Engagement Rings (merged)

CJ2405

Congratulations!!

Ernest Jones is quite reasonable for rings, we got our engagement and wedding rings from there, and in our local branch the staff were super friendly, which is a bonus!!

BrandNewDay

talksalot81 wrote:

I am wondering about rings too... the whole 'buy the best you can afford' is fine, but that is like asking 'how long is a piece of string?'!

What quality of diamond do you get? What quality is actually discernible from perfect by a normal person (i presume most people will not be able to tell the difference between D and G or FL and VVS?)? I certainly would want a diamond which looks basically perfect to a normal person, but I dont think that would mean a D/Fl! Certainly I imagine I would get alot more for the money if I settled for a G/VVS... but will anyone notice?! Is it more important to get absolute perfection or a bigger stone!?

No, I don't think so. There's the level of quality that looks brown/grey and cloudy to the naked eye. Avoid that. My diamond is on the flawed end of the scale, but you honestly cannot tell. I guess putting it side-by-side with a diamond of the highest quality would show that it's not as white as it could be, or as sparkley, but when do I ever hold my hand up to a perfect diamond?

My ring won't make other people go "Wow!" but it also doesn't look cheap. It's a 1/3 carrat princess cut solitare on a small white gold band. I wasn't the envy of all the women I knew, but nobody would have looked at it and said, "Oh, that's sad."

Anyway, I wear it every day. I wash dishes with it on, and knead dough with it on, and apply lotion with it on... no matter how high the initial quality of the stone, it probably wouldn't sparkle so much after being put through this sort of treatment.

talksalot81

Thanks... I am thankfully in a good position and can afford a moderate sized diamond with high quality... so i just debate whether I would be better lowering the quality and upping the carats!

researcher

Go for quality every time.

jimladin

nobody else getting engaged on these boards? Come on there must be some happy stories to tell

Mizz_Pink

Congratulations !

Sounds a wonderful proposal !

She needs the register on Hitched.co.uk for wedding tips and advice ! That was more obsession while arranging my wedding !!

[Deleted User]

My sneaky gf was trying to persuade me that 'most people spend 3 months salary' on a ring. She is rather sneaky and I suspect when the time comes i'll be looking at a solitaire ring, about 1.2 carat. I can already hear my bank wincing.

The way I approach the cost of the ring, is that over the last 3 years I've saved up quite a lot of money, towards house/future 'big' purchases. In those years I sacrificed having the 'luxury' items that my peers had (holidays/cars) and I see the 4k or so that the ring will cost as a sign of my devotion to her and our future.

I like the idea of going to Amsterdam and picking a ring. Her bro took his fiance to New York to propose so I can't do that now. I like haggling, plus I'll have the money in cash, so it should be a good way to get a bigger ring for the money.

Sadly all her friends are engaged so there is the ring/honeymoon 'cold war' of one-upmanship going on.

talksalot81

ringo_24601 wrote:

My sneaky gf was trying to persuade me that 'most people spend 3 months salary' on a ring. She is rather sneaky and I suspect when the time comes i'll be looking at a solitaire ring, about 1.2 carat. I can already hear my bank wincing.

Just beware not to get lost with the size... £4k wouldnt be much for such a big stone, you would have to sacrifice on the grade of the diamond. Most people will agree that there is no point having a big stone if it doesnt sparkle!

jimladin

Well guys, i've finally convinced myself that it's time to make a commitment to my girlfriend of five years. We have planned to go to Venice at the start of February for three nights and i plan to pop the question there. I'm already feeling nervous about it!

I want to make the proposal as special as possible for her. Something along the lines of going down on one knee after an evening of food, wine and a late night gondolla ride. I'm hope some of you girls can advise me if this sounds any good.

I've also been looking at rings - i think that she would love for me to produce a ring at the time of proposal (fingers crossed). Has anyone any opinions on the diamond? I have researched it quite deeply and, as she is quite small, think that a smaller excellent quality diamond would be better than a huge monster rock.

I can get a good deal on a 0.42ct D coloured, internally flawless diamond. My only concern is that this will look a bit cheap (ie small).

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Bargainloverbec

I think most girls would prefer a smaller high quality diamond than a larger one which wasn't so nice.

My husband proposed with a 0.48ct D coloured diamond VS2 and it does not look small to me and I have biggish fingers. The setting is really important though - a well set diamond will look bigger every time.

If she is quite small I suggest getting it set in 4 claws and a simple delicate band to emphasise the rock and show it off to its best advantage.

By the way your proposal sounds fabulous. She will tell this story for the next 50 years so as romantic as possible is your aim.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Rebecca