re: Buying diamond engagement ring

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How can you justify spending that kind of money on a diamond before looking at it under a microscope? There are so many things to look at when buying a diamond rather than cost.

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What this guy said...

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Me personally, I went off the GIA certification and the fact I had a 30 or 60 day (can't remember which) return policy. If I didn't like it when I got it, I would have just sent it back.

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I looked at a number of diamonds in person and figured out the GIA specs that I wanted. After that, I went online and searched for a diamond that met the GIA specs that I wanted. Blue Nile gives you the GIA # and a scan of the GIA certificate (which includes a map of the diamond measurements and inclusions). Then I bought the diamond and received it a few days later with the GIA certificate. Took it to a jeweler and got it set. Then I took the whole ring to an appraiser and he confirmed all of the specs as well as the GIA # without even seeing the GIA certification.

Ultimately, if the price is the same or better, I would do online a hundred times again before I bought another diamond in person. I get to pick out exactly what I want out of a much larger inventory and regardless, I'm still just taking someone's word for it since I'm not a trained "diamond expert" who can tell F color from G color or VS1 from VS2 in a jewelry store. I'm going off what they tell me anyway.

If it's GIA certified and laser inscribed, a diamond is a diamond is a diamond. The certificate tells you absolutely everything you need to know about it. It's almost impossible to be surprised if you get the diamond that you actually ordered and you knew what you were looking for when you ordered it.

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How can you justify spending that kind of money on a diamond before looking at it under a microscope? There are so many things to look at when buying a diamond rather than cost.

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As others have said, the GIA cert will tell you every imperfection with the stone as well as the dimensions. For a round diamond I can look at dimensions and the GIA report on any imperfections and easily determine how brilliant the stone will be.

It only takes some research into the ideal dimensions and ratios for round diamonds to get a much better deal at Blue Nile than local jewelers.

There is also a 30 day return policy, so I brought my diamond with me to compare to what the jewelers were offering. They could not compete because as middlemen they mark up the price of the stones so theirs will be lesser quality for the price. Several of the nicer ones admitted that I should just keep the stone from online and did not even try to sell me on theirs.