Joe,
I know what you're thinking.
Please don't be in a hurry while you're on vacation, though, and make an impulsive decision on something so important that you'll regret later.
It's worth waiting until you KNOW what you're looking at....and
price is NOT the criterium you need to consider most!
The QUALITY of the stone is not only important, it's everything.
I wouldn't trust Zales at HH's Tanger Outlet Mall, that's for sure.
What does 70% off tell you up front? (and they would still be making a profit!)
Or any other Zales. They rent space in malls---that alone should be a red flag.
Their practices are not necessarily in YOUR best interest, only in theirs. When you walk out, they don't care, and that goes for 90% of chain retail jewelry stores. Six months prior their employees could have been flipping burgers.
You need to visit a reputable, "been-in-business-a-long-time" independent jeweler who is a member of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). You need to sit down and allow them to show you
visually in a microscope the differences in the various diamonds they have. You will be SHOCKED at the difference between a fantastic diamond and a mediocre-to-poor quality diamond. You will see what an "inclusion" looks like, and what a discolored one looks like, and it's ugly! And when you remove them from under the scope, you literally can't tell---that's what's so scary!!!! To the naked eye, they all look great. But what you see under the scope might curl your hair compared to a really good diamond which SHOULD make you smile.
MOST MALL JEWELERS DON'T EVEN OFFER A MICROSCOPE BECAUSE THEY DON'T OWN ONE, FOR A REASON.
And if you end up buying from an unscrupulous franchise jeweler prior to learning about diamonds, you will NOT like what your wife learns and hears when she does visit a good jeweler, shows him her new ring, and he tells her in honesty that her diamond is lousy, and allows her to view it under the scope! She may never say anything, but it could be very hurtful.
Here on TUG we advise people to slow down and learn things FIRST before they commit to something they'll regret (money, value, etc), so it's no different when you're looking at a "really special" diamond for your wife.
She picked YOU, didn't she? So you know she also wants the perfect diamond, no?
Joe, truly wish you could take the 2.5 hour drive and run by Augusta on your way home!!!! You would thank me later.
We have something here that is superlative, and that is highly worthy of your trust.
Across the street from the Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most reputable jewelers anywhere in the country, Windsor Jewelers. They have a humungous inventory at all times because of their reputation, and they sell more high-end jewelry, watches, etc than anyone around because their prices are very reasonable. The store has two stories. They've been around for over 4 decades. They have the best stuff, they will show everything to you under the scope and show you why it's good quality, and they will give you a fantastic price that you can trust. I think they keep over 4000 engagement rings on hand, and have several hundred loose diamonds to view.
https://www.windsorfinejewelers.com/
This company is owned by one man, but he has a dozen professionals who work there who have been in the business for a long time. I've known one jeweler all my life who works there ---grew up with him, and his family was in the business three generations with their own store. They were also very reputable and had only fine things. He decided to go to work for this company because ultimately he couldn't compete with the prices. He is highly knowledgeable, and back when I was looking for an engagement ring for my wife, we spent hours and hours looking at various grades of diamonds together under the microscope while he explained everything I was seeing. After sitting down and learning from him I began to know what I wanted and why, BEFORE I made the purchase. His name is Bernard Doris, and his photo can be seen on their website under the heading "Diamonds". He's a consummate expert. He is only one of many at Windsor who have huge customer followings. Trust is everything and they have tons of repeat business. Everyone knows that for the quality, the prices simply cannot be beat. They're not located on 5th Ave, NY, so being in a moderate sized town like Augusta, they must be reasonable in their price points.
Everyone here is thrilled when they get a gift in that special "green Windsor box" because it's symbolic of quality. The green box is their trademark, and it's definitely special to receive.
Learn a few simple basics about diamonds--- read these short articles :
https://www.gia.edu/diamond-quality-factor
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/choosing-a-diamond/
Come on over to Augusta----you can stay here with us a night or two if you like.
Whatever you might see at Zales, Windsor will blow out of the water.
Good luck.
Estate Jewelry: "could be" a great find, but you still don't know what you have in quality until you take that unpurchased piece to a professional for appraisal.
Costco update:
https://www.diamonds.pro/reviews/costco/
http://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=59239&ArticleTitle=Judge+Tells+Costco+to+Pay+Tiffany+$19M
.