Engagement Ring advice

[Waus]

I am totally in the dark here. How much are they? Where should I look? Is it taboo to order them online?
:confused: HALP

[AceFace]

hey i used to work in jewelry and know a lot! i'll PM you.

[Praying Mantis]

My aunt is i n the jewelry business and I got mine at cost from her. I paid around $5500.00 just for the stone. That did not include the setting. For appreciation value you would rather have a smaller stone with less imperfections (VS1 or VS2 - the best or SI1 and SI2). Also, you want the color of the ring to be as close to D as possible (D, E, F) are colorless.

I would not buy online. I would go to a reputible jeweler. Any other questions please let me know.\

Chris

[venusvenus123]

choose it together!!!!!!!!!!

i'm too practical for these sorts of things. i know this belongs in your other thread but how it happened with us was... we lived together for ages, we just knew we wanted to be together, both wanted the same things... and then decided to get married when i got pregnant (altho of course it had been discussed prior to that).
we chose all our rings together (including and "engagement" ring) on the same day. we flew to australia, travelled for 3 months, got married on a beach and picked the rings up when we returned. that wasn't ideal really... we just left the rings a bit to the last minute--the jewellers loaned us dummy rings to exchange on the day.

we had a big celebration with friends and family when we got back.

that was almost 10 years ago

i recently got an "eternity" ring. we chose it together. honestly, choosing a ring together is actually really romantic. i can't imagine wearing such a significant ring for the rest of my life with someone else having chosen it.

[Rock]

I am totally in the dark here. How much are they? Where should I look? Is it taboo to order them online?
:confused: HALP

They say it should be anywhere between 2 to 3 months of salary.

I think its all bullshit. I still give my wife shit about hers saying that her ring cost some poor little kid a limb. Or that I have some kids blood on my hands.

Fuck De Beers for making this shitty tradition the norm in the past 100 years to boost their sales.

[na§tee]

oof, christ. really depends how much you want to spend. i guess you're trying to enquire how much a 'decent' amount is to not come off as some sort of cheap-skate, ha. sounds obvious, but there's a ring to suit everyone's budget nowadays. i could get a £20 piece of crap (http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2299596/Trail/C%24cip%3D1500011826.Jewellery%2Band%2Bwatches%3EC %24cip%3D1500011857.Rings%3EC%24cip%3D1500011868.E ngagement%2Brings.htm) out of elizabeth duke or a £600/1000/2000 whopper. or make like bill and ted and slip on a plastic beaut. haha.

but no. seriously. good luck. jewellery stores aren't thin on the ground.
i personally think antique ones are cool. they have a history. but unfortunately that history usually comes from some dead chick's finger.. ha. erm. well, i'm not disturbed by wearing another person's ring as long as it's a piece of nice vintage design.

[venusvenus123]

I paid around $5500.00 just for the stone.
you're a mug!

[AceFace]

YES! we chose mine together. well i chose 4 different ones and he bought the one he liked best.

also, my diamond is under 1 karat and has a small inclusion and is a SI1. we paid about $750 for the stone and ring.

[Yeti]

The most important thing when buying a diamond is the Four Cs.

Cut---Cut is probably the most important, and most challenging, of the four Cs to understand. The brilliance of a diamond depends heavily on its cut.

Clarity---Most diamonds contain some inner flaws, or inclusions, that occur during the formation process. The visibility, number and size of these inclusions determine what is called the clarity of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear create more brilliance, and thus are more highly prized, and priced.

Color---Colorless diamonds are the most desirable since they allow the most refraction of light (sparkle). Off white diamonds absorb light, inhibiting brilliance.

Carat---A carat is the unit of weight by which a diamond is measured. Because large diamonds are found less commonly than small diamonds, the price of a diamond rises exponentionaly to its size. Read this guide to get a better understanding of what a carat is and how it affects the appearance of a diamond.

The Fifth C---Certificates
The diamond certificate, which is sometimes called a grading report, is a complete evaluation of your diamond that has been performed by a qualified professional with the help of special gemological instruments. Each stone bears its own recognizable, individual characteristics, which is listed on the certificate.

I bought my wife a simple platinum setting and concentrated on getting her a high quality diamond. She loves the ring. It all depends on your soon to be wife's style.

It’s often said that a man should spend twice his monthly salary on a ring. I spent more but I had money in the bank and after I bought the ring I could not get high.

[jabumbo]

we chose all our rings together (including and "engagement" ring) on the same day. we flew to australia, travelled for 3 months, got married on a beach and picked the rings up when we returned. that wasn't ideal really... we just left the rings a bit to the last minute--the jewellers loaned us dummy rings to exchange on the day.

i would love to have it happen that way (y)


i'd rather spend the money on a trip than on some sort of "traditional" wedding (which most of i dont care for). if i do end up that way though, i insist on a live band, no matter the cost. but yeah, id rather run off for the ceremony and i think my family (extended, at least) would be content with a huge party afterwards!

[na§tee]

yeah, i'd prefer to spend the money on a honeymoon, some more booze at the wedding, or a, er.. bed (i don't know! it sounds sensible and.. stuff) or something.

i like russian wedding rings, and simple bands. i don't like precious stones. it would look crap on my unkept boyish hands. just a really fine silver band would be fab, thanks, future husband.

[Yeti]

I bought the ring and we paid for the entire wedding then we jetted off to the Greek Island of Santorini. We stayed in a grotto on the side of a cliff. I drank lots of wine, watched the sun set over the Caldera were it is rumored that the Lost City of Atlantis is below the sky blue water. We rode donkeys up the cliff from the rock beach to our cave. It was awesome!

Don't skimp because it is all worth it. We paid off the wedding and honeymoon in a year.

[AceFace]

wedding bands are important, for sure! ours has the eternity celtic knot with the claddagh. we had it engraved "Mo gra mo anam cara"

my love my soul mate.

i <3 my wedding band.

[venusvenus123]

i guess everyone has a different idea of what they want to spend their money on. i'm too practical to want to spend thousands of pounds on one day of my life and hundreds on a dress i'm going to wear once.

anyway, yeti's breakdown of what goes into a ring reminded me of the info i found at the jewellers we went to.
here is a link: http://www.davidashton.co.uk/ under technical help they have some really good advice about stones... and metal.

[jabumbo]

so what is the real difference between an engagement ring and any old fancy thing they have at the stores?

[Auton]

Engagement Ring advice (http://store.babeland.com/photos/1400600-a.jpg?1179356176)

[Loppfessor]

Dude's who spend big money on engagement rings are suckers!...get something reasonable and then maybe at the 10 or 20 year mark spend some dough once she's earned.

[DIGI]

I am totally in the dark here. How much are they? Where should I look? Is it taboo to order them online?
:confused: HALP

Dude, is it for the 18-19 yr old you started dating not that long ago?

Hmmmm.......

[AceFace]

Dude's who spend big money on engagement rings are suckers!...get something reasonable and then maybe at the 10 or 20 year mark spend some dough once she's earned.

10 or 20! :eek:

this is our 5 year and i just asked last night for a nice new big one.

and yes, i meant a ring... or did iiiiii?

[Lo_Lyfe]

aint shit but throwin you the peepee boo

[Loppfessor]

10 or 20! :eek:

this is our 5 year and i just asked last night for a nice new big one.

and yes, i meant a ring... or did iiiiii?

5 years aint that long in the game of life...just sayin

[Randetica]

i would be glad if the guy involved me to get a ring chosen cause im the one who has to wear and like it, he is only there to pay

[Waus]

i would be glad if the guy involved me to get a ring chosen cause im the one who has to wear and like it, he is only there to pay

I hear that. I'm working on finding a balance between what she likes and what I'm surprising her with. I don't think I'd like just being there to hand over my credit card at the store, you know?

I'm working on designing some parts of the ring myself since they do custom casting now.

[Rock]

I hear that. I'm working on finding a balance between what she likes and what I'm surprising her with. I don't think I'd like just being there to hand over my credit card at the store, you know?

I'm working on designing some parts of the ring myself since they do custom casting now.

well its not like you have to give it to her right then. They will probably have to size it and this that or the other thing, so YOU go pick it up after she picks it out with you. and then surprise her with it later.

Do you really want her to give you a fake "I love it!". and hate her ring for the rest of your lives together?

Poor limbless kids.

[hpdrifter]

I don't understand the whole picking out the ring together thing. You know, you can get the diamond and when you go to get it sized you can pick a different setting. Just get a diamond in a plain setting for the proposal and then if she hates the plain setting she can pick a different one later.

[beastieangel01]

OMG

seriously? That's awesome, Matt :D

good luck. I would have no idea where to start, haha.

[venusvenus123]

I don't understand the whole picking out the ring together thing. You know, you can get the diamond and when you go to get it sized you can pick a different setting. Just get a diamond in a plain setting for the proposal and then if she hates the plain setting she can pick a different one later.

i guess it all goes with the whole "tradition" of a man asking a woman to marry him which isn't quite how it goes in my head.

we never did the engaged thing but i wanted a nice adornment next to the plain gold band. we did everything upside down.


I'm working on designing some parts of the ring myself since they do custom casting now.
however, i think that that is a wonderful idea!
also, about just being there to hand over your credit card...choosing a ring together is a bit more than that. we chose his ring too!
yes, congrats btw :)


AceFace: i got my eternity ring after being together for 17 years :eek: ... we were only married for 9 by that time tho ;)