Need to find the one ring

[Malak]

To rule her heart. The nerd in me wants something different, but I'm having a hard time finding anything out there. Preferably cheap, because I'm poor. Know any good places to look?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Cracker Jack?

 

[Ayrahvon]

Etsy

 

[darkswordsman17]

Etsy

That's a great suggestion. I think that'd be a great way to get something really personal made without breaking the bank on overpriced gems.

 

[Malak]

Etsy

I can dig it.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

One ring to rule them all

 

[Drako]

Etsy

Good stuff there.

 

[jaedaliu]

I'm a little confused. You want a ONE RING that your fiance can use to rule the shadow wraiths?

Or are you looking for suggestions on an engagement ring vendor?

Assuming I'm reading correctly this is about engagement rings, be careful with materials, you want something that won't discolor with wear, she's going to wear that ring forever.

If you're looking for interesting engagement rings on the cheap, I would go with amazon or overstock before etsy, but etsy will have more low price options.

 

[RearAdmiral]

How cheap is cheap?

 

[rcpratt]

Please no halo. "Hi guys I can't afford a decent sized rock so let me put a bunch of little diamonds around it to show how cheap I am."

 

[Malak]

Please no halo. "Hi guys I can't afford a decent sized rock so let me put a bunch of little diamonds around it to show how cheap I am."

Is solitaire the way to go? I don't know shit about jewelry and she doesn't usually wear much of it. I saw a nice white topaz with a garnet on each side.

 

[jaedaliu]

Please no halo. "Hi guys I can't afford a decent sized rock so let me put a bunch of little diamonds around it to show how cheap I am."

I got a halo made before I ever heard the term. But for what I paid for the setting, I could have easily gotten a stone that was 30% larger.

One thing that's nice about a halo is that a non-square stone will appear more square (cushion cut)

 

[Fritzo]

They sell them here:

http://www.tungstenaffinity.com/Lor...gld-lotr.htm?gclid=CP3eyIWKpbgCFZFFMgodTC4A9A

 

[rcpratt]

Is solitaire the way to go? I don't know shit about jewelry and she doesn't usually wear much of it. I saw a nice white topaz with a garnet on each side.

I would strongly recommend finding a way to get her opinion (as inconspicuously as possible) on (1) what stone, (2) what cut, and (3) what setting.

 

[Scarpozzi]

If I were you, I'd try to separate it out. Find the ring...then pick the stone and have a jeweler do the work setting the stone.

You can't go wrong with a solitare/round stone. I'd avoid any weird shaped stones. Jewelers try to push these on buyers because they're harder to sell...

I'd pick a clearer stone over a larger stone. I suggest shooting for .75-1 ct if you can afford it...Try to get a GIA certified G-H color with VS1 or better clarity. (smaller dings in the stone) Most big-box stores will rip you off by selling I-J color with more inclusions....usually 1 or 2 large ones per stone that really eat into their reflectiveness.

Shop around and find a local Jeweler that's not in a big flashy store...look for ones that don't have a lot of real estate overhead. The bigger the store, the bigger they'll rip you off. Also see if you can find a place with their own financing if you don't have the means for a cash purchase. Sometimes they can offer 6 months same as cash or 1 year same as cash.

 

[jaedaliu]

We need to know your approximate budget to provide meaningful help. Your topaz with garnet ring sounds like it's ~$50. The ring Scarpozzi describes sounds more like $1k.

 

[gorb]

I would strongly recommend finding a way to get her opinion (in as inconspicuously as possible) on (1) what stone, (2) what cut, and (3) what setting.

What if she wants a halo?

 

[RearAdmiral]

Please no halo. "Hi guys I can't afford a decent sized rock so let me put a bunch of little diamonds around it to show how cheap I am."

I'd say please no cheap halos. There are nice halos and there are awful halos.

 

[edro]

I searched google for "halo ring"... I don't know what I was expecting...

 

[dave_the_nerd]

They sell them here:

http://www.tungstenaffinity.com/Lor...gld-lotr.htm?gclid=CP3eyIWKpbgCFZFFMgodTC4A9A

Too expensive:

http://www.amazon.com/SOMEN-TUNGSTEN...ef=pd_sbs_jw_1

 

[rcpratt]

I'd say please no cheap halos. There are nice halos and there are awful halos.

There are two kinds of halos:

1. Cheap Halos. These are easily identifiable when the low-quality primary diamond is hardly discernible from the halo diamonds. Often looks passable from a distance, until you realize that the primary diamond is in fact a third of its apparent size.
2. Gaudy Halos. These are purchased by people that don't realize the purpose of the halo in the first place (see 1, above). These combine relatively large diamonds (~1ct+) with even more halo. This results in a halo that is often wider than the chick's finger and a ring that is ten times uglier than it would have been if the primary diamond had not been obscured.

 

[xanis]

I would strongly recommend finding a way to get her opinion (in as inconspicuously as possible) on (1) what stone, (2) what cut, and (3) what setting.

Protip: Talk to her best friend(s). All women love to talk about wedding stuff, and it's basically guaranteed that one of them will know what kind of ring she wants.

 

[Malak]

We need to know your approximate budget to provide meaningful help. Your topaz with garnet ring sounds like it's ~$50. The ring Scarpozzi describes sounds more like $1k.

Maybe $300 tops.

 

[IronWing]

Take a look at mokome rings. Good lookiing, reasonly priced. If there has to be a stone then garnet, peridot, or cubic zirconia are nice.

 

[jaedaliu]

Maybe $300 tops.

I'm going to assume your soon to be fiance knows you aren't rich.

You know her, talk to her friends for confirmation, but for that cost, you are better off getting an interesting ring with her favorite colors or themes. I wouldn't get something diamond-like.

You can get a nice ring with colored CZ stones for that price, but I would get something with semi-precious stones instead. Etsy, amazon, and overstock should be able to provide you with ideas as you hunt down the ring.

Good luck!