Engagement Ring

rachel90

Mine is princess cut, slightly bigger diamond in white gold, it was £295 on diamond heaven. Was worried about ordering online but I've had it nearly 2 years and its still in perfect condition so I'm pretty confident they are decent! Came in a beautiful box as well!

*Louise*

My first ring got mangled after 10 years So I got my second one online from America. (I took it to a jewellers to confirm it was legit) I wouldn't have any problem ordering online.


After reading the other posts - do you think your gf would like to choose it herself? If so, then you can always get a created diamond ring to propose with (check ebay for examples) and go ring shopping together. I have one of them for when I am doing something outdoorsy where I don't want to risk my 'proper' ring getting ruined (again)

barbiedoll

I'd definitely go with the token ring to propose (you can get a cheapy blinger in Primark for £2!) and offer to take her out to buy the ring of her choice.

Believe me, there's nothing quite as thrilling as someone taking you shopping to buy a diamond!!

Do make sure that she's aware of your budget though and don't be tempted to spend more than you have, and definitely don't get in debt for it. She will love it, no matter how much you spend but do shop around, high street jewellery shops are much more expensive and often lower quality than the independents.

Good luck!

gadgeteer_2

Hi Mate.

I recently proposed to my girlfriend after doing a lot of research like you are doing. Like others have already said, unless you are 100% certain what style she will like, I'd suggest you get something like this

http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/d/9204113/silver+%26+platinum+plated+marry+me+ring/

and then take her ring shopping afterwards.

I'm glad I did it this way now because I thought I was being ultra sneaky by finding one of her rings and getting the same size. However, it didn't fit which is quite embarassing when you are down on one knee in public! Anyway, later we spoke about it and I said how I'd guessed the size and her reply was "Oh! That's the ring I wear on my little finger......"

Anyway, as I've since realised, ring shopping is an experience she's really enjoying and I'm glad it's something we can do together. Even though the ring she wants is practically what I'd have chosen, I'm glad she's getting the experience.

And having looked at the retail stores like Goldsmith's etc I'd have to say that you get a much MUCH better quality diamond from the independent's. We found a beautiful diamond in a jeweller's in Manchester over the weekend but we're going to visit the jewellry quarter in Birmingham next weekend as the prices there seem to be much cheaper.

Good luck and I hope she says yes!

Wootball

I went out with my girlfriend to a jeweller just to have a look around initially at a watch. She started looking at diamond rings and said that she thought one of them was gorgeous - so I just looked at her and rolled my eyes. I went out the next day and bought that ring, just until I found the right time. Six months later I proposed and she had the ring she wanted without even remembering she'd told me.

bingiman2000

Hi Ryan

I have recently been looking myself and have come across a few online websites which appear to have very good reviews. From my research it seems that online retailers can offer better deals and a greater variety than the high street jewelers. Since we are all after a bargain, online retailers seems the way forward. As previously mention, blunile appears to have some good prices. A few other websites to consider maybe:

thediamondstore.co.uk
diamondsfactory.co.uk
diamondmanufacturers.co.uk

I have found that diamondmanufacturers.co.uk are offering a 5% discount with voucher code AW5. You can also get cashback from Quidco at 15% on sale price or 7% from Topcashback.

With regards to the ring you are looking at, it is always a good idea to go to the highstreet so you can see how big 0.3 actually is. I found that rings I liked online didnt look so good in person and vice a verca. Based on the size of the diamond, I believe it is not so important to get a clarity of VS1 as SI1 will appear exactly the same unless viewed through a loop. Also, you can compromise on the colour and go to something as low as G/H without being able to notice.

Some of the websites mentioned above will let you customise your ring allowing you to choose the setting and diamond. This allows greater flexibility and as a result you can get a bigger diamond by compromising on the quality.

Although quality is important, there is no point in paying for Colourless or Flawless diamonds if the difference will only be noticeable under a x10 loop magnification. Everyone likes bigger diamonds and so you are better investing the money in size, especially when buying a diamond under 0.5ct.

I hope this helps and all the best to you with the engagement.

bingiman2000

p.s.

Yes, I am a newbie but I have been using this website for several years and thought it is about time I paid back to the community for the fantastic information I have been able to get.

:beer:

Pepzofio

Another vote for the token ring idea. I'm so glad my OH did this, as judging by what he pointed out when we were ring shopping, we clearly have totally different taste in rings! I prefer coloured stones (but did want a diamond in there as well!) whereas he preferred all diamonds as 'they look sparklier'! He liked the rings with the stones sunk right into the band, I hate them...

I am now getting a totally bespoke ring which is exactly what I want and sparkly enough to satisy his magpie tendancies from a lovely independent jeweller in Hatton Garden - if you're anywhere near London I would highly recommend Chris at Alexis Jewels at 24 Hatton Garden. He was really helpful, and worked with us to get the ring I wanted at an affordable price.

He even encouraged us to go for a diamond which worked out £200 cheaper (even though we would have been prepared to pay the extra) and pointed out that there's no point getting too hung up on specs, as it's what it looks like in the ring that counts, not how many microscopic flaws it has that you can't see with the naked eye.

I'm not a diamond expert by any stretch, but while I think it's great that you've done the research and are trying to find as perfect a stone as you can afford, I think it's worth considering a wider range of stones, as what looks like a big drop in quality can actually be barely visible to the naked eye/layman. That's why it really helps to go and look at them, as you can put things in perspective. I ended up with a diamond that was equally well cut, 5 points bigger and a grade higher clarity-wise, yet £200 cheaper just because it was an H rather than F colour. Side by side on a white background, if I concentrated really hard the F looked slightly whiter/more colourless than the H - but I couldn't swear that it wasn't just the angle the light was hitting it or the power of suggestion. Set in an empty ring, I couldn't tell them apart - and more importantly, they both looked lovely!

Good luck, anyway!

ETA: Having checked blue nile and found the cheapest comparable diamond and similar but less detailed setting, I can say that Chris is definitely competitively priced! You also have the advantage of being able to specify exactly what you want rather than being stuck with preset shanks.

Pollycat

Ryan
buying a ring that your girlfriend doesn't like may turn out to be an expensive mistake.

Which website have you seen the ring on?
Re the price - check here for prices of loose stones:
http://www.diamondgeezer.com/shop/

Found a loose diamond similar to yours:
Sparkle Factor: 89%

0.31 Carat Princess Diamond

REF: 98089953
High St. Price £960
Our Usual Price £658
TODAY'S BEST PRICE
£549 Saving an extra
£109
Shape: Princess-cut
Weight: 0.31cts.
Colour: E - Colourless
Clarity: VS1 - V.Slight Mark

So that makes your £630 for the total ring seem a good deal.

You might want to consider going up a colour or two from E to F/G (as very few people could tell the difference) and maybe from VS1 to VS2.
That might get you a slightly larger stone.

*louby_lou*

Is there any way you could talk to one of her best friends?
get them to go shopping with you to find anything?

if not the idea about buying a cheap ring to propose with is a good one.