engagement rings - just a question

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: Don Rodriguez
What do you guys think about a 1.00 ct. VG cut, Color: F, VVS1 clarity

Much better, based on the color and the inclusions. A VVS1 is much better than the original quote. I suggest looking at the .8 ct. stones too. They give you the most bang for your buck and aren't too big.

I know it's easy to get caught up with the size. The color and inclusions are very import, but so is the setting. If you don't get the right ring, the stone will never "pop" right. It's important that it matches her style... Keep in mind there are many styles....even when it comes to solitare settings.

 

[SSSnail]

Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
new diamonds are a huge waste of money - like others have suggested, look around on the secondary market

funny how the jeweler who sells you that 5k diamond will only give you 2k to buy it back...

Not quite, my jeweler will give me 90% of price paid if I decide to upgrade or sell back. Depends on where you go.

 

[videogames101]

Or you could basically get a perfect diamond, albeit man-made....

 

[Al Neri]

Originally posted by: videogames101
Or you could basically get a perfect diamond, albeit man-made....

explicar?

 

[Fiat1]

1. Set up date with girlfriend
2. Watch Blood Diamond
3. She is sad and doesn't want a real diamond
4. Profit....

 

[jarfykk]

Back when I got engaged, I spent ~$1500 (after discounts) at Bluenile on a nice, 0.48 carat stone w/ solitaire setting. I ordered it and then compared it first hand to several other stone/setting from local jewelers and found I got a nice ring, at a nice price. If you phone them and *ask* if they have any discounts, don't be surprised if they knock 10-20% off the price, just pick out the diamond beforehand (they gave me 15%). She loved it, and other than being too big (I measured her incorrectly, but Bluenile resized it for free), was a good experience, and priced within reason. I could have easily spent a 5-10x the amount, but to be honest neither she nor I wanted to, and the money goes a long way to a down payment on a house.

One tip I was given to buy a stone slightly below a popular size, like 0.48, 0.97, etc. No clue if that holds true in all cases, but the stone I got her looks great and appraised at the local jewelry shop/appraiser for about 50% more than I paid. Which brings up another point, Bluenile sends an appraisal certificate with the ring, but it has a sample photo rather than one of the actual ring I bought. My insurance wouldn't accept that (makes some sense), so I spent ~$20 on getting it re-appraised when I added it onto my insurance policy.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Meh .. I don't see the fascination with spending so much on jewelry. I'll probably spend under 2K on an engagement ring, I just can't justify to myself the whole "2 months" thing, I have mortgages to pay and a 10 year old car and very little expendable income, I don't have the cash to drop 15K on a ring, and I would NEVER consider financing a stone. Meh ... I guess the saying "to each their own" applies here, but I just can't understand how anyone spends that kind of cash on a ring unless they make like 200K+ per year.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Citrix
heheh yea, its amazing how low "used" diamonds are. check out CL for proof. I do not like diamonds i would much rather spend money on a high grade sapphire or ruby.

Sapphire FTW. Diamonds are boring and brittle. I have a phobia of them since I've broken so many at work.

 

[sourceninja]

My wife's wedding ring was 500 bucks with diamond. I took her to the store to pick it out. I didn't tell her what I had planned. If she picked one too expensive, I was not going to marry her. She picked wisely.

 

[richardycc]

they went to the mall and paid the sticker price, and probably didnt shop around, thats how.

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
new diamonds are a huge waste of money - like others have suggested, look around on the secondary market

funny how the jeweler who sells you that 5k diamond will only give you 2k to buy it back...

If I had to nominate the #1 most common misperception in this country, it would be "everyone knows diamonds hold their value" and/or "a diamond is a good investment".

Where do people get that idea, anyway? I certainly don't know anyone who has sold a diamond. The DeBeers marketing team is unbelievably effective. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't know that "everyone" spends 2 months' salary on an engagement ring.

 

[BrianH1]

Originally posted by: sourceninja
My wife's wedding ring was 500 bucks with diamond. I took her to the store to pick it out. I didn't tell her what I had planned. If she picked one too expensive, I was not going to marry her. She picked wisely.

Indiania Jones...is that you?

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: sourceninja
My wife's wedding ring was 500 bucks with diamond. I took her to the store to pick it out. I didn't tell her what I had planned. If she picked one too expensive, I was not going to marry her. She picked wisely.

That strikes me as equally superficial and ridiculous to those that suggest a woman's love is somehow proportional to the size of the diamond.

 

[Tiamat]

I'd go for a .8-.9 carat diamond with better color and cut. Maybe flank the diamond with a pair of sapphires.

 

[dmw16]

stay away from "milestone" sizes (.5ct, .75ct, 1ct, 1.5ct, etc) there are large price jumps but no real difference between .74 and .75.

Also, stay away from a J color, especially if you are going to set it in white gold or platinum. F/G, SI1 present the best value. I went with an E for my finacee and I can see the difference when comparing her stone to other people we know who I know went with an F or G (or worse).

Finally, i bought from Bluenile and highly recommend them. Service was great, ring is beautiful. If you are buying online you are best to stick w/ GIA certified round stone since round is really the only cut that has math behind what makes for a better cut.

 

[shadow9d9]

Bought mine for 300 bucks... happily married... down payment of house or ring... Ring obviously!

 

[child of wonder]

$15,000?? $8,000????

Complete waste of money. I find it so odd how someone can walk around with a rock worth enough money to feed starving kids, put a worthy student through college, help a family in need because of unforeseen medical expenses, or give presents to needy kids for Xmas yet they keep the stone only for show and so they can think of themselves as better than other people.

We're all the same in the end: worm poop.

 

[Lola]

OP, it is YOUR money. Do what you want with it. Any time you post a thread like this you have people telling you what not to do with your money. They talk like it is a sin to want to buy your gf a nice ring... for one reason or the other... the diamond trade is bad, debeers is horrible, etc etc etc... Most of the folks that b!tch are single and care more about a modded computer than any thought of a girl.

Do what you want with your cash. The only thing i can tell you is actually go to a jewerly store (preferably not a huge chain) and look at the cuts/color/clarity of different diamonds and the sizes as well. see for yourself what a better cut will look like compared to a bigger rock with a mediocre cut and clarity, etc. Then research research research. Don't go by what others spent on a diamond. Who cares... it is what you can afford, what you like and what she will like, because in the end, it will be on her hand, no one elses.

 

[dirtboy]

It's easy (and foolish IMHO) to spend that much money on a ring to impress your gf's friends. In case you didn't know, that's what it's about. Having a bigger, fancier ring then their friends.

 

[Lola]

Originally posted by: dirtboy
It's easy (and foolish IMHO) to spend that much money on a ring to impress your gf's friends. In case you didn't know, that's what it's about. Having a bigger, fancier ring then their friends.

I agree completely.... to buy a big ring just to keep up with the Jones'. It should be about what he can afford, what will look best on his gf finger, etc. It should never be about trying to out-do someone else.

 

[krunchykrome]

I just got engaged two weeks ago. Here's the ring I bought:

1.5ct
H color
VS2 clarity
Very good cut
GIA certified with GIA lab certificate
Platinum solitaire band

I paid $7800 for the ring. I also got it independently appraised for insurance purposes. It was appraised for $14,500.

 

[Al Neri]

yeah

i figure that I am going to get engaged somewhere between June and December 08. I have 6500$ in aapl right now - whichever way that goes will determine how big of a ring she gets

She could care less about her friends and the jealousy thing.

By the time we get married, we will have $78,000 in the bank between us + wedding gifts + I have equity (own a condo - i've paid over the mortgage for a few years so far and i'm in an appreciating neighborhood 20 minutes from Manhattan)

 

[sjwaste]

I bought a .92/F/Ideal/SI2 with excellent polish, VG symmetry set in a platinum Tiffany-style solitaire setting for $4800. I haven't proposed yet, but its planned.

The things I learned in shopping for it were definitely to stay away from the milestone sizes as another poster mentioned (90 points costs a good bit less than a 100 pt stone, with little visible difference, even the dealer conceded that when I was insisting that I get at least a full carat, hats off to him for that tip). Second was to buy SI1 or SI2 that was eye-clean. Depending on where the inclusion is, it's going to be really hard to see w/o magnification. I couldn't spot it at 10x until it was pointed out to me, so for our purposes, the stone presents like a VVS/VS. Last was that when it came to allocating money to any one of the attributes, cut is most important.

 

[FP]

If you can afford it why not?

Everything in life is relative.

Don't go broke trying to impress your gf or her friends but if you can afford it I don't see any reason why you shouldn't get as big of a ring as you can afford.

Same thing with houses, cars, TVs, computers, restaurants...

 

[mooglemania85]

Originally posted by: LolaWiz
OP, it is YOUR money. Do what you want with it. Any time you post a thread like this you have people telling you what not to do with your money. They talk like it is a sin to want to buy your gf a nice ring... for one reason or the other... the diamond trade is bad, debeers is horrible, etc etc etc... Most of the folks that b!tch are single and care more about a modded computer than any thought of a girl.

Do what you want with your cash. The only thing i can tell you is actually go to a jewerly store (preferably not a huge chain) and look at the cuts/color/clarity of different diamonds and the sizes as well. see for yourself what a better cut will look like compared to a bigger rock with a mediocre cut and clarity, etc. Then research research research. Don't go by what others spent on a diamond. Who cares... it is what you can afford, what you like and what she will like, because in the end, it will be on her hand, no one elses.

Originally posted by: Don Rodriguez
i never said i was buying anything

i was just looking it up

I wish there was a smiley smacking another smiley who didn't read the whole thread.