Serious question

[PeteSB75]

I am considering shopping for a ring for my girlfriend. I know what cut and setting I will be getting, just unsure how much I should spend. 10% of annual income? Less? More? I just need a general ballpark and, to be blunt, don't trust jack s*#t I hear in jewelry stores.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by PeteSB75

I am considering shopping for a ring for my girlfriend. I know what cut and setting I will be getting, just unsure how much I should spend. 10% of annual income? Less? More? I just need a general ballpark and, to be blunt, don't trust jack s*#t I hear in jewelry stores.

I would never view it as a % of what I earn.
Last time I bought an engagement ring was well over 28 yrs ago.
Would do it the very same way again.
Would buy what I can afford, what looks nice, what I think she will like and appreciate.
Screw what anyone says I should or should not spend.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Blueface

I would never view it as a % of what I earn.
Last time I bought an engagement ring was well over 28 yrs ago.
Would do it the very same way again.
Would buy what I can afford, what looks nice, what I think she will like and appreciate.Screw what anyone says I should or should not spend.

That says it all.

[RGD.]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Would buy what I can afford, what looks nice, what I think she will like and appreciate.

Yep.

And you know what - as for the rating of the diamond - unless you are a jeweler with a trained eye using one of those eye thinga ma jiggys - you can't tell and neither can anyone else. So unless you plan on selling it later, get a lower rated larger diamond. More bang for the buck.

You didn't mention - is this an engagement ring? If so, congrats!


Ron

[md4958]

Originally Posted by RGD.

Yep.

And you know what - as for the rating of the diamond - unless you are a jeweler with a trained eye using one of those eye thinga ma jiggys - you can't tell and neither can anyone else. So unless you plan on selling it later, get a lower rated larger diamond. More bang for the buck.

Ron

I respectfully disagree with Ron.

my wifes diamond makes most of her friends stones seem almost yellow, and it sparkles like no-other. I couldnt be happier that i decided to go with quality over size. For the price I paid I could have gotten her a 5 carat piece of crap, but I went with an as-close-to-flawless ( i could afford) 1.5 carat that looks enormous on her thin fingers.

[RGD.]

Originally Posted by md4958

I respectfully disagree with Ron.

my wifes diamond makes most of her friends stones seem almost yellow, and it sparkles like no-other. I couldnt be happier that i decided to go with quality over size. For the price I paid I could have gotten her a 5 carat piece of crap, but I went with an as-close-to-flawless ( i could afford) 1.5 carat that looks enormous on her thin fingers.

Don't get me wrong on this - I'm not saying to get the bottom of the barrel. What I was trying to say and should have added more, is that you could get say a VS1 or 2 in a D or E and maybe even a really good G instead of a VVS1 or 2 - and that nobody could tell without a magnifying glass. Hence the more bang for the buck.


Ron

[Raralith]

Originally Posted by RGD.

Don't get me wrong on this - I'm not saying to get the bottom of the barrel. What I was trying to say and should have added more, is that you could get say a VS1 or 2 in a D or E and maybe even a really good G instead of a VVS1 or 2 - and that nobody could tell without a magnifying glass. Hence the more bang for the buck.

I honestly don't think diamonds should be based on "best bang for the buck" ideal. Diamonds aren't big screen TV's where new technology will replace or may need another in 10 to 20 years. Diamonds shouldn't be thought up as a dollar amount, but simply as a decoration on the ring, a ring that symbolizes being together and forever (property of "X" for me!). Because of this, it should be high quality, but it should be affordable. A smaller size isn't a travesty, but a slightly, even remotely, off color stone is, in my opinion.

Movado has some excellent rings too if you can afford them. I bought my wife's ring there, and honestly, it's pretty amazing. Their quality is top notch, and while there's quite a bit of sticker shock, it was considered affordable for me so I purchased it.

Originally Posted by Blueface

I would never view it as a % of what I earn.
Last time I bought an engagement ring was well over 28 yrs ago.
Would do it the very same way again.
Would buy what I can afford, what looks nice, what I think she will like and appreciate.
Screw what anyone says I should or should not spend.

Though I have never bought an engagement ring there is NO WAY I would try and use a math formula based on % of income. IMHO if the girl I would ask to be my wife would think in terms of percentage of my income, a huge flashing red light would go off in my head.

Please don't take this the wrong way but, for me, to even think along those terms seems very cold and unromantic.

There was a girl once that I wanted for my wife, unfortunately it never worked out, and I was thinking about buying an engagement ring and I thought it would be really cool to buy an antique one that was as "one of a kind" as I could afford.

Anyway, I hope that this post maybe gave you some ideas about alternatives i.e. the antique diamond route.

Best of luck to you and please let us know what she says when you ask her the big question.

Cheers,
Rob

[md4958]

are you more concerned with the size of the ring or the quality of the stone?

How far are you from Springfield, MA? I would recommend the jewler I bought my stone from (I bought the stone first, and then had them make a band for it) I would guess that I saved about 40-50% of the "mall stores"

For an expenditure such as this it might be worth your while. PM me if you would like some more info.

[dunng]

Originally Posted by md4958

How far are you from Springfield, MA?

New Haven area, right?

[PeteSB75]

Originally Posted by dunng

New Haven area, right?

Living in Stamford these days. I work in midtown manhattan, so was planning to hit the diamond district for some perusing, at least to start. I also checked out Bluenile.com. Not sure how prices on there compare to what I will get in a store. The mall is not happening. Anything I would find there tends to be extremely overpriced.

I guess I was just looking to make sure that I wasn't spending too little. I know how much I want to spend, and roughly what I want to get, so I guess we'll go from there and see what quality/size stone I can get. The markup on these things kills me though.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by PeteSB75

Living in Stamford these days. I work in midtown manhattan, so was planning to hit the diamond district for some perusing, at least to start. I also checked out Bluenile.com. Not sure how prices on there compare to what I will get in a store. The mall is not happening. Anything I would find there tends to be extremely overpriced.

I guess I was just looking to make sure that I wasn't spending too little. I know how much I want to spend, and roughly what I want to get, so I guess we'll go from there and see what quality/size stone I can get. The markup on these things kills me though.

I tried the diamond district with my uncle when I was looking with limited success. I went with my uncle who used to do a lot of business with these people. First issue I had was that these people all tried to sell me crap. I knew exactly what I wanted, and most of these places either didnt listen or didnt have the quality I was demanding. They kept showing me stones that were so crappy, I could see the flecks of black in there with my un-aided eye. (the stone I eventually bought was VVS2, Color F). If you go there make sure you know exactly what you want, as they WILL try to screw the uninformed customer.

The markup on diamonds is like 400-800%, depending on where you purchase it. I tried bluenile too, and found thier prices to be nothing great. I especially dislike the fact of not being able to hold the diamond and see it for my self before I bought.

The jewler I bought my diamond from actually put the stone in a scope, so I could see that it was the exact stone as the certifiacation (you could see the tiny tiny flaws were in the same spots and same shape).

[MedicCook]

Don't go in thinking about how much you should be spending. Look at a lot of rings and get the best deal for the ring that she will like. More is not always better.

[mikeyj23]

my opinion is get exactly what she wants - nothing else you buy (including a house) will be around as long as that ring.
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[Kreth]

You know that whole percentage of salary BS is just marketing for the jewelry companies, right?

[ade06]

Originally Posted by mikeyj23

my opinion is get exactly what she wants - nothing else you buy (including a house) will be around as long as that ring.
Posted via Mobile Device

[ucla695]

When I bought mine for my wife, I purchased the nicest ring I could afford and something that I knew she would like.

[MedicCook]

And if a woman puts the entire relationship on how big a ring she gets.... well it is usually not a good situation in the long run.

[SeanGAR]

Diamonds are pieces of charcoal that look pretty. Let me be the first to introduce you to the wonder that is diamonique. Four out of five dentists can't tell that it is not real. Get it in a 6 prong solid platinum setting of course, not plated.



I'm joking of course, my wife would beat me if I bought her a fake diamond .. and yours probably will too..

I bought a real diamond that wasn't exactly cheap. You want to look at diamonds in a bunch of stores, unset, and learn about what makes them different. Personally, I'd rather one that has a nice cut and is nice size over a smaller one that you can't see any flaw in at less than 20X. Cut = sparkle, and even though they may be the same basic cut, there are huge differences in how they look because diamond cutters are different and work with different pieces of carbon.

Have fun shopping.....

[poker]

You get the best that you can that fits in your budget. Thats the best advice I can give you, and given the current economic situation were all in I suggest you dont get in over your head when purchasing a ring. Remember, its all about what the ring symbolizes, not the size of the stone.