New Hope?

I just went to a new store today with a friend of mine who's also looking at engagement rings. I looked at their website and they had a surprisingly decent inventory of GIA/AGS graded diamonds (not sure of the authenticity). I asked to see some of the GIA diamonds as my friend was looking at the GS (GemScan) ones. They told me they did not have any in the store, but could bring in ones for me to see. So I gave them my specs and they put in an order for me. We'll see how that goes. But their prices seemed decent. Now I have to research if this place is authentic or not.

After ring shopping with my friend several times, I realized that I'm really picky when it comes to diamonds. Perhaps, obssessive. My friend brought along another friend who had already bought a ring for his girlfriend. While the three of us were looking at the rings in that store, it seemed like I was the only one who actually put thought and cared about the actual specs of the ring, the symmetry, what colour grade, and not just the price! When I asked for GIA stones, they thought oh what's the difference besides the fact that they cost twice as much? And maybe there isn't much of a difference, but to know that I will buy a diamond that is graded by one of the strictest, prestigious diamond governing bodies, makes me that much more comfortable.

They even fell for the sales trick "look at all of them, aren't they just shiny? You wouldn't regret picking any one of them!" Obviously, because you have a zillion spot lights shining on them. Even crystals will look shiny under those conditions. My friend only paid attention to the price and as long as it was reasonable specs, he was okay with it. He ended up picking a SI2, E colour, 1 carat, while a G colour, VS2, 1 carat only cost a fraction more. He looked at all of the loose diamonds before I met up with him and he advised me they were perfect. I looked at hte SI2 and immediately saw a feather and an inclusion right at the dead center of the diamond...

Ah well, as long as he's happy (and let's hope his future fiance too), then that's all that matters. I guess I put myself through way too much in choosing this diamond ring. But hey, at the end of the day, that's what matters to me and I want to find The Perfect Ring ... =P