I'd make some kind of sarcastic reference starting with the words, "This reminds me of that one time when..." except we haven't done this yet - Part 1

Ah, back in the saddle. As you know (or may not, depending on how much you read before this post) Mr. Fox and I are currently on the subject of marriage. It isn't official, nor is it nailed down, but there is some kind of unspoken acknowledgment between both of us that we are headed in that direction.

Our first day of ring shopping started Oct 2nd of this month. We went to Helzberg Diamonds first. There was a cathedral band I found online with pave set sapphires laid inside it. I really, really wanted that band. The original band came with a round diamond that was about 3/8ths in size.

Let's stop here for a moment: I want to let everyone know that since the Oct. 2nd experience I know waaaaay more about rings than I ever thought I'd care to know. I should start working for GIA (later explained) at this point. I am not trashing Helzberg, but because of the obstacles that came before us I would like to think that I am somewhat savvy on diamonds by this point. When ring shopping, please be aware of these very important tips:

1. Make sure the diamond will fit the band. If you are looking at a band and thinking of upgrading the stone, use common sense (unlike me). Put simply, do not expect a 1 carat stone to fit into a band that held a 3/8ths stone. This is entirely unrealistic. If the salesperson seems happy to oblige you in this task, ask for the expertise of a jeweler. We lost valuable time and made unnecessary trips because the saleswoman at Helzberg told us a .59 carat kite set princess cut (say that 3x fast!) could fit where a 3/8ths round stone had been. We had the manager call us three days later to tell us the jeweler said it wouldn't physically fit into the band. Bummer.

2. Make sure your diamond is certified. Getting a certified diamond is important to many people. It was to us. The princess cut diamond we had initially selected was certified by IGI. We chose a marquise to fit the band after we were told the princess cut wouldn't work. We brought the paperwork for the new diamond home and immediately noticed a sheet of paper that was to be the "certificate" for it. It was from a place called ABI. I called a Helzberg in Santa Clara, CA since I was CST because they were still open. It turns out ABI is Absolute Brilliance Inc, which is a loose diamond vendor that Helzberg uses. This leads me to my third point.

3. Do not accept "certificates" or papers on diamonds that come from the retailer's in-house diamond vendors. These are not certificates. A diamond retailer's vendor will grade a poor quality diamond as much better than it actually is in order to give the diamond vendor a huge markup in the price of the diamond. This was what happened in the case of our marquise. It was a .66 marquise that had an odd yellow tint with a large, white inclusion (mark) across the top of the gem. It was noticeable to the naked eye. They graded the diamond as an SI1, so technically no inclusions should have been visible to the naked eye. Always, always make sure your diamonds are certified by GIA, AGS, EGL, IGI or HRD at the very least. GIA and AGS are the strictest on their grading while EGL, HRD, and IGI tend to be less so. EGL, HRD, and IGI diamonds are often bought by retailers because they can sell lower quality diamonds for higher prices. For example, if an EGL gemologist will grade a diamond with a color between an H and an I as an H, where GIA would grade it as an I (a more yellow diamond).

4. Do your diamond research before buying. We didn't do this and I wish we had. It would have saved a lot of trouble including the trouble we went to when returning the marquise because of the ABI "certification". We must have gone back to Helzberg at least four times, and we're still in the process of looking.

5. Be patient. You'll be going to a lot of stores and seeing a lot of rings. You might know right away that you found "the one!" like I thought I did, but I am currently without that band and diamond due to a set of circumstances beyond my control. Just relax, and enjoy looking at all the pretty bling bling!

Anyhow, wish me luck for my future searches. I'm hitting up Kay's this weekend, so hopefully this will yield some promising results.

<---------- By the way, this is an example of a bad diamond. Even though large, it's yellow and full of dark spots (birthmarks) you can actually see. Make sure to balance quality and size with your budget. You can always go down in size and up in quality!