<p>Is the setting you are describing like this? [.25CT</a> 14K Diamond Engagement Ring (29765) | diamondswholesaledirect.com](<a href=“http://diamondswholesaledirect.com/?p=362].25CT”>http://diamondswholesaledirect.com/?p=362)</p>
<p>You should consider shopping on the web and then having comparative prices to mention at the jewelers. Also, you can buy the setting and the stone separately, and you can order on line. Just thoughts.</p>
<p>The pattern of the stones is similar to what I’m describing, but other than that it’s not a match. The stones in the ring I looked at were round, the band was solid with no cutouts, and nothing else seems to have that detail of the finish that I really liked. That being said, I have bookmarked a couple of sort of similar designs on Overstock that I can use as bargaining chips, but I am not really seriously enamored with those.</p>
<p>HyperJulie, my DH haggled with our jeweler on the price of my ring. It’s certainly worth a try.</p>
<p>Oh, try I will! I have a decent amount of experience with haggling, but this is the bigtime so we’ll see what happens. I’m just debating how much is wise to go under my target. I want to be reasonable but at the same time get it down to the lowest possible price. I definitely want to start lower and see if they can meet me where I really want to be, but how low can I start without being thrown out? If I reference another ring online with a similar carat weight at $600, is that a reasonable starting place if I want to get to $700?</p>
<p>I would tell them you intended on paying $500 and start from there. I wouldn’t take it for more than 20% off the retail price though.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Blue Nile? We bought diamond earrings for our daughter on Blue Nile and were extremely pleased with the quality and price.</p>
<p>SteveMA - $700 is 20% off retail, so that’s precisely what I was aiming for as my cutoff. 
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<p>Pizzagirl - I have, and surprisingly their settings without the diamond are mostly above my budget except for the solitaires. I think they’re designed to house much bigger diamonds than what I’m realistically looking for, though I’m sure they’re a great value for what you get.</p>
<p>DW doesn’t like to rings- so we got a necklace where she had the option of wearing it exposed or hidden. Also she had the option of wearing different necklaces with the diamond setting. It has resided in a safe box for these 35 years.</p>
<p>hyperjulie,</p>
<p>Unless the setting is a custom piece, the store must be using some supplier. Ask to look at a catalog of rings/settings from this vendor to see what else they make that can be ordered, adn then you can look up the vendor on line (this purchase could take more than one trip back to the store unless you can get the price you want). </p>
<p>As for comparing the stones you see online, you will have to know the carat weight, the color, the cut and the clarity (the 4 c’s) of the stones on line to compare apples to apples with the stones in the store. Pricing is based on those theee things. If a stone has a lot of inclusions, it may be big, carat wise but as a lower quality stone it would not be worth as much as a smaller, cleaner more brilliant stone.</p>
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<p>DH has a friend who had been dating a girl for a while, and finally proposed. His fiancee told him she didn’t care how bad the quality was, but she wanted a 2 carat diamond, and if he didn’t produce one, he could just forget the whole thing.</p>
<p>DH couldn’t believe his friend actually went through with the wedding under that kind of ultimatum. They are still married, so I suppose it worked out alright.</p>
<p>Whoa, Nrdsb. He should have gotten her a big lump of coal and told her to wait it out for it to become a big honker diamond :)</p>
<p>BTW I corrected by “4c’s” of diamonds after you quoted me, as I put cut separately and it belongs with the other “c’s”. </p>
<p>Maybe he should have gotten a zirconia, just in case it didnt work out as it did…</p>
<p>^^^^Fixed it.</p>
<p>Yeah, DH at the time said something along the lines of your comment above (very clever, by the way). He was appalled and worried for his friend.</p>
<p>Thanks for the fix and the kind comment. I also corrected the spelling of “stones” in mine as I can’t type! ;)</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, do they live in NYC area?</p>
<p>^^^^Nah, Texas.</p>
<p>When we bought my engagement ring, it emerged that H was extremely particular about the quality of diamonds. (He had done a stint as a gemstone inspector for customs while in business school.) Nothing but the highest quality stone would do him, but that meant having something like half a carat. I am not a big fan of diamonds in the first place, so I preferred to go with a big emerald-cut sapphire with a small diamond on either side. (I love emeralds, but they were too expensive, alas.) We shoped in the diamond district–it was fun. I still like the ring. :)</p>
<p>The person who wanted the big diamond reminded me of this, because my idea of a diamond is a couple of carats, emerald-cut. :D</p>
<p>^^^^I find emerald cuts to be especially beautiful, particularly if paired with a baguette or two. A friend has one that looks like it must be at least 3 carats.</p>
<p>I have a friend who has an emerald cut stone with 2 “smaller” (relatively speaking) stones on either side. I swear she must need a crane to hold up her hand. That thing is HUGE.</p>
<p>IIRC the sapphire is about 3 carats. The round diamonds are a lot smaller. It really isn’t huge. Of course, unlike the OP, I do have rather large hands. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think I could imagine wearing 3 carats of anything on my hands. That being said, I’m not exactly a flashy, girly person. I am pretty sure I’ve worn makeup less than 10 times in my entire life. I wear jewelry every day but it is simple stainless steel stuff that is literally attached to my face so I’d have to take it out to leave my room without it. :)</p>