Rings

[niel0092]

I just read the thread about an other member getting engaged and I thought I'd start this thread.

I'm heading out tonight with a friend of mine to look at engagement rings for my girl friend and it's exciting and kinda scary at the same time. I really want to pick the right ring for her and not get screwed over by the jewlery store. The two almost seem diametrically opposed. Pick a ring out of gut feeling or go into it thoughtfully and carefully.

Anyway, I plan on trying to do the best I can in both areas and was wondering how others have done. Tell us your stories here. Any engagement disasters or success stories? Was your ring just right and all you hoped for or did you cringe in terror at how ugly it was? What do YOU look for in a ring? What do you like about the one you gave/received?

I've done a bunch of reading on it so far so it's time to put it into practice. Wish me luck tonight in my quest to find the one ring that will knock her socks off!

[bushido_man96]

I took my wife with me when we went looking for rings. We found a very nice ring, not too gaudy, and fairly decent priced. I didn't spend over $1500 on it, and you should be able to find a very nice ring for around that price.

Oh, and congratulations!

[niel0092]

Thanks. I'm pretty excited really.

I'm looking today because my girlfriend is out of town for the week. I know about what she wants, what her tastes are, and how much I can afford. I think I'm going to look at a solitaire, round cut, set in white gold. I've read that the round cuts tend to reflect more light out of the top of the diamond than other cuts, giving you more bang for the buck. She's not a high maintainance kind of girl at all and our tastes in jewlery tend more twords the simple. She's not a gaudy kind of girl at all. I may end up having her go with me later just to see how our ideasa compare but tonight is just so I can get a feel for what's out there and learn a bit more.

[TigerDude]

We learned that you can acctually tell good diamondsw apart from bad ones. While cut is listed as a key attribute, it isn't part of the rating system. You have to use your eyes.

Some of the club stores acctually have nice rings at decent prices, so you should at least use them to negotiate price at the regular jewelry stores.

[koryu]

I bought my wife a new car the day I proposed to her, and then we went out shopping together for the actual rings and picked out a 3 piece set where all of our rings went together. I'm not sure what area you're in, but ask people you know around your area about good jewelers. I actually knew a jeweler personally and got a great deal on the set we got.

[bushido_man96]

The one my wife got was a solataire, set in white gold, 1/2 carat, if I remember right. Might have been 1/4, but I think it was 1/2.

[Shotokan-kez]

Awwww it's so sweet that your trying so hard for her. I can't really give any advice on it because i have never been in the situation, so all i'll say it good luck and best wishes!

[RichardHangHong]

I choose my fiancee's ring quite carefully. She'd mentioned about a year beforehand what type of ring she would always want should we ever get hitched.

Without telling her, I saved up enough money, found a ring that matched what she wanted (marcus cut, not sure about the spelling but it looks like an oval but the ends are pointed). I snuck through her bag during training one night to get a mold from one of her rings so I could get the right size. All in all it took me 8 months and £1100 to get the ring. I spent the next 4 months secretly planning a weekend away in Paris for our 3rd anniversary together. I proposed to her on the Pont des Art Bridge outside the Louvre overlooking the Eiffel Tower which was flashing lights at the time. She said yes and was amazed that I remembered what ring she wanted after so long. (I don't have the best memory in the world)

[niel0092]

I did end up buying a ring last night after all. It's a .52 carat diamond solitare, G color rating, and VS2 on inclusions. The stone is set in 14k white gold. It's gorgeous. I looked at a number of stones and setting and this one blew me away. I got more for my money than I had planned on really. Thanks for the help everyone. Stay tuned next week to find out if she says "yes".

[RichardHangHong]

Good luck!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!