For Guys About to Pop the Question
I'll start things off on the new blog by discussing a topic that a good friend of mine (wink wink) knows very well. That good friend ;-) hasn't officially popped the question to his girlfriend yet but has made incredible strides in preparing to do so.
If you've ever wanted a way to comparison shop that jeweler of yours on the diamond that they just pitched you, check out Pricescope.com. Not only does Pricescope let you comparison shop online vendors for loose stones but they have tutorials on diamonds, a vivrant forum where you can read about all aspects of diamonds, catch up on proposal ideas, see pictures of other people's diamonds and settings (which could help you or your girlfriend decide what looks good) and they also provide tips on buying safely.
You must be saying to yourself, how reliable is it to purchase a stone off the internet? Ah hah! They also provide links to local independent appraisers and discuss what you should expect from working with an appraiser.
One quick story and then I'll end this entry. A few weeks ago, after meeting with a local vendor and obtaining copies of the GIA certificates for the stones he showed me, I went on Pricescope to compare his prices. I entered in the same specs for one of the stones he showed me. To my surprise, not only did I find the same specs but I was looking at the same exact GIA certificate number. The stone was being sold through multiple vendors online for over $1k cheaper than the local vendor was offering.
To sum things up, over the past few months, I've been doing my reading online, visiting with local vendors for loose stones and comparison shopping them online. I worked with an appraiser here in NYC and had multiple stones shipped to the appraiser for viewing without spending a dime out of my pocket. When I found the one I liked, I wired the $ to the online vendor and I walked out of the appraiser's with the stone in my hand.
If anyone wants to become more informed, comparison shop your jeweler or save a large chunk of $, check out the Pricescope approach. I did!
If you've ever wanted a way to comparison shop that jeweler of yours on the diamond that they just pitched you, check out Pricescope.com. Not only does Pricescope let you comparison shop online vendors for loose stones but they have tutorials on diamonds, a vivrant forum where you can read about all aspects of diamonds, catch up on proposal ideas, see pictures of other people's diamonds and settings (which could help you or your girlfriend decide what looks good) and they also provide tips on buying safely.
You must be saying to yourself, how reliable is it to purchase a stone off the internet? Ah hah! They also provide links to local independent appraisers and discuss what you should expect from working with an appraiser.
One quick story and then I'll end this entry. A few weeks ago, after meeting with a local vendor and obtaining copies of the GIA certificates for the stones he showed me, I went on Pricescope to compare his prices. I entered in the same specs for one of the stones he showed me. To my surprise, not only did I find the same specs but I was looking at the same exact GIA certificate number. The stone was being sold through multiple vendors online for over $1k cheaper than the local vendor was offering.
To sum things up, over the past few months, I've been doing my reading online, visiting with local vendors for loose stones and comparison shopping them online. I worked with an appraiser here in NYC and had multiple stones shipped to the appraiser for viewing without spending a dime out of my pocket. When I found the one I liked, I wired the $ to the online vendor and I walked out of the appraiser's with the stone in my hand.
If anyone wants to become more informed, comparison shop your jeweler or save a large chunk of $, check out the Pricescope approach. I did!
posted by DJ Frustration at
5/26/2006 10:19:00 AM
1 Comments:
DJ,
I just heard the news about your engagement to Amy. My Amy and I are excited for you and your family. Congratulations.
RAP
By
Anonymous, at June 3, 2006 11:38:00 AM EDT
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