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Buyer’s Guide For Engagement Rings & Diamonds
Based upon the many questions we receive about diamonds and engagement rings, we thought it was important to create a buyer’s guide for engagement rings & diamonds. Since many of people shopping for engagement rings and diamonds are first time shoppers, they are going to have questions that need to be answered. We take diamond education very seriously here at Secret Diamond and so should you. We understand that not everyone out there is a diamond expert and shopping for a diamond can be very confusing the first time you do it. Quite frankly, shopping for engagement rings can be pretty confusing too, especially if you are not familiar with all of the engagement ring terms like "Solitaire" or "Filigree" or "Milgrain". Many people that are in the market to purchase an engagement ring or even diamond stud earrings, have never owned a diamond in their life. And even if you consider yourself a pretty knowledgeable person when it comes to diamonds, reading our "Buyer’s Guide For Engagement Ring & Diamond Shoppers" may help you brush up a bit. Although this guide can’t possibly teach you everything you need to know about diamonds and engagement rings, it will be a very good start on the basics. It will include enough information so that you can start to shop with confidence knowing that you understand what makes a diamond desirable and what is truly a good deal on a quality diamond engagement ring. Come with us as we explore the world of diamonds and help you search for the "Perfect Engagement Ring" for your bride-to-be.
The Diamonds & Engagement Rings Budget Decision
Without a doubt, the first step in purchasing diamonds or engagement rings is to determine how much you are planning to spend. How much you can spend and how much you are going to spend may be 2 different amounts. Although many grooms would like to buy their new bride the biggest, nicest engagement ring that money can buy, the reality is that you may have to settle for something less. Good quality diamonds with a larger carat weight can get rather expensive. (And don’t forget to add the cost of the engagement ring setting) Try not to spend more than you can comfortably afford without going in to much debt if you can help it. Although you could certainly consider taking out an engagement ring loan, starting off a new marriage with the extra added stress of living in debt is not necessarily the best idea. Believe it or not, many couples decide to spend less on their diamond engagement ring than they actually can afford. They may be opting to allocate the money saved on something else, like their new home together or a much needed new car. Or perhaps they have decided to spend more money on the honeymoon or the wedding. Investing the money saved or putting it in the bank for a "rainy day", may not be a bad idea either. Whatever the case may be, deciding on your diamonds and engagement ring budget is the first decision you will have to make when getting engaged.
The Engagement Ring Setting
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In most cases, the price of the diamond in your diamond engagement ring is going to account for the majority of the cost, with some exceptions. A Diamond engagement ring really consists of 2 parts, the center diamond and the engagement ring setting. In most cases there is also a 3rd part, the wedding band. However the wedding band is often purchased at a later date and you may have extra time to save for it. However many styles of engagement rings are available in matching engagement ring sets (matching wedding band included) that you can purchase at the same time. If you can afford to purchase both at the same time, you may ask if there is a price break for doing so. It may also be beneficial to purchase both the engagement ring and the wedding band at the same time to make sure they fit together perfectly. But for now, we will just stick to the diamond engagement ring portion of your purchase. Again, the diamond will often account for the majority of the cost. Exceptions will start to take place if you are purchasing an antique or vintage style engagement ring with a lot of extra carat weight of diamonds in the ring itself. Also, some types of engagement ring styles will have very detailed hand engraving, filigree or milgrain details. The more intricate your engagement ring gets, usually the more expensive it gets. Another potential significant cost to your engagement ring setting is the type of precious metal you choose. 14 Karat Gold Engagement Rings will be the most affordable option, in either white or yellow gold. 18 karat gold engagement rings will usually cost a little bit more. ($200 more per ring at www.SecretDiamond.com) That’s because an engagement ring made from 18k gold will have more gold in the ring. 14k gold engagement rings are approximately 58% gold, and 18k gold rings will be 75% gold. More gold in the ring, increases the cost of the ring. That is also why an engagement ring with a thicker band will cost more. The thicker the band, the more gold that is required to make it. The same principal applies to Platinum engagement ring settings. Platinum is the rarest metal on Earth, therefor it is very expensive. A simple solitaire engagement ring setting made in platinum, can increase the cost of the ring by $300 to $500. And if you are buying a platinum ring with a thicker style band, the cost can go up another $1500 to $2500. I have even seen platinum engagement ring settings cost as much as $10,000 with out a center diamond even included yet. Many times they may also have a significant amount of accent diamonds too, which contributes to the overall cost. That is the #1 reason why many people choose not to buy platinum engagement ring settings. A solitaire engagement ring setting will be your most economical choice. Typically they are not overly thick, and a solitaire engagement ring won’t have any accent diamonds to drive up the cost of the setting. So if you buy a solitaire setting, you will have 3 things that save you money. They are thinner, not intricately designed, and have no accent diamonds to drive up the overall cost. Three things that will all save you money. And please don’t feel that you are settling for anything less if you buy a solitaire engagement ring. They have a very simple form of classical elegance to them that has always been very popular in the past, and will always be very popular in the future. Besides, you will have more money left over to spend on the center diamond itself. You can get a bigger and/or nicer diamond. Many couples decide to purchase a solitaire engagement ring band so they can afford a bigger/nicer diamond, and then buy a fancy engagement ring setting in the future when they can afford it easier.
Next we will discuss the all important diamond purchase. Make sure to come back and read the upcoming section of our guide because buying the best diamond for your money is easy to do once you learn how. We will teach what the most important factors are when selecting your center diamond, and teach you a few tricks on how to save some cash.
Independent GIA Appraisals and Independent GIA Certificates
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It seems that some people searching for diamond engagement rings are becoming a little confused over the term Independent GIA Appraisals and Independent GIA Certificates. We have been asked a lot lately if there is such a thing as an "Independent" Gia Appraisal/Certification. The short and easy answer is No.
You have a contradiction in terms when you say the words "Independent" and "GIA certified" in the same description. You see you are probably thinking the word "independent" is being used by the diamond merchant to reference GIA as the independent source of the certificate or appraisal he will furnish you with. However the diamond merchant may very well be using the word "Independent" to describe a certificate or appraisal that will be furnished by someone completely other than GIA. The only reason he is including GIA in the same sentence, is because he is twisting the real meaning to fool you.
You see this diamond merchant knows very well that you are probably trying to teach yourself all about diamonds, by reading everything you can find about diamonds online. And you are probably trying your very best to make sure you get the nicest diamond for the most affordable price. You don’t want to be the one to get rip-offed. I mean who does?
So as you start to browse through the thousands of pages available online to learn about diamonds and engagement rings, you probably start to hear about "GIA Certified Diamonds". There is no doubt that you will hear nothing but good words about GIA certified diamonds. This is because GIA certified diamonds will command the highest price of any type of certified diamond. GIA certified diamonds are the"Gold Standard" when it comes to buying diamonds.
So most people will start to search for diamond engagement rings with GIA certified diamonds. As you browse through the many diamond businesses online and start to see their prices on GIA certified diamonds, most people start to become a little surprised to say the least. You probably have already started to learn a little bit about diamonds by now, so you look for diamonds with good color, good clarity and good cut grade, along with the carat weight you had your heart set on. When you start to see the prices for GIA certified diamonds with all of the characteristics that you desire, most people become very surprised at how expensive they are. After all, you are not in the diamond business and it may very well be the first time buying diamonds for you, so who can blame you for being a little bit surprised to learn that a 1 1/2 carat round brilliant diamond can cost easily $14,000 for something along the lines of an F/SI1 with "Ideal Cut". (That doesn’t include an actual engagement ring setting yet) Now let’s add a setting to that. If you just want a simple & traditional solitaire setting, you are in luck. You are probably only going to have to add a couple hundred bucks to that. But if you want something with some diamonds on it, like the antique or vintage inspired rings that are so popular today, you are probably going to have to add a couple of thousand dollars more to the cost of the center diamond. Thousands of dollars more if you buy the setting from a jewelry store. (And certainly thousands of dollars more for the center diamond if you buy THAT from a jewelry store too) I mean you could easily spend $20,000 on an engagement ring with those specs in any jewelry store. (So much for that idea!) I don’t care if you have the $20,000 to spend, who wants to spend that kind of money on an engagement ring in today’s economic climate. Put it in the bank or invest it, you might need it.
OK. Now if you are like me, you say to yourself, "I don’t believe it, I am going to shop around and find a steal of a bargain. It must be out there somewhere! There is now way every diamond business is charging that kind of money!"
So you keep looking, and yet you still keep seeing pretty much the same prices. You see, the prices on GIA certified diamonds are all going to be very similar online. That’s because you are seeing pretty much the same diamonds and GIA certified diamond prices are "Regulated" so to speak by Rapaport. It’s kind of like the "Blue Book" of car values. The only difference in price you will see is in the markup. And this difference will be very little because you are buying your diamond online and the prices of GIA diamonds online are already marked up VERY LITTLE as opposed to your local jewelry store. So there is not a whole lot of room to discount GIA certified diamonds. The margins are pretty small. You also need to know that the diamonds you are seeing on these diamond websites are not their diamonds. They are part of a national database that is uploaded to their website. You could find the exact same diamond on many different websites. All of those websites that are offering that diamond for sale are buying it from the cutter for the same price, and then marking it up to you as a retail transaction. No-one actually has the diamond in their possession. It is just sitting at the diamond cutter and whoever sells it first, gets it. That’s why it’s always important to call first if you find a diamond online, to see if it is still available. It may have been sold by another diamond website company. I have heard stories from people that purchased a diamond from an online database, only to receive a call from the retailer saying that the diamond has "Just been sold". What they are really saying is that another website sold it before we could. (We actually have our clarity enhanced diamonds in inventory-That’s very rare in a diamond business)
Then all of the sudden "Presto" just like magic, a GIA certified diamond for only a couple thousand dollars. (Or so you think!)
You can’t believe your eyes! The secret source that you have been searching for has just appeared right before you very eyes. You knew that if you searched the internet long enough, it would magically appear sooner or later. You look at the website and it even says that the diamonds come with an "Independent GIA Appraisal" Could this really be? GIA certified diamonds for thousands of dollars less than EVERYWHERE else? Then the skeptic in you kicks in. I better call them and ask a few questions just to make sure. So you call. Yep, sure enough, the person on the phone tells you that your diamond will come with an "Indepenent GIA appraisal". Holy Toledo Batman, you just found the Magic source. Sherlock Homes would be proud of you.
There is just one small little catch though. The diamond has "Been Cleaned Up With A Laser" you know, the same kind you might find in a dermatologist’s office, or for laser eye surgery.
Well that doesn’t seem like such a big deal, after all, technology has come such a long way. Certainly they can do it to diamonds too. It’s still a GIA certified diamond you think to yourself. After all, the guy on the phone told you that it comes with an Independent GIA Appraisal. How could that be twisted around? So now you embark on even more research before you actually but that "GIA certified diamond". You find that there are these things called clarity enhanced diamonds. You may also find that a "Laser Drilled" diamond may be certified by GIA, and they are also referred to as clarity enhanced diamonds. "That must be the diamond that this guy is selling me", you start to think. But that is still not a big deal, because it is still a good deal, and "Laser Drilled" diamonds are still pretty valuable. This guy must just have a really good source that allows him to sell them for thousands of dollars less than EVERYWHERE ELSE.
Well Sherlock Homes, I am going to let you in on a little secret. The diamond he is selling you is not a GIA certified diamond. As a matter of fact, it has not been certified by GIA at all. It’s not even a "Laser Drilled" Diamond. It is clarity enhanced though. But it’s a "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond. The only reason he is using the phrase "Independent GIA Appraisal" is because it was certified by a company that has a GIA graduate gemologist on staff, that certifies the diamonds. It’s a twist on definitions. You see the diamond is not GIA certified, the gemologist is. He went to GIA to get his/her graduate gemologist degree, and now he/she is a "Graduate GIA Gemologist". Some diamond ring companies like to conveniently refer to him/her as a "Certified GIA Gemologist". GET THE PICTURE
The bad news is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and what your mom taught you is true. "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".
Just like everything else in the world, you get what you pay for when you buy a diamond.
The good news is that a "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond can truly be a good deal and still look extremely beautiful. There is nothing wrong with that. You will pay thousands of dollars less and you will get a good deal on a nice looking diamond. But don’t let yourself be fooled in to thinking that you are buying some magically discounted GIA certified diamond. It doesn’t exist. But you are certainly welcome to keep trying.
If you really want a GIA certified diamond and you are willing to pay for it, then call us at 651-263-5121. We have access to the same diamond databases that you see on all of the other websites out there. We will find you that GIA certified diamond for a very fair price. But we won’t try to fool you in to thinking you are buying a GIA certified, "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond. You may want to read more about "Fracture-Filled versus Laser Drilled" clarity enhanced diamond here.
Diamonds & Engagement Rings Require Maintenance
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Although I am sure you have heard that a diamond can last forever and that they are the hardest known substance on earth, you might be surprised to learn that they are not indestructible. Diamonds & engagement rings require maintenance in order to preserve their beauty and prevent damage from occurring. Surprisingly the person you may trust the most to handle your diamonds properly, may also be the person that is most likely to chip or crack your diamond.
An interesting fact: A diamond can be the most vulnerable to chipping or cracking while it is being set by the jeweler. This happens to be particularly true with Princess Cut Diamonds. The thinnest and most vulnerable part of a Princess Cut Diamond is at the girdle & corners of the diamond.
If the jeweler presses too hard on the prongs while setting the diamond, he or she can chip off a corner of the diamond. You may also be surprised to learn that there is probably more diamonds damaged this way, than by their owners wearing them. If you bring your engagement ring to a jeweler to be worked on, you should always insist on inspecting the diamond and engagement ring under magnification before you accept the repair. Be sure to inspect the diamond at it’s corners and edges, and look at the prongs for possible stress fractures. You may also want to examine micropave diamonds to see if they are loose or crooked.
HELPFUL DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING TIP: This method can be used to see if you have a loose diamond. Place your diamond engagement ring up to your ear. Keep your fingers on the metal portion of your engagement ring and off the diamond/diamonds that you are checking. Then tap the engagement ring with your index finger and listen closely for any rattling. It may help to use a fingernail if you can. If you hear any rattling, then you may have a loose diamond.
As unfortunate as it may be, some jewelers have been known to hide minor chips under the prongs, only to be noticed by the diamond’s owner weeks or months later.
If you own a laser inscribed GIA or EGL certified diamond, also make sure to look under magnification for the inscription on the diamond before you accept your diamond to make sure it’s yours. Many people can tell you a horror story or two about how a dishonest jeweler switched their high quality diamond with a diamond of lower quality and less value. Of course there is also the possibility that a jeweler makes an honest mistake and places the wrong diamond back in your engagement ring.
Proper Diamond Jewelry & Engagement Rings Storage
Although I am sure your engagement ring is beautiful and very special to you, there may come a time when you need to take it off. As much as you probably don’t want to take it off, if you are about to do something that could be harmful to your engagement ring, you will need to take it off your finger and place it somewhere for safekeeping. If you just place it on a counter, you probably won’t need to do much except place it on a soft material and make sure you can’t knock it off the counter very easily. (watch out for toilets and sink drains. I am sure you have heard a story or two about someone knocking their ring in to one of them) However if you have a jewelry box that you like to store your ring in along with other jewelry, you will need to wrap it in a soft cloth to prevent damage to your ring and other jewelry. The diamond in your engagement ring can scratch your other jewelry, and if you are also storing other diamond jewelry in the same place, the diamonds can actually damage each other. Just the metal in the jewelry can scratch each other too.
A couple of things to consider: You may want to consider keeping valuable jewelry or jewelry that has sentimental value (especially if you seldom wear it) in a secure place such as a safe deposit box. Burglars or thieves will often look in obvious places like jewelry boxes or drawers first in search of valuable items like jewelry. Jewelry is a very desirable target for theft because it is easy to grab or stuff in a pocket and can be extremely valuable.
Did you know that you should have your diamond engagement ring inspected twice a year? A diamond engagement ring should be examined by a professional jeweler every 6 months, or sooner if necessary. If you purchased your engagement ring online and have to send it back to where you purchased it from, you may not want to do it every 6 months. Just make sure you keep a close eye on it and send it back at least every 9 months, or sooner if needed. Diamond engagement rings should never go longer than 12 months without being examined by a professional jeweler.
Unfortunately like I tell my customers. Your engagement ring will look it’s very best the day you buy it. Engagement rings are worn on the hand and can take a lot of abuse. All of the activities of every day life can have an impact on your engagement rings beauty. Just think about how much stuff you put your hands. Lotion, soap, sweat and dirt are just a few of the mild things your engagement ring will encounter. Then there are the every day activities like carrying in the groceries, handling your car keys, digging through your purse, and a million of other things that can affect your engagement rings appearance and performance. YOUR DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING WILL NEED MAINTENANCE, that is a fact and it is absolutely normal. With that said, it doesn’t mean that you should keep your engagement ring on your finger while doing things like gardening, rock climbing, bull riding or ultimate prize fighting. Just using common sense will help protect your diamond engagement ring.
Even though your diamond engagement ring will go through everyday wear and tear, you can keep it looking good for decades to come with proper maintenance. Whenever the customers at Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond send their engagement rings back for any reason, we always put it through a rigorous inspection. We perform all necessary maintenance issues. We also thoroughly clean, polish, tighten prongs, replace micropave diamonds if needed and re-rhodium white gold engagement rings.
Did you know that you can insure your engagement ring even if you don’t own a home? And you don’t have to buy your engagement ring from a jewelry store to get an engagement ring insurance policy either. The traditional method of insuring an engagement ring against accidental loss or theft was to put it on a homeowners insurance policy. However many new couples just starting out may not own a home yet, or they are not aware of any other methods of insuring their engagement ring. Or they may think it’s just too expensive to insure an engagement ring.
The fact is: Engagement Ring Insurance Is Easy & Engagement Ring Insurance Is Affordable. There is a company online that insures engagement rings for a very reasonable fee. Last time we checked, the cost to insure an engagement ring was approximately 1% of the purchase price. So if you purchase an engagement ring for $3,500 from us, you can insure it for just $35 dollars a year! That’s affordable. The company is called Jewelers Mutual and you can find them at www.jewelersmutual.com. Just call them and ask them how much it is to insure your engagement ring. Their prices may vary a little bit, but whatever the cost is, your engagement ring is worth it.
Questions About Diamonds And Engagement Rings
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Given the fact that many of our customers will often have the same questions about diamonds and engagement rings, we thought that it might be a good idea if we listed some of them here on our blog. Although we will be glad to take as much time as you need to answer all of your questions on the phone, we understand that some people would rather just ask a question anonymously. However we would like to emphasize to you that you will never receive any type of pressure to purchase anything, from the staff at Secret Diamond. We do not want any of our customers to make their purchase from us unless you are absolutely confident that the time is right for you. We are people that have to buy things too, and we don’t like pushy salespeople any more than you do. If you have a question about diamonds that you would like answered, please feel free to call us or write to us at support (at) secretdiamond.com. We will be glad to answer your question in an email or on the phone.
Question: Is a "J" color diamond too yellow?
Answer: The answer to this question is not necessarily written in stone. Although my personal opinion is that a diamond with a "J" color grade is too yellow for my own personal taste, it may not be for everyone. Some people are more sensitive to a yellowish color in a diamond than others. I have actually had customers tell me that they can tell the difference between an "E" color grade diamond, and a perfectly colorless "D" color grade diamond. That is only one color grade difference, and both color grades are extremely free of color. That is a talent that most people do not posses. Even GIA certified gemologists will have to break out a set of "Master Color Stones" to make the call between a D and an E color grade diamond. (It is much easier to tell the difference in 2 color grades of a diamond without the assistance of Master Color Stones) So back to your questions. I personally believe that a "J color grade diamond" is a little bit too yellow for my taste. If you can afford to buy a diamond with a better color grade, I would suggest that you consider it. Although an excellent cut diamond with a "J" color grade can sparkle very nicely, it will typically not look as good as a diamond with a better color grade, and the same excellent cut grade. When considering what metal to use in creating engagement rings with a J colored diamond, it’s best to go with white gold, palladium, or platinum. Avoid the yellow gold. The diamond will reflect the light of the engagement ring setting and your J colored diamond will look much better in a light colored setting than a yellow setting. Also if you think the only way to get affordable engagement rings is to go with a very yellow diamond or very low clarity grade than you have but to look at SecretDiamond.com. We offer incredibly eye clean and bright white diamonds in all of our engagement rings and diamond stud earrings. For a fraction of what you would pay in most jewelry stores.
Question: Why does the cost of a larger diamond increase more than it’s size?
Answer: If you have been shopping for diamonds, you have probably noticed that a diamond with twice the carat weight, can cost 3-4 times as much. The short answer for this is because it is more rare. Larger diamonds with the same quality as smaller diamonds are not as common in nature. Remember, diamonds are not created in a factory with machines. Mother Nature created these sparkling little wonders over the course of millions of years, and she did not make very many big, perfect diamonds. So if you buy a bigger diamond, you are not just getting a bigger price tag. You are also getting a diamond that is much more rare.
Question: When shopping for engagement rings, what does the term "ctw" mean?
Answer. When you see the term "ctw" it is an acronym (or abbreviation) for "carat total weight." You may also see it as "tcw" which means the same thing, except in a different order. The meaning for it this way is "total carat weight." Whatever the number is before the "ctw" is the total weight of diamonds or gemstones in the engagement ring. Don’t get this confused with the carat weight of the center diamond. That should always be listed separately because the center diamond is where the majority of the value is. The larger the center diamond is, the more valuable it is. For example: If you have a ring with 2 carats of total diamond weight, but they are all small diamonds, it won’t be nearly as valuable as a ring that has a single 2 carat diamond. So if a single diamond weighs one carat for instance, it will be worth a lot more than 10 diamonds that total 1 carat.
Question: I understand that a clarity enhanced diamond is graded after the enhancement, but do you know what clarity grade the diamond is before the enhancement?
Answer: Although the clarity grade before the enhancement can vary, a good rule of thumb is that clarity enhancing a diamond will typically increase the clarity grade on average by 2 clarity grades. For Example: An SI2 clarity grade diamond will be enhanced to a VS2 clarity grade and an I1 clarity grade diamond will be enhanced to an SI1 clarity grade diamond. At Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we tend to encourage our customers to steer away from clarity enhanced diamonds that are SI2 after the enhancement process. SI2 grade diamonds are not typically "Eye Clean" and the reason for buying a clarity enhanced diamond in the first place is to buy a larger, "eye-clean" diamond for less money. If you are OK with buying a diamond that has visible clarity flaws, you may as well just buy a diamond that has not been enhanced. Also, the vast majority of clarity enhanced diamonds will be enhanced to a clarity grade of VS2 to SI1. The reason for this is the "2 grade rule." If a diamond is SI2 before enhancing, it will turn out to be VS2. If a diamond is already a SI1 clarity grade, it will most likely already be "Eye-Clean" and there will be no reason to enhance it to VS1. Most diamonds that enhance to the SI1 clarity grade are probably SI3 or I1 clarity grades before the enhancing technique but may also be I2 to start with. A diamond that enhances to SI2 clarity grade was probably an I2 or I3 to begin with. Although the "2 clarity grade" rule is a pretty good one, it is not written in stone. When purchasing a clarity enhanced diamond, it is always recommended that you only deal with a trustworthy company that has the diamond certified by an independent 3rd party. We view it as a conflict of interest when a company that is selling you the diamond, also certifies it. That is kind of like asking the sales person that you just bought a car from, if you got a good deal.
Purchasing Diamonds & Engagement Rings Online
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Over the years we have answered numerous questions from customers about purchasing their diamonds and engagement rings online. It seems that most people are very interested in the idea of buying diamonds or engagement rings online for a couple of reasons. The main reason we hear is that our prices are dramatically less expensive than those of their local jewelry store. This is really not surprising when you consider why. The first reason why we are less expensive is low overhead. We do not have fancy jewelry stores that have a significant amount of overhead. Think about all of the expenses that jewelry stores have that we do not. Many jewelry stores may have only 1 or 2 locations. These stores can only sell to the local customer base, so they have to spend an enormous amount of money on advertising to convince the locals to buy from them instead of online. Typically they are not selling their engagement rings worldwide like we are, and in many cases they may not even have a website to display their diamond rings. At Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we do not spend a single penny on advertising, throughout most of the year. Lets say that a local jewelry store has an advertising budget of $50,000. (Not really that much) Just imagine how many diamonds or engagement rings have to be sold, just to pay for that advertising. Again consider that they are more than likely, only selling to their local customer base. I think you would be surprised to hear how few engagement rings some jewelry stores actually sell. That advertising expense is added to the cost of your diamond engagement ring.
Now also consider the very well known, national jewelry store chains that spend literally millions of dollars a year on advertising. I know they have a lot of stores to spread the expense around to, but I can’t even begin to imagine how many engagement rings they have to sell, just to pay for their advertising. Now add the cost of renting the mall space, the cost of the salespeople, the cost of fancy store displays, the cost of fancy lawyers, fancy accountants, fancy salaries for the fancy corporate executives and so-on, and it is really no wonder why they are SO EXPENSIVE.
The second reason why we are much less expensive is because we work directly with the diamond importers, right at the source. Unlike your typical jewelry store that has maybe 3-4 companies that mark-up the diamond before it gets to them, with Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond you are buying a diamond that has the fewest number of companies marking up the diamond before it gets to you possible! Fewer companies marking up the diamond, means a lower cost to you. Now when you have sold as many diamond engagement rings online worldwide as we have, you have a very large base of happy customers. Just read our testimonials page located at the link below to see what our satisfied customers have to say about our Engagement Rings Store. Also please feel free to visit our Better Business Bureau page to see that we are a proud member of the BBB online, and in excellent standing.
Again this means lower prices to you. Why? Because we receive many sales referred to us by other satisfied customers. Customers that refer us to their family members, co-workers and best friends. In business they say that the best form of advertising is "Word of Mouth" advertising. When we sell an engagement ring to someone that is referred to us by our happy customers, that sale cost us nothing in advertising dollars. That means that we do not have to "Add The Cost Of Advertising" to the price of our engagement rings, which means additional savings to you, our future customer.
We want you to know that at Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we take "Word of Mouth" advertising very seriously. We are very proud of our commitment to our customers (Past, Present and Future Customers) And we want you to know that we will work very hard to earn your trust, and to make you our next satisfied customer. We want to earn YOUR future business, as well as all of the future business you refer to us including YOUR family members, co-workers and friends.
I think it is important to note that this is not an article meant to criticize your local jewelry store. Everyone I know would like to spend their money in a local community business, including us at Secret Diamond. Also, a jewelry store can add a certain value to your engagement ring buying experience. You will actually be able to see, touch, feel and try on the engagement ring before you buy it. And it will most likely be easier to have your engagement ring worked on for routine maintenance, or cleanings without having to ship it back to us. However if you are working with a limited budget, or you have the money & you just don’t want to pay a lot more than you have to, buying diamonds or engagement rings from our online store is without a doubt, the best way to save.
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