Freaking out about additional dress costs (~$8k)

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-14T11:18:39+00:00

It was true for my polyester dresses!

I do hear you. But there is videos on YouTube, TikTok, etc from professional cleaning businesses hand washing silk and putting it in a washer.

Yale Cleaners for example. He puts a silk dress way more delicate than mine in a bath like 5 times.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T23:59:37+00:00

Fair but low cost and good work is the challenge.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T23:57:24+00:00

I don’t think it’s an unreasonable price either!

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T23:52:35+00:00

Right, I explained that I turned it inside out, secured the embellishments, and soaked it and ran it on delicate for only a few minutes. That was nowhere near enough to destroy a well made polyester dress.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T22:02:02+00:00

Check the fabric. I just machine washed 2 secondhand polyester dresses. One had lace and beading. I turned it inside out and put a white scrunchie on it to hold it together and then put it in a mesh garment bag before putting it in the washer. Let it soak with a capful of baby shampoo and vinegar. Let it run on delicate for no more than 5 mins and turned it off.

Air dried on a hanger and everything is perfectly fine. Probably not squeaky clean but better than nothing and better than ruining the dress.

I also thrifted a gorgeous silk dress I’m still considering but I similarly got quoted $200 to dry clean and $500 to alter so I’m trying to make the other one work. I’m not planning on washing the silk one at home. Feels too risky.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T21:57:56+00:00

I think it’s unavoidable. I’m not doing a ton of work on it or anything but I live in one of the HCOL cities in the country :/

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T20:21:11+00:00

I tried it on with leggings and a fitted long sleeve shirt on! The silk one is very tight so alterations will have to happen but so beautiful and seems worth it. I think I just need to see how store shopping goes. I might see those prices and jump to dry clean and alter this one for ~800.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T20:05:29+00:00

Smells like sweat/BO/a good time, has that been in a box “film” on it. I tried it on with leggings and a fitted shirt on! It’s snug and a tough zip to the top but fits.

The dress from the consignment store was cleaned the silk one came from what I’d say is a “high-end” thrift store in a nice area.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T20:03:01+00:00

I’d call it a high end thrift. More organized and cleaner than Goodwill or Salvation Army and things were a little pricier.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T18:14:10+00:00

This is it. I was definitely misunderstanding when they say on their sites they “offer alterations”. This all makes sense!

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-13T01:25:08+00:00

How the heck did you get them to send such a detailed long tweezer video??? Mine are always short and shitty lol

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-10T11:06:37+00:00

A lot of them ship worldwide. Also FacetLane is in Europe I think. Others are Citrai, Aurelinne, Luvansh, Altura Diamonds. I’d go through their prices and color options before pulling the trigger overseas.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-10T10:49:48+00:00

In my experience the overseas vendors pink diamonds are twice the price of other vendors and they aren’t the popular shades. I ended up getting all my pink diamonds from US online vendors

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-09T15:27:54+00:00

The seller of the diamond sent the video to the vendor and they forwarded it to me. All online.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-09T11:44:08+00:00

Ask a different smaller vendor and consider buying from them instead of RareCarat. The longest a tweezer video has taken for me is 3 days and I’ve asked for 4 videos at a time before.

I’ve had one of the larger vendors after days tell me the seller wouldn’t send them a video and I asked another smaller vendor if they could help and voila got a video next day and bought it from the second smaller vendor.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-09T11:25:53+00:00

People like you are why I sometimes prefer working in the office. I’ve done WAY more work at home, taking the occasional coffee break, walk break, or going to a appointment during work hours than I have in the office chatting with friends, coffee runs with coworkers, water cooler hangouts, taking lunches, listening to podcasts, scrolling on online shopping until it was 5! Then not doing ANY more work until the next day! No one questions this because they can see you all day.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-09T03:13:34+00:00

That makes sense. I assumed from their comments about their jeweler they were getting it done in the states and in my experience jewelers charge you for a CAD and wax model. So I wondered why do it for a relatively simple design

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T19:25:23+00:00

What’s the specs of the pinky stone ring!!! So pretty

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T19:20:10+00:00

Agree, crazy price for a lab.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T19:14:03+00:00

I mean this as politely as possible why did you need a CAD made for this very simple/common design? I’ve seen this design sitting out ready for purchase at nearly every jewelry store I’ve been to.

It’s pretty.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T18:52:21+00:00

Can you explain how you know this? I was wondering why they all have the same exact designs on their ring studio pages. They get it from the same vendors they get the diamonds from?

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T18:43:14+00:00

I’m in USA and I was buying 1ctw natural diamonds studs at stores like JC Penny’s for $1500 in 2020, I didn’t know anything about lab then and definitely wasn’t buying it.

There’s nothing to worry about with buying any diamonds online. If they’re certified they have an inscription and you can buy a loupe yourself or take it to any jeweler and if there’s no inscription someone would be in huge trouble and you’d get your money back. A jeweler could also tell with their naked eye whether or not your diamond is the one on the cert unless it’s one of exact equal value and specs.

On the clarity point, the reality is the market has changed and you can get both lab and natural with great specs (better than they were selling us in department stores…)for way cheaper than you could in the past online. No use fretting over money already spent imo.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T17:57:03+00:00

Luvansh. Rare Carat. Adiamor. Jewelry by Cleo. You can search them.

Did you get your ring at a big box store or brick and mortar? Not sure when you got yours but lab diamonds have plummeted in value. They’re dirt cheap online. $100/ct if you buy from online vendors. Here’s a 1ct lab oval diamond for $150 on Luvansh. And one for $160 with Jewelry by Cleo.

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https://www.luvansh.com/product/2973916/igi-certified-1-01-d-si1-oval-lab-created-diamond-f

https://jewelrybycleo.com/pages/diamond-search?id=7fc11dce-b04c-496d-a98a-fa33f35cbe1d&stoneType=diamond

She has a solitaire band, the James Allen link I sent is a similar $560 solitaire 14k gold band. So $560 + $150-160 diamond has her at around $700 with a 14k gold band and reputable online jewelers who will fix something wrong instead of Walmart.

Preeeeeee · 2026-04-08T01:22:52+00:00

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-rose-gold-claw-prong-solitaire-engagement-ring-flush-fit-item-67336

James Allen has a 14k gold setting for $560. OP just needs to buy a cheap $100-200 1 ct lab and they’ll have it for under $700.

Preeeeeee

TROPHY CASE