I want to buy a diamond ring that is a round briliant cut in shape, the clarity is S11 but the color is K

1/4.. if she complains she does not love u

anything less than 1/3 is too small. if she complains, it makes sense to buy her a ring that she wants that fits your budget. there is no point on spending a lot on an engagement ring that she doesn`t like and that she may probably be stuck with for the rest of her life.

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Okay, this question has a couple different parts and i want to go ahead and say thanks for any and all help! short version is: should i get a ring at zales/gordon's, do they back up what they sell pretty good? do they go out of business often? should i get yellow gold or white? white has to be dipped every year and yellow doesnt. if i get white it's going to be an extra $75 warranty to have free rhodium dips. is it worth it since my closest zales and gordons is more than an hour away? below is a lot more details so you can better understand my questions and why i have them. i got engaged may 2009. i have a white gold band with a solitaire. we started looking for bands for the ceremony (august 2010) and i decided i like the ones with diamonds in them. to get a band that looks good with my diamond and on my finger (they are long but chubby) i would need a 1/2 carat total weight band, either pave or channel. it's basically going to be just as cheap to get a pretty bridal set as it is a 1/2 carat band. i tried some on and have also looked online and am willing to sacrifice the 1/2 carat band to get a prettier bridal set with a little less carat weight. the set i like looks pretty big on the hand but up close it's several smaller diamonds grouped together. i'll post a link of the one im considering, below. my main issue is, i had no clue that white gold was actually just a faint yellow gold dipped in rhodium. i started doing some research and heard people talking about getting their rings "dipped" and then i started studying my band on my diamond and sure enough there's a little faint yellow showing through. when i asked several jewelers they said most people get them dipped once a year and it's about $35 per ring. so.. if i get a white gold set from zales/gordon's they have the diamond bond which says that if i break or chip or lose a diamond or knock the head off the ring, they will fix or replace it ( i like that a lot). that's included with the price. i can also add on an extra warranty that allows me free sizing and rhodium dipping for life and it's $75. my main question is, should i get the ring from zales/gordon's and if so, should i add the $75 warranty? the only reason i'm thinking about not adding that on is because there is only one zales and one gordon's around me within a 2 hours radius. i have to take the diamond there every 6 months for inspection. what happens if i get the ring at gordons and then they go out of business? i've emailed the company to see if i can take it to any other gordons or a zales since they own each other. so far all i got was "we need more time to answer your q" also, i prefer white gold but should i maybe reconsider and train myself to like yellow gold since i wont have to worry about having it dipped every year? my class ring is yellow and i don't really mind it, i just seem to prefer white but maybe that's because it's the "going thing." i know most people will say "go with what you like since you're wearing it" but im wondering if anyone out there thinks it's worth the hassle to have to get the white one dipped every year...and keep in mind i have to drive more than an hour to get it inspected twice a year and to get it dipped once a year. and also keep in mind they could go out of business since they are in a rinkydink mall in a small town. here's the ring in yellow: http://www.zales.com/product/index. jsp?productid=4091622&kpc=1 here it is in white: http://www.zales.com/product/index. jsp?productid=4091621&kpc=1 if you made it this far, i have one more question: can you haggle with jewelry chains like zales, gordons, and kays? could i ask them what's the lowest they'd take if im paying cash (which we will be) if i get platinum i would have to go way lower in carat size. the deal is, i'm in college and he just bought a house. obviously we cant spend a thousand more dollars on a ring set because the ring i have now is already about that much. like i said, it's about as cheap to get a set as it is to get a band in the specifications i want. the reason i asked about haggling the price is that the rep at gordon's said they can give a 10% discount if she asks the manager. so i assumed if they could ask and knock off 10% why not 15 or 20% if im paying cash and not financing. i found the exact same set with the same color and clarity on another site for about half of what gordon's charges... so now i hav e to decide if i want to chance buying it online and pocket the extra $400 to pay for dipping and small stone replacement. i'm just trying to save my fiance money, he does so much for me already. i know i sound cheap but im just trying not to take advantage of his money for a ring that is only a symbol. some people don't even have rings so i already feel blessed.

I'll answer what I can... White gold vs Yellow gold More than anything I think it comes down to your preference, how do you feel in each colour? Does one look better on your skin tone? You're right white gold will require maintenance, and, personally, I'm bothered that white gold isn't really white. If you want a white metal, I would look at palladium, platinum or titanium. Palladium is platinum's sister, almost identical (differences: whiter, harder, weighs less) and is usually priced similar to 18k gold. Warranty If you get the white gold ring, definitely get the warranty. You will need to have the ring rhodium plated again, likely every couple years, maybe even less, this will be well worth it when you consider one dip can be $40 and you're paying just $75 for a lifetime of dips which would add up to more than $1000. The Ring The set you have selected is gorgeous! It will look great in white or yellow. Haggling You can definitely haggle with chain jewellers, they expect it. When I was browsing many of them dropped the price without hesitation when I didn't even mutter a word, was just checking out the ring. Salespeople tend to hate silence and feel the need to fill the void, so try this: ask to see a ring and check it out and ask how much it is, once you have your answer just quietly look at the ring, and they'll often offer a price reduction right there. Chain store rings are so overpriced they can afford to drop the prices for you, I've seen a number of jewellers actually feel badly for the highway robbery they pull. Buying Online I recommend it....if there's a great return policy. You don't want to be stuck with a ring you don't love when you're already on a budget. I do believe it is best to buy diamonds in person, but budgetary concerns can make buying online the best option too. With buying diamonds though, note that while the clarity rating may be the same, one stone could be eye clean (no visible inclusions) while another could have a conclusion smack dab in the centre for all to see. I would buy any other stone online, but would be very cautious with diamonds. Getting Value for you and yours I honestly don't feel you get much value at chain stores. Their diamonds are rarely even half decent and nothing is all that unique or special. I couldn't buy from them without feeling ripped off. However, I understand you're on a budget. You mentioned before you like white metal, but you don't like the maintenance of white gold, I would then seriously consider palladium. As for the centre stone, are you insistent on a diamond? You could go with a high quality CZ (such as an Asha) for a fraction of the price and get a more beautiful stone. Asha CZs look exactly like the real thing, no one will know unless you tell them. What I would recommend is moissanite, in my opinion, it's far more beautiful than a diamond and it has much greater brilliance and fire for greater sparkle. Based on all you have described I definitely think palladium is the way to go for the metal and you might want to consider more budget-friendly stones than the diamond. Here's some rings-on-a-budget suggestions if you're open to diamond alternatives in palladium: *Note you don't have to get the stones near as large as they are pictured, you can choose a smaller carat size that you could more realistically afford. http://www.moissaniteco.com/round-moissanite-channel-wedding-set-066ct-2mm-p-10212.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/35mm-round-moissanite-wedding-set-15ct-p-5222.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/round-moissanite-channel-set-cathedral-wedding-set-38ct-p-10165.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/round-moissanite-wedding-set-085ct-p-5327.html http://www.moissaniteco.com/2mm-round-brilliant-moissanite-wedding-set-066ct-p-5310.html http://shopping.schubachstore.com/Style-1125-Comfort-Fit-Engagement-Ring-With-Channel-Set-Round-Brilliant-Side-Stones http://shopping.schubachstore.com/Style-9620-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring_2?sc=193&category=53608 http://www.fromthesky.com/shop/?cat=175 And a diamond alternative in gold too (they could probably make it in palladium if you ask): $642 (set)- http://www.moissaniteco.com/020ct-marquise-moissanite-wedding-set-14k-wy-gold-setting-p-1268.html And this site here offers very affordable palladium settings which you could order and then have an asha, moissanite or CZ set, some suggestions: *Note that you have to play with the settings a bit to get a price. be sure to select 'setting only' to get the price without diamonds, because they price diamonds really high. http://www.sunjewelry.com/er2423.html http://www.sunjewelry.com/er2475.html http://www.sunjewelry.com/er2644.html If you really want to save a buck, here's some diamond cluster rings in gold at great savings over chains: *Note that diamond price per carat point greatly increases in larger stones since they are more rare. Since cluster rings only include smaller stones, you should be able to get a great deal. http://www.vistabella.com/item-details.cfm?ItemID=12058&showimage=3 http://www.myjewelrybox.com/?section=item&itemID=2608 http://www.heavenlytreasures.com/304ac04r.html?cid=CJ& http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3562239&site-ID=q5QZHUbCIj8-7oDmhgUgw_Ju0d7ADVQcfA http://app.infopia.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/32675/vpid/721-2551/vpcsid/0/rid/130441 http://seaofdiamonds.com/item.asp?invky=5001642&id=shop http://seaofdiamonds.com/item.asp?invky=3195764&id=shop http://seaofdiamonds.com/item.asp?invky=4801904&id=shop Are you open to buying used? Here's two great sites: http://diamondbistro.com/ http://www.exboyfriendjewelry.com/ And you can get some amazing deals on Ebay, new and used.