We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Engagement ring advice - what are the optimal C's?

Options
13»

Comments

  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I'm going to go against the grain here, you most certainly can tell a high quality diamond with the naked eye.

    I have a fair few diamond set in rings, pendants and earrings, but only one of them is outstanding, it's VVS1, F colour, excellent cut and oh boy does is shine and sparkle, like none of my others and gets regular comments. I bought it loose, overseas, for 1/3 of the price in the UK.
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
  • selement
    selement Posts: 518 Forumite
    A round cut for the best sparkle. I helped shop for my ring, I wanted ideally if budget allowed g or better colour and as least vs2 clarity (vs2 shouldn't be visible without magnification). Our budget was small so my diamond is only small but it's lovely and sparkly :)

    I loved choosing my ring but my now husband knew I wanted to. If you know your girlfriend I'll love the surprise then it's a good idea. A solitaire usually can't go wrong as will generally be inoffensive.
    Trying to lose weight (13.5lb to go)
  • Izadora
    Izadora Posts: 2,047 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    selement wrote: »
    A solitaire usually can't go wrong as will generally be inoffensive.

    I really don't like solitaire rings on me and am very glad I got to choose my own as that's what I would've ended up with if my husband had picked one for me.

    As other people have said, you'll know whether your fiancee-to-be would prefer to be surprised with a ring or choose her own but definitely try to find out what style of ring she likes if you're going to buy it in advance.
  • You might want to check she wants a diamond. A lot of people don't

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_diamond
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,780 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    alexalex wrote: »
    The rock diamond and lavish cost of engagement rings are somehow held up as an indication of how much your partner loves you. And suddenly the idea that “all you need is love” is thrown out of the window. I believe that engagement rings are very special items of jewelry; in fact, they are more than just jewelry - they are the symbols of commitment where money doesn't matter indeed.
    alexalex
    Why does your post include a link to a website called "pawnbat" - which appears to be a Canadian website?
  • LameWolf
    LameWolf Posts: 11,238 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Fwiw, when Mr LW and I got engaged, we visited all the jewellers in MK together, and chose something that we both thought looked good, and that I found comfortable to wear.

    He would have been happy to spend 4 figures, but I vetoed that idea on the basis that I'd be terrified to wear it in case I lost it. In the end we went for something for less money, that I could happily wear; to me it's the meaning and emotion behind it that counts, not the amount of ££££ forked out.
    If your dog thinks you're the best, don't seek a second opinion.;)
  • I went with my partner to look at designs - most of his friends went for solitaires but I personally wanted something more unique. I found that all the usual high street retailers had similar designs, so I searched in hatton garden - very similar to the high street I think - most shops have the same designs in their windows. One jeweller that stood out for us though was Savvy and Sand. Their designs were different to everyone else's and you can select your own diamond with them, which we did.

    My partner did all the main diamond bit - I recall them saying cut and colour were important, as this is what you notice first. Cut gives the sparkle and colour is important if you don't want to see a yellow in your diamond.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 244K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.3K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.