Diamonds & Engagement Rings News

Moshe’s Comment: We at www.diamondsonfifth.com offer this same service, plus we offer our quiet and beautiful salon so you can make the right decision in a peaceful manor. Call to schedule an a appointment.

You’ve got the girl. Now all you need is the ring.

And is there anything more romantic than getting engaged in New York City?

“We’re so excited. We can’t wait for the big day,” says Chelsea Caramucci, 24, of Weehawken, N.J. She came to a New York jewelry store with fiance Darren Fuller, 27, to pick out wedding bands for their vows next April.

At the counter, they sit close to one another. His hand covers hers. The couple is glowing — and it’s sure not from the fluorescent lights overhead.

It’s that little thing called love.

In the movies, men always propose to women they love in New York City. They pop the question at the top of the Empire State Building, in Central Park, in a horse-drawn carriage or while ice-skating at Rockefeller Center.

The hard part is all the details. How do you actually make things happen for a New York engagement trip?

Here are a few suggestions:

• The ring: The place to go for a ring, if you dare, is the Diamond District. It’s the famous one-block area on 47th Street between 5th Avenue and 6th (Avenue of the Americas) that’s stuffed with diamonds, gold and rubies behind nondescript front doors.

Nearly 90% of all diamonds imported into the United States pass through the Diamond District, an institution on 47th Street since the 1940s. It’s packed with 2,500 businesses, many of them wheeler-dealer diamond sellers at little kiosks inside larger buildings called diamond exchanges.

In these shops, little has been spent on décor. Drab white ceiling tiles are overhead, counters are plain, linoleum is tacky and there’s a hustle factor. (Want plush-carpet fancy? Don’t come here — try Cartier, Tiffany or Harry Winston stores over on 5th Avenue, cha-ching.)

Guys, you could sneak over here and buy a ring — or bring her with you to pick something out.

“The man usually picks out the stone, and the woman picks out the mounting,” says Irene Rosner, a gemologist who for 40 years has owned Irene Jewelry Co. at the Futurama Diamond Exchange at 66 West 47th.

“First the man comes,” she says. “He wants to tell me his budget. Or maybe the woman comes, to look. But it’s mostly the man.”

But when shopping the Diamond District, there are caveats. Before you go, visit www.diamonddistrict.org to learn about guarantees and how to shop. Never buy from someone hawking on the street or in a doorway.

Negotiate on price A one-carat diamond costs, oh, “between $5,000 and $100,000,” says a noncommittal salesman at Gaby’s Jewelry & Co. at 21 W. 47th. “It depends on quality.”

The Diamond District’s best shopping days are weekdays. On Saturday, some stores are closed due to the Jewish Sabbath. Almost everything is closed on Sundays.

Yes, you can bring your own diamond and get it set; you can get an appraisal; and dealers can usually size or mount a ring the same day.

And yes, Fuller and Caramucci found their perfect wedding rings — at the Haniken Jewelry booth inside the Futurama building.

• The dress: OK, so maybe you won’t actually buy a wedding dress in New York City. But it’s fun to look.

At Saks Fifth Avenue’s fifth-floor bridal salon, you don’t rummage through wedding dresses on a rack. They bring dresses to you — Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Kenneth Pool.

“Brides come here from all over the world — Europe, South Africa,” says Elena Geyer, the imposing figure behind the salon reception desk. Walk-ins? Regrettably, no, she says. One must have an appointment so the consultants can prepare for your visit (611 5th Ave; 212-940-2269).

If you’re the spur-of-the-moment type bride, stop at Michael’s Consignment Bridal Salon, 1041 Madison Ave. near 79th Street. Gently used bridal gowns are for sale daily; salon service is first come, first served (www.michaelsconsignment.com, 212-737-7273).

• Something old, new or blue: Take the subway down to 23rd Street and buy a handkerchief, lingerie or designer shoes at one of New York’s most famous vintage clothing shops, the Family Jewels, at 130 W. 23d Street (www.familyjewelsnyc.com).

This shop is where many Broadway plays outfit their casts in period clothing, and it’s not cheap — a 1940s peach silk robe goes for $149; a 1950s little black dress is $89.

For something new, try the sleek and restful Takashimaya Japanese department store (693 Fifth Ave.). It’s the only branch in the United States (www.ny.-takashimaya.com).

• The place to pop the question: Yes, you can do it at the top of the Empire State Building — but the hassle factor of long lines (up to an hour wait on busy days) can put a damper on romance. Be sure to buy your $19 tickets online in advance to skip the ticket line; for $45 you can get an express ticket that puts you at the front of security and elevator lines, too (www.esbnyc.com. 212-736-3100).

Central Park has many beautiful spots, but one of the most romantic is the arching Gapstow Bridge in the park’s southeast corner, with its backdrop of city skyscrapers. Pop the question there, then go skating at the nearby Wollman ice rink. If you’re the literary type, try proposing near the statue of Romeo and Juliet near the Delacorte Theater (www.centralparknyc.org, 212-310-6600).

If you want to ask her in a horse-drawn carriage, you can either be spontaneous and hire one on 59th Street at the south border of Central Park, or call ahead to reserve an engagement ride. One choice is Manhattan Carriage Co. (40 minutes, $100, 212-664-1149). They’ll stop at the romantic Cherry Hill alcove in Central Park so you can propose.

If you want to do it amid the swirl of holiday lights, now through Jan. 2 is the time. The tree at Rockefeller Center is alight, the elaborate department store windows shine and seasonal shopping such as the Shops at Bryant Park are open.

And if you want to ask her on the ice under the big Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, tickets at the famous rink are $13.50-$17.50 per person plus $9 for skates (www.rapatina.com/iceRink/engagementOnIce.swf, 212-332-7654).

Once you are on the ice, find yourself a break in the crowd.

Then take a deep breath, take her hand, don’t fall down, and ask that big question: “Will you marry me?”

Moshe comment: This is a article that ran on ABC TV 2001.

Welcome to Diamonds On Fifth, your personal diamond shop on New Yorkճ historic Fifth Avenue. Renowned worldwide for style, class and quality, for over a century Fifth Avenue has attracted customers from all over the globe who seek cachet merchandise, superior quality and distinctive design. Diamonds On Fifth has been created in this tradition by a highly respected and diamond manufacturing firm located at the center of New Yorkճ legendary Diamond and Jewelry District on Fifth Avenue and 47th Street to service the luxury shopper with world class diamonds. Our diamonds are cut and polished according to the highest standards in the industry and with the highest degree of craftsmanship.

Our master craftsmen custom cut and polish each diamond to bring out its unique natural beauty. Each stone is GIA or EGL certified in accordance with the highest standards in the industry. Because we manufacture these diamonds in our own shops we control the quality. We are also able to present you with one of the largest inventories in the nation, an inventory that includes rare, one of a kind gems, as well as the most popular diamonds in a wide range of styles, price ranges and sizes. In addition to offering you an exquisite array of choice this also means that we save you money Рup to 40 per cent- and we can ship immediately.

We are committed to offering you the best in quality, design, price, and especially service. Integrity and service are our by-words. So, if you are interested in selecting a diamond of distinction from incomparable inventory surf our site, learn all about us. We want you to know as much as you can. Then give us a call to speak to one of our courteous representatives who are waiting to assist you in making a choice that will bring you a lifetime of pleasure.

T he advantages of purchasing your diamond here.

1. o Buy direct from the manufacturer eliminating the extra expense of middleman mark ups. Be an intelligent shopper. Do your homework. You will find that Diamonds On Fifth can save you up to 40 percent on comparable gems.
2. o We do not ask you to take our word for the quality of our diamonds. The GIA or EGL laboratories certify all our loose stones.
3. Our diamonds are in house diamonds. If you call other on-line diamond companies and ask if someone can look at the diamond they most probably will not be able to. Why not? Because they don’t own the diamonds, they have them drop shipped from companies like ours.
4. o Selection. Our inventory includes literally thousands of gems for you to choose from, from hard to finds to all the classic shapes, colors and sizes.
5. o And when you buy on the internet you save on taxes, as much as 9 per cent.

Does the thought of purchasing a diamond ring overwhelm you? Don’t think you know enough about certificates, inclusions, grading scales, and colors? Or do you know the basics, but need a refresher course? A good understanding of diamonds is necessary before you begin shopping. Our guide gives you the basics — the all-important “four Cs”,  and more,

We will start with the four c’s

Today we will talk about cut, please feel free to add your coments.

CUT

The cut of the diamond is perhaps the most important of all C’s as it determines its brilliance. While nature determines the color and clarity of a stone, diamond cut is dependant solely upon the skill of the cutter. A diamond cutter spends years mastering his craft, learning how best to cut a rough diamond to achieve the ultimate cut with the fewest imperfections and the least loss of carat weight. The better the cut, the more valuable the diamond.

A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance. The width and depth have an affect on how light travels within the diamond and how much brilliance it will exude.

For starters, find out what shape she likes. Diamonds come in nine basic shapes.

Determining the cut of a diamond extends further than straightforward measurements of the width and depth. Diamond grading laboratories utilize optical measuring devices to create a three-dimensional image of your diamond in order to ascertain its proportions and angles.

Polish and symmetry are crucial to the diamond cutting process. Both polish and symmetry are assigned a grade, which appear on the diamond certificate. The polish grade indicates the smoothness of the facets, while the symmetry grade evaluates the alignment of the facets. With poor polish, the surface of a facet can be dulled and may create lackluster, blurry sparkle. With poor symmetry, light can be misdirected as it enters and exits the diamond.

Because cut is so important, several grading methods have been developed to help consumers determine the cut of a particular diamond. In general, these grades are ideal, very good, good, fair and poor.Diamonds on Fifth uses the measurements from each diamond’s grading report to determine: Table percentage: The ratio of the largest facet on top of stone to the girdle’s overall diameter.
Depth percentage: The ratio of the total height or depth of the diamond to its diameter.

From these proportions, Diamonds on Fifth has assigned each diamond a cut grade. The following are the proportion ranges for each grade of diamond cut:

Ideal cut: An exquisite and rare cut that reflects nearly all the light that enters the diamond and creates maximum fire and brilliance. “Ideal” for the person who enjoys knowing that he has one of the finest diamonds that money can buy. Very good cut: Reflects almost as much light as the ideal cut but for a lower price. A Diamonds on Fifth recommended buy.Good cut: Reflects most of the light that enters the diamond. The cutter has chosen to create the largest possible diamond from the original rough crystal, rather than cutting extra weight off to create a smaller but higher quality diamond. Diamonds in this range offer an excellent cost-savings to customers who want to stay in a budget without sacrificing quality or beauty.

Fair cut: A fair cut diamond will not be as brilliant as a good cut, but is still considered a quality diamond.

Poor cut: This includes all diamonds that do not meet the performance standards of a fair cut. These diamonds are deep and narrow or shallow and wide and tend to lose most of the light out the sides and bottom. Diamonds on fifth does not carry diamonds with cut grades of poor.

Diamonds on Fifth carries an exquisite selection of certified ideal-cut diamonds. We do not carry diamonds with cut grades lower than good as these are generally too shallow or too deep to present an acceptable amount of brilliance.

Diamonds on Fifth Recommendations
While a good quality round diamond with an ideal cut will certainly be very beautiful, very good and good cuts might be just as attractive without costing as much. Diamonds on Fifth recommends that for fancy shapes, good and very good cut grades will result in the best performance. Consider the length to width ratio of the diamond and the design of the mounting when selecting a fancy shape.

We have people calling us up to purchase a diamond for engagement ring or jewelry for there loved one, we get into this long discussion regarding diamonds and engagements, we teach them all about the 4’cs the pro and cons. Then some of them ask me if I ever heard of bluenile.com and I tell them sure they are one of the biggest retailers on the web. 

Then comes the big question why should I buy from Diamondsonfifth.com  over Bluenile.com, and this brings us to our post today. Here are some of the reason why people purchase from us even after they had gone to bluenile.com and seen what they offer. 

1)I don’t know if a lot of people knows this but Bluenile doesn’t own not a single stone, every stone they sell online gets drops shipped directly from the manufacture, Now you ask yourself why should I care, the answer is simple, every single stone looks different then the other there can be two D SI1 stones that will look completely different (For example, a lot of times the SI1 inclusion can be in the center of the stone and it will not be clean to the naked eye, while the other stone is in the side.) so when you purchase a D SI1 stone from them they can’t tell you where the inclusion is, while every stone Diamondsonfifth.com sells online gets checked by one of our professionals to make sure that you are getting the best stone for your price.

 2)And because we have every stone in our hands before it gets shipped, we have the benefit to shoot some pictures for the customers to see how the stone looks like before they make the purchase. 

3)Diamondsonfifth.com offers a upgrade program, meaning that when you purchase a stone and a few years later you saved up money to be able to purchase a bigger stone. We buy back the first stone and put that money towards the new purchase.

 4)When you call Diamondsonfifth.com you always speak to one of the owners, so we will do everything to make our customer happy. 

5) Diamonds on Fifth offers the unique opportunity to meet with any of our experts in person to discuss and view your purchase and answer any questions you may have.   This is some of the Diamondsonfifth different. Please take a look at what our customers have to say.

 www.diamondsonfifth.com 

866-382-0288