Wholesale Engagement Ring, Where to buy engagement ring?
Q.I was sure this would be in a FAQ somewhere, but I couldn't find it. What are your experiences with buying engagement rings? I'm mainly interested in where (and where not!) to shop and buy, how to not get ripped off, the usual. I'm thinking about using one of the mall "chain" jewelers - which of them are good and bad? Or should I avoid them at all costs and use one of the "wholesalers"? Thanks - I'll summarize. (Or you could try talking me out of getting engaged - it might just work! ;-)
A.My fiancee and I shopped together for her engagement ring. We looked around in mall stores to get an idea of prices, looks, etc., and then went to Jeweler's Row in Philadelphia. What we discovered was that: 1> The workmanship on the jewelry at the mall stores was uniformly inferior. It was clearly poorly made stuff, in comparison to good jewelers. 2> The prices were *very* significantly higher at the mall stores. We didn't buy a diamond, so it's harder to compare. But for the diamonds we looked for - in our price range (around $800) all we could get was pure, utter crap at the mall stores. Two jewelers on Jeweler's row showed us beautiful smaller stones in our price range. 3> The selection is much better at real Jeweler's. The good jewelers all have a huge collection of unmounted stones that they'll let you look at, and then pick a mounting for. And the good ones will take the time to really teach you what to look for in a diamond. Also, if you're looking at other stones, a mall jeweler has absolutely *nothing* to offer. On jeweler's row, every single jeweler had a variety of beautiful sapphires that they showed us, and allowed us to pick a mounting for. We ended up with a stunning pale blue sapphire, which I've never seen the like of anywhere else. All in all, I think that the important lesson from all this is: go to the professionals, not the chain store profiteers. Well, an engagement ring does not have to cost so much money that it puts you or your fiance in debt. I personally would not have let my fiance taken any financing from the store when he bought me the ring -- I just wouldn't have felt comfortable doing so. To me, the ring is a sign of our commitment and our love to each other, and I would be happy with whatever he could afford to get me. But then I know that not everyone shares this point of view. To answer your question, yes, the stores in Philly Jeweler's Row do offer financing. I don't know whether this is common practice or not, but at least I've noticed some having a sign in their windows.
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