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Engagement ring question

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13

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  • maman
    maman Posts: 29,692 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I'd agree that buying second hand (unless there's a family heirloom available) is a way to go. You can't undo the past but better to recycle than buy new.


    What concerns me is that it's OP's views only that we've heard. Of course you need to be comfortable with the situation but it's your fianc!e that's going to wear the ring not you. What does she want?
  • Kaye1
    Kaye1 Posts: 538 Forumite
    Why not try your local auction house? Re-using the precious metals to either re-make a ring or just buy one you/your partner likes.

    Not using resources but re-using what has already been mined.
  • suejb2
    suejb2 Posts: 1,918 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I Googled ethical engagement rings and a few sites came up, serendipity was one that caught my eye. How about a tattoo on the ring finger? I have my wedding date but it could be any design.
    Life is like a bath, the longer you are in it the more wrinkly you become.
  • I know this is an old thread, but I can't see that a gold alloy should ever need replating.

    Gold is alloyed with other metals to give the colour and purity they want, and the colour must go all through,like a stick of rock.

    Some rings seem to be sterling silver, then plated, and a yellow or rose gold PLATED wedding/engagement ring would most likely start to show the underlying silver after a number of years. You see some really old wedding bands that get very thin after 30/40 years

    Given the cost high of actual diamonds, I would be surprised if anyone considered matching real diamonds with silver.
  • 24ct (i.e. pure) gold is yellow. There's no getting away from this fact.

    White gold is, yes, created from alloying gold with other metals but it is impossible to get it blindingly white. 9ct white gold of a good alloy is a creamy pale yellow, and 18ct is a bit like a steel colour.

    In order to get the very white colour it is plated with rhodium. This is the plating that wears off and needs to be redone at intervals.

    It seems that the fashion for the rhodium plating has encouraged some manufacturers to use some poorer alloys as 'it get covered up anyway'. A white gold ring from many years ago would not have been plated and would have started as a better quality alloy (but would not have been white white).
  • dannyjebb wrote: »
    but the sapphire was a little big for her liking

    Marry her as soon as possible ;)
  • LilElvis
    LilElvis Posts: 5,835 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I know this is an old thread, but I can't see that a gold alloy should ever need replating.

    Gold is alloyed with other metals to give the colour and purity they want, and the colour must go all through,like a stick of rock.

    Some rings seem to be sterling silver, then plated, and a yellow or rose gold PLATED wedding/engagement ring would most likely start to show the underlying silver after a number of years. You see some really old wedding bands that get very thin after 30/40 years

    Given the cost high of actual diamonds, I would be surprised if anyone considered matching real diamonds with silver.

    It's white gold that needs replating. White gold isn't totally "white", it has a pale yellow tinge so is plated to make it whiter, usually with rhodium. The frequency with which a white gold piece needs replating is going to depend on the depth and quality and the amount of wear it receives.
  • LilElvis
    LilElvis Posts: 5,835 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    WillowCat wrote: »
    24ct (i.e. pure) gold is yellow. There's no getting away from this fact.

    White gold is, yes, created from alloying gold with other metals but it is impossible to get it blindingly white. 9ct white gold of a good alloy is a creamy pale yellow, and 18ct is a bit like a steel colour.

    In order to get the very white colour it is plated with rhodium. This is the plating that wears off and needs to be redone at intervals.

    It seems that the fashion for the rhodium plating has encouraged some manufacturers to use some poorer alloys as 'it get covered up anyway'. A white gold ring from many years ago would not have been plated and would have started as a better quality alloy (but would not have been white white).


    I've got a couple of good quality white gold pieces that are nearly 100 years old and they are plated. It's more apparent on rings than other pieces owing to the wear.
  • WolfSong2000
    WolfSong2000 Posts: 1,736 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Using diamonds as a demonstration of love/engagement is a relatively new phenomena. It's the result of a phenomenally successful marketing campaign by DeBeers who own/control the vast majority of diamonds/production.

    The Kimberley process was introduced years ago as a way to avoid so called "blood diamonds" but in reality it's utter b*llocks and I don't trust it at all. Best bet for ethically sourced diamonds is possibly getting something like Alaskan diamonds if you want genuine though there may be issues with how they're mined in terms of damage to landscape/wildlife. Not sure - you'd have to do more research.

    Lab created diamonds or even cubic zirconia at a push would be fine. Average joe on the street can't tell the difference between diamonds and CZ for starters.
  • Fireflyaway
    Fireflyaway Posts: 2,766 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    I really admire your principles. Whatever you buy will have caused environmental damage to some degree though.
    How about wood? I saw a website that has wedding rings made from salvaged wood, they look pretty cool. Would definitely be different and a great talking point!
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