More Ring Shopping

Since I’ve discovered that the scrollwork and etching that I like so much on rings is only done in platinum, we decided to go the the platinum jeweler (The Jewelry Doctor) in Vienna. Part of me is nervous to make such a large purchase at a small, locally-owned store. The ring would come with a lifetime guarantee, but if the store goes out of business, I’m screwed. On the other hand, I would very much like to support local businesses, since big stores all with the same stock are edging the little guys out of business. The one cool thing about getting a ring there would be that it would be a one-of-a-kind (if I didn’t go with a mass-produced ring from one of the designers).

We paged through several yearly publications of the platinum guild, and I got some ideas of other designers and styles that I like. The store owner seemed quite down on Tacori — one of the designers that I’ve been attracted to — because they are so “mass produced”. Of course, I’m not sure that I care.

He is also a dealer of the Jubilant Crown diamond. It’s a circular cut diamond with 16 extra facets. Placed side-by-side with a regular-cut diamond, I could see the extra “fire”. However, I’m not convinced that it’s worth the extra money. On the other hand, the half carat Jubilant Crown diamond was still less than the diamonds at Bailey Banks & Biddle.

Of course, the settings at the Jewelry Doctor are also a lot more expensive than at other places. This is because they do their own work, and are a small operation. We aren’t sure that we can get both the diamond and the setting there, though, and stay in budget. We’re going to have to think on this.