I also bought my wife's engagement ring at Blue Nile. The site does a great job of educating you on carats, diamond quality, colors, and parts of the ring. And it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. It's a trusted site and I would recommend you go to their site, even if it's just to read up on all their content. Good luck! EDIT: Should have read the update from OP. Congrats! For anyone in the market for a new ring, I'll keep my advice up.
Made my wife really happy, thus not a waste of money. I'm sorry your experiences has made you so cynical. I went strong on color/clarity rather than a gaudy carat size. Sparkle sparkle.
Jonathan's Jewelers on Richmond near Fountainview is pretty good for diamonds and/or custom made rings.
Just wanted to revive this thread since I'm in the market for a ring and have checked out various vendors including Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, & Shaftel. The first 2 were fairly expensive and had better polish/symmetry grades for cushion cut diamonds. However, Shaftel actually had the stones in-house and I could pick out an eye-brilliant ring that looked great, was less expensive, but had a lower color & polish/symmetry grade. Was wondering if anyone had good experiences with these stores or could share any helpful tips? Thanks in advance.
Are you pretty much set on a cushion cut? What's your budget? I'm not familiar with those vendors, but I know a jeweler who is in the process of retiring out in Cypress if you're interested. I bought a 2ct radiant cut from her for less than her cost. I did visit with Jonathan too (she actually referred me to him) but I still found her diamonds to be a better value in regards to grade, color, cut, and price. She's my fiance's aunt, so no doubt I can trust her.
I bought my wife's engagement ring from Shaftel, and highly recommend them. I visited white flash as well, but Shaftel was hands down a better experience. I have used Danny at shaftels for several other items since. If need more info, pm me. Good luck! Btw it was a cushion cut diamond as well, and 4 years since the purchase she stil gets compliments all the time.
