that route instead. Our emails have been very informal so far, I'm wondering if I am just supposed to trust his judgement after we land on a price/product or if he will eventually provide like a mock up of what the ring will look like or more detailed report. Not sure if anyone is familiar with this next step.

 

[RockOnABudget]

I wanted to give a update to everyone that I received my wedding band! I'm really happy with how it turned out and I absolutely love it. Alex Park has extremely reasonable prices. I also got to pick up the ring from him in person and he was actually a really nice guy. Thanks everyone for all your help!!

 

[newtojewels]

I wanted to give a update to everyone that I received my wedding band! I'm really happy with how it turned out and I absolutely love it. Alex Park has extremely reasonable prices. I also got to pick up the ring from him in person and he was actually a really nice guy. Thanks everyone for all your help!!

Beautiful, but we need a photo of it on!

 

[RockOnABudget]

Beautiful, but we need a photo of it on!

Haha my bad. Here it is

 

[newtojewels]

Haha my bad. Here it is

It looks perfect on you and with your solitaire! So classic and elegant. Congratulations!

 

[0515vision]

You have gorgeous hands!!

Can I ask how much and what sort of stones he found for you? A 3.25, yes? If I ever want an eternity, I know I'll have to go custom, like you.

And he's in NYC? In the diamond district? It's so fun when PSers meet ppl IRL. It was even fun to see @Garry H (Cut Nut) on the live stream last week. We're all real people!

 

[RockOnABudget]

Thank you!!

Of course! So initially I was thinking about doing an eternity band but I actually opted for three-quarters band just in case I need to resize it in the future. I asked for lab grown diamond with a platinum band (2.3mm) and I paid 1100 for it. He asked me for reference photos so I just sent him photos of a ring I liked that I tried on at the store my fiance got my engagement ring from. I didn't ask him very much questions throughout the process, kind of just trusted him like everyone suggested lol and it turned out great.

He's in NYC but I don't think his office is a storefront - it looks more like a place where he and his assistants work out of. I communicated with him via email throughout the entire process and scheduled a time for pick up in his office located in the Diamond District when the band was ready. Yes it was really nice to meet him in person and I would definitely purchase again from him if there was ever another occasion.

 

[0515vision]

I’m with you. A full eternity means never resizing … and that’s too much pressure for me. That’s a great price (an expected from Alex). Many happy years!!!

 

[denverappraiser]

Most manufacturers do not make eternity bands in size 4 1/2 for stock. Its a custom order. That doesn't much matter to you but these things are surprisingly difficult to size because it loosens up ALL of the stones and burns the ones next to the seem. For that reason I would encourage you to work directly with a manufacturer and buy one new. Lots of the jewelers who sell here are prepared to do this, but I would generally not suggest trying to buy a used one and resizing it. You can save a bunch by skipping the Tiffany brand if money is your hot button.

 

[RockOnABudget]

Most manufacturers do not make eternity bands in size 4 1/2 for stock. Its a custom order. That doesn't much matter to you but these things are surprisingly difficult to size because it loosens up ALL of the stones and burns the ones next to the seem. For that reason I would encourage you to work directly with a manufacturer and buy one new. Lots of the jewelers who sell here are prepared to do this, but I would generally not suggest trying to buy a used one and resizing it. You can save a bunch by skipping the Tiffany brand if money is your hot button.

Oh!! I didn't know that was the reason why most manufacturers didn't do sizes under 4.5. (I assumed it was more of a supply/demand thing.) Very good to know! Yes, I opted for custom and very glad Psers navigated me to that route. I'm very happy with the band and it was really nice to be able to work with a local jeweler. Thank you!