This decision to purchase the ring and propose was very, very, very easy (as well it should), but finding the right ring required a lot more time, energy, and money (lots of it) than I expected. I regularly had to lie to my SO about staying late at work (when I was just taking the Metro to another jewelry store) or seeing a good friend from home to watch a football game at Rhino’s in Georgetown (when I was visiting several stores in four hours). When a friend would call and ask how the shopping process was going I had to give short and ambiguous answers because my SO was in the next room. I sent cryptic emails to friends and family. Researching the science and business of diamonds had to be done at alternate Internet terminals. All calls from jewelry stores were forwarded to my cell phone. I told a fellow couple while we are at a Nationals’ game and my SO was getting food.
Secretly asking my SO’s parents for permission required the same dexterity. I asked the mom while my SO was upstairs and asked the dad while my SO was inside the car. When my SO asked what her dad and I were talking about, I told her we were just talking about how great she is (all the while not making eye contact with her because I am the worst liar). In Swahili, it’s called “Cariboo Sahna” – (cutting it) very close. While I alerted those closest to us, I, in my typical way, over-researched diamonds and quickly learned the 4 C’s. When buying a diamond, determine what you can spend and then balance the size and quality. A larger stone isn’t necessarily a better stone because it may not have great clarity or color grades. Imperfections that decrease the clarity grade are typically only visible under 10x magnification and a trained eye, just as lower color grades usually aren’t too noticeable unless the diamond is placed next to stones of other color grades. However, when the ring is appraised, the clarity and color matter.
With my carat weights (which is not the diamond’s actual size), clarity and color grading scales, and required princess cut in mind, I was ready for some market research. I joked about buying a cubic zirconium stone on the basis that my SO should love me enough not to get it appraised, but it’s much easier to buy the real thing, lest I want to fear walking the entire plank each second we’re together.
That ring is not going anywhere.
I asked for suggestions from some friends and family and was told of a few stores, but most disturbingly my friends told me of several shady people to contact for a “really good deal”. Nevermind if I wanted to make a deal I’d have to be frisked, repeat a password, complete a secret handshake, and forget where I was the moment I left. I thought it was in my best interest (as in my life) not to deal with those people and find a reputable retailer. For the record, BlueNile.com didn’t beat most of the diamonds I saw and it’s crazy to mail your expensive diamond back to get it fixed, etc.; all the more reason to deal with a storefront. As part of the most important advertising demographic (male, 18-34), it was impossible to avoid hearing about several places to purchase a diamond as they all claim to be the biggest diamond importer and/or seller in the DC area.
After my “late day at work” alibi, I rode the Metro and started at the Jewelry Factory in Bethesda. Afterall, its ad shows smiling people who constantly wave for the last 10 seconds of the commercial so that effort at least deserves a visit. I knew it wasn’t the fanciest dealer, but it’s my first stop. All of my questions were answered and I received good attention, but I had to see what else was out there. The diamond that was offered was the right size and cut, but I felt I could find one with better clarity for the same price.A week and a half later, I was supposedly watching a Penn State game with my friend, but instead drove to Mazza Gallerie to checkout the diamonds there. I immediately dismissed Tiffany’s because there’d be a 20% markup just on the name. Tiffany’s is the best choice for silver, but a little blue box doesn’t make the actual diamond any better. I’ve always wondered if you could purchase a blue box and put some other jeweler’s jewelry inside to make it appear more valuable. One time in high school, I bought a girl some earrings, but didn’t like the box they came in from Bloomies, so I took one from my mom’s dresser, placed the earrings in the new one, and gave it to her. Well she really liked them…little did I know my $30 earrings came across as $100 earrings in their new box.
Before visiting any of the big advertisers, I went inside the mall to see if a random store would have a decent diamond selection. I took a chance on Charles Schwartz & Company (CS&C) figuring it didn’t have to advertise as much to gain steady business, or so I told myself. It looked nice enough from the outside so what the heck? I immediately felt comfortable and got a good vibe. From the fancy (and clean!) display cases to the fact it has been in business in some form or another since 1888 and it had “Schwartz” in the name (and we know diamonds), I took a seat and checked out the inventory. The sales associate was really knowledgeable and created a pressure-free environment. I made the mistake of telling him what I was looking to spend at the start (a big no-no), but the diamond he showed me was perfect. It had a spectacular cut, higher color and clarity grades than the Jewelry Factory’s offering, and was less expensive. I told him it looks like the perfect diamond, but I wanted to see what else was out there. He implored me to look around so I left (I did say pressure-free) knowing that that really was IT, but I had to compare for my sanity and wallet’s sake.
Step 1: Wear sunglasses to protect eyes from sparkles.
Step 2: Look at ring. And yes, I really took this picture of my, I mean her ring.
Step 2: Look at ring. And yes, I really took this picture of my, I mean her ring.
I went north to my second oversaturated advertising store…Ronnie Mervis or (Murvis). He has a unique accent and also claims (along with the Jewelry Factory, Charleston Alexander, and the Tiny Jewelry Box) to be a top diamond importer in DC. Before getting to the diamonds, I had to be let in by a rent-a-cop through two sets of doors. I’m all for jewelry store security, but entering a store should not require a manual. After waiting longer than I should, the diamond seller lead me to a small, glass-enclosed room where I was eventually shown diamonds. This reminded me too much of the glass offices in a car dealership. That, combined with the diamond selection that was of less quality than CS&C, only contained one diamond within 0.3 carats of the CS&C choice, Ronny Murvis had lost my business well before I figured out that I had to wait for the first door to close before the second would open.I was hungry so I decided to check Charleston Alexander’s inventory online and drove home for some food (since I would have ate at the bar).
I stopped at the McDonald’s near the White Flint Metro. Armed with superior diamond knowledge and marketplace research, I took a chance at Princess Jewelers in the adjacent shopping center. I didn’t get any positive feeling from the start especially when I compared the décor at CS&S to this retailer. Nevertheless, I sat down to see what they had. Though the salesman asked if I knew something about diamonds and I told him “yes”, he still felt the need to give me his sales pitch. I put up with the talk only to find diamonds that were of less quality than CS&S and weren’t much in terms of savings. Just as my gut instinct had told me, CS&S had won my engagement ring business. I briefly considered running to NYC’s 47th street to see what the tribe had to offer, but the logistics and alibi weren’t worth the trouble.
I returned home and quickly kissed my SO before heading upstairs to change. Because I had not gone to the bar, I didn’t have the requisite smoke smell and her nose would detect my lie in an instant. I made it upstairs, took a shower, and changed my clothes to ensure a clean alibi (hardy har har har). I gleefully called CS&C on Monday to tell them I’d return the next day to place my deposit. The stone cost a little more than I was budgeting for, but because this is something I’m going to have to look at everyday for the rest of my life, I’d hate it if I could think, “gee, if only I had spent that extra money, I would’ve have had an even better diamond.”
Just like purchasing a home, spend as much as you can because it’s something important to you that you’ll be dealing with everyday for the rest of your life. I picked up the ring a few days later and it looked spectacular! I had my solitaire princess cut diamond on a size six platinum band (just as she slyly made it clear would be the right ring for her). The story of the engagment later this week...
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