question for ya'll about ethical diamonds
I am STILL kind of freaking out about my Swap...but I think I am just going to have to forgo anything handmade. I had an idea but I just don't think I have the time or the skill to make it happen by October 15. On the one hand it seems like an eternity away, but on the other it seems right around the corner. I figure there are a couple neat things I can pick up along the way that ARE handmade...just not by me...to personalize it anyway.
C and I did our first round of engagement ring shopping last night. And man, did my expectations fly out the window. I thought I wanted rose gold, but my skin is rosy to start with, so it sort of becomes almost a bronzy yellow gold against it, and kind of blends in! So meh to that, back to white gold it is! We spent over an hour in Bailey Banks & Biddle discussing different options with our consultant, and helping to educate C about what he should be looking for (in my case this means clarity and color over carat). We decided on an optimal carat range. I tended to favor more dainty settings, which also surprised me, and there is one in particular (ok ok, there are THREE) that I can't stop thinking about.
We've decided to only tackle one store each trip, that way everything we learned and saw has time to sink in. I always wanted an ethical diamond, so maybe some of you can help me with this. How do you know FOR SURE that a diamond you are purchasing is conflict-free? Is GIA certification enough? I've spent a lot of time on Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile, but you would think if Bailey Banks & Biddle maintained the same standards, it would say it somewhere front and center. Instead, all I found was that they are dedicated to providing conflict free diamonds and MOST are GIA certified. The thing is, it was really, really nice to go INTO a store to actually SEE everything. Like I said, what I thought I liked completely changed once I was actually trying rings on. So now I'm really wary about ordering online, but that seems to be the only sure way of getting an ethical ring.
Suggestions?
C and I did our first round of engagement ring shopping last night. And man, did my expectations fly out the window. I thought I wanted rose gold, but my skin is rosy to start with, so it sort of becomes almost a bronzy yellow gold against it, and kind of blends in! So meh to that, back to white gold it is! We spent over an hour in Bailey Banks & Biddle discussing different options with our consultant, and helping to educate C about what he should be looking for (in my case this means clarity and color over carat). We decided on an optimal carat range. I tended to favor more dainty settings, which also surprised me, and there is one in particular (ok ok, there are THREE) that I can't stop thinking about.
We've decided to only tackle one store each trip, that way everything we learned and saw has time to sink in. I always wanted an ethical diamond, so maybe some of you can help me with this. How do you know FOR SURE that a diamond you are purchasing is conflict-free? Is GIA certification enough? I've spent a lot of time on Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile, but you would think if Bailey Banks & Biddle maintained the same standards, it would say it somewhere front and center. Instead, all I found was that they are dedicated to providing conflict free diamonds and MOST are GIA certified. The thing is, it was really, really nice to go INTO a store to actually SEE everything. Like I said, what I thought I liked completely changed once I was actually trying rings on. So now I'm really wary about ordering online, but that seems to be the only sure way of getting an ethical ring.
Suggestions?