i picked up the engagement ring that i bought for my girlfriend.
here is a pic:
http://bings.ca/images/DSC02628.JPG
just a solitaire, but the diamond is off the wall
the long and the short of it is that you will not be able to find a store that has this high a quality of diamond in stock and most cannot even get it.
i went to Spence Diamonds in ssuaga and they could not get me a price on a diamond at this level of clarity. In fact the bitch there tried to downgrade me about 4-5 levels in clarity into something that you find at People’s Jewellers… fukk all that shit. This diamond is what Ohlins is to suspension, or what Bentley is to cars.
the specs:
Clarity: IF - internally flawless
Colour: H - near colourless
Weight: .72 carat
it is certified with G.I.A., which i am told is the best certification that one can have for a diamond. The G.I.A. also laser inscripts each diamond with a number and enters it into their registry.
As you can see i sacrficed slightly on the colour; i was looking for something in the colourless range but going with an H colour, which is still very good, allowed me to get a slighty bigger diamond. i was shooting for a 3/4 ctw diamond and this was about as close as i could get without breaking the bank.
best of all, i bought it brand new from the US set in the 18k setting you see in the pic with free overnight shipping, the G.I.A. certification and an appraisal.
Spence diamonds qutoed me $7600 for just a diamond that was smaller (.60 ctw) and lower clarity (VVS2) and then they wanted a few hundred more for the setting and then you have 15% tax…i didnt pay anywhere close to that, and the quote i got from our family jeweller for a diamond similar to the one i requested at Spence came in at over $3000 less than Spence’s quote.
in other words, every jewellry store you go to is trying to rip you off. in my months of research i only found one reasonable store and oddly enough it was in a sorta crappy outlet mall in niagara falls, NY.
i’d be happy to share any advice or information if and when you guys are looking to buy this type of ring for your ladies.
i can guarantee that i can get you a much higher quality diamond for WAY LESS than you will find anywhere in Canada.
Also, by importing it the way i do with car parts i estimate that i saved myself another $1000 - $1800 because Canadian stores have to pay those taxes and brokerage then apply their 100% - 400% markup on top of that.
