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    kitteneyeHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:56pm

    If you had $21,000+ to spend on a ring, is Kay Jewelers really your jeweler of choice...?! I’ve never heard good things about their quality, and if you’re making that kind of financial investment, I’d think you would get a much more unique and well-made product if you went to an independent jeweler, not a chain. Or if chains are your jam, then a Tiffany or Cartier-type deal.

    That said, I am someone who would be very stressed out wearing that kind of money on my hand every day, so probably not the expert here.

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      Sisqocertifiedkitteneye
      4/22/16 2:04pm

      THANK YOU

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      lolliPOPSkitteneye
      4/22/16 2:14pm

      Straight boys don’t know jewelry. Or how to live life. I date mostly men, and even my very competent boyfriend is not very competent. So some bloke wants to propose to his girlfriend and has no idea what he’s doing, hears a radio ad and goes to Kay or Jared or some other crap place, spends way too much money, and gets a kind of ugly, common ring. And is really proud of himself! So his girlfriend humors him because, hey!, it’s the thought that counts and it’s sentimental, yadda yadda yadda. Chain stores prey on that mentality. It really sucks.

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    Jess, Queen of the RaptorsHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:50pm

    The paranoia of this sort of thing happening is why I hadn’t taken an heirloom ring in to get cleaned for 2+ years until this weekend. Fortunately, I did NOT go to Kay’s - I went to Ben Bridge, and they were very nice and cleaned it for free. Then they tried to sell me overpriced pearl earrings and then I politely declined and left. My ring looks MUCH better now, but this story just means I’ll be too paranoid to get it cleaned for another couple years.

    DO NOT MESS WITH MY SPARKLY THINGS, UNIVERSE

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      HalfhaltJess, Queen of the Raptors
      4/22/16 1:59pm

      Buy an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner - then you can do all your jewelry, have friends over for wine and jewelry cleaning!

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      Jess, Queen of the RaptorsHalfhalt
      4/22/16 2:01pm

      I’ve actually looked into this, but I really only have one or two items that are nice enough to actually clean, so I’m not sure how worth it it is. Maybe once I’ve amassed a larger collection :)

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    BDCBHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:53pm

    If I buy my gal a ring for $21k (AAAAACK), she'd better be able to summon Captain Planet with that thing.

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      purpleprose78BDCB
      4/22/16 2:10pm

      I would be terrified to wear that much money on my hand without hiring personal security. Also, I agree, for that money, she should be able to summon captain planet.

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      Nom de pixelBDCB
      4/22/16 2:20pm

      If Mr. Pixel had bought me a $21k ring, I would have been pissed off. We aren't millionaires. That is a huge waste of money that could be spent on much better things.

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    WallflowerHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:57pm

    1) Find a good local jeweler that doesn’t have to ship your stuff out to work on it. My rings are cheap and also from Kohls but it's what I could afford at the time and don't really need to upgrade. . I have a good local jeweler that I trust for sizing and cleaning and they do a great job.

    2) if you have a 20k ring, maybe get some real insurance on it. You can afford it.

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      BabyGirlsMommaWallflower
      4/22/16 2:03pm

      #2 — THIS. My ring is insured with Jewelers Mutual. It’s all they do. If you’re going to wear that much money on one finger (that, hypothetically, is prone to doing things like letting heavy doors slam on their brand new engagement ring), you really should use real insurance. (and not shop at Kay’s, as you stated in #1)

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      BDCBWallflower
      4/22/16 2:15pm

      I know a great insurance agent.

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    FridayFridayHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:57pm

    I’m not shocked. I would never trust a chain jewelry store. When we went shopping last fall for an engagement ring the chain places didn’t even want to serve us. Really awful customer service at Zales, Kay and Jared. If the service is bad when you’re shopping, it’s not shocking that it is still bad after you make a purchase.

    My ring is from a local jeweler, and I’m so glad we went with him instead of one of the mall options. Locally owned places can be more expensive but it’s worth it. In our case, we actually got a way better quality ring for much less than something crappier would have cost at a chain, because as the owner of his own shop he was able to give us a deal. And he’s been there for 25 years so I know if a problem ever arises, he’ll be there to help fix it. Shop local! :)

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      sofarFridayFriday
      4/22/16 2:50pm

      When my fiance was comparison shopping (he’d already found a mom-and-pop place he liked), he strolled into Kay just to compare prices. When he told the rep what he was looking for, the guy nearly laughed him out of the store and was super nasty.

      I was like, “Take me back to the store and show me which one was mean to you, and I will CUT him.”

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      thegirlriotssofar
      4/22/16 6:46pm

      What was he looking for? Did the sales guy think it was too cheap? Too big? Too expensive? I just like talking about jewelry.

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    NomNom83Hillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 2:10pm

    And yet “chocolate diamonds” still remain their most offensive business practice.

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      whoateallthecheeriosNomNom83
      4/22/16 2:25pm

      tied with the OpenButts(TM) collection...

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      iElvis is Now Funded by Peter ThielNomNom83
      4/22/16 2:26pm

      They didn’t invent the term by a long shot. It was common in the diamond business long before they co-opted it. It was coined by Indian diamond dealers in the early 2000s who were trying to create a new market for unsalable brown diamonds.

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    EL_ULYHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:47pm

    Onion rings or GTFAC

    Little independent jewelers are the way to go. For dudes, eBay titanium/carbon fiber or tungsten/carbon fiber bands are the way to go :] Very good ones for under $30!

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      Mental IcebergEL_ULY
      4/22/16 1:57pm

      I’m on a diet. Sort of. Whatever. So I can’t get down with the onion rings.

      But everything else you said, 100% spot on!

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      GinAndTonic Got Stuck in the BarneyEL_ULY
      4/22/16 1:59pm

      Those men’s rings or any made out titanium or other very strong metals- beware that these can be VERY hard to remove in an emergency. Gold is soft and can be cut off easily. I’ve seen a couple bad finger deglovings related to titanium rings.

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    $kaycogHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:49pm

    Every kiss begins with Kay? Nope! More than likely, more kisses begin with a Budweiser.

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      norbizness$kaycog
      4/22/16 1:52pm

      (Obama is about to sign executive order requiring every kiss to begin with Kay’s) (aide runs in) SIR, PLEASE STOP! I HAVE NEWS!

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      EL_ULY$kaycog
      4/22/16 2:26pm

      or Ford GT40's

      *muak on cheek* :]

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    quesoquesoquesoHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 2:16pm

    custom-designed Kay Jewelers ring, worth more than $21,000

    Serious question... is it actually worth that amount of money? Or did they just pay that for the ring? I.e. if you try to resell it right after, how much would you actually get for it?

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      Nom de pixelquesoquesoqueso
      4/22/16 2:17pm

      I get the impression the markup is REALLY high for anything that isn't vintage.

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      Flahdaquesoquesoqueso
      4/22/16 2:24pm

      Spot on.

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    TedCruzsDoubleChinHillary Crosley Coker
    4/22/16 1:48pm
    her custom-designed Kay Jewelers ring, worth more than $21,000.

    If you’re going to spend that kind of money, WHY would you go to Kay?! Gawd. Go to Harry Winston or some shit.

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      FridayFridayTedCruzsDoubleChin
      4/22/16 1:58pm

      Or an independent artisan! For that money you could get a real work of art on Etsy.

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      bella bachelorTedCruzsDoubleChin
      4/22/16 2:22pm

      I don’t think the ring set cost that much. I suspect $21,000 is Kay’s estimated value, highly inflated to justify charging their exorbitant insurance plan. It’s a nice ring, but I’d be surprised if the couple spent even $10,000 on the set.

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