Engagement Rings...

[brrman]

My wife didn't want a big ass diamond. She wanted a size that fit her hands and did not look retardedly out of proportion. That was fine with me.

 

[Deacon240]

My fiance and I decided to go with a cheaper metal, its more about the commitment than the jewelry. (And she hates gold and diamonds, WOOHOO!) We bought a copper band for her and I made mine out of a copper fitting....

EDIT:: My failed engagement cost me around $1000 for the ring at a 75% discount >.<.

To be more helpful; Whenever I looked into them I looked into a set that the engagement ring fit some fancy way with the wedding band.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Congratulations on your pending engagement, I wish you all the best.

That said, I'm going to be the party pooper and say diamonds are bull****. Spending gobs of cash on a rock that's not as rare as they'd like you to believe is nuts. Buy a simulate (Or a lab diamond as someone else suggested) and spend the money yousave on yourselves, not the diamond cartel.
Don't drink the DeBeers kool aid.

Wow... that's a pretty opinionated view for one of the most personal purchases of one's life. I think you will find that many people, like me feel that buying an imitation created in a lab lacks the allure and romance of a real stone. Some people really like real things. Things that are authentic, made to last, and have stories of their own. For me this passes to any purchase however small.... may brother is the same as you...

'Why don't you, just buy a fake and get it three times as big?'

True, she would never know.. but I would. If you don't care, why get a ring at all... just because you want a big ass status symbol? To me, the engagement ring was a very important and sacred thing. I could never live with my wife wearing something manufactured in a lab so I could say it was huge, or that we got a nicer car....

Sorry if this is not what you feel, but to say diamonds for engagement rings is bull**** is a pretty dumb thing to say in public. But what do I know, I am the guy who gets outraged at contemporary American home design because everyone feels they need to keep up with the Jones by adding 20,000 useless and showy gabbles to there damn homes! Does no one care about real things anymore???!!!!

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

My fiance and I decided to go with a cheaper metal, its more about the commitment than the jewelry. (And she hates gold and diamonds, WOOHOO!) We bought a copper band for her and I made mine out of a copper fitting....

That is one of the coolest things I have heard!!! That is really creative!

 

[Bobby_M]

I spent 1/5 of my monthly salary on both the rock and platinum setting (solitaire). We've been married long enough now that if she hated it, she would have let me know in the middle of some argument. I stole the ring a week before our 5th anniversary and had a bunch of tiny rocks installed all around the band. I think that added $200 to the project. She was pretty upset thinking she lost the darn thing.

 

[Deacon240]

'Why don't you, just buy a fake and get it three times as big?'

True, she would never know.. but I would.

She might know, Cubic Zircona is typically overly shiny. But my advice is to go with something you feel would be good for her. Have you guys ever talked about the ring? Does she do stuff that a more exposed setting would get caught on? My first engagement I got a ring that had more small diamonds and only had one raised in such a fashion it didnt get caught on stuff easily.

Also look at local jewelry stores for sales and care packages, if you shell out a grand for something dont you want it to be covered if something breaks or falls off?

 

[Deacon240]

That is one of the coolest things I have heard!!! That is really creative!

When it comes to when we get married we're doing tattoo bands along with something either silver or copper. Depends on how much equipment I have to make a band.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

That is really cool. One of my buddies in college made his fiances engagement ring. Wax mold handmade and everything. I think the tattoo idea is a good one too.

 

[HBRunner]

Congrats on the engagement!!! When's the bachelor party?

I actually took my SWMBO with me to pick hers out.....

I had already asked her to marry me, but I wanted to know that If I shelled out the cash for the diamond ring and bands, it was going to be something that SHE liked, because as most people who know me know, my sense of style and jewelry suck!!!

 

[Soulive]

Two months salary on the little bastard I bought. It was good value and custom-made, but I can't justify it other than her loving it. The most important things to learn are the 4 C's, as mentioned earlier. Also remember, the markup on jewelery is nauseating so don't be afraid to haggle like a champion. They'll never be losing money on you, no matter what they say...

 

[Laurel]

Yikes! You guys spend a ton of money on your rings. I don't care what rating my diamond gets so long as I can't tell there's anything wrong with it.

That said, I DID email this link to hwmbo.

 

[Soulive]

Yikes! You guys spend a ton of money on your rings. I don't care what rating my diamond gets so long as I can't tell there's anything wrong with it.

My wife's ring will appreciate with time. So while I don't think any jewelry is worth a lot of money, at least there is a potential return on it. Ya know, in case we go broke and need to hock it for gas money...

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

The way I looked at it was, you only buy t once and you have to wear it forever.... bad time to skimp. I was at the two month mark too. However, if you are a little older when you get engaged and have a high powered job, that number could put you in the ridiculous crowd. If you have all the money in the world, just get what you think looks best.

Picking out that ring, and giving it to my wife rank very high in my favorite life moments. Make it personal and it will be special.

 

[EvilTOJ]

That's why it's easier just to live in sin.

 

[Laurel]

The way I looked at it was, you only buy t once and you have to wear it forever.... bad time to skimp. I was at the two month mark too. However, if you are a little older when you get engaged and have a high powered job, that number could put you in the ridiculous crowd. If you have all the money in the world, just get what you think looks best.

Picking out that ring, and giving it to my wife rank very high in my favorite life moments. Make it personal and it will be special.

I think for something to be timeless and "perfect" it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. I think that ring-picking-out can be done inexpensively and still be fun. For me, the ring is a symbol of the commitment and relationship, and has nothing to do with money. If there's a ring that looks fine to me, I don't need the most special diamond, I just want something durable and pretty.

 

[Bobby_M]

I went with a theme of longevity (platinum) and clarity/quality over quantity. My sister's obnoxious 1.5c rock is like a chipped piece of rock salt.

You can spend what you want, but I seriously think it's a huge mistake to even consider financing an engagement ring. You're setting your life up for a whole lot of buy now, pay later and odds are you'll be financing a divorce before the ring is paid for.

My cousin somehow convinced his parents to dip into their 401k under penalty to help him pay for a $10k ring for his girlfriend and that's like 6 months salary for him. What a ******.

 

[Repsychler]

Wow... that's a pretty opinionated view for one of the most personal purchases of one's life. I think you will find that many people, like me feel that buying an imitation created in a lab lacks the allure and romance of a real stone. Some people really like real things. Things that are authentic, made to last, and have stories of their own.

If that's how you feel, more power to ya. I just wanted to let the OP know he has other options. The "Allure and romance" of a diamond is a notion that was created by the diamond cartel, and my wife and I didn't feel the need to participate.
(And by NO MEANS am I advocating buying a fake diamond and passing it off as real. Bad idea. Really, really bad idea.)

Sorry if this is not what you feel, but to say diamonds for engagement rings is bull**** is a pretty dumb thing to say in public.

How so? They are bull****. Beyond DeBeers over inflating them with emotion and false value, countless people have been enslaved and died over them. I'm not participating in that.

But what do I know, I am the guy who gets outraged at contemporary American home design because everyone feels they need to keep up with the Jones by adding 20,000 useless and showy gabbles to there damn homes!

I agree with you there. And I'm not trying to start an argument or pee in your cheerios about the fact that you want a real diamond. I just want to let the OP know he has options, such as lab diamonds or Moissanite, where he can get a beautiful, durable gemstone without the extra baggage.

 

[shecky]

The way I looked at it was, you only buy t once and you have to wear it forever.... .

Well, the hope is you only buy it once. I did it twice. First time I did it was long before the interwebby thing. Second time I avoided the interwebby thing simply because I want to see what I'm getting.

I done good the second time.

 

[Bigsnake]

Are most people here doing something different for the wedding bad? Get a plain band they wear along with the engagement ring or what?

I can't afford anything super fancy now, but could afford to do something better when we get married.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I can't afford anything super fancy now, but could afford to do something better when we get married.

This is what I did. I let my wife pick out her wedding band. Alternatively, many women now just want to wear their engagement ring as a symbol of their marriage as well. I offered this to my wife and told her I would get her earrings instead if she so choose. She wanted a ring though and we found one that matched nicely.

Then you get to pick out your ring :rockin:

 

[bob1852]

I think for something to be timeless and "perfect" it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. I think that ring-picking-out can be done inexpensively and still be fun. For me, the ring is a symbol of the commitment and relationship, and has nothing to do with money. If there's a ring that looks fine to me, I don't need the most special diamond, I just want something durable and pretty.

If you ever break up with HWMBO, call me just kiding

Glad to see a women who feels this way! I think a lot of guys are afraid that they need to spend 20K on a ring to make SWMBO happy...and I'm guessing (probably wrongly) that more gals are like Laurel - at least I hope they are...

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

I think for something to be timeless and "perfect" it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. I think that ring-picking-out can be done inexpensively and still be fun. For me, the ring is a symbol of the commitment and relationship, and has nothing to do with money. If there's a ring that looks fine to me, I don't need the most special diamond, I just want something durable and pretty.

Wow wish more women were like you. I ask my girlfriend down in St Thomas to marry me last June. I was scared to death she was not going to like the ring because it was not major $$$$$$. It was alot for me to spend but I still thought she was going to hate it. In the end she loved it.

 

[Arneba28]

I think I might contradict common thought but when my ex, yes ex, and I got engaged she just wanted something that looked good on her hand. We were really poor when we were getting engaged so she(and I) didnt care. $99 silver walmart ring. Figures we broke up a few months later.

 

[uglygoat]

i sorta agree with the diamond being bs. it's not a good indication of devotion imo. shiny things make people nuts.