Could not be happier with my experience
Posting this because Reddit is genuinely where my search started, so hopefully it helps someone else.
I took my girlfriend to a brick and mortar jewelry store just to see what styles she liked — didn't buy anything, just used it as a vibe check. Then I went down the rabbit hole. Lab vs real diamonds, cuts, clarity, carat weight, the whole thing. If you're reading this you probably know exactly what that's like.
Once I had a rough idea of what I wanted, the next headache was figuring out where to actually buy it. I knew online was the move — the price difference compared to in-store is just ridiculous — but I had no idea which online retailers were legit. Started with whatever Instagram and Facebook were pushing at me, found a few more suggestions here on Reddit, and honestly the prices and styles across all of them were pretty similar.
Then I kept seeing Loose Grown Diamonds mentioned. Went to their site and the prices threw me off at first — significantly cheaper than everywhere else I'd looked. The website felt a little dated too, which didn't help my skepticism. But the stones are all GIA or IGI certified, and enough people on here had vouched for them that I reached out with some questions before committing to anything.
Their customer service was really easy to deal with. I ended up ordering a 3.53ct, 10.4x7.25x5 radiant. The stone was large enough that they actually recommended going with a thicker band, which came with a small upcharge, but they sent a CAD design photo with the email so I could see exactly why. I was skeptical about that too so I did my own research — turns out the recommendation was spot on.
From start to finish I got 33 emails from them. Right before shipping they sent a short custom video of the finished ring with my name and the specs. Didn't expect that at all.
My fiancée is completely in love with it. The whole process was way less stressful and cheaper than I thought it would be. If I ever need another ring, LGD is the first place I'm going.
Hope this helps someone in the same position I was in — and congrats to anyone else who just got engaged! 🎉
tl;dr
I did my homework, took me a while. ended up learning about loose grown diamonds and buying the ring with them. my now fiancé couldn't be happier. good luck!
