Originally Posted by
SquareDanceGuy
Then you're probably not gonna like being married.
Online dating --> Online wedding --> Online marriage
Originally Posted by
Weenie
Ok, certainly off AA topic, but does anyone have any suggestions? I prefer to do it online since I hate communicating face to face with humans.
OK,
Weenie, here's my advice (I don't just have 'a buddy in the business', my
mom is in the business):
1) Check out the different ring styles on BlueNile - white gold or platinum? what kind of setting? think about your fiancee-to-be's line of work - Mrs dstan is a PT, so we got a 'low' setting to reduce snagging on her patients, although it makes the stone look a little smaller - someone who works at a desk may prefer a 'higher' setting, which makes the stone look larger - does she want side stones (pave or baguettes) or just a larger center stone?
2) Learn about the 4C's of diamonds - BlueNile and other sites have good primers. Given your budget, don't go below F for color, stay above VS2 for clarity if you can, then see what sizes are going to be in your price range - you'll pay much more for 1.0ct vs 0.9ct and for 1.5ct vs 1.4ct but won't be able to tell the difference by eye - round cuts are more expensive because you can cut larger square and oval stones from the same raw diamond.
3) Here's where you have to go offline
- talk to your friends and coworkers - where did they get their stones and rings? what did they pay? how was the service? if at a store, what kind of followup service is offered (think 'free cleaning')?
4) Start shopping for real! You MUST look at the stones in person to judge the cut ('sparkle' as noted before - dimensions won't mean much to you). Also look at the diamonds using a jeweler's loupe and note any inclusions (should be indicated on the cert if available).
5) Charge your purchase to your AA credit card (just to stay on topic!)
6) The rest is up to you - Congratulations!
