Engagement Ring...

LilElvis

fierystormcloud wrote: »

Well maybe so with your family, but I have never known ANYONE have an engagement ring like the one in the first pic with the sapphires. Ever. Even the one owned by Di looked like a lot more like an engagement ring than the ring the OP put up.



Not gonna lie though, I am not a fan of the Princess Di ring.

But I have to say (and the OP did ask for opinions! ) that the second ring looks much more like an engagement ring than the first, and I reckon if she asked 20 people, the vast majority would say the same.

Out of interest - what style is your engagement ring?

I take it you went for a solitaire?

theoretica

fierystormcloud wrote: »

Well maybe so with your family, but I have never known ANYONE have an engagement ring like the one in the first pic with the sapphires. Ever.

And you say that as though it is an argument for being like everyone else!

On an off topic point, I am struck by the number of posts here where someone says something along the lines of 'and so does everyone I know'. It is an eye opener to me about how homogenous some areas must be.

tea_lover

Wow, fsc, you've really bought into that debeers marketing campaign.

ETA: in 1939 (before the 'a diamond is forever' campaign), less than 10% of engagement rings contained a diamond. Many people didn't bother with engagement rings at all.

firebird082

fierystormcloud wrote: »

An engagement ring looks like this:



The first one is not an engagement ring; it's an eternity ring.

So what? It's only what the marketing tells us! When I started looking for engagement rings, I hated everything I looked at that came under the "engagement ring" banner, hence picking something I liked and was happy to wear! I suppose it depends what it important to you really - I would have said if you are wearing it on the third finger of your left hand then it's obviously an engagement ring

Mattygroves2

Surely whatever you wear on the third finger of the left hand is an engagement ring ?

Mine is a fairly flat single sapphire with a tiny diamond and is much more practical than the solitaire diamond pictured above. That would drive me mad as it would catch on everything. Probably better value for money than a decent diamond as well and IMHO looks much better.

I prefer the first of the two options but would say buy the one you prefer and try to ignore how much cheaper they are than RRP. As with DFS (where they seem to always have a sale) I'm never convinced that such reductions are "real".

I'd second the idea of getting one designed and made by an independent. That way you really get something special and unique.

Georgiegirl256

fierystormcloud wrote: »

Well maybe so with your family, but I have never known ANYONE have an engagement ring like the one in the first pic with the sapphires. Ever.

Just because you've never known it doesn't mean it can't be true. A solitaire is merely one style of engagement ring, NOT just the only style. Although they are that common nowadays that people could be forgiven for thinking that!

Mine is a 3 stone diamond ring and my Mam's is a sapphire surrounded by diamonds.

Georgiegirl256

firebird082 wrote: »

I think the sapphire ring is much more stunning. To those that say "it doesn't look like an engagement ring" - what does an engagement ring look like? Surely the important thing is that you like it, and it has an emotional attachment because it is your fiance who gives it you! (Note: vested interest here, as my engagement ring is silver and amythyst, cost £22.50, and it a bog standard ring that other people would probably just buy and wear all the time!).

Anyway, OP - go with your gut feeling once you've tried the first one on, and try not to think too hard about what anyone else thinks (or even worse, "might think"!):)

I love amethyst, my a Dad bought my Mam an amethyst ring on their wedding day and it's gorgeous!

themull1

Pollycat wrote: »

'F' could be the colour.
If it is, it's pretty good as the best (colourless) is 'D'.

However, having looked at H Samuels' website, their 'forever' diamonds (that you mentioned in post #30) at .38 carat is colour 'I' which is towards the end of the spectrum of 'near colourless'.

Diamond clarity is 'P1'.
I'm not sure where this fits in the standard clarity spectrum as the very best is:
'F' = flawless (very rare and expensive)
'IF' = internally flawless
'VVS' = very, very slight inclusions
'VS' = very slight inclusions
'SI' = small inclusions
'I' = Inclusions (visible by the naked eye).

Even Ernest Jones (which is part of the Signet Group which includes H Samuels - remember Gerald Ratner?) don't show P1 in their clarity:
http://www.ernestjones.co.uk/webstore/static/diamond-buyers-guide/diamond-clarity.do

Here is a very good guide to diamonds:
http://www.diamondgeezer.com/diamond-buyers-guide/index.php

Don't be fooled into thinking a diamond is good quality just because it has a certificate.

P1 is i think Pique 1 - its a very low grade of diamond.

Lunar_Eclipse

The first ring. I think it looks nicer, is less common and far more practical (comfortable) to wear every day. Choice however is obviously yours. Congratulations!

Pollycat

spookalili wrote: »

Another idea was to cancel the ring and go to somewhere like the jewellery quarter in Birmingham to find a ring.

Now that is a very good suggestion - and it would have been my first port of call if I were looking for an engagement ring and was close enough to go there.
You'll get much more for your money than buying a ring from H Samuels.
Have you noticed what themull1 says about the clarity of the certificated diamond from H Samuel? :eek:

LilElvis wrote: »

Maybe the solitaire would be your choice, but that style is certainly not the sole, definitive engagement ring. My grandmother, mother, sister and I all had multi-stone rings - 5 diamonds, 3 diamonds with 2 sapphires, and the latter two of us both have 3 stone diamonds, but with different cuts. It's personal choice.

Don't forget that what is probably the most famous engagement ring in recent times is a giant lump of sapphire surrounded by diamonds - owned by Princess Diana and now the Duchess of Cambridge.

When I had my first engagement ring in 1972, a popular style was a coloured stone (usually ruby or sapphire) surrounded by tiny diamonds.
A bit similar to Princess Di's but much, much smaller and more often round.

I had an unusual one as I chose Tourmaline as I love green and it's my birthstone.
I still have it and wear it sometimes as a dress ring.