Please Help. I need to buy a pearl ring in <24 hours and cannot decide.

[wnewport]

I'm looking at pearl rings for my fiance between $200-400 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I want to surprise her before we head back to California. I've visited several jewelry shops, but I'm too skeptical to make a decision. I've found a handful I feel I can trust, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off (and see if I could get something better in the states). The salespeople speak very poor English, so I can't get too much information.

This costs about 300 USD. Is it worth that much in your opinion? I imagine at that price the stones have to be CZ and not diamonds.

I don't like the idea of CZ, so a backup is a simple 18k band with a smaller (~7-8mm if I had to guess) pearl that has a pinkish luster for $180. Would that be a safer bet?

Could anyone offer me advice or guidelines?

 

[dkan 168]

Personally, I wear jewellery with CZ or other simulated diamonds if the stones are small, as they are virtually indistinguishable from diamonds when they are small.

The ring in the photo would be my choice than a simpler ring, as the former is more glamorous, IMHO, regardless whether the stones are real or not. It is possible they are real though at that price.

DK

 

[pattye]

Wnewport, welcome!

Interesting question. As DK says, small cz look very similar to diamonds, but I would think the sales person would be able to say if they were diamond. Perhaps you already know if your fiance would have an aversion to imitation, i.e. cubic zirconia, and if you do choose that one please don't tell her they are diamond, because likely she will have the ring checked out, gals like to know these things! (My ex did that to me, not a good strategy.) The ring with the stones is definitely a more "cocktail" dressy ring, the plainer ring more wearable on a regular basis.

Good luck with choosing!

 

[wnewport]

Personally, I wear jewellery with CZ or other simulated diamonds if the stones are small, as they are virtually indistinguishable from diamonds when they are small.

The ring in the photo would be my choice than a simpler ring, as the former is more glamorous, IMHO, regardless whether the stones are real or not. It is possible they are real though at that price.

DK

Wnewport, welcome!

Interesting question. As DK says, small cz look very similar to diamonds, but I would think the sales person would be able to say if they were diamond. Perhaps you already know if your fiance would have an aversion to imitation, i.e. cubic zirconia, and if you do choose that one please don't tell her they are diamond, because likely she will have the ring checked out, gals like to know these things! (My ex did that to me, not a good strategy.) The ring with the stones is definitely a more "cocktail" dressy ring, the plainer ring more wearable on a regular basis.

Good luck with choosing!

Thank you for the responses. I guess at this price range, and since I'm not buying mikimotos, the fresh vs salt water and other attributes that determine a pearl's value don't matter. With a novice's eye, should I go with the pearl that looks the most aesthetically pleasing (eg pinkish white without blemishes)?

 

[pattye]

Yes, sounds like a beautiful choice, like your fiance!

 

[dkan 168]

Go for a pearl that looks clean on the surface as much as possible, with good lustre, yes.

DK