The most for your money - engagement rings

Gloomendoom

Person_one wrote: »

The modern world where we still don't bat an eyelid at women wearing something to mark them as 'taken'?

I don't know about other women but that is exactly why Mrs G wanted to wear an engagement/wedding ring. They make life easier.

Its basically a dowry, nothing modern about the whole thing!

I was under impression that a dowry was paid to the husband by the bride's parents, not the other way round.

fluffymuffy

Isn't the effect the exact opposite too? In that the man gives the woman the means to leave him if she wants to. So rather than being paid to take her on he's paying to keep her.

Person_one

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I don't know about other women but that is exactly why Mrs G wanted to wear an engagement/wedding ring. They make life easier.



I was under impression that a dowry was paid to the husband by the bride's parents, not the other way round.

You're right, not a dowry. More like a 'deposit' or 'bride price' I suppose!

I have no problem with people wanting to wear a visible sign of being off the market if they wish to, wedding rings are great for that.

Why only the women though? Is a woman 'spoken for' once she's engaged but a man only is when he gets married?

Gloomendoom

Person_one wrote: »

You're right, not a dowry. More like a 'deposit' or 'bride price' I suppose!

I have no problem with people wanting to wear a visible sign of being off the market if they wish to, wedding rings are great for that.

Why only the women though? Is a woman 'spoken for' once she's engaged but a man only is when he gets married?

Maybe because unattached men are more predatory than unattached women and there is less need for engaged men to wear a visible sign that they are 'taken'.

I wear no visible sign that I am married. Nor do most of my male friends, colleagues or family members.

Primrose

Well a pretty zircon ring was fine for me when we got engaged. My husband was earning very little at the time. In fact he was so hard up that I had to loan him the money to pay for it. It's a standing joke that he's never paid me back for it because there have always been more important things to spend the money on like buying a house.

lucky_charm_2

I have already made clear to my OH that if he proposes I don't want a diamond ring (wouldn't want one anyway unless it was ethical) and that given we are saving for a house, and that in general I wouldn't want him to spend so much money on a tiny bit of stone and metal, I have suggested there are loads of lovely rings at the £40-£50 mark (or less) that are beautiful and that I would love. If I got engaged I would buy him something of a similar value to mark the occasion.

Chickvic

OP I love the idea of recycling a ring, unfortunately we never had the opportunity to do so!
My engagement ring is three diamonds set in silver on a gold ring - sounds odd but it looks lovely! Cost us £150 from a catalogue! His engagement ring cost £200 and I wear it now, my wedding ring was £30 and £10 to have it altered (my engagement ring is shaped) his original wedding ring was a Russian band £60, (3 golds together) but I was worried about him losing it so he had another one which was £110. I got the original wedding band as well and my eternity ring was second hand £70 which has blue sapphires and cz set in 9ct gold. My rings are worth more than money, we've been together more than 20 years and I still look at my rings and smile, the memories they bring back are priceless!

mrsbmartin

My engagement ring came from gems tv and it is valued at £2k (for insurance) - yet DH only paid £300 for it. It is a 2carat AAAA oval tanzanite with a diamond halo and diamond set shoulders in silver (I prefer the white metal look and white gold needs re-dipping/platinum is way too expensive). It's essentally a small princess di ring (slightly more modern finish but you get the idea).

I really didn't want DH to spend more than he could afford & I REALLY didn't want him to get ripped off! He is the type to feel guilty that he can't give me 'the best' according to social convention - the type that goes into a jewellers and gets bamboozled by salespeople into over stretching his finances/taking out credit for a 0.4 carat diamond solitare of a low grade. IMHO diamonds need to be outstanding - if they're not then you should really consider an alternative (zircons are older than diamonds, twice as refractive and much cheaper).

So - watched gems tv constantly and every time a ring came up that I knew was worth the money and I knew I would be happy to wear forever I added it to my basket. Then I showed DH all of the ones that I liked and asked him to choose one. Happily, he picked my favourite!!!

I love my ring and I get comments on it almost every day. Like an above poster, I think I may well have my ring engraved and not get a 2nd wedding band (the other option is to wear a wedding band on my right hand).

With regards to the sapphire - you need much more info re the carat, colour, clarity, cut (your 4 c's count for almost all gemstones)etc, but also the location it was mined from etc. Do some research into the stone before you commit. Also, do look at other stones - I love my tanzanite because it is super rare (esp in the grading I have) and the colour is wonderful (purples, blues & pinks). An amazing alternative to sapphire is kyanite - the blues are stunning).

The kimberly process is supposed to ensure that diamonds sold by jewellers who are signed up to the convention are conflict free. Don't take it as gospel but I believe all new diamonds sold in the UK are required to have gone through the kimberly process.

MarilynMonroe_2

Mine was £50 from Argos. My wedding ring was a dear one from a small jewellers and irritated the hell out of my skin, so for me cheap and cheerful Argos!

neverdespairgirl

mrsbmartin wrote: »

It is a 2carat AAAA oval tanzanite with a diamond halo and diamond set shoulders in silver (I prefer the white metal look and white gold needs re-dipping/platinum is way too expensive). It's essentally a small princess di ring (slightly more modern finish but you get the idea).

Tanzanite is gorgeous, it sounds lovely.