Maison Birks

My last shopping spree....was at a jewelry store. Whooopeee!

A while ago, you probably read my post about my experience at Birks about 11 years ago when I was still a student and looking for a diamond band ring. The SA had guided me from looking at white gold to silver, and then finally...the cabinet that was going to be on sale next week. I left the store with nothing and took my business to Mappins instead. I found the diamond band ring I liked and got it as a gift from my folks for my birthday.

Now, 11 years later, I walked into the exact same store. Why exactly? Because I was tired from work and didn't want to drive all the way west in traffic. I was lazy.

A brief story:

I was browsing online, looking for a glamorous ring to wear. It had to be cute and pretty. I actually started on Cartier and Tiffany to see if I could find anything but what they were asking (for the size of diamonds) was ridiculous. For example, the carat would be 0.13 but they were asking for $2100. It wasn't worth it in my opinion. Now of course there are reasons why (the 4 C's of diamond hunting), so perhaps that's why it was a ridiculous price, but I wasn't crazy enough to purchase it.

Then I remembered Birks. Of course I remembered Birks.

I browsed their rings online. They don't have as many selections as the rest but one thing I do know is that they are a Canadian company, and well, might as well support our own kind right?

That's where I finally found something similar as Tiffany and Cartier. Price was reasonable as well. So off I went to the store.

This was around 3:30pm on a weekday so malls were not packed. I wasn't expecting a busy time in the store but I wasn't expecting to be the ONLY CUSTOMER in there.

Let me tell you it was intimidating walking into Birks wearing half my scrubs and looking drained from work. There were 3 SAs in the store. The guy I remember very well, and I didn't want to ask him so I went towards 2 ladies. They were having a chat and I guess didn't see me, so I started to browse around, and didn't realize I was browsing the baby jewelry section.

At last, the older lady asked if I needed any help, and this is where I showed her the picture of the ring I was trying to get. She then directed me to the right place and brought out the ring to see. We sat down where I could see it more and try it on. Thankfully the one they showed me was in my size, so I did not have to wait for days or weeks to get it sized.

Diamonds can always be negotiated. I asked if this was the best price that I could get, and well, maybe I didn't push hard enough, but I knew I wasn't going to get a better price, as it was already a pretty good price. The SA said unfortunately that was the price it was going to be. But, she could throw in a few things for me. For example, the infamous silver bell used for engagement rings. Considering this was not under their engagement ring section, I am not suppose to get the silver bell. Because I was nice about it, she decided to throw it in for free for me!

The ring comes with the Birks blue box, as well as a traveling pouch to put the ring in, instead of bringing the silver bell with me as it is a bit heavy. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity, listing the type of diamond, for insurance purposes.

All in all, I was pretty happy with it. The diamonds really shine in sunlight and bright lights. It does look pretty glamorous. I debated telling her about my terrible story 11 years ago (and I believe it was the same lady too!!) but I decided not to. Figured if I did, maybe she would give me a better price LOL.

Now for the reveal:

The magical blue bag and box with ribbon that it comes with.

OooooOooo the silver bell!

Voila! 

This is the Birks Starry Night collection, heart shaped diamond cluster ring with a single halo. Consists of 0.5 carats, with S1 clarity and H colour on the scale. Comes in 18k white gold. You wouldn't be able to know unless it's under magnification, but when it glistens in the sun, it just shines WHITE BLING BLING!

It comes with a 1 year factory warranty. Birks will also do complimentary cleaning (like other stores).

For more information: Starry Night Heart Shaped Ring

Tiffany does have a similar ring. The only difference is the centre piece of the heart is one solid diamond. And of course the minimum overall carat is 1. It comes in platinum. Tiffany is asking north of $24,000 for that ring. I'm fortunate I did not pay that price. This is magnificent enough for me. 

And here it is: Soleste Heart Ring

Cartier does have a heart shape ring, which only consists of a diamond in the middle, but no diamonds on the band. They're asking for about $2100 Cdn. Not as glamorous looking as the above two.

So if you have a girlfriend who is looking for heart shaped rings, these are wonderful selections from great companies. It's just a matter of how much would you be willing to spend. Don't forget though, you can always negotiate when it comes to diamonds and gold.