A: Yes! Here at Vanscoy, Maurer & Bash, we hand-select diamonds from our diamond importer, Fischler Diamonds. Those diamonds come from Antwerp, Belgium, where they must meet specific criteria to ensure they're conflict-free and ethically-sourced. The process these diamonds must go through to become approved for sale is known as The Kimberly Process. You can learn more on their website about the journey the diamonds take and what the KP entails.

A: We do offer financing! You'll need to fill out an application form with us and it'll be submitted to Wells Fargo. If you're approved, you can make a purchase at our store. You can visit our financing page to learn more about our current offers. Please reach out with any questions or stop by our store to fill out an application.

A: The truth is - it's entirely up to you! The 3-month salary rule was part of a De Beers marketing campaign in the early 1900s and is no longer a rule of thumb. While you can certainly spend that amount (and more!) on an engagement ring, you can also spend much less. The most important parts of choosing an engagement ring is that it's something your fiance will love and that you both feel comfortable with the cost. We'll work with you to find a great ring that fits your budget. We have a wide variety of settings and diamonds to choose from, can find you an alternative stone, or custom-design an engagement ring to fit your preferences.

A: We do offer repairs and resizings. We also offer appraisals. Our master in-house gemologist can handle a wide-range of these and other services, so your jewelry doesn't ever have to leave the store. You can rest assured that we will keep you updated on the progress of the repair, or other service being done, and let you know once it's complete.

A: Yes, we do! Our certified gemologist will perform an appraisal on your piece(s) - you can make an appointment to have the appraisal performed while you wait, or drop off your jewelry and pick it up later that day or in a few days. How quickly a drop-in appraisal is completed depends on how busy we are with customers and repairs for the day.

We also have regular appraisal events, so keep an eye out for those! Appraisals start at $100 per piece, depending on what it is, the type of metal and gems, and how intricate the piece.

A: Yes! It's important to us that you do not feel anxiety about the possible loss or damage of your jewelry. We offer a complimentary comprehensive care package with the purchase of an engagement ring. When you need repairs done, we handle those ourselves. For lost or stolen jewelry, we highly recommend Jewelers Mutual - a company we've worked with for a long time and encourage customers to use to insure their jewelry purchases. You'll need a jewelry appraisal, which we can do for you. You can visit our store or call us for more information on Jewelers Mutual, appraisals, and what the process looks like. 

A: Yes, we do! Whether you're looking for a custom engagement ring that is completely unique to you and your partner or have a piece of jewelry in mind to commemorate a special event, we can make it come to life. Even if you don't have an idea, but know you want a custom piece, our in-house jewelers will work with you to make it happen. Custom also doesn't have to mean more expensive - we frequently make pieces for customers that end up being less expensive that a designer piece.

Our custom design process involves several steps. You can learn more about our process in this blog post.

A: This decision is entirely up to the two fo you. We've had people choose all kinds of consultations - the fiance by herself to get an idea of what she likes, the couple together, the partner who will be proposing by themselves, with a close friend, the fiance's close friend, sibling, mother, or other family member, or any combination of people from the couple to those who are important in their lives. You'll need to decide if you want it to be a complete surprise and how to get an idea of what she likes or if you want her to come look at rings and then you'll make the final decision, or let her pick out her ring on her own. There are endless possibilities - it's entirely up to what you, and your partner, prefer.

There is no right or wrong way to start looking at engagement rings. We're here to answer any questions you may have. Our trained associates here at Vanscoy, Maurer & Bash can help guide you through the process without pressure and help you learn more about diamonds, settings, and the entire process of creating an engagement ring. They can even help you plan the proposal!

A: If you're shopping for an engagement ring, it's better to slightly overestimate than underestimate the size. You want to ensure that it fits on her finger when you propose! However, it's important to not make the ring too large - rings can really only be successfully resized one or two full size increases or decreases without risking damage to the ring. If a ring has gemstones or diamonds in the band, it can also be challenging to make significant size changes to the band. The individual gemstones will need to be removed, but this can cause damage to the ring depending on how they're set.

Your ring size will change throughout your lifetime, so while you want it to fit snugly, it's important to remember you'll likely need it to be a little larger later on in life. For rings that are too large, sizing beads are also an option; two metal balls will be attached to the inside of your ring to help make it smaller and ensure it stays upright. These balls can easily be removed as your ring size changes.