The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

[ScottW]

So, it turns out I'm getting married before the end of the year, like for realz this time, not like I want to get married...So, I got a quote from my cousin (he owns a jewelry company) for a set of platinum wedding band, a 1/2 carat, 3 stones diamond, platinum engagement ring, G color, VS1 - VS2 for about $4,000...Just a 1k over budget...Thinking about copping...What do you guys think of the quality vs. price point? All the rings are made in Japan...Not sure if that's relevant...

It's been almost 10 years since I bought wifey's ring so I guess I can't comment on current prices, other than to suggest looking on Blue Nile and comparing. If it's a friend/family price it should be within some reasonable spitting distance of BN prices, just my opinion. Platinum settings can make the diamonds' color deviation from white more obvious, but this depends how closely you look or how picky you are. I shopped around a bunch and with my unaided eyes in a platinum setting, H color had the slightest noticeable tint to me, so I went with G. My opinion is don't go worse than a G with a platinum setting. In yellow gold settings it might be less critical, but my wife only had two requests: 1. platinum and 2. "sparkly." VS1 or VS2 is fine; you're not going to see those flaws without a loupe. Start getting into SI and some of those are not eye clean to me. I was obsessive about it- eventually bought mine through BN and spent hours combing through their online GIA reports for the center diamond (wifey's is one bigger stone in the middle with smaller channel set diamonds down the sides) looking for one where the noted inclusions/flaws were further towards the outer periphery of the stone and therefore tougher to notice with a round ideal cut. But I basically went with round ideal cut, G color, VS1, then figured out how much mass I could afford within my budget, and went a little over. LOL. It's only money, and it's only once.

I don't know if it's relevant that the ring would be made in Japan as long as the metal in the setting is a good platinum alloy and the stones have a report from a reputable lab. They may do some things differently though, so ask questions of your cousin so you know what you're getting. The platinum standard in the US is PT950 (95% platinum and 5% other alloying metal, typically either Iridium, Ruthenium, or Cobalt). Ask what the specific alloy is. Overseas, PT900 is common. It's less platinum content than PT950 but I'd actually prefer PT900 to PT950 if the alloying metal for both is Iridium, because PT950/Ir is kind of soft and scratches & bends easier than PT900/Ir. My own wedding band is PT950/Ru, very nice durability. As for the diamond grading, GIA or AGS labs are what most US sellers use; if it's anything else, start asking questions because that could really affect your price comparisons. Don't know if a Japanese maker would use them, but for example the EGL is more "optimistic" so an equivalent grade from them is usually a lesser quality stone worthy of less money (some say ~30%). I'm not an expert though. Hopefully that particular cousin is trustworthy (doesn't everyone have one or two who aren't?) and can get you hooked up. Good luck with the ball & chain!

 

[barrelntrigger]

It's been almost 10 years since I bought wifey's ring so I guess I can't comment on current prices, other than to suggest looking on Blue Nile and comparing. If it's a friend/family price it should be within some reasonable spitting distance of BN prices, just my opinion. Platinum settings can make the diamonds' color deviation from white more obvious, but this depends how closely you look or how picky you are. I shopped around a bunch and with my unaided eyes in a platinum setting, H color had the slightest noticeable tint to me, so I went with G. My opinion is don't go worse than a G with a platinum setting. In yellow gold settings it might be less critical, but my wife only had two requests: 1. platinum and 2. "sparkly." VS1 or VS2 is fine; you're not going to see those flaws without a loupe. Start getting into SI and some of those are not eye clean to me. I was obsessive about it- eventually bought mine through BN and spent hours combing through their online GIA reports for the center diamond (wifey's is one bigger stone in the middle with smaller channel set diamonds down the sides) looking for one where the noted inclusions/flaws were further towards the outer periphery of the stone and therefore tougher to notice with a round ideal cut. But I basically went with round ideal cut, G color, VS1, then figured out how much mass I could afford within my budget, and went a little over. LOL. It's only money, and it's only once.

I don't know if it's relevant that the ring would be made in Japan as long as the metal in the setting is a good platinum alloy and the stones have a report from a reputable lab. They may do some things differently though, so ask questions of your cousin so you know what you're getting. The platinum standard in the US is PT950 (95% platinum and 5% other alloying metal, typically either Iridium, Ruthenium, or Cobalt). Ask what the specific alloy is. Overseas, PT900 is common. It's less platinum content than PT950 but I'd actually prefer PT900 to PT950 if the alloying metal for both is Iridium, because PT950/Ir is kind of soft and scratches & bends easier than PT900/Ir. My own wedding band is PT950/Ru, very nice durability. As for the diamond grading, GIA or AGS labs are what most US sellers use; if it's anything else, start asking questions because that could really affect your price comparisons. Don't know if a Japanese maker would use them, but for example the EGL is more "optimistic" so an equivalent grade from them is usually a lesser quality stone worthy of less money (some say ~30%). I'm not an expert though. Hopefully that particular cousin is trustworthy (doesn't everyone have one or two who aren't?) and can get you hooked up. Good luck with the ball & chain!

Oh wow! Thanks for the wealth of information, bro! Thanks for suggesting Blue Nile. I've never heard of this site before. I've looked at some of the options and I felt I really need some time to dig through all the information aka doing my home work before I'll feel comfortable to pull the trigger. To my honest, I feel a bit overwhelmed with all this bling...I've never owned any bling before in my life...I feel like it's just easier to call up my cousin and place the order and get it over and done with! But that's a stupid notion to have. So, after looking at the site for a few minutes and playing around with the settings, I feel like the total price for 3 rings is pretty reasonable at $4k since a men's wedding band in platinum cost around $800 to $1k and the engagement ring looks to go around $1,800, plus the bride's wedding band is around $500 to $1k. UGHHH! All the numbers and all the $ is making my head spin!!! I think I'm gonna go to bed and forget about all of this stuff for the night. Thanks again!

Oh, I believe the standard his company uses is GIG.

 

[Fueco]

1960s Jantzen sweater, at least that's what the label tells me.

 

[barrelntrigger]

Ahhhh ****, now I see why you guys would think it's gonna be a shot gun wedding with this stupid ass line, "So, it turns out I'm getting married before the end of the year, like for realz this time, not like I want to get married..."

WTF is wrong with me???!!! What I meant to say was we've finally planned to get marry by the end of this year or early next year. I'm really set on this whole marriage thingy with my fiance (yes, she's a champ for accepting my proposal without an engagement ring, for now [I know, shocking, right??!!!

] at the ready cuz we've just got a place...) and it's not like I'm contemplating with the idea of marriage, I really really really want to! REALLY!!!

Damn, sorry for the confusing...Now, I feel really like a jack ass...

 

[Fueco]

Ahhhh ****, now I see why you guys would think it's gonna be a shot gun wedding with this stupid ass line, "So, it turns out I'm getting married before the end of the year, like for realz this time, not like I want to get married..."

WTF is wrong with me???!!! What I meant to say was we've finally planned to get marry by the end of this year or early next year. I'm really set on this whole marriage thingy with my fiance (yes, she's a champ for accepting my proposal without an engagement ring, for now [I know, shocking, right??!!!

] at the ready cuz we've just got a place...) and it's not like I'm contemplating with the idea of marriage, I really really really want to! REALLY!!!

Damn, sorry for the confusing...Now, I feel really like a jack ass...

Confusing like the rest of your life, brother...

 

[barrelntrigger]

Hey guys, so ever since I've lost 30 lbs. my size 34, 1967, LVC is too big in the waist for me for about 1.5 inches to 2, and I had the same problem with my size 30, Civilianaire. I was pretty bummed because I really like those jeans. I was thinking about selling those two until I had the crazy idea of hot soaking them both and now, BOTH OF THEM HAVE SHRINK TO FIT MY SIZE 31/32 WAIST!!! Well, the size 34 LVC is still about 1/2 inch too large in the waist but that's not a big deal. So those of you who are facing the same issue of having your favorite pair of jeans a bit large in the waist, just do a hot soak, hang dry and your jeans should shrink a bit in the waist! Pass it on! I'm super stoked!!!

 

[ScottW]

...I felt I really need some time to dig through all the information aka doing my home work before I'll feel comfortable to pull the trigger. To my honest, I feel a bit overwhelmed with all this bling...I've never owned any bling before in my life...I feel like it's just easier to call up my cousin and place the order and get it over and done with! But that's a stupid notion to have.
...
Oh, I believe the standard his company uses is GIG.

Yup, it's a lot of info to process, but you're going to be wearing and looking at this bling EVERY DAY UNTIL DEATH DO YOU PART; making an informed purchase will make you happier in the long run. The corollary is that the more you know, the more you feel justified in spending more. At a certain point you can just say "it's only a stone." And the finest cigars are still just tubes of rolled up leaves, etc.

And I don't think GIG is a thing. He probably said IGI, which like EGL is reputed to be more optimistic than GIA grading. I am not an expert but I'd suggest you use the googles and do some reading. You are not getting a better deal by buying a non-GIA diamond, you're just buying slightly less quality at the same grade due to the other labs' generally looser standards. If you're comparison shopping I'd factor in one letter in color and one grade in clarity to account for said looseness. They fudge cut/polish/symmetry a little bit too. Anyway, an IGI/EGL graded VS2 and G color is probably more conservatively a GIA SI1 and H. I'd want to be sure that the color didn't have visible tint against platinum, and that the inclusion(s) were not visible without magnification. Within a particular lab the color grading should be consistent, but if your cousin can hand pick one within your grade/budget constraints that has the least noticeable flaws in terms of number/size/location, that would be cool.

 

[chiron]



Ahhhh ****, now I see why you guys would think it's gonna be a shot gun wedding with this stupid ass line, "So, it turns out I'm getting married before the end of the year, like for realz this time, not like I want to get married..."

WTF is wrong with me???!!! What I meant to say was we've finally planned to get marry by the end of this year or early next year. I'm really set on this whole marriage thingy with my fiance (yes, she's a champ for accepting my proposal without an engagement ring, for now [I know, shocking, right??!!!

] at the ready cuz we've just got a place...) and it's not like I'm contemplating with the idea of marriage, I really really really want to! REALLY!!!

Damn, sorry for the confusing...Now, I feel really like a jack ass...

 

[Lirum]

Turns out those heavy wool trousers are vintage (need to figure out when) German military. Worth not returning to GW at least, so that's nice.

Also, thanks on the heads up about the Brioni SC! Much better than an orphan.

 

[barrelntrigger]

Yup, it's a lot of info to process, but you're going to be wearing and looking at this bling EVERY DAY UNTIL DEATH DO YOU PART; making an informed purchase will make you happier in the long run. The corollary is that the more you know, the more you feel justified in spending more. At a certain point you can just say "it's only a stone." And the finest cigars are still just tubes of rolled up leaves, etc.

And I don't think GIG is a thing. He probably said IGI, which like EGL is reputed to be more optimistic than GIA grading. I am not an expert but I'd suggest you use the googles and do some reading. You are not getting a better deal by buying a non-GIA diamond, you're just buying slightly less quality at the same grade due to the other labs' generally looser standards. If you're comparison shopping I'd factor in one letter in color and one grade in clarity to account for said looseness. They fudge cut/polish/symmetry a little bit too. Anyway, an IGI/EGL graded VS2 and G color is probably more conservatively a GIA SI1 and H. I'd want to be sure that the color didn't have visible tint against platinum, and that the inclusion(s) were not visible without magnification. Within a particular lab the color grading should be consistent, but if your cousin can hand pick one within your grade/budget constraints that has the least noticeable flaws in terms of number/size/location, that would be cool.

Yes, I totally understand! Like, we are nothing but flesh and bones and blah blah, walking chemical reactions, yeah?



Totally miss used that meme! But oh well!

Allow me to clarify, my cousin's company uses IGI (International Gemology Institution) labs which certify gems using the GIA standard. When I ask for all the deets, I'll make sure to request the GIA certifications.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_clarity

From my understanding, EGL use looser standards by certifying lesser quality stones at a higher standard in order to inflate the value therefore, consumers pay a higher price for lesser quality stones.

http://www.truthaboutdiamonds.com/truth-about/diamond-certificates-gia-ags-igi-hrd-egl/egl/

Thank you for all the deets! I will make sure to read more on the subject! Also, thanks to Chiron for PMing me with some useful links!

If any of you gents have experience with diamonds please feel free to chime in!

 

[SpooPoker]

Barrel, Im going to have a friend here on the forum PM you.

 

[donjuan17]



Barrel, Im going to have a friend here on the forum PM you.

Is it @in stitches

 

[SpooPoker]



Is it @in stitches

Correct.

 

[barrelntrigger]

Barrel, Im going to have a friend here on the forum PM you.

But Uncle Spoo...

 

[SpooPoker]

Dude isnt it 4am there? GO TO BED!