Buying engagement ring!!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

what girl has ever said otherwise?

Me, for one! I like jewelry in theory, but in practicality, it gets in my way, sometimes dangerously so. A ring can be be a hassle everyday just doing something as simple as putting on gloves and brushing hair. When working, a ring can be very much in the way. Rings that have stones that protrude are worse.

Personally, if there were $18,000 sitting around waiting to make me happy, I'd prefer it to be put toward something else. And a diamond is about the last stone I'd want--they are ho-hum to me.

[bjl584]

OP, you can obviously afford this ring, but I guess you need to ask yourself if you really need to spend that much. Would part of that $18,000 be better served as a down payment on a house? Maybe used for a replacement car? You are unemployed, so I'd proceed with caution before making any major purchases. I'd wait till you at least have a job. Another thing to think about is whether a $18,000 ring is necessary. Will your fiancé love you any less or want to marry you any less if you spend half or a third as much on a ring? Does the materialistic stuff really matter?

[autoxer]

Me, for one! I like jewelry in theory, but in practicality, it gets in my way, sometimes dangerously so. A ring can be be a hassle everyday just doing something as simple as putting on gloves and brushing hair. When working, a ring can be very much in the way. Rings that have stones that protrude are worse.

I'm a guy with no interest in jewelry, but I did get married, so I feel compelled to wear a wedding band. About 8 months ago, I switched to a rubber wedding band. It is a little unconventional, but from a distance, it looks like a metal band. It is much safer when I am working on electrical equipment and much more comfortable when doing any type of work with my hands.

[snafu]

Falcor 7, mark-up and profit is about 1000% in jewelry so there is room for further negotiation. It's critical to have the gem appraised by an accredited gemologist to verify carat weight, cut, colour, clarity giving a signed, certificate which is important for insurance. The critical factors in long term value is more cut and clarity, less inclusions. Someone already mentioned that a large sized stone with a poor choice of setting is a royal pain catching in hair, clothes any and all activities.

I've a mere 1K Solitaire style ring and it's beautiful as it catches light however, it rides high in it's setting and it's ruined clothes, linens, catches on everything and wearing gloves is impossible in spite of the cold. There needs to be a practical element.

[Gailete]

what girl has ever said otherwise?

Me also. I can't imagine wearing the equivalent of a new car on my finger, or actually more than a years worth of my SS payments, or more than half a years living expenses for us. Don't forget to add in the cost of the sales tax you will have to pay as well. buying that ring in my state would have added on another $1K+. I would like to add, until I gained weight, my fingers were also long and slender and a quarter carat diamond looked just fine on my hand! That is nuts thinking that you need a 2 carat diamond to have your ring look right on your hand. When I got married again my then boyfriend and I picked out a ruby set with 12 baby diamonds that we got for a little over $400 at an antique jewelry estate sale and my exact size too. I love this ring! It looks perfect on my hand. I had wanted a red ruby ring all my life. I wear a plain gold wedding band on my left hand and the ruby on the right. Hubby's ring doesn't match mine as he wanted something different and I found his, and his exact size no less, at another estate jewelry sales for $125, one quarter of the price if we had bought it new. It looked like it had never been worn and especially after him wearing it for 12 years, it shows the wear now, so I suspect it was from an unhappy marriage initially.

Frankly it wouldn't have mattered to me if the guy had a million in the bank I wouldn't have wanted a big gaudy ring (and two carat ones are big and gaudy as far as I'm concerned) as that is just buying into ads. I think it also puts a women at more risk for robbery and total panic if the ring gets lost as well. If he wanted to do something special for me, there is a sewing machine I wouldn't mind having that is only $8K

Just a note, that if you have that much tucked in the bank why are you living at relatives homes without helping out financially? At least that is what was implied when you mentioned how cheap your life was. I know it has nothing to do with the ring, but how will this family member feel after you have been using their home free when she walks in with a huge chunk of diamond and they may have had trouble paying the water bill. I realize that I don't know anything about the relatives, but I can't see living off of someone else when you can support yourself as abundantly as you are capable of doing.

[MonkeyMama]

I personally have no interest in wearing a large ring. Or spending $18,000 (or much of anything) on a piece of rock.

I was engaged as a teen. I still proudly wear my $100 engagement ring. (Hubby could have certainly afforded to spend more on a ring, paid for in cash, but I just wanted something really small and both of us had way more important financial priorities. But I will admit there wasn't much social pressure for a flashy ring when we were 18/19).

[phantom]

what girl has ever said otherwise?

Count me as a girl who'd say otherwise too! Even if all diamons were the same price regardless of size, I'd probably still pick something about the size of my current ring. I've tried bulky rings (diamond and otherwise) on by fingers, and no matter how much I might like them on someone else's hand, I just don't like them on my own. I think every hand has a certain range of ring bulkiness that looks best on it. My engagement ring is on the large end of 3/4 carats, and I can't imagine it being much bigger and looking okay on my hand. I could probably go considerably smaller and still like the look of it, but then it might be dwarfed by some of my other rings, which would be a shame. I think my husband was a bit crazy to spend $3000 on my ring, but he did an awesome job of picking something that looks great on me and that I'll enjoy wearing for many years to dome, so I can't complain.

[sj11041990]

Not sure if this helps now, but I bought my Girlfriends ring at http://www.diamondjewelryunited.com . She was extremely happy (she said yes btw)

[sv2007]

..
My question is: I would like to buy a nice 2 carat diamond engagement ring, for my girlfriend, but I want to know if I can afford it?. My girlfriend is a little bit bigger, taller, and has long fingers. That being said she's always maintained that a bigger rock would look better on her fingers....

There you go; I'd listen to the girl friend since she's the one that's going to wear it. I know 2 ct is considered large for most people. But your girl friend is not most people, and she has spoken.

The thing about engagement diamonds is that ct size is not so important and the quality. Is it De Beers? But I remember that the clarity represents the purity of your love. Also, in your case, you may be able to use "3-month salary" to your advantage as justification on lowering the diamond price.

Ask her to shop with you.

[dawnwes]

what girl has ever said otherwise?

Oh gosh, ME!

When we got engaged, my husband wanted to buy a more expensive ring. I didn't want it!

We have been married 21 years, pretty sure the marriage if far more important than the engagement or the ring.

[Gailete]

I remember seeing a friend sporting a new ring next to her wedding band that had a huge solitaire rock in it. Then I overheard her saying he son had bought it for her for $10! If it was a ring her son had given her, then rightfully it should have been on some other finger instead of masquerading as her engagement ring. But I do believe she wanted people to think it was her engagement ring. - That kind of stone is ugly IMHO and it also would be one to get in the way of everything.

I know this thread is almost 2 years old at this point, but it still amazes me that someone my son's age is/was debating spending that much on a ring. I'd be curious if he did buy it, and are they still together? I hear far too many stories of couples getting married and the divorce announcement almost beats the wedding thank you notes.

[cleman]

Hey,
I wanted to buy a diamond for my mother. I literally don't have any experience about the diamonds. I searched in the websites where I could get the best diamonds in toronto. I found many diamond stores. Its my first gift to my mother as I got my first salary and her birthday is coming next week so I need to know the best in toronto. I found one wholsesale shop that was phera diamonds which looks good. But I’m looking for more options. Could anyone suggest me?

[DaveInPgh]

I will add my two cents to this two year old thread.

I hit the jackpot when it comes to this life event. My wife was adamant about not spending a lot of money on rings.

[bjl584]

2 year old thread.

I wonder if OP is still married?

[DaveInPgh]

2 year old thread.

I wonder if OP is still married?

And if he got that $18,000 ring back