Been dating a girl long enough that I feel comfortable in buying her some diamond earrings. I get the sinking feeling that grading reports and certifications for diamonds is the most subjective game on the planet. With subsequent magical retail pricing too. Would appreciate tips on "been there done that" on what to look for and watch out for. Plus, would anyone recommend buying online? Maybe BlueNile, Tiffanys?
I bought some Pearls through Blue Nile. I liked the experience. Lots of information. Easy to check around the internet. Good price. They'll take it back. And by the way, I bought one product, that I didn't care for, that I sent back without any question on their part. I wouldn't hesitate to buy diamonds through them. Up to now I've only bought diamonds through local stores, but next time I'll probably use Blue Nile. OldTrader
I took a stab at the practical side of buying a diamond. The results are in: Put your money in a bag, take a drive in your car at about 65 mph down the highway, roll down the window and throw the money out and let it blow in the wind. How do you feel? You should feel great, you love this woman, you want her to be happy and you want her to remember you always, not as some cheap practical bastard that resides inside your wallet. If you budget a thousand dollars for a diamonds, the earrings she wants are 3k, don't let her see you sweat. Don't pull this "ebay diamonds are a girls best friend crapola".
Here's what you do. You buy 2 identical sets of earrings. One with real diamonds, one with cubic zirconia. Give her the set with cubic zirconia and wait. If she doesn't say anything before the 'return by' date, (normally 30 days?) then switch the real diamonds ones for the cubic zirconia ones. She hasn't had them checked to see if they are real, so she deserves the real ones. If she says she's had them checked, and they are fake, laugh at her, show her the real ones, dump her ass and get a refund on the real ones. Your wallet will be happier in the short term, and ecstatic in the long term.
I've purchased several times through Blue Nile. Never had a bad experience. Most of what I've bought through them have been small diamonds and pearls though. If the diamond is big, you should probably go to a brick and mortar store (after reading up on how diamonds are rated on the web) so that you can see for yourself how the ratings work. Unless its extremely important to your lady to have the diamond come from Tiffany's, I'd avoid them. Diamonds and metal are commodities, no reason to pay for a name-brand. Other places will have the exact same tiffany settings,