Engagement Rings...

[Bigsnake]

Can anyone educate me on these things

Anyone ever order one online?

 

[eriktlupus]

yeah, i bought mine off of bidz.com for about 1/4 price. i also got our bands there to

 

[Bigsnake]

How many carats is normal for a engagement diamond? I think I need to get to a store to look as I really don't know how big these things are

 

[beerboy5150]

good luck bigsnake, the prices are normally dependent on the color clarity and cut.. ( i just got one about 1year ago) for swmbo. as a rule of thumb the bigger the better in her mind.. but also you want to find a nice compramise between size and color and clairty remember your buying a very overpriced rock.. if you go to a jewelry store go to the one with the ugliest women, some of these stores have some hotties and by the time they get done bending over, showing off their tops,etc.. its hard to tell what they can talk ya in to buyin

 

[Bigsnake]

good luck bigsnake, the prices are normally dependent on the color clarity and cut.. ( i just got one about 1year ago) for swmbo. as a rule of thumb the bigger the better in her mind.. but also you want to find a nice compramise between size and color and clairty remember your buying a very overpriced rock.. if you go to a jewelry store go to the one with the ugliest women, some of these stores have some hotties and by the time they get done bending over, showing off their tops,etc.. its hard to tell what they can talk ya in to buyin

Luckily I think mine is more concerned with getting the ring than the size of the rock. She didn't even know her ring size

But, she helps me brew beer so I need to make this happen.

 

[Bopper]

Check this out -
SoYouWanna buy an engagement ring? | SoYouWanna.com

Parts 4 & 5 are the most relevant. You want to earn as much about the "4 C's" as you can (Color, Cut, Clarity, Carrot).

 

[The Pol]

I think the general rule has been 3x your monthly salary for the cost of the ring... but who cares.

I DO buy some things online (bands, watches etc), but never diamonds. Why? When I was purchasing my wifes engagement ring I found that diamonds with the same cut, color and clarity at the jeweler had HUGE differences when you looked at them in natural light. Between 6 different rings, all with the same C-C-C ratings there were vast differences in the appearance of the diamond. Some were cut too deep, some to shallow, some did not have nearly as many facets... the list goes on.
I would LOVE to buy diamond rings online for a discounted price, but after what I saw when shopping at jewelers, I am afraid to buy any diamond sight unseen.

 

[jmulligan]

HWMO bought my ring online at GemStoneKing.net Home Page| Best value diamonds & diamond jewelry for low prices

My ring is a blue diamond, which I can tell you, gets a lot of comments from people (which women always like). The center stone is 0.5 carat and there are 5 small white diamonds to each side making up 0.25 carats (so ctw = 0.75). From the picture, your girlfriend looks medium to small, so you don't want something TOO big (unless that's what she'd like).

I really like my ring, and it was high quality for less money ($645) than white diamonds. Good luck either way!

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

Instead of going by the "general norm", try to figure out what she wants, you might be surprised. I know there are chicks out there that are, "If the rock is not the size of my thumbnail...." (which would be a deal breaker for me) and there are those (like my wife) who would rather have something practical that doesn't get caught on everything you walk past. After some honest "hypothetical" talking I was able to pick out a ring that she loves for less than a 1/4 of what I was planning to spend originally.

 

[the_bird]

I bought the_Wife's ring from Blue Nile back, guess it was seven years ago now. The independant appraisal that they send along, for whatever that's worth, indicated that it was worth about 40% more than what I paid for it. I've bought one or two other things from them over the years, and it's always been good, I trust them if you're looking for an online source. What was cool was being able to built out the specific ring, being able to pick the specific stone based on whether I wanted to pay up for a bigger stone, or one with better clarity, or better color, or what.

 

[jspence1]

Its normal for rings to be appraised for 40-50% more than they sell for. I was told this is done for insurance purposes. I say talk to your future wife and ask her what she wants. My wife wanted the cheep ring so we could buy a nicer house. Maybe she's odd But I still love her. You can never go wrong asking.

Remember the more you spend the more you'll have to pay for insurance too. also insurance doesn't cover damaged stones so it you chip it pop the stone out and tell them it was lost. I can't imagine my wife wearing a ring worth $15000 everyday just out of fear of losing it but $2000.

Good Luck I wish you a long and happy marriage.
John

 

[Bobby_M]

I went to a local jewelry "mall" where there are nothing but jewelry businesses in a large open floor plan. You can be sure their prices are going to be much more competitive.

I went with a .7 carat that was more visually pleasing rather than a full carat that had flaws. I'd recommend spending an hour looking at rocks under the light and getting an appreciation for what the various ratings do to the "fire".

3 months salary huh? Obviously a marketting ploy by the diamond industry. Frankly any woman that has that kind of expectation can talk to the next schmuck that comes along.

 

[The Pol]

Also, be sure that if you are looking at actual rings, in hand, look at them in natural light, NOT the flourecents that most stores have. All of the jewelers that I visited allowed this, as there is a BIG difference in your ability to actually see the diamond for what it is.

 

[The Pol]

3 months salary, if you dont make squat, may be a life saver!!!

 

[Brandon O]

3 months salary, if you dont make squat, may be a life saver!!!

I gotta tell you, I spent 5200 on a leo 1.1 carat diamond, and 2200 on the diamond and white gold band.

Here is what I would do now, get a lab produced diamond.

The diamond industry is terrible, science needs to put it out of business and now it can.

Lab conditions can now create the pressure needed in order to produce a real diamond. I would get one of those, they are still pricey but not as pricey as one dug up from the earth. Again, these are real diamonds. They are made the same way natural diamonds are just in a lab.

When I priced it out I could have got the same diamond for 2000 instead of 5200 and a corrupt industry wouldn't have received my money.

 

[GreenwoodRover]

In my experience I would stay away from Jared or other chains that don't offer a GIA or EGL cert. A lot of the chains have their own "independent" certification group, which seems to me to be a conflict of interest.
Make sure you read-up and look at at least 5 different places before deciding.

Also if you can try to look at the stone in sunlight (they won't let you leave with it so hopefully they have windows) all the rocks in a jewelery store look great under the 3million watts halogena track lights they have....

 

[knarfks]

I actually took my swmbo with me when deciding on rings. She didn't know her ring size, I had no idea what she would like since she has no jewelry.
I spent 1/4 of what I was going to spend when she picked it out. She told me she like the ring and she would rather spend the money on the month long massive honeymoon. I think I have found the one.

 

[noremorse1]

Can anyone educate me on these things

Anyone ever order one online?

I can get you a really, really good deal. My sister is a jeweler... just let me know what you are looking for and I can put in an order for yah.

http://www.richardsonjewelers.com/

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

In my experience I would stay away from Jared or other chains that don't offer a GIA or EGL cert. A lot of the chains have their own "independent" certification group, which seems to me to be a conflict of interest.
Make sure you read-up and look at at least 5 different places before deciding.

Also if you can try to look at the stone in sunlight (they won't let you leave with it so hopefully they have windows) all the rocks in a jewelery store look great under the 3million watts halogena track lights they have....

WORD!!!

I think the most important thing is to decide what this ring represents to you and what kind of people you are. Do you want a BIG diamond, or do you want a ring of superb quality. Realistically, the rock will be dirty most of the time, and no one will be able to see the flaws... however, you will always know that you choose the bigger rock as opposed to higher quality. Big or quality, that is the question.

I would highly suggest avoiding the big box diamond stores. They may say their prices are great, but in fact they are grossly overstated and they will not bargain. Everyone else will. Find an actual jeweler, who makes, services, and sells jewelery. They will be able to tell you the grade of each diamond, where it came from, and will spend the time with you to find the flaws and compare stones. For example, my wife's diamond has two inclusions, but they are both behind prongs in the setting so they are impossible to see in the setting. This can make a huge price difference and makes the experience more fun when you are more involved.

Bargaining cane save you HUGE. Go shop around for a day. Find two rings and rocks that you would be completely satisfied with at different stores. Then start playing them of each other to get the best deal. A good starting point is just over half the list price. you will likely meet half way depending on how your negotiation goes.

The 3x thing is not a store idea, it is from antiquity. That is the uber old school way to tell how much to spend. I didn't spend that much because I just couldn't at the time.

 

[Beerrific]

I recently (2 years ago) bought an engagement ring. It was actually less stressful than I thought it was going to be.

She was pressing with the not so subtle hints. She told me the cut of the main diamond and the style ring she wanted, I filled in the details.

I would recommend that unless you are trying to make this a big surprise, have her in on the process. Either or take her with you to look, or some places even let you buy a "loaner" and then you can bring her back after to pick out the one she wants. I know this takes some of the fun out of it, but she has to wear it.

Also, the jewelry people will haggle prices. I found the ring I wanted to get and the stone, but it was a little out of my price range. They asked me what my price range was and knocked the price down to secure the sale that day. I probably could have worked them down more, but I got the ring I (she) wanted for the price I wanted. And don't forget to add the ring to your renters/homeowners insurance once you buy it.

And, I call BS on the 3x your monthly salary. I don't make a lot of money and I spent 1.6x my monthly salary and this ring is borderline too much. If I spent 3x my monthly salary I would have had to have gotten designer or a stone the size if a marble.

 

[Brett3rThanU]

The first thing you should do is look at Diamond Prices: Diamond Jewelry Facts, Diamond Tools and Consumer Reports Forum , this website saved me THOUSANDS of dollars on my engagement ring. Second, remember cut is absolutely the most important aspect of a diamond. You can have two diamonds, one is I color, SI clarity that is AGS000 cut rating, and the other flawless clarity, D color, with a "good" cut rating. The AGS000 is going to look MUCH better than the other and will even cost less.

I bought my diamond from Wedding Bands - Engagement Rings, Diamond Bracelets and Earrings from Whiteflash.com and couldn't be happier. Why was I comfortable buying a diamond I could only see in pictures? ASET images, these things take the guessing out of how a diamond will look in person. Read up on the Pricescope site above, you'll be an expert by the time you're ready to buy and won't get ripped off.

 

[Sastrugi]

Congrats! Getting engaged is a blast (so much fun, I did it twice).

+1 to getting her in on it, if you can. The second time around -- the one I got right -- I had an antique ring that I knew we wouldn't keep, but the stone was good to go. So I popped the question with that and we went shopping for the setting together. She didn't care that the stone was small, but she loved going to a bunch of jewelry stores and trying on shiny stuff. Neither of us is a big fan of the diamond industry so buying an antique stone was a way of saving money, and not coughing up a bunch for a "new" stone that had been sitting in a safe in Switzerland to keep supply artificially low.

+1 also to seeing the stone in person, under natural light. And definitely get GIA certification (they can also inscribe a microscopic serial number to make sure your stone doesn't get swapped when a jeweler puts it in the setting).

 

[Nurmey]

Definitely find out what she wants! I would have choked HWMO if he had spent 3 times his salary on a ring. Although it's my birth stone, I had no desire for a diamond and chose a Sapphire instead.

Personally, I like a low profile ring (read not a big rock). Big rocks tends to catch on clothing, snag nylons, and if the woman is active can be dangerous. I had no desire to rip my finger off having the stone getting caught on equipment and such. Yes, I have personally known two people who have ripped their fingers off catching their rings. I know their are lots of woman that can live with a giant stone on their finger but I'm not one of them.

 

[BrewinJack]

Ill just say good luck and congrats... my advice in this area is slanted and a bit tainted and i wouldnt want to put bad thoughts in your head... women are special and probably the most important thing in a mans life... theres a reason i spend a firday night brewing... glad you got it better then me mate

Cheers

 

[The Pol]

I had a great time buying my wifes ring, but I had cash and refused to buy what they had in thier cases (looked bad in NATURAL light). They ended up taking some time to rummage through some rings they had in back, amazing the quality difference, for the same CCC ratings... huh

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

To represent the other side of the design choice crowd....

My proposal was a complete surprise to my wife. I picked out the diamond, the setting, and everything else on my own without her knowledge. However, I had a few things going for me and I think they are pretty important considering she will be wearing this everyday for the rest of her life. So her is my checklist:

1) White or yellow? Gold/white gold/platinum/other
2) Stone type?
3) Stone cut/shape?
4) Setting style?
5) Any other info you can get.

I had the advantage of knowing my wife for a LONG time before we got engaged and had time to find these things out before hand without her knowing what I was asking. I knew she would love the ring I picked out because I knew her so well.

Also, steal one of her favorite rings that you know fits well. Take it with you when you buy the ring, and have them size it before hand. Then it will fit on her finger when you engage. That little thing makes the moment that much more perfect.

 

[Bigsnake]

3 months salary, if you dont make squat, may be a life saver!!!

This is true because right now, that would be, idk, somewhere around $0 for me

 

[Bigsnake]

Just finished reading through the page and... Thanks!!!!!

This is much more than I expected. Going to have to read through some of the links later tonight when I get back home.

 

[TheJadedDog]

You've got to find out what she wants first and foremost; what kind of setting? what kind of size will be acceptable? ect...

Then you gotta do some trading off. Personally I sacrificed sized for quality because that was what she wanted. It also helped that she wanted a setting that would enhance the perceived size of the stone (full bezel).

 

[Repsychler]

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.