Engagement Rings (merged)

NYC_2

ok, ive finally got the courage to ask my girlfriend to marry me. But i want advise on a ring.

I was thinking of a diamond ring, but what kinda ring. Silver? Gold? White gold? platnum?

I dont know tbh. Ive been looking but i cant find thiungs.

Any ideas / advise is welcome

Thanks

BTW i thought about asking her what kinda rings she likes but it would be to sus. ive asked her friend but shes not 100% sure, she said shes gona see if she can bring it up in convo but i dont think she will remember.

alison6692

Hiya

I really think you are going to have propose without the ring. I am sure this is the safest bet as your girlfriend is going to have this ring for a very long time and you want her to like it. Myabe buy a pretty ring from next, m+s, etc - Pop the question then get her to come ring hunting with you.

Good Luck

Alison
x

NYC_2

hi alison, tbh we did talk about it a couple o month back and she seems like she would be happy with my choice. Now, ive had a look about but i dont know where i should buy it tbh. Ive looked in jewelers and that but sometimes they can do you.

Any ideas?

I want diamond though. Ive been told she likes diamonds.

alison6692

I am only recently engaged - I had mine made by a friend. Do you even know what size she is? Thats very imortant :-)
Does she wear gold? I don't you see so that was any easy choice. I have gone for Platinum which is much more hard wearing than white gold - white gold is good but it has to be re-coated from time to time.

Titanium is very hard wearing but you cannot get it adjusted very easily and its quite tricky to get stones set in Titanium.

I looked on ebay for inspiration - They has some very reasonable pices for rings.

Also my Dad goes to Birmingham - Seemingly they have an area dedicated to jewellery. I am not sure what it is called but he got my sister a lovely ring from there.

Counting_Pennies_2

If you are buying without her there I think you would be safe to go for a diamond (girls best friend) and gold.

The popular choice seems to be either one or three in a row. Personally I prefer the three in a row, it seems to fill the finger nicely, although if she has incredibly small fingers a solitaire might be best

AuntyJean

Presumably, the engagement will ultimately lead to marriage.

You will often see matching engagement and wedding rings so one thing worth considering is the width and shape of the ring.

Secondly, set is better than claws. Claws often catch in clothing and can be a nuisance. Also height of the stone is imporatant as this again can be a nuisance (which could mean she takes it off to do certain things and may forget it or lose it). For most girls it is something she will want you to put on her finger and remain there forever (ie wear day and night) without it being an annoyance.

Although not most girls choices, when I got engaged my hubby to be and I went to an 'antique' (second hand) jewellers and I chose a diamond solitaire at half the cost of what it would have been new.

Cost is not always important. I know of many couples who were skint when they got engaged but ended up wealthier in later years and the wife refuses to have her 'cheapie' ring replaced because of the sentiment.

One final thing to consider if you do not think you can afford a decent sized diamond ring, is her birthstone. If it is June then forget it as Pearls mean tears, so the old saying goes.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

shelly

I would say that if you aren't sure what she would like then propose without the ring and let her chose it later.I always told my hubby to chose mine and propose with it but when he did propose he didn't have a ring and for that i'm grateful! lol When I chose mine I asked him to point out what he would have chosen for me and lets just say it wasn't my cup of tea He chose gold with 3 real dark blue stones.....I chose gold with a single diamond....I love it.


Good luck.

bluep

I always thought that I'd prefer my boyfriend to go, pick a ring and then propose to me...I thought that it would show he'd put a lot of thought into it. Actually, what he did that really made me feel special, is he asked my father's permission to ask me to marry him - my dad was really chuffed as he is my step-father and has no other daughters, it made me feel special and that he was serious. Afterwards, we went shopping for a ring together which again, was lovely and I'll always remember it because we were abroad in Munich at christmas time. I got exactly the ring I'd always dreamed of (white gold because i never wear yellow gold and a single solitaire diamond). Its such a personally thing - most girls WANT their boyfriends to propose with a ring but WANT the exact ring that they always imagined!! A bit of a paradox!

If you feel strongly that you want to get the ring without her choosing, I would go for a simple band that narrows slightly before the stone setting as this always makes fingers look more slender, a single diamond for simplicities sake (deciding on better clarity and smaller stone or larger stone, less quality, whichever you prefer), gold if she wears it, white gold or platinum if she generally wears silver - but this means that you both would get white gold/platinum/silver wedding bands (which I personally prefer). If her other jewelry is quite modern - chunky/squarish/contmeporary, then maybe a square mounting and square cut diamond, if she is more traditional or "delicate" in her choice of earrings etc..., then a crown setting maybe?

2nd hand jewelry shops good for cheaper rings, but make sure ifyou get a diamond that it comes with a diamond certificate. High street jewelers do good discount sales though - or post on the better buys - vouchers section of this site as someone might know a good sale or a good online deal going on. I have a online code for https://www.fhinds.co.uk which is 10% off - input code ZM1 0605 (note this is a code that is available for use by the general public as it was in Zing magazine - it is not a promotion personal to me!). Someone else might have a better deal though - and you could always join a site like https://www.quidco.co.uk , go through them to a jewelry store online and get cashback on your purchase (can be up to 10% as well!!).

Don't forget to borrow one of her rings at home and take it in to a jewelers to work out what ring size she is!

Good luck with it all though! and I hope she says yes!!

lllnorrislll

wait for the sales

LilacLillie

My son proposed to his girlfriend in May abroad, where he'd hoped to buy her a ring, to make the moment more of a lasting memory.
Before they left he asked her Father's permission, which everyone thought was sweet nowadays.
He wanted her to pick her own ring (while they were away), but wanted to present her with something while he was down on one knee.
I gave him his Grandmother's eternity ring, I've never worn it and that way it stays in the family. His girlfriend, luckily, has small fingers, as did my old Mother-in-law, who would have been well chuffed that her ring got used in such romantic way.
His girfriend loved it, and the moment so much, that she now won't take it off and doesn't want an engagement ring at all now!
Very cheap alternative...................
LL