Engagement ring... for £700?!

retepetsir

I got engaged at Christmas. Even though I'm not earning lots of money, I decided to spend a bit extra and get a platinum ring that she would like as I knew it would then be hard wearing and last a lifetime. I spent weeks and weeks trawling websites, etc and ended up ordering one from www.bluenile.co.uk.

They weren't the cheapest but their diamonds were certified, they have a great website and you can build the ring to your/her exact specification. They also provide an independant insurance valuation with the ring. I actually spent £850 (lots to me!), much of that went on the platinum setting, but the valuation that came with it was £1280 so I was chuffed with that. She was over the moon with it but doesn't know the real value of the ring. I think she'd be scared to wear it otherwise. Luckily it's covered under our contents insurance policy!

Either way, enjoy it and good luck!

eyelinerprincess

My engagement ring was less than £100, and I love it. I've had lots of compliments on it too. I got to choose as OH was choosing ones that I hated and wouldn't have anywhere near my fingers, although he did propose a little while afterwards, surprising me at the way he did it.

strawberries1

moiramber wrote: »

My ring is from Dejoria as you mentioned you'd had a look at. My OH spent just over £800 on it and its lovely. We picked it together and I wouldn't change it. It's valuation is almost double that too. I'd recommend the site. (no i'm not connected to it!!)

Hi, when you buy from Dejora do you ever see the ring before purchase?
I'm so sorry if it's a foolish question. But do you simply commit to it without sighting it? I guess you can return it but what if they dont take it back or something? Do they have a store or it's all done online? Perhaps I should call them........

moiramber

strawberries1 wrote: »

Hi, when you buy from Dejora do you ever see the ring before purchase?
I'm so sorry if it's a foolish question. But do you simply commit to it without sighting it? I guess you can return it but what if they dont take it back or something? Do they have a store or it's all done online? Perhaps I should call them........

Hiya

You don't see the ring exactly but you choose which setting you want and they have various views of the setting you have chosen so you have a good idea of what it'll look like. You can get a sample of the ring made up in silver which you pay £100 deposit (i think) for which you get back if you return it or if you choose to buy a ring they take the £100 off the ring. I almost wish we had done this as I could wear the fake one out

ceridwen

Apologies - as I havent read all the way through this thread - but for what its worth - my personal opinion would be along the lines of:
- if I'd thought in terms of a man having to spend "x months salary" to show how much he "valued" me then I would have thought "humph...less than £2,000 - huh!"

BUT

my own personal priority would be to have a ring that I actually thought was a bit "individual" and good quality - both of which considerations would lead me in the direction of thinking in terms of a ring from an "antique" shop. The last time I looked at such a shop there was some very pretty rings - of the type one wouldnt readily see on anyone else's finger - for the £200-£500 mark and they would be rather better quality than most modern rings in that sort of price range (or even those in a somewhat higher price range). I've bought a modern ring before now and had the stones fall out within a year:eek: - well, as far as I am concerned, rings are something that literally last for hundreds of years (not a few months......). With these "antique" rings you can see that they have already lasted for 100 years or more - so they must be decent quality:D (in fact I personally would look at it as being "the ring has lasted for more than a lifetime - and thats exactly what I want for my marriage to do" - and I would think that thats quite "romantic" accordingly - ie to buy an "antique" one.

Minimum_Wage_2

to be honest, it doesnt matter what it costs, the main thing is that she likes it and that it stands for what it is!
do you know what type of designs she likes?

to be honest i spent nearly a thousand pounds on a ring she loved it alot but has never thrown it back at me! we are still trying even with the bad news i have just learnt about.

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat

My engagement ring cost £130, my wedding ring £30 - both are absolutely priceless to me though. What makes them priceless is what they symbolise - the commitment we have made to each other.

strawberries1

£700 is more than sufficient for a loevly Platinum ring. Try Cirrus at the Jewellery Quater. Oliver will be able to explain options to you.

Katie-Kat-Kins

debtfreein2007 wrote: »

Hi there!
I would like to propose to my girlfriend! I am a bit of an romantic but I also don't believe in spending thousands on rings or weddings - I don't have the money anyway! I am fully aware that most engagement rings cost over £1200 but I think my girlfriend would rather I spent money on our combined debt. But I could do £700 by making a few personal sacrifices and selling off some things that I no longer want.

Is £700 a crazily low amount of money? I've been looking online at places like zxdiamonds.com or www.dejoria.co.uk and could nearly afford on there. Would it be even crazier to buy one online? Would I just be buying cr*p at that price? I know it's hardly any for an engagement ring but £700 is still a lot of money in general... I wouldn't want to waste it.

Any advice gratefully received!

If you went to the Jewellery quarter in birmingham you could probably get a ring that is nearly half a carat diamond set in 18ct gold for £700 so it is plenty! Better to pay off your debts generally!!!

Why not propose without a ring, or with a toy/sweetie ring, or loan ring (from mum?) and then take her to choose a ring, you might find she adores a ring that costs much less!!!

Diamonds are expensive, but my friend chose a ring with her favorite stone that was her style and only set her husband back £60! They have been married 12 years now and she wouldn't swap it for a big blinging diamond! Consider her borth stone as an alternative with lots of meaning, or a ring with two or more stones and each of your birth stones.

Rubys and Emeralds can be nearly as expensive as diamonds but you can get a pretty big sapphire for your money, and things like amathyst, garnet, peridot, topaz, tormaline etc are very pretty and cheaper still.

Katie-Kat-Kins

JoolzS wrote: »

My engagement ring cost, IIRC, £125 - it was from Freemans catalogue and I picked it out myself and it was paid for by monthly instalments. It now lives in a pot in our bedroom because half a stone and nearly 15 years make it uncomfortable to wear. Even a £10,000 ring couldn't get past half a stone and aging knuckles! I still look at it on occasion and it is my perfect ring

I would have been horrified if my now DH had spent more money than he (or we) could afford on my engagement ring. It's a trinket - nothing more. The "one month's salary" idea was originally put out by one of the diamond companies (possibly DeBeers) - it's just an advertising gimick that has lasted for a few decades. Incredibly brilliant for the originator and incredibly stupid for anyone who believes it.

Julie

If the ring is gold or platinum you can easily and fairly cheaply get it resized so you can still wear it. Try any independant jewellers for a quote but it will probably cost about £20 for gold depending upon the style and size of the ring.