Buying Diamond ring

[DAAS]

I'm curious if anyone has had any luck on negotiating prices of the rings. I know that they don't really pay much for the diamonds and the whole "theyre rare" thing is all made up. Since the margins are so huge i figure one could probably negotiate but wondering if anyone ever has on this forum

[GirlyGymRat]

Diamond brokers. Cut out the middle man. Never buy from chain in the mall.

Same approach with gold.

[BIGB]

buy it right from the guy who sells to the stores save a ton.

[Euroholic]

Uhmmmm your being vague. yes diamonds can be rare. Pink diamonds for example. I have worked at a diamond mine before. And like they say the 4 c's really do factor in to everything. Size is not everything tho i would say its the least to worry about. bitchees think the bigger the diamond the better. Well not totally. The brilliance of a diamond depends heavily on its cut and colour/clarity. You want that bad boy to shine when the light hits it? The cut is the shape of the diamond and its reflective qualities. Blemishes are found on the surface of a diamond and
Inclusions are found within the diamond these are what they call clarity and you will notice this. The only question you have to ask your self is how much you want to spend because that will decide what diamond your getting.

[RA]

Never pay what they are asking. Always negotiate and do yourself a favor, don't get the one you can barely afford. The girls who value that probably wont be around in 5 years.

[lovbyts]

Craigslist. There are a lot of stolen diamonds on there if you want to find a deal. lol

Actually I have bought a couple off CL. you just have the person meet you at the jewelry store of your choice and have them examine the diamond to make sure it's real, the clarity and if possible to tell if it's had any enhancment work done.

I have a 1.25 ct diamond I got cheap once but it was ugly. I sent it in and had it colored, not the cheap surface color that wears off and I was able to re sell it for 4x what I paid.

You really have to be careful about if they have been enhanced or not. I also have a 1.30 that when I got it look VERY nice but after having it reset a couple of times a small blemish on/near the surface and it grew Before you could only see it magnified but now if you have 20/20 you can see it. I'm thinking about sending it in to be enhanced and re sell it but of course I would disclose that it is enhanced.

Ive dont some research in the past and even though about going to Africa or someplace to purchase a couple but it can be very tricky if you dont know what you are doing and have the proper connection.

When I was in Thailand once I ended up staying a couple blocks from the gem district. I had NO idea there were places like this. There was a good block, maybe 2 of small stores all with double doors and an armed guard standing on the outside and inside with machine gun. We went into a few to look at the gems, mostly loose ruby's, emeralds and such but yes diamonds also and they sold them by the pound. I didnt bother to ask or try to negotiate anything because I really didnt have the extra cash at the time but it was fun to look.

I have actually bought a few loose gems over the years just to put into small containers and then set on lights just to give it sparkle. I also have a couple hundred LITTLE diamonds that are almost chips but actually cut I want to put into a pressed glass container or small hourglass sometime.

There are a few large direct diamond dealers online where you can get a lot better deals than your local stores or malls. Costco actually carry some nice pieces but they are $$$$.