Engagement Rings...

[cpals]

Not really looking to get married right now, but maybe in the future. Anyways, there is this ring at my local jewelers that caught my eye one time and I went to see if they still had it today, which they did. It is a sweet ring that has little Baguettes and diamonds on the side and then the four prongs coming out top. I'm not sure the material of the ring, but the color is silver.

I should go back and take a picture of it (if they'll let me). It's really a stunning piece.

Anyways, the ring is $1380 without the stone. Is that going a bit overboard? I was looking at some of the online diamonds and saw a few in the 1300-1500 range; so together the whole engagement ring would cost around $3000... I'm not sure what the "norm" on engagement ring spending is, but I could probably pay it off in a few months if I saved my money good.

I was looking at this right now: http://dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=8054792

Also, they sell the wedding band that matches the ring for around $1500.

 

[blackdogdeek]

silver color implies either white gold or platinum.

the little things on the side are baguettes.

$3000 is average i'd say. some people spend up to $10k. i spent in between.

 

[Mrvile]

Lolz @ "dirtcheapdiamonds"

3000 is a lot of money for an engagement ring...but if you have the money I say go for it.

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
silver color implies either white gold or platinum.

the little things on the side are baguettes.

$3000 is average i'd say. some people spend up to $10k. i spent in between.

Well, I didn't know if I should maybe spend a little less on the setting and a little more on the stone? My budget would be around $3000.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Originally posted by: cpals

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
silver color implies either white gold or platinum.

the little things on the side are baguettes.

$3000 is average i'd say. some people spend up to $10k. i spent in between.

Well, I didn't know if I should maybe spend a little less on the setting and a little more on the stone? My budget would be around $3000.

that's really a judgement call depending on what you think looks better (or what you think your future fiancee will like better) vs how much you can spend. definitely make sure to see what the stone will look like in the setting. it would be a shame to spend a lot of money and then find that the stone dwarfs the setting or that it overshadows it.

when i went shopping, i first picked a setting i liked, then kept increasing the size of the stone until it balanced the setting well enough (and didn't break my budget).

 

[rh71]

One thing I learned was not to buy a diamond ring already set in the ring. You can't see the diamond(s) clearly in a loupe. Choose your diamond(s), then have them set it.

 

[imported_Elias]

Do a bit of research on diamond quality so that you have a good idea of what you're looking (and paying) for. A good website for this is bluenile.com. There are some factors in quality that matter less than others - color is very important, as is clarity. But a few inclusions are no big deal as long as they're not visible to the naked eye. Cut is whatever you like, and the carat size is obviously your choice.

Look at the rock sideways on a white piece of paper, and be sure to look at it under 10x eyepiece too. Knock off a few bucks by going lower grade on whats less important to you. There's alot of diamonds out there, so you can pick one that meets all of your criteria. I went with platinum for my wife's engagement and wedding ring, but white gold is cheaper so you can save a few bucks going that route too.

 

[mugs]

Bluenile.com is good for diamonds. Regarding that diamond - F is good for color (the lowest grade that's still considered colorless), VS2 is pretty good, that's some inclusions visible at 10x magnification. The only thing I'm not sure about is the table, I thought that was supposed to be in the range of 62%... I could be wrong though. The cut is very important in determining how reflective the diamond is.

Edit: the ring you were looking at was most likely platinum. Platinum is very good, also very expensive. White gold is a cheaper alternative (~1/5 the cost?), but supposedly it starts to turn yellow. I bought my fiancee a white gold ring ($200 + diamond), but we'll probably upgrade it to platinum sometime down the road.

 

[SouthPaW1227]

That diamond is okay. I got a .52 (like that one), same color and such, but it had IDEAL cut and IDEAL symmetry for a little cheaper.

I bought a 3 stone platinum engagement ring, .52 in the middle, .3 on each side. It was just under $4k, but my diamonds were generally above average quality overall.

$3k is a high norm. If you wisely spend $3k on a ring, you're set. Your lady would like anything if it's from the heart.

BTW, got mine from Bluenile and couldn't be happier, check them out! A 10% off coupon (for bands only) pops up every so often at fatwallet.com/forums

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: cpals
Not really looking to get married right now, but maybe in the future. Anyways, there is this ring at my local jewelers that caught my eye one time and I went to see if they still had it today, which they did. It is a sweet ring that has little Baguettes and diamonds on the side and then the four prongs coming out top. I'm not sure the material of the ring, but the color is silver.

I should go back and take a picture of it (if they'll let me). It's really a stunning piece.

Anyways, the ring is $1380 without the stone. Is that going a bit overboard? I was looking at some of the online diamonds and saw a few in the 1300-1500 range; so together the whole engagement ring would cost around $3000... I'm not sure what the "norm" on engagement ring spending is, but I could probably pay it off in a few months if I saved my money good.

I was looking at this right now: http://dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=8054792

Also, they sell the wedding band that matches the ring for around $1500.

The ring and wedding band minus diamond should run about $200. Diamond encrusted rings are wastes of money and retarded.

 

[RaiderJ]

I just bought a ring from Blue Nile and am very happy with it. I thought their collection of settings was somewhat lacking, but I would buy another diamond from them without any reservations.

 

[effee]

rule of thumb, your basic salary x 3.

 

[eldorado99]

I read the title as "enlargement rings"

 

[jamesbond007]

How long did you guys wait before proposing? Also, how long after the proposal was it before you guys actually got married? I'm just curious because I don't want to marry this girl I'm dating, if I can help it, until I'm out of college. I just finished up my first year and have been really thinking about this relationship seriously. I know she feels the same way about it...I can just feel the 'vibe' about going to the next level.

I don't want to rush things and I don't want to put myself in a pickle where I'm stuck paying off a wedding + ring + school + car all at the same time, if I can help it. I'd like to get a salary job first to 'close the deal', as far as money is concerned.

I love this girl very much and we've been going out for almost a year now and we've been living together for about...well, about 2 weeks after we started dating. Pretty crazy, not sure how it happened, but it's a short (but rather long) story behind that. I don't want to put any financial strain, which could affect the relationship I think in some form.

EDIT: I should mention that I don't want to keep her 'dangling' around, thinking that we are not going anywhere, relationship-wise. I am not sure what to do.

 

[SouthPaW1227]

^ We've dated nearly 4 years, and I'm proposing in exactly a week. We're gonna get married 1 year from the engagement.

She graduates college in June 06, I get out August 06. We're getting hitched ASAP once I'm out. I'm taking TONS of classes to get out in summer rather than wait another semester. Plus, thankfully, through an amazing internship I've basically got a full time job waiting for me once I get out of college.

I just couldn't marry, own a home, and take care of us both w/o a monthly paycheck. That's why we've waited to get outta school. Finances are one of the biggest reasons for early divorce, think that over VERY seriously. Engagements can last any amount of time; some people use "promise rings" until a real phat engagement ring can be afforded. I personally think an engagement over 2 years is kinda tacky, anything over ~3 months to 2 years is alright IMO.

I've seen guys hold down 40 hrs. a week of work AND ~15 hours of classes, but they kick their own arses and barely live. Seems like it sucks. Think it over man...I've hated waiting these ~4 years, but it's been worth it, and we've grown tremendously as a couple in this timespan. Plus when we wed we'll both have full time jobs, so cash won't be such an issue. All the best!

HUGE IMPORTANT EDIT: Some guys have this thing where they feel they just hafta "feel it's right" and propose on the spot. Dude, don't risk it. My financee-to-be and I have been seriously discussing marriage since last summer (almost a full year now) before jumping to this step. We discussed things long and hard and at this point, we fully know we only want each other. I'd rather BOTH the folks be on level ground and understand exactly what each other wants/expects. Make sure SHE is ready to hear that question.

 

[petejk]

bought engagement ring for 6k...sold it for 3800




getting engaged...i got screwed...best to stay single

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: SouthPaW1227
^ We've dated nearly 4 years, and I'm proposing in exactly a week. We're gonna get married 1 year from the engagement.

She graduates college in June 06, I get out August 06. We're getting hitched ASAP once I'm out. I'm taking TONS of classes to get out in summer rather than wait another semester. Plus, thankfully, through an amazing internship I've basically got a full time job waiting for me once I get out of college.

I just couldn't marry, own a home, and take care of us both w/o a monthly paycheck. That's why we've waited to get outta school. Finances are one of the biggest reasons for early divorce, think that over VERY seriously. Engagements can last any amount of time; some people use "promise rings" until a real phat engagement ring can be afforded. I personally think an engagement over 2 years is kinda tacky, anything over ~3 months to 2 years is alright IMO.

I've seen guys hold down 40 hrs. a week of work AND ~15 hours of classes, but they kick their own arses and barely live. Seems like it sucks. Think it over man...I've hated waiting these ~4 years, but it's been worth it, and we've grown tremendously as a couple in this timespan. Plus when we wed we'll both have full time jobs, so cash won't be such an issue. All the best!

HUGE IMPORTANT EDIT: Some guys have this thing where they feel they just hafta "feel it's right" and propose on the spot. Dude, don't risk it. My financee-to-be and I have been seriously discussing marriage since last summer (almost a full year now) before jumping to this step. We discussed things long and hard and at this point, we fully know we only want each other. I'd rather BOTH the folks be on level ground and understand exactly what each other wants/expects. Make sure SHE is ready to hear that question.

WOW! Thanks for the awesome tips and advice! I don't know how old you are, but I'm 22 right now and she turns 21 in a week. I definitely think 3 years is a worth-while wait to make sure we're right for each other and that we can live on our own. How long have you guys been living together, or have you yet?

As for work, right now I work 'part-time' at a grocery store at a very good wage that has very flexible hours...I figure this is great for a college student. I rack in 32-35hrs/week and take 16-18 credits...16 my first semester, 17 last spring, 18 this fall. I'm not having any issues getting my work done, but we'll see if I can keep that up when the harder courses come along. 16-17 is the average, according to my advisor, to get my Management Information Systems degree in a 4-year term. I might consider taking a summer class or two next year to help alleviate any excessive pressure.

We're buying a new queen bed in 2-3 weeks...I'll consider that our 'commitment' ring. Hah, j/k! (though it's almost expensive enough...have you seen nice queen bed pricing lately?)

Cheers man! :beer:

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: cpals
Not really looking to get married right now, but maybe in the future. Anyways, there is this ring at my local jewelers that caught my eye one time and I went to see if they still had it today, which they did. It is a sweet ring that has little Baguettes and diamonds on the side and then the four prongs coming out top. I'm not sure the material of the ring, but the color is silver.

I should go back and take a picture of it (if they'll let me). It's really a stunning piece.

Anyways, the ring is $1380 without the stone. Is that going a bit overboard? I was looking at some of the online diamonds and saw a few in the 1300-1500 range; so together the whole engagement ring would cost around $3000... I'm not sure what the "norm" on engagement ring spending is, but I could probably pay it off in a few months if I saved my money good.

I was looking at this right now: http://dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=8054792

Also, they sell the wedding band that matches the ring for around $1500.

The ring and wedding band minus diamond should run about $200. Diamond encrusted rings are wastes of money and retarded.

Why do you say that? I think they show off the ring and the stone a little better than just a plain band.

 

[cpals]