re: How to get the best deal on an engagement ring

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How much wiggle room do they have? I’ve heard some will come down up to 40% but you have to Jew around with them.

Any experiences on getting the best deal?

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The best way to get a "deal" is to do your research and know what you're shopping for. If you're getting 40% off it's because it's a shite diamond. I spent a few months reading all kinds of stuff about diamonds and different certification standards. And I created a spreadsheet to compare diamond qualities and prices. They generally aren't marked-up as much as many people think. This is due to the amount of competition in the market. When you start comparing GIA stones with identical grades and sizes across competitors, you'll find that there's not a ton of wiggle room. And that's not a result of collusion. Most markup comes from a seller trying to account for their overheads.

I got about $1500 off what it was listed at. But that's after I visited a few places and told them what the others were going to give me on an identical rock. And I knew what I was talking about. $1500 isn't exactly a steal when you consider that I spent around $27k total.

Most dudes roll into diamond stores like retards wanting to know how good of a deal they can get without knowing anything about the product. If you don't even know the basics (like GIA vs EGL) you're going to get taken for a ride.

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Think about it, the most trained expert in the world probably couldn't tell a fake just by looking at a womans hand sitting at the dinner table. Let that sink in.


This is 100% not true.

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Not even close and you dont have to be an expert to tell up close either

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Most dudes roll into diamond stores like retards wanting to know how good of a deal they can get without knowing anything about the product. If you don't even know the basics (like GIA vs EGL) you're going to get taken for a ride.

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I amazed at the people that buy high dollar stones without even the shitty certs like EGL, ADL, Etc...

Jamesallen.com

No need to spend more than $2k.

Less is more. Big diamonds, or ones with a lots of little diamonds around it, are ugly.

Think elegant and understated.

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Seriously..get a top end cz and never look back. It's a 10th of the price and has to be analyzed by a professional to detect its hot real.

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If you ever decide to tell her, at that point she'll be happy you put the money towards a better use like a HOME

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Women with expensive rings get insurance on them. If you bought her a big cz and told her it was real, you better hope she doesn't decide to one day get it appraised for insurance

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How to get the best deal on an engagement ring

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You're in Houston? Assuming you want to buy in person, Diamonds Direct in Austin, Dallas, or SA is a good option. Knowledgeable personnel. Specialize in high-quality stones. They run a couple of sales a year. If you buy during one of those, you'll get NYC Diamond District pricing. They sell online as well. Other option is a NYC source online. Either of those should save you 10-20% over Blue Nile and up to 40% over mall stores.

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No need to spend more than $2k.

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This is basically true. You spend a lot on a ring because you want to, not because you need to. If you feel that you need to spend a lot of money for her to be happy then you don't want her anyway.

Two words for you.

Blood. Diamond.

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Either of those should save you 10-20% over Blue Nile

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Then they arent apple to apples.

For the most part the people that sell on BN and wholesale, there is nowhere near that price difference. BN isnt the cheapest place to get a diamond, that would be typically either a wholesale database like polygon, etc... or by buying in bulk, but its a great place for a consumer.

The company I work for routinely competes with BN for pricing on stones