Reader Response: Where did you get that ring?

I got a great question from a reader named Marissa. Here is what she asks:

“wow im in love with the plain diamond ring on your index finger its gorgeous where did you get it and i wanted to know where i can get really pretty jewlry superrrr cheapp if you have any clues thanxs”

The ring is an antique quarter carat diamond ring with two triangle shaped sapphires. The prettiest part of the ring is the filigree work done in the setting. The ring is from an old watch shop in upstate New York that had a small selection of antique rings. At the time I had no extra money whatsoever, but I knew they bought “old gold jewelry.” I loved the ring so much that I asked if they would accept a trade. I had an old diamond cluster ring from the 80s that I didn’t like anymore and it always seemed to have loose stones. I got a $200 trade-in price for my old ring, and gladly put the antique diamond ring on layaway. I paid the difference in price over time.

My advice on finding good jewelry deals is to go to local flea markets, old jewelry shops that sell vintage and antique jewelry, and scanning eBay weekly. Two quality online jewelry websites that have nice jewelry for low prices are Ross-Simons and Beladora2. You have to be willing to bargain for a better price. You also have to understand that if you want fine jewelry, it is not going to come extremely cheap. A pricetag of at least $100 is typical.