I'm shopping for a pair of diamond studs for myself. I've been looking online trying to sus out the Valentine's sales. I was given advise to look for TW 40 or TW 50.
Any suggestions?
It looks like the studs are not on sale
Diamond Earrings Sales
koplik8 on 01/02/2022 - 12:58
Comments
Maybe $800 tops
I'd check out Blue Nile or similar. You will get a 1/2 carat pair for around that price.
Have you bought from Blue Nile? I've never heard of them
I saw they came up as the top search in Google@koplik8: Not personally, however my best mate got his engagement ring through James Allen and had a great experience. Blue Nile is a similar company all done online like JA. Blue Nile have been around for years and are probably the biggest online jeweller for diamonds. Costs are lower as no brick and mortar stores so you can find some nice savings.
@koplik8: I bought my wife's wedding ring from Blue Nile. No issues.
I think they're still the biggest online diamond retailer in the world.
@tallkid123: Excellent thank you. I will look at both of them online. I wanted to hear from someone who had actually bought from them
@koplik8: They're a highly reputable site. You're likely to have more issues with the courier than Blue Nile themselves.
I would definitely buy from them again but alas, my wife has no interest in jewelry and neither do I :)
@waitandsee: No. I bought the ring for just under $4k in 2015 and I don't recall any customs issues.
Like above said check out blue Nile. GIA certified diamonds and well priced.
Nothing wrong with Blue Nile - a colleague's engagement ring is from there and it is just as nice as any other I've seen. They've been trading for at least 12 years as I recall looking at engagement rings with them back in 2010.
We almost bought our rings from them but ended up with a local manufacturing jeweler instead as they offered lay buy.
I would buy from Blue Nile though I'd also get a price from my local manufacturing jeweler as they can be competitive.
You could also look at alternatives like synthetic diamond, moissanite or CZ. More bang for your buck and almost no one can tell the difference.
I worked at a Jewellery store for years -
If you opt for brick and mortar - the best time to buy is usually boxing day, or during a 'flash sale' otherwise picking something from the catalogue.
If you try to bargain for something that isn't on sale, put on your best smile and don't settle for anything less than 20% of the price. You might have to invest time into it.
They will say it's close to 'cost price', or some other fine excuse. Just know it's bs lol I've seen what they get it for, and trust me - they are making money lol
If they won't budge, come back and find someone else that will give it to you for that.As for diamonds, the quality of the diamond greatly affects the price - Colour, Clarity and Cut.
If you are looking at 40-50ct, I would pay more attention to the colour and cut.
There are people that may say 'you can't tell' - but I would recommend going into a store if you haven't already just to compare higher grade diamonds e.g a F vs IJ vs LM - just to see for yourself and to judge if it is something that matters to you. It's also useful if you are buying online so you can get an idea of what you are buying.It's also important to note the backing of the diamond earring -
Diamonds are generally set in gold. If you opt for white gold, the rhodium plating will eventually wear and you will have to take it back to a jeweller to make them look 'white gold' again, later on down the line (usually every couple years - but will vary with skin, usage, etc)Personally, I would also opt for screw backs. They are generally more secure than the standard push back earrings. It's not recommended you wear your jewellery to bed, but if you do you will still have to tighten them every day.
It's a lot of information lol but I hope it helps.
That's excellent. Thank you for posting. As I've been researching into it there was a lot more to consider than I thought. I never thought about the backing of the earibg. That makes sense. Last thing you want is to loose one
lol nw yeah I've seen lot's of horror stories working there - people spending a house deposit only to lose it, break it or misshape it.
Good luck with your search !I ended up getting a princess cut 9kt with TW 50 on clearance for $799. Shiels had a promo code for extra 8% off $63.92. Plus Cashrewards had 7% $46.37. Got them for under $700. After I bought them they went out of stock. Must have gotten the last pair!
https://www.shiels.com.au/9ct-yellow-gold-wonderful-diamond-…
What are your thoughts on Bluenile and James Allen?
@koplik8: Congratulations ! Princess and Emerald cut are genuinely my favourite cuts - a classy choice :)
Going by the specs, it looks like you got a really good deal!
H-J should be a nice colour - not too yellow. I would have chosen that colouring too.
There are minor inclusions (p1/2) - but as I said before, shouldn't be noticeable unless someone has magnifying glass on them lol
9ct is underrated - it's stronger, less prone to misshaping and looks virtually identical to 18ct.They look like pushbacks from the picture - so if ever feel one coming lose, go into a jeweller and they will tighten them for you. It should only take a good min tops.
If you go to one of the bigger stores (like Shiels, Prouds, Angus & Coote), they will generally do it for free (they want you to look around).
Also, a lot of those places do free cleaning (to try sell their cleaning stuff and get you in the store) so you can do your shopping while everything gets shiny again.I have had customers that have bought online (I remember a few Bluenile customers), but I usually only dealt with the ones that have had problems so my experience would have been skewed and limited -
That being said, the problems that were presented were problems that could have been from any store, even the expensive ones (trust lol). If you can get a better price online, I'm all for it. Just check the specs, and you generally should be okay. A lot of the big stores share the same suppliers, and I would assume that's the same in the online market.Very happy for you though! Let us know how you find them when they come ~
budget?