You can avoid the sales tax in LA but the ring will be on a black velvet covered piece of cardboard in the trunk of a Buick El Dorado
I know a few settings she likes, they are all new. Main dealer is at Kassab for the brand. I think the whole thing is a scam, personally so not gonna go buckwild. I have already knocked her expectations down a carat. She tried some on, and everytime I tell her in front of the salesperson it looks freakishly big.
My paternal grandfather was a silversmith for Barnum and Bailey Circus from the 1930s onward till his last days...he made rings, bracelets, charms, etc.
You made me think of a trinket maker I met once. Well actually he was a customer of mine in the 60s. I installed an accounting machine, you might call it a small computer. I programmed it for him to inventory control and cost analysis. Damnedest thing I had see up to that point, we are talking about trinkets. Actually Cracker Jack toys. That is what this guy made. Costs was in the .01 and sales value was in the .2 range. Intriguing! It was a nice run over there though, his place was just on the edge of Bend, on Century drive. Lovely place, Intriguing business, smart dude. Rich on a shifting a decimal point.
I went to high school with a Packouz, son of the owners of Packouz Jewlers at the time. I dunno if he's the owner now but I'm sure it's at least relatives of his. Knowing him, you can be sure of his honesty. https://packouzjewelers.com/
I bought a VVSI 2.3 carat solitaire diamond in Tacoma and paid no sales tax. Of course, I live in Oregon. Sadly, my wife never wears it preferring to keep it in the Safe Deposit box.
I got mine..or hers...at Malka Diamonds downtown. Small place, but good customer service and they had the most unique options from the places I shopped. I think the staff are trained jewelers who actually work on the settings in addition to the sales stuff, so pretty knowledgeable I guess.
If you want something of real value go for one carat or more. Go for color G or H with G being the better. The lower in the alphabet, the better the color. Inclusions are graded by slight inclusion, very slight inclustion or very slight inclustion. Perfect is simply way out of any normal person's price range. From wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_(gemstone) Tolkowsky's calculations included some approximations. He calculated the ideal dimensions as: Table percentage (corner-to-corner diameter of the table divided by overall diameter) = 53% Depth percentage (overall depth divided by overall diameter) = 59.3% (not including adjustments for the culet height and girdle thickness) Pavilion angle (angle between the girdle and the pavilion main facets) = 40.75° Crown angle (angle between the girdle and the crown's kite facets) = 34.5° Pavilion depth (depth of pavilion divided by overall diameter) = 43.1% Crown depth (depth of crown divided by overall diameter) = 16.2% The culet is the tiny point or facet at the bottom of the diamond. This should be a negligible diameter, otherwise light leaks out of the bottom. Tolkowsky's calculations included neither a culet nor a girdle. However, a girdle is required in reality in order to prevent the diamond from easily chipping in the setting. The thick part of the girdle is normally about 1.7% (of the overall diameter) thicker than the thin part of the girdle.[31] The further the diamond's characteristics are from the Tolkowsky's ideal, the less light will be reflected. However, there is a small range in which the diamond can be considered "ideal". Tolkowsky's calculations can be repeated for a narrow range of pavilion angles. Such calculations show a slightly larger table percentage, and a trade-off between pavilion angle and crown angle.[31] Today, because of the relative importance of carat weight among buyers, many diamonds are often intentionally cut poorly to increase carat weight. There is a financial premium for a diamond that weighs the desirable 1.0 carat (200 mg), so often the girdle is made thicker or the depth is increased. Neither of these changes makes the diamond appear any larger, and both greatly reduce the sparkle of the diamond. (A poorly cut 1.0-carat (200 mg) diamond may have the same diameter and appear as large as a 0.85-carat (170 mg) diamond.) The depth percentage is the overall quickest indication of the quality of the cut of a round brilliant. "Ideal" round brilliant diamonds should not have a depth percentage greater than 62.5%. Another quick indication is the overall diameter. Typically a round brilliant 1.0-carat (200 mg) diamond should have a diameter of about 6.5 mm (0.26 in). Mathematically, the diameter in millimeters of a round brilliant should approximately equal to 6.5 times the cube root of carat weight, or 11.1 times the cube root of gram weight, or 1.4 times the cube root of point weight.
Marx Jewelers... that dude will give you the best deal in town, i know at least 10 people (including myself) that bought from him
Gem Set Love (formerly Gilt) on NW 23rd. It does custom stuff and also sells antique rings. My oldest son bought an antique ring there when he got married. It was a very nice piece. You should at least stick your head in their door if you’re serious.....
