Diamond Rings

I need some education when it comes to these things. Can some of you gals or guys chime in on whats good to buy and whats not? Things to avoid maybe and which deals are the best? I'm so clueless

 

Diamonds are a scam.

http://www.scambook.com/blog/2013/06/why-diamonds-are-a-complete-scam/

De Beers has a monopoly on the industry.

Having said that, the best place to buy is www.bluenile.com.

Here is a good summary of everything a buyer needs to know.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education?elem=sub1&track=rotator1

I almost proposed a few years ago and did all the research but came to my senses about being hitched.

Tension set rings are awesome.

 

It's easy to study up on the 4Cs and playing with Blue Nile will help you see how increasing the quality will affect the price. But after that you start getting into style and that depends on the bride.

 

I know the whole opening of the box with the ring is a big deal but trust me on this one. Let the chick pick out her own engagement and wedding band set. In the old days the jeweler would present the chick with an assortment of rings or stones and settings within your pre-determined budget.

You can spend so much money on these things it's ridiculous. So many brides these days are more down to earth and as much as they'd love a big old honking engagement ring, they'd rather have a house or something. She might like another gemstone or colored diamond. She might like a vintage or estate ring or stone/setting. Estate aka used rings are a fraction of the cost by the way, maybe not super romantic but it should be blessed anyway so any bad vibes are taken away. I'm sure there are many 60 year marriages out there that started with a ring out of a gumball machine. She might like a different metal like stainless steel. You're not going to know what she would like until you talk with her.

If she's demanding a 5-figure ring....run. Run far. Run fast.

 

Clarity is the trait to make sacrifices with.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-clarity

I agree 1000%.

I thought about doing this.

 

I'll tell you something else not to do. My husband made a big deal of having me pick out my ring. I did so. He made a big deal of taking me to dinner to present me with my ring. He opened the box.......it wasn't my ring. He didn't like the ring I picked out so he picked out another one for me. It didn't go over well. I still married him but by rights I should have dumped his sorryness. There's things you don't do. He learned.

 

I haven't heard of anyone using stainless steel for engagement rings. Platinum is a popular option if she prefers silver-toned jewelry.
As LolaDoggie said, you should talk with your girlfriend to understand her preferences.

 

I have a stainless ring I travel with when I'm going to be in the ocean, but otherwise, yeah, platinum rocks.

My husband lucked out - he bought a sapphire & platinum estate piece (he knows I don't like diamonds, like sapphires, and LOVE platinum) He took a risk - but since it was an estate piece, he didn't break the bank on it. And I adore it 14 yrs later

HOWEVER - if you aren't POSITIVE what she wants, use a placeholder ring and have her pick one out!

(oh - and my husband's ring? Titanium, came from New Zealand, and the customs declaration read "metal sleeve" - so when we go out, I always ask if he's wearing his metal sleeve:evillaugh)

 

Never buy the ring until you are 100% sure she is going to say yes.

 

She's going to say yes Breeze. Thanks everyone for the info. I know she wants a princess cut diamond with white gold band and she doesn't want me to spend a lot on the ring.

I'm just conflicted as to how much I can skimp on the color and clarity to get a bigger diamond. Can you even visually tell there are flaws in say 1.5ct diamond?
Just want to get the best bang for the buck.

JW those tension rings are pretty awesome and I would love to just get her a placeholder ring and let her choose but she doesn't want that. Apparently she wants me to read her mind or something. All the rings she's shown me in the past have been sub $1500 rings fitting the criteria above.

 

Kelly, I work with mostly under 25 year olds, they like all kinds of metals and stones for their engagement rings.

Also consider a good plain band for every day wear. Some of the nicer ring settings make it easier to lose a stone and the cost to replace the stone will surprise you. I had a channel set wedding band originally and when I lost a few stones I just sold it off and got a nice plain band that sat well with my engagement ring. The cost of replacing a stone will surprise you. I also got a big plain man's wedding band and I wear that every day. You need to get your settings checked more often if you're wearing it every day. And even more often than that if you're in the habit of getting your ring polished. I don't get my rings polished anymore either. I lost those stones right after a polishing. Good luck getting them to admit it.

I think $1500 would go a long way if she's OK with an estate piece (aka used). You know what they say about the value of a new car when you drive off the lot? Double that for jewellery.

The only way you're going to know if you can spot a big difference in a "lesser quality" stone is to go look for yourself. There are some out there that claim they can spot the least little thing in a stone when the fact is a jeweller has to get in there with proper lighting and a good magnifier with years of experience before they can give you a grade on a stone.

 

My husband took me to select my engagement and wedding rings. Both were fairly simple bands with small diamonds. I loved them and wore them daily. Years later he selected and purchased an expensive ring for me with a large 3 diamond setting. I loved the thought, but honestly it was a waste of money. It doesn't have the same sparkle, it's to large to wear all the time and it gets caught on everything. Bigger isn't always better.

If she won't pick the ring herself perhaps you could get her to give you a few options or look at a catalog and show you which she likes.

I never understood spending thousands on a wedding and ring. I'd much rather have a nice house, car & Vegas vacations.

 

Some of the really cool stuff you see is hard to wear. I think for $1500 used you could get everything you need, fancier ring set, plain every day band, your wedding band. You're going to have to find a way to sell her on the idea of picking out her rings. Turn on the charm.

 

That's how we were too. But the most important thing is that - whatever the priorities are - I am on the same page with my spouse

 

if she has already told you what she wants don't try to go higher, or fancier. Not everyone wants that magnificent stone that shouts out that it cost a lot to get, some like that, but most don't.

My ring is only $600 and i love it, after all was said and done and i saw the next size up for 800 i would have loved that a tad more but did not see it at the time we picked it out. I also have 2 wedding bands that are just channel diamonds.

When we bought the band it matched my ring perfectly but i felt like something was missing so i told him on our 1 year i wanted to buy another band, so he did. Now they are sautered together and i love it and when i look at my finger it feels complete. Sure the one that was a bit bigger would have been nice but i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my wedding set and it was only about $1200 altogether.

I see many rings out there that are bigger & more expensive but they are not my style. He had a different ring bought (that i did not know at the time) but after a few times of me saying what i liked he took it back because it was opposite and i am glad he listened to me because this set is so "me".

Long story short, listen to her lol.

 

Stay away from fracture filled or enhanced diamonds. Also be suspect of any ring that was graded as set. My wife also had her heart set on a princess cut stone so I bought the stone loose and we designed the setting for it to be set in.
Mark

 

This page allows fooling with all traits and price.

Simple to use.

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?elem=sub1&first_step=diamond&forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP&track=rotator1

BN has a 30 day money back guarantee.

About the flaws. Depends on clarity.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-clarity

 

That money back guarantee is great to know about. Does it apply to all rings on their site including the custom made ones?

 

I am not sure what "special orders" are. I would call or email them with what exactly is being bought and ask if it can be returned.

http://www.bluenile.com/returns.jsp

It is not necessary to buy both the diamond and ring from BN. The ring can be bought somewhere else and that company could set it. It might also be possible to have a local third party set the diamond into the ring for a fee. I only suggest that because it would probably cost a lot of money to send the diamond somewhere due to the insurance cost.

MrRebates has 6% cash back from BN.

http://mrrebates.com/search_stores.asp?k=Blue+Nile&g_search_option=S

 

As previous poster mentioned, Bluenile is a very good site. My husband hand my engagement ring and wedding band made (my set is platinum, princess cut diamonds on the engagement ring) by a jeweller in Toronto. The band is very delicate so for our first anniversary he got me a platinum band on Blue Nile to match his, a much wider band that can be worn on it's own when participating in sports, swimming, etc. My wedding band for my set comes off to easily when I'm not wearing my engagement ring.
I disagree with those that say have her select the ring, I was thrilled with my husband's selection and completely surprised.....of course he had found out what I like prior by asking me what I thought of other people's rings, so casually that I hadn't realized he was gathering info. She has told you she likes princess cut stones, so now find out if she likes solitaires or multiple stones, yellow gold, white gold or platinum. Ask her what she thinks of other people's rings.