ZiDenis

Hello fellows,

greetings from Brazil. In may/2010, I will go to Boston to study english for about 1 month. In my return to Brazil, I will proposal my girlfriend, making a surprise. And I want to buy a ring like the american's way, like they do in the movies. But I don´t have idea where to buy and how much I will spend.

I found this map with many jewellerys in Boston area:

http://maps.google.com/maps?cd=1&ei=...,0.038581&z=15

I don´t have much money, so I wish to make the best deal for a nice ring. Please, help me.

Sorry for my bad english (comments welcome). Thanks.

chgeeb

Honestly, your best bet is just shopping around....go to a few different places, compare rings and prices. I suggest telling them your budget immediately, that way you don't waste their time and you don't waste yours. Best of luck!

travelbuff

You might try some websites of jewelry companies that have stores in Boston, like.

www.kay.com
www.zales.com
www.kmart.com
www.macys.com

Hope this helps.

janiekins

What is your budget?

>

I would never ever buy jewlery at any of those places - junk!

wyatt92

The map you have is of the Jeweler's Building in Downtown Crossing. That's probably the best place to go to buy a ring. There's many stores that are independently owned so you'll likely find the best prices there. You'll want to educate yourself on diamonds (if that's what you're buying) first so you'll be knowledgeable and prepared.

bennnie

DiPrisco's is located in the Jewelers Building and is very reputable.

Avoid the chains like Kay or Jarrods or Zales. There is a Tiffany's in Boston but it will be expensive and you'll get more for your money at the Jewelers Building.

You might strike a better deal if you are paying cash. Some jewelers say you should spend 2 months salary on an engagement ring which is complete nonsense. Determine your budget and stick to it.

Good luck and congratulations.

nytraveler

That is NOT a wedding ring. Wedding rings are picked out by the couple together when it's closer to the wedding.

When you propose you give your fiance an engagement ring. (But not unless you have already discussed getting marriage and know she will say yes) since the ring typically has a fairly sizeable diamond in it - and they're not inexpensive.

I know in Europe they sometimes use other types of stone - sapphire, ruby etc versus diamond - but in the US it's a diamond - as large as you can reasonably afford.


If you are positive she will agree and want to spring for the ring others can tell you the best places in Boston. But - you need to be educated in terms of color, cut, quality of stone as well as size - and what you can reasonably get for your budget.

BigRuss

Honestly, you may be best advised by forgetting everything but the Jewelers' Building and COMPARING whatever you're quoted against bluenile.com.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/bu...nile.html?_r=1

travelbuff

I suggested those stores, because he said his budget was limited and he can look online to get an idea of design, prices and generally what's out there. Kay is the largest retail jewelry store in the US so they must be doing something right. Kmart is currently having a sale of 70% off all gold jewelry.

By looking online before he gets here, he can do alot of homework and be better prepared for his shopping trip. Get a grip.

BigRuss

Another online retailer is mondera.com.

Mondera and Blue Nile are not necessarily Tiffany competitors, they are competitors of Zales, Jared and other chain jewelry stores that do not compete at the highest-end of the jewelry market against Tiffany's and Fortunoff. That description may sell the online companies a bit short -- the middle-high end of the jewelry retailer spectrum shrank a LOT last year because the parent company of Bailey Banks & Biddle and Carlisle & Co. went out of business. [Note to Jamiekins -- BBB and Carlisle stuff is by NO means "junk"; their parent supplied Macy's and Lord & Taylor until 2008].

Blue Nile has an online tutorial regarding diamond purchases and the color-cut-karat-clarity qualities that make a diamond worth purchasing (that is here: http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/dia...ion?track=head). All of its diamonds are certified by one of the two companies that rates gem diamonds -- the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). I would think Mondera does the same (its listing for loose diamonds includes a column identifying the company that certified the diamond and I saw GIA certification for the ones I glanced at).

BigRuss

Correction: Carlyle & Co.

ZiDenis

Many many thanks for all the replies.

As nytraveler said, in fact I need a engagement ring, not a wedding ring. Here in Brazil, the wedding and engagement rings are the same. But I want to do it in the american's way, buying a white gold with diamond solitaire.

Answering your question, my budget is about US$450,00. Looking at kay´s websites, I found this one:

http://www.kay.com/webapp/wcs/stores...51.15057.15106

I liked the shape of the diamond. Is it good enough for a proposal in the north american's culture?

I think that is much more expensive to buy a ring like this here in Brazil.

So again, many many thanks.

travelbuff

ANy ring is good enough, and that ring looks lovely. The usual carat weight for an engagement ring is more like 1ctw, but it depends on the buget.

I'm sure she will love the ring.

nytraveler

You need to buy a ring that will fit within your budget.

But - it doesn;t have to be white gold (which I loathe) it can be platinum or yellow gold. (I'm a traditionalist and my ring is yellow gold with a ice stone in a modified victorian setting).

But, you need to understand that for your budget you will be getting essentially a diamond chip. Obviously students and thos on a budget need to do something modest. But - if it were me for that budget I would get something other than a diamond.

(My step-daughter and a couple of her friends are now engaged and the rings range from about 1 to 2.5 carats - but they're quite a few thousand dollars.)

djkbooks

I would avoid DiPrisco's in the jeweler's building. Had a dreadful experience with them! The ring we spent hours choosing had to be ordered and took longer than they advised to arrive. When it did arrive, it was not the same ring and they tried to convince us that it was! The entire process was very distressing as they were not very nice or helpful once we'd paid in full (for a "special order"). It would have been nice to know which rings were readily available and which were not during the selection process.

Jaya

Why don't you buy the ring in Brazil where you know the reputation of the jewelers?

How is the exchange rate with the US Dollar? I would buy it here if the exchange rate is really good.

Also, make sure you know her ring finger size because if you buy a ring that is too large or too small, it will not be possible to change the size of the ring to her size! Make such a big change can weaken the prongs holding the diamond. If you have smaller diamonds surrounding the large diamond, you will only be able to make very small size changes.

bennnie

travelbuff - agree the ring ZiDenis has linked to is lovely. Any girl with a heart will love it. It's the guy who gives you the ring that counts, not the ring itself.

bennnie

Also - my husband's family has bought things from DiPrisco's for over 30 years - never have had a single problem.

ZiDenis

Jaya, I don´t want to buy the ring here because it´s more expensive.

For comparison, I found the following ring in a brazilian website:

http://www.joiasbrasil.com.br/defaul...=262&pid=7380#

it cost BRL$2.871,06 that is about USD$1.632,68

at kay.com I found a this similar ring (both are yellow Gold 1/4 Carat Diamond Solitaire) and it cost USD$449.99

http://www.kay.com/webapp/wcs/stores...51.15057.15106

ZiDenis

thinking more, I´ll try to raise my budget so I can afford a 0,5 carat diamond.