How to buy an Engagement Ring????

[Namuna]

Good friend of mine is looking, he came to me for ideas and all I could give him were some rough ideas and things I've heard around.

So, to you married guys...How did you decide; How much to spend? Where to buy it? Quality? And any other things to consider?

Thanks!

 

[Zapster]

Do what I did. Go to the movies and keep buying Cracker Jacks. Eventually you'll get a prize worthy of your girl!

 

[Electric Amish]

Here are the rules:

1) Take your fiance with you
2) Take your fiance with you
3) TAKE YOUR FIANCE WITH YOU!!!!

If she doesn't like it, then you're life is going to be HELL. Take her with you and decide on a ring together. Price should be what you both can afford.

Place? I had a jeweler that my parents and my uncle have used for awhile, so we went there.

amish

 

[HKSturboKID]

Go to a Pawn Shop, they usually have good deals there.

 

[Nil]

It depends on your friends means. What can he afford? The more important question to ask is "are you sure you really want to do this?"

I bought my wife a beautiful ring that she promptly took back to the store. She didn't like the cut of the stone. Now, as long as she is happy, so am I, but my point is for your friend to not smack his head against the wall looking for the perfect ring cause only his girlfriend will be able to do that.

Good luck to him

 

[flippinfleck]

I dind't take my fiance with me, and she loves the ring. As do all of her friends. I went to three dif jewelers and started asking questions about the rings. Gleaned info from all three and then went back to the first [where I planned on buying from anyways] with a more informed decision. The only thing I didn't know was her ring size so I had to ask her mom. But if you wanna take your girl, get something that attracts both your eyes, that way you will be happy for years to come. Or till you get married anyways

 

[Sundog]

Go to some stores and find the design that you like. Get a picture of it (digital camera), and take it to a diamond wholesaler.

Pick the diamond you like and have the ring made. It is much cheaper and you can get a much higher quality diamond for the same price.

DO NOT buy a ring with the diamond already in it. Diamond flaws are always on the bottom of the diamond (being close to the ring hides the flaws). In order to get a proper appraisal (for insurance), the diamond must be loose.

Another rule of thumb: Lower quality diamonds are set close to the ring, higher quality are generally set up off the ring pretty high in order to let the light in underneath the diamond to show it (the quality) off.

Hope this helps.

 

[lepper boy]

to re-iterate some rules that have already been typed up here.

TAKE HER WITH YOU!!!!!
TAKE HER WITH YOU!
TAKE HER WITH YOU!

Eletric amish knows what he is talking about

 

[Namuna]

Alright, some good info here...Thank you.

 

[palad]

I took some time off of work so I could get to the jewelry stores while everyone else was still at work and look around at my leisure. I set myself a budget, a definite amount I would not spend more than, but other than that, it was a matter of looking until I found the ring that 'felt' like my fiancee. I know that probably isn't much help, but it's the best way I know of putting it. I tried to find a ring whose appearance matched the feel of the person.

 

[ArkAoss]

yup, take the girl. i know my girls ring size, and stone prefrence, but I'm sure I'd be hung if I tried to get her something alone. If you've already got the commitment (she's said yes to marriage) it'll be easy. OR ask a female friend of hers that you trust to go with her, see what she likes, and help you pick. and make sure that she won't tell the fiance-to-be that you (or your buddy) are looking for a ring.

 

[crystal]

go here Diamond Talk and learn a little bit about diamond in general. Really make you a better inform comsumer. Good luck.

 

[StageLeft]

I took mine with me. No use in her having a ring she doesn't like and pretending she does when you could have just done it together and saved a lot of anguish. On the other hand if you take her with you its going to be hard to get a cheap ring. I ended up spending way more than I'd anticipated...

 

[SUOrangeman]

No need to go beyond this page!

-SUO, still saving up for that monster

 

[ArkAoss]

hmm that whitney boin, looks good, but dang looks pricey too.

 

[poop]

I picked out my fiancee's ring, and she loves it. Just make sure you learn a lot about diamonds. Also, go where you can buy loose stones and pick a fitting.

I looked around, and eventually bought online from Blue Nile. The diamond is quality, and their service is great. Plus, you get a 30-day guarantee to have the diamond appraised and decide if you want to keep it.

EDIT:
Also, do not spend too much. So many people think you need a HUGE rock to make it official. If the chick is more worried about the ring than marriage, I would suggest rethinking things. Anyone who puts a material possession above love needs to think about what marriage means.

 

[Noriaki]

1) Take your fiance with you
2) Take your fiance with you
3) TAKE YOUR FIANCE WITH YOU!!!!

Yeah I'm with those rules.
I'm not actually married yet, but when the time comes she's coming with me to help me find her a ring she likes. I suppose if you know her well enough you might be able to pick out a ring for her...but I think it's safer to take her with you. And that's what I'm going to do.

 

[bcterps]

I think its a good idea to take your fiancee with you, unless you absolutely know what she likes. Go get a diamond education from a diamond wholesaler in your area (not a jewelry store in a mall) and see what is available in your budget. I would prefer a smaller stone that is of higher quality than a larger stone of lower quality, but it all depends on what you prefer.

You could even try your local Costco. They sell some pretty nice diamonds and once you get an education about them, you should understand how it is graded. It might be a good deal for you. Another place to go would be local jewelry shows. I'm not sure if there are ones near you, but I'm told that you can get some very good deals there if you know what you are looking for.

--Ben

 

[Namuna]

I'm getting the feeling that the 'right' thing to do is let her decide. Which makes sense.

 

[Xede]

How do you go down on one knee with a ring in your hand and ask her to marry you if you go together to pick out the ring?

 

[Regine]

I agree with taking your fiance to pick it out.
(I also think that Xede has a good point, however)


But I know that personally I would feel terrible if I picked a ring but felt that maybe it costs too much or whatever. So I'd much rather just make sure that he knows exactly what style I want and then get it for me without me feeling guilty about knowing how much money he spent.

 

[Noriaki]

Xede: Face it guy, women aren't dumb, by the time you're ready to do that she'll know you're going to ask her whether or not she helped pick out the ring.

You let her help pick out the ring, then later you do the romantic proposal thing, she'll know it's coming eventually but she won't know exactly when, but she'll know it's coming anyways.

Women are smart.

Or or: you could go buy the ring, and plan out this huge proposal thing without her knowing about it, then have her laugh and say not a chance No, I think if you are serious about marrying the girl she'll know ahead of time.

Not that there's nothing to be said for a big romantic proposal, but still...she'll know before hand.


Edit: Damn I love that Sig toolgirl...lol I'm sure that's the 40th time I've said that, but it just makes me laugh every time I see it.

 

[GreenBeret]

I was supposed to take her with me? Damn.

Note: I'm not married, nor am I engaged... it's kind of like a promise ring, but not. It's all very complicated...

 

[Namuna]

Xede has an excellent point. There seems to be a Catch-22 here.

It would seriously SUCK to buy a gal an engagement ring she didn't ABSOLUTELY love, so bringing her along to pick it out seems the right thing to do (toolgirls' suggestion of letting him know the style and let him buy seems the right thing)

BUT...Where's the romance and tradition of completely surprising her?

I guess the best thing to do is propose to her with a Cigar Band as a 'placeholder'.