This commercial has me leaning towards Kay. <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ltA50HKyM14" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This guy is in Houston and is super legit. Go with a round shape and an ideal cut grade. http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/
Obligatory <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pe-UqiLqu2s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Blue Nile vote of confidence. They're legit and have a nice return policy. Their diamonds seem to be properly rated also.
trusted but there is a nice markup on that trust. really, anything in the stores will have a hefty markup in so try to deal with a diamond broker and/or wholesaler...then again, you will need to be able to trust them so if see if you have a referal from a friend, family or co-worker. and yes, stay away from kays, jarred, etc...i will never buy anything from them . Not that i know anything about their quality (which sucks i'm sure) but simply for the reason of i hate their commercials that said...dont do it.
hahaha... 1) Don't do it 2) If you do, don't go to the mall 3) make sure you have her sign something to give it back if it doesn't work out...
Advice - Just keep to your budget http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=217479&title=timing-de-veers-diamonds
I did my shopping at whiteflash.com, and I am very happy with what they provided. They will make your fiancee happy as well as your wallet. You can still stay within your budget, but the quality of the stone will be much higher than retail chains. She will have a blinging diamond because the quality of the cuts will be much better. They are nationally recognized by the true "diamond heads," and they are located right here in Houston. Somewhere along Richmond.
My wife's came from Kay's. She wanted me to buy a specific one there. The nice thing about a large chain like that is they are everywhere. No matter where I move to, there will likely be a Kay's nearby. They guarantee the diamonds, so they replace any that fallout. They clean them for free, and are generally convenient since you usually go to the mall at some point. They also re-dip the ring to ensure its color since White Gold starts to turn yellow. The most important things for you to remember is if she has a preferred place, than go there and the price is negotiable nearly anyplace you go.
If you really want to be smart and impress a "smart" girl; Spend the $5 thousand dollars on the down payment of a house and buy her a moderate ring.
^^^This. that 3 months salary BS is solely about "keeping up with the Joneses"...and one of the best marketing schemes in American history... Look. I understand the need, from a man's perspective, to make that special someone feel like they're being taken care of. But the money people spend (or the CREDIT that people spend) is ridiculous. My old roommate made her fiance save up for a $15K ring before she would set a date. I don't make much but I would imagine that watching $5,000+ of MY dollars vanish over something like that (keeping up appearances) would make me hurl. And it is about that. I bet if pressed, any woman would admit, if it wasn't about "showing it off," they would be just as happy with something smaller/less shiny/extravagant. But i'm not a proponent of marriage in the first place so my opinion doesn't count.
There's a backroom operator in the diamond district here that lots of people I know I know have used - gets a great price w/v little markup off wholesale (cash only...lol)
