Engagement Ring Saving

timbob_2

New account created for this as my girlfriend reads the forums....

I'm planning on asking my girlfriend to marry me and I know she's always dreamt of a diamond ring. My budget is probably around £3000 but I could perhaps go a little higher. Quality and colour of the stone is more important than size, but I'd like an 0.75 carat minimum.. Her ring size might make off the shelf hard and will likely need adjusted as its a G

I thought I'd turn to the forums to see how my money can be maximised.

Ideas so far:
- Build your own from a wholesaler (I have access to two through work)
- Jewellery offer card e.g. Hendersons 10% saving
- Shop in sales
- Cashback credit card
- Buy from abroad, perhaps with cheap flights

I'd like your ideas and experiences please

miserly_mum

If my OH had spent that much on a ring i'd have killed him. I'd probably be scared to wear it too incase I lost it.

There are some really beautiful diamond rings out there for much less than 3K. Lower your budget without being mean and use the rest for a romantic weekend away where you could propose to her.

If you are using this site you must be trying to spend your money wisely. Its the sentiment a ring is given with that counts not how much it costs

u2nick79

That is a lot of money just for a ring. I got married 2 months ago - the costs of weddings is enormous. Buy a cheaper ring (but one she would still want), have a good hol and use the rest for the wedding - I would get saving!!!

My engagement ring cost £800 and both the wedding rings totalled £400 and we are on pretty good wages. No need to spend more.

[Deleted User]

I spent £4.6K on the ring (1 carat emerald cut diamond, only 2 tiny inclusions, very white and clear), so I know the camp you're in. She now frequently gets comments in shops/hotels about it and both her and I are very proud of it. I was in a position to spend that much and I will not have to spend a lot on the wedding - so I don't feel it was an overspend. The emerald cut looks fantastic but it does need a better stone than those with more facets in the cut.

My main 'money saving' advice is haggling. Don't be afraid to go to an independent jeweler and ask for the price to be lowered. We knocked it back (i say we.. it was actually my OH who wanted to save me money and did most of it) by 200 pounds. Looking back, if we'd pushed harder I expect another hundred could have come off it.

They'll show you a load of wholesale prices in dollars - take a look at this link as it will explain it :http://www.diamondhelpers.com/ask/0030-readrapaport.shtml

I do wish I'd used a cash-back card - that would have saved me quite a bit. Bit of an oversight I'm afraid

Go and have a look at a 'jewellery quarter' like in Birminngham or Hatton Garden in London - get a feel for prices.

Good luck!

Dan_Thunder

I have to agree with others on here, £3000+ is a crazy amount to spend on a ring. As someone said, it's the gesture that counts, it's supposed to be a token of love not a boast of how much you can afford.

I think the idea of buying a cheaper one and spending the money either on a romantic break, or even putting it towards a wedding/honeymoon is a better plan.

If you are intent on spending that much then, as Ringo says, I'd haggle. At £3000+ for a ring there's bound to be some leeway in there!

kr15snw

How about you do what Ive been hinting at my OH to do...

Buy a cheapy ring and propose with this, then take her shopping! Tell her your budget and let her pick it with you

If my boyfriend bought me a ring that I wasnt 100% happy with, although I would love it its there forever. Id much rather we chose it together then both be 100% happy

[Deleted User]

kr15snw - that's what I did. I went to a Jewelery shop close to work and bought a 30 pound ring (that was nice, but not obviously a fake ring). This is the ring I proposed with. We then went to Hatton Garden 3 weeks later and spent the day looking around shops until we found a place that had one she liked (Ace of Diamonds)

Woby_Tide

plus she might say no

Idiophreak

Another thought would be to put the ring on 0% from the shop, then stick the cash in an isa - would probably add up to a few quid by the end of the year...

BillScarab

Timbob, I would buy a cheap ring and then get her to choose the real one after. I did that with my wife, I proposed on holiday and when we got home we went and bought the real ring.

If you're anywhere near the Midlands it's worth going to the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, you can get some good deals there. Just go to the shops that actually make jewellery rather than the ones that just sell the usual stuff.

They have a website about it here

http://www.the-quarter.com/

EDIT: Oh, and by the way if you want to spend £3000 on a ring and can afford it go for it. You could spend it on far worse things.

DebtphobicDeirdre

I hate to tell you all this, but I wear a fake ring. I got it for £12.99 when I lost my original ( difficult to wear large-stoned ring when dealing with babies nappies) and I frequently get compliments about how lovely it is. I feel like the little boy in the Emperor's New Clothes! I do always confess though. I also have a genuine diamond ring on my right hand which was passed down to me recently, nobody ever comments on that, it is much smaller.