Engagement ring

#1 (**permalink**) 08-12-2005, 04:35 AM

Hi everybody. I need to buy my girlfriend a diamond ring but I really don't have the faintest idea about this business. Can you recommend me some good online shops? Hi everybody. I need to buy my girlfriend a diamond ring but I really don't have the faintest idea about this business. Can you recommend me some good online shops?

Thanks

34saving · #2 (**permalink**) 08-12-2005, 02:01 PM

This may sound horrible, but it kind of depends on your personality . . . Ever considered getting a "pre-owned" (Not necessarly used) one? There are lots of them out there at steep discounts. If that sounds interesting to you, you can check out http://www.craigslist.org under "jewelry" for your city. Then bring a friend who knows something (probably a recently engaged couple). Lots at eBay too, but I think I'd want to see it upfront. (Of course eBay has tons of dealers too.) FYI "appraised values" mean almost nothing for anything but an insurance claim.

mbhunter · #3 (**permalink**) 08-12-2005, 11:52 PM

First off, congratulations.

Does she want a diamond ring? My wife was very particular about what she wanted, and it turned out to be quite a bit less than a diamond ring, which frankly she didn't want. Did you two go ring shopping?

Anyway, if you know she wants a diamond, then I'd learn the diamond "jargon" so that when you go you can talk intelligently. You can probably find this out online or in other specialty newsgroups. If you search for "American Gemological Society" in Google you'll get a few good links on the first page.

fultron · #4 (**permalink**) 08-16-2005, 11:36 AM

I wouldn't buy an engagement ring in a mall. Most of those places are over-priced and low quality merchandise. Go to a reputable jeweler and makes sure he or she is certified by the AGS. They also have a great site for research at http://www.ags.org/

When I bought my wife's engagement ring 4 years ago I first went window shopping at the mall and I found most of the salespeople were just focused on making the sale and knew very little about diamonds.

I asked around and got the name of a jeweler with a store nearby and what a difference. She sat down with me, asked a lot of questions about what kind of ring my wife wanted, etc. She really held my hand through the process and made me feel comfortable making such a huge purchase.

Other tips...make sure you get the appraisal and all the documents related to the quality of the ring for your records and for insurance purchases.

...and buy the stone and the setting separate. A reputable jeweler should show you the stone by itself so you can truly see the quality and inspect it for any obvious flaws.

akaivyleaf · #5 (**permalink**) 08-17-2005, 08:57 AM

Congratulations...

First take her window shopping, see what she likes, the style and the cut of the diamond, and then get familiar as others have said, with the lingo and do research on getting the best value for your money.

Sharon

#6 (**permalink**) 08-18-2005, 11:59 AM

Thanks you all. So ags and gia maybe ?
34saving: first of all I don't like "pre-owned" jewelry especially when its going to (theoretically) be on my future wife's finger for a long time ... Also, I would like to say that I am little afraid of buying from Ebay .. too many scams ... you know

34saving · #7 (**permalink**) 08-18-2005, 01:06 PM

I guess I lost a lot of the sentimentality when my husband lost his first ring about 2 weeks into our marriage

I think my brother-in-law is on number 3 or 4 now. The marriages are all in good shape though.

cicy33 · #8 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 08:41 AM

Definitely take her with you at least to browse. your idea and hers most likely differ vastly

#9 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 11:56 AM

Yeah .. you are right ... I will definitively taker with me when browsing ...
Another thing:I heard lots of women saying they don't like the gold engagement rings and/or gold jewelry in general. Is this true?

cicy33 · #10 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 02:05 PM

I think that is up to each woman, mine is gold, I don't like silver. What kind of jewelry does she wear now?

PRICEPLUS · #11 (**permalink**) 08-20-2005, 07:05 PM

I was lucky. A friend had a friend who worked in New Yorks diamond district.
I got a nice ring for a decent price. A word to the wise though. Do your homework before you go or you could get ripped off very badly!

kafiske · #12 (**permalink**) 08-21-2005, 06:28 AM

My ring was a preowned one. And it still means the same thing and still shines like a brand new one. I've had a couple of those too. How about an "heirloom" ring from the family? Any older ladies in your family have one to part with? You can get a ring at a pawn shop also. You can always get a new setting with a "used" diamond. Does she want gold or platinum? If she really cares about the newness of the ring or how much it is, is she of the same mindset as you on finances????? This is a question best answered before the I do's are said. Also you need to think ahead for the wedding, is it going to be a fun, frugal wedding or are you going to have to mortgage your soul to pay for it? Good luck to you, Andrea

#13 (**permalink**) 09-15-2005, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cicy33

I think that is up to each woman, mine is gold, I don't like silver. What kind of jewelry does she wear now?

She only wears silver but I am pretty sure shw wont dislike a nice big Ti ring

DivaJen · #14 (**permalink**) 09-15-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hess

Yeah .. you are right ... I will definitively taker with me when browsing ...
Another thing:I heard lots of women saying they don't like the gold engagement rings and/or gold jewelry in general. Is this true?

I don't like yellow gold because it doesn't look good with my skin tone. That's why my rings have white gold bands.

Fern · #15 (**permalink**) 09-15-2005, 01:16 PM

Most women like platinum and if she wears mostly silver, she will too

Gailete · #16 (**permalink**) 09-15-2005, 09:22 PM

My engagement ring was preowned/preworn. We found it at a jewelry store estate sale in the most romantic way and it is part of our story of how we ended up getting engaged. By the way it is a ruby with tiny diamonds around it.

Hess, If you really want to be sure you please your girl, talk to her to find out what she would like and let her help pick out the ring--she should be wearing it the rest of her life! You want her to really like it. It may sound so romantic to surprise a girl with an engagement ring, but do you really want her trying to look happy about a ring SHE may think is ghastly at what should be one of the happier times in her life.

I was married before. I told him I didn't want an engagement ring. He 'bought' one anyhow and his first words about it was"I don't think you'll like it". But it was big and gaudy and satisfied HIS ego. I ended up paying for that stupid ring for a long time as he had charged it and we were married long before that ring ever got paid off. Another long sad story.

Just my 2 cents as someone who got surprised by an ugly ring.

Gail

cicy33 · #17 (**permalink**) 09-20-2005, 07:18 AM

So?? Did you buy the ring yet?

#18 (**permalink**) 09-24-2005, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fern

Most women like platinum and if she wears mostly silver, she will too

I knew I was right.
I've consulted with other women too and 99% of them don't like gold jewelry.

I will post a picture of my first e-ring choice soon.

#19 (**permalink**) 09-24-2005, 04:24 AM

I think that too.
All you need is to read some of the jewelry forums or better yet weddings forums and you will have pretty good idea of what women want.

#20 (**permalink**) 09-24-2005, 04:32 AM

That is exactly what I did ... you know

How much did your e-rings cost ? I really need to gather some info abou that ?
I don't wany to be considered cheap