Engagement Rings (merged)

jellyhead

we chose my engagement ring together. good job because i absolutely loathe yellow gold and i don't like large stones (but if he'd chosen a gold ring with a huge diamond for me i would have grown to love it i'm sure, lol!). in the end, the ring i loved best was only £130 but i'd rather have a cheap ring that i love than an expensive one that i liked less. it's quite unusual for an engagement ring, it's a white gold band with a cross in the middle and 5 tiny diamonds set into the band at each side of the cross. people comment on it and don't think it looks like an engagement ring but i don't care because i like it more than any ring i've seen on anyone else. hubby's glad we chose my engagement ring together because he likes his wedding ring being white gold instead of yellow.

my ring went missing in the changing room of the swimming pool 2 days before my wedding so we rushed out to buy a ring because i wanted one on my finger for my wedding day. we got a white gold ring with a quarter carat diamond from a pawnshop. it was pretty but i was so relieved when i got my first ring back from the pool because the diamond on the replacement ring was too big for me and i kept catching it on everything because i'm clumsy!

macchicken

To whoever said 'isnt this a money saving site' what are u going to do with all the money that u have saved, look at it sitting in the bank or spend it on something that u both can appriciate and love.

lynneinjapan

KK beat me to the suggestion I was going to make: get a cheap ring, maybe even a joke shop one, to propose with, but make it very clear that this one is only a temporary measure until she gets to choose one that she likes. I personally would certainly prefer to choose my own ring.

When my fiancee proposed to me a couple of months ago it was without a ring, but that was fine too. Very sensible in fact, as we were almost waist deep in a lake at the time! We bought one together a couple of days later.

Bazwell

** 1st ever post **
Hi all. Only today I purchased an engagement ring. Here are my top tips.

1. Designs. Get loads of brochures, go to many websites. Clearly understand what designs are acheivable and what she (and you) will like. Understand where you can compromise, 4C's, Carrat (diamond size), clarity (scratches, natural errors), colour (exceptional white to !!!!!! yellow), cut (shape). Also the metal, Platinum, Silver, Gold, Brass. Decide what's a priority.

2. Set yourself a budget. About a months salary - it IS meant to be 2, but thats silly.

3. Have it made. I found something in a designer brochure that was about £3.5k and couldn't find anything similar. Asked a couple of jewellers if they could replicate it, and they said no probs. Doesn't even cost much more as even the ones in the rack were hand made at some point.

4. Go see the experts. There are two main places to go for expertese and competitative value. Hatton Garden near Farringdon/Chancery Lane in centrally-east London and Birminghams Jewllery Quarter. I spoke to some really helpfull geezers who had piles of diamonds for me to choose from. We worked backwards from my budget and platinum mount, the rest was spent on the diamond.

5. Size it up. Get a metal cigar-tin, fill one side with Blu-tak. Push her rings into it while she's in the shower. Measure the diameter. Go to a website that has a size guide. Don't get this wrong - you could look stupid.

That's it. Today has been a poinient moment in my life (and bloomin' costly). Have fun. Also, don't go on about how skint you are, as she might smell a rat.

Barry

cf

When my husband bought me my engagement ring it cost £150 and the wedding ring £50. I LOVE both. He gave me a budget for the engagement ring of £250 (7 years ago) and off we went together to pick one - picking it together is very romantic.

If she loves you, then money doesn't matter and you should be open and relaxed enough with each other to be truthful about how much you can afford, I'd hate to think that buying something as romantic as an engatement ring would get anyone into debt, what a bad way / omen to start - pay only what you can afford. Best of luck.

Spendless

I got my new engagement ring yesterday as my first was only cheap as we were broke.
Take into account size of fingers, mine are quite big so a solitaire wouldn't have looked right. Also one i liked the look of didn't look right on, but the one i wasn't that bothered about in the window was the one that i fell in love with once on.
I would also agree with the comments about not going into debtand not spending your life savings either as they might be put to better useon a deposit for flat/house etc, not as romantic perhaps but several of us married ladies on here have gone onto say we had a new ring when circumstances permitted and/or that we still love the inexpensive ring that was pour first just cos of what it meant.

kal25

I must say I have to agree with most of what has already been said. When we got engaged it was a spur of the moment thing and wasn't planned however once my now husband had asked me he couldn't wait to get the ring even though we were on a weekend to blackpool. We went round quite a few shops and markets to find the ring. When I found one I liked I can't even remember if it was a pawn shop or not. However I fell in love with this ring. It cost about £100 and has diamonds and a sapphire. I also found out a few months later that it was in fact 18ct and not 9ct like I had thought. I can't wear it at the moment as I have put weight on having 2 children, but am hoping to have it resized or lose weight whichever comes first.
My husband also wanted to buy me a new one but I have refused as I love the original so much.

CEJ_3

We bought my engagement ring in Las Vegas..(lots of shops and choice)I chose the 1.5 carat, heart shaped diamond, vvs1 and had it set exactly how I wanted it within a couple of hours. When I got home I had it valued for insurance to find it was worth 3 times what we had paid for it!!! I then went to NY for my wedding band: an eternity ring of diamonds..this is worth twice what we paid for it! Only problem I have now is house contents insurance!

The_Hairy_Hipster

I think, like everything else in life, it depends on what you want: do you go for an "off the shelf" or something a bit more special?

If it's something a bit more special, and you're prepared to pay for it (ie not Argos), read on...

Remember, as a starting point, there's the 4 "C"s when buying a diamond: colour, clarity, cut and carat. On each of these you should educate yourself what they mean and how they affect a diamond's price.

Colour: diamonds are graded from D (colourless, the best) down to Z. For the usual white diamond (as opposed to coloured, fancy), you don't really need anything at D, E or even F as the difference is imperceptible to the naked eye. So, start looking at an I - even a J - and work your way up to a G at the most. Anything better is just "gilding the lilly".

Clarity: another scale, going from Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slight 1 (VVS1), Very Very Slight 2 (VVS2), Very Slight 1 (VS1), Very Slight 2 (VVS2), Slight Inclusions 1 (SI1), Slight Inclusions 2 (SI2), Inclusions 1 (I1), Inclusions 2 (I2) etc. As with colour, you're going to end up paying a fantastic sum for anything that's at the top end of the scale and you really won't be able to tell the difference unless you get your microscope out.  Advice is to start looking at SI2 and work your way up to a VS1, maybe a VVS2 at best if you think you can spot the difference, that is.

Carat: that one's again down to you. Remember the size of your fiancee's fingers, though. If she's petite, a 0.5 carat ring will look quite large; 0.75 carat definitely will. The ring will certainly look better if you follow the other tips here as it will "fire" (sparkle) more, making it a lot more noticeable. Also, ensure you get a complementary setting that shows off the finer qualities of your diamond, ie one that doesn't hide the stone and allows maximum light penetration (see below).

Cut: there's a wide range of cuts but the most popular is the round brilliant. Each one to their own on this one as to which cut you prefer but the quality of the cut greatly determines price. To explain, what's the point in getting your fiancee a beatiful diamond only for it to be let down by a shoddy cut? The research you've done in sourcing a VS1, G stone will be wasted because these aspects to the stone won't be allowed to shine through (remember, a diamond is just a prism after all and relies on light being allowed to pass through unhindered and without colouration it to give it its shining, dazzling  qualities).

There are many other factors to consider if you're doing a proper job. For example, polish & symmetry.

One of the easiest ways to check out the permutations is to ensure you only buy a certificated diamond: GIA certificates are "best" (the most stringent).

You might also like to know of a trick that can save you thousands: you can end up with a ring that you would pay pretty much double for over here. What's more, you can choose to combine it with a holiday or from the comfort of your PC.

How? Import or get one on holiday from the States.

One of the biggest diamond centres of the world is in  New York. A lot of the diamond merchants will happily find a diamond for you that conforms to all your desires, and more. The thing is, you buy a loose "stone" (they never call them diamonds) and then have it independently appraised, then mounted in a setting of your choice, then appraised again to ensure you're getting the same stone. The appraiser ships the stone directly to you or you can go over on holiday to pick it up.

It's all really easy and, with the fantastic exchange rate, you'll be getting a great deal in 2 ways: the DIY option means you save on the overinflated high street prices here and then there's that exchange rate that just can't be ignored.

If you go over to NY and pick up the ring, you'll even save on the VAT (but don't tell the taxman I said that) and delivery.

Watch out if you do import: there may well be an extra excise duty the EU imposed on US imports temporarily as part of the fight back on the squabble over US steel, if you remember your news from about 6 months ago.

I can recommend excellent people to speak to (and I hasten to add, I've no connection with them at all): to source a diamond (you can even do it online) try Martin from https://www.usacerteddiamonds.com. For an independent appraisal (costs about $75) of your stone, David Wolf of https://www.justappraisers.com. They will be able to guide you through what may appear to be a very daunting task but in reality is quite simple.

You will save a packet and, what's more, your fiancee will end up with a ring that will be the absolute envy of all her friends.

Having been through the process, this is exactly the advise I would have given.  Excellent advice memark!

You obviously know how to use the internet otherwise you wouldn't be here, so use it to find a "bargain" - bad word usage for an engagement ring! (NB this is said without patronising tones).  As other people have said, try and stay away from the high street rip off merchants.

Another tip - befriend a diamond dealer!  Saved me a fortune  ;D And if you're choosing - make sure your taste is the same as hers.

John_M_Business

Yeah - we had a personal referral from a colleague of mine for a bespoke jeweller who works from a flat near Hatton Gardens.

So my (now!) wife and I spent about half a day on Bond Street checking out the style / shape / material etc. that we wanted. We thought that we wouldn't find it, but then found exactly what she wanted.

My wife's a practical girl, so she wanted something that had the 'wow' without the 'sticky outy get in the way of everything' problem you have with some settings.

Eventually she chose one that I thought I couldn't afford (at least at Bond Street prices!!).... however, on going to the jeweller, he was able to produce a better one, with higher quality diamonds, for about half the price.

We were all really please with the solution. Since then, I've recommended him to many of my friends, and he's never let anyone down (he's also prepared to loan out rings for a deposit for the proposal, and will change with minimum fuss if the setting is not as was hoped).

So definitely don't go for the high street, but it's good for doing some exploring and investigation.