OT: Engagement Ring Spend

[RU_Planning]

Go with a "Champagne" colored ring, Its the newest trend.

Free apps.

 

[PhDKnight]

Whatever you do -

1) Do not buy from a branded jewelry store. I bought loose stones from an out of state dealer and had everything verified by an independent in town appraiser. I basically had a replica of a Tiffany ring made at 1/3 of the cost.

2) Get the ring insured for the full retail value. My wife lost her ring and many other women do to.

 

[i'vegotwinners]

engagement ring.

where too much is not enough.

 

[Jersey Boys]

don't buy from this guy

 

[RUinPAC10land]

I for one went a little down on the size and got a Tiffany. My wife's finger is small so it was perfect.

 

[24Babybull]

First comes the Engagement Ring...
Second comes the Wedding Ring...
Third comes the Suffer-Ing..

Peace out

Be a crafty bacherlor...and save yourself some money!

 

[RUBlackout]

I def see why we struggle as an alumni base to build up our endowment

I would never tell anyone what I spent on my ring as this thread might end up 20pgs deep about what an idiot I am. The diamond is over 3 carats and high 3 Cs--I'll leave it at that.

With that, I will say over the years it has just become another accessory, but it was worth it.

 

[Retired711]

I def see why we struggle as an alumni base to build up our endowment

I would never tell anyone what I spent on my ring as this thread might end up 20pgs deep about what an idiot I am. The diamond is over 3 carats and high 3 Cs--I'll leave it at that.

With that, I will say over the years it has just become another accessory, but it was worth it.

If it was worth it to you and your fiancé, then it was worth it. Only you can decide how much ring is appropriate. I probably could have gotten away with spending half of what I did, but I wanted a ring that my fiancé would really like.

 

[RUBlackout]

Very true

 

[Agoodnap_rivals91099]

Lots of good advice in here and I'll add mine.

1. Purchase the diamond loose and have the jeweler prove it's a real diamond by using his thermal dissipation meter right in front of you. Every jeweler has a meter and leave the store if they claim to not have one.
2. Get at least 1 carat. Carat is a weight and you can ask the jeweler to weigh the stone in front of you on his scale. This should be done after he's told you the weight. If they claim to not have a scale politely leave the store.
3. Get at least an SI1 or SI2 Clarity. SI clarity means you can't see any imperfections with the naked eye. You'll either need to study a lot of diamonds or trust the jeweler.
4. Get an F or G color. Most diamonds sold are H color or higher so your stone will be whiter than most. Ask the jeweler to get out his color stones and verify that the diamond you are looking at has the color you want. Again, every jeweler with loose stones will have a set of color stones...if not leave the store. You set the diamond on the color stones until you find the color stone that is the same color as the diamond and you have a match. You will see a very steep increase in price for an E or D color and I'm not sure it's worth the difference.
5. Find out what type of cut she likes. If you can't find out go with round.
6. The MOST important characteristic of a diamond is the "life" of the stone. The diamond should sparkle wildly when rocked back and forth under a light. If it doesn't have much life the cut or clarity is probably off and you should look for another stone.
7. Have the stone set before you eyes. Do not let the stone out of your sight once you have verified everything.
8. Once you have looked at a few stones and decided on the C's it'll be time to start asking about price.
9. This is NOT an investment. You are essentially throwing your money away so you need to treat the purchase this way.
10. For a 1 carat, F/G color, round cut, SI1 or SI2 clarity, with lots of life expect to spend about $5k or so for the stone.
11. Have the jeweler write the appraisal for your purchase price. The insurance cost will be calculated based on this appraisal. Why pay for $10k worth of insurance when you know you can replace the diamond for $5k?

I think the baguette stones around the main stone are a waste of money and cheapen the overall effect. If you must go with baguettes make sure they are of the same quality as the center stone or they'll clash.

 

[Rokodesh]

 

[blockm2]

She has you trained like a dog. Not sure how you break out of that cycle.

God speed.

I'm fortunate to earn enough money that less than 1 day's pay is way more than I spend on any individual piece of jewelry to keep her happy. Truthfully it's like 2-3 hours work and I'm good til the next holiday.

For me the real pain is trying to pick something out (with her hints of course) that seems like I'm trying to impress. At some point as a man I think it all looks the same. Sparkly? Shiny? Sure, looks good.

 

[theRU]

I did exactly that. People think I spent 3-4 times what I spent. Cut and clarity are extremely overrated IMO. No one walks around with a diamond magnifier to inspect the cut and clarity.

With all due respect if all you care about is showing off then yes this is what you do. It all depends on You and your girl and what is important to you.

If you want the ring to be bigger and look like more $$$ then yes, the 4 c's dont matter. you can get a 2 ct diamond for cheap if it has flaws.

I'm not a show off, i like nice things that are elegant yet understated. My cars are the same. My watches are worth more than gaudy tissot or tag heurs, yet you wouldnt be able to tell how valuable they are unless you were a watch enthusiast. My wife has a similar set of values as i do.

Her ring looks nice and elegant but isn't flashy. Its 1.25 carat. Its flawless, perfect cut and color. It will be an heirloom. While you can get one that to the eye looks the same for 10-15K, the diamond is worth way more than that.

Again, it depends on you, your woman and what matter to YOU.

 

[rurichdog]

Lots of large, piss-colored diamonds on ring fingers in NJ. How...stereotypical?

 

[Retired711]

Just wanted to add something:

a few months ago, my fiance and I went shopping, and we settled on a nice setting with a small disamond and baguettes around it. We picked up the ring Sunday, and she was in 7th heaven. The ring looks beautiful and dazzling even with a small central stone. Don't believe people who tell you that only carat size is important; cut and color are just as important. Clarity, I agree, is not as big a deal so long as the mark can't easily be detected. But never just go for carat size.