This past Sunday I finally gave in and proposed to my girlfriend--but I didn't do it with the ring because I figure it's something she's going to have for a long time, so she might as well like it (or at least give me SOME kind of idea what kind of ring to get her). We're actually going shopping this weekend, and I figured I would get a look at what I'm getting myself into and I did a little looking around today. Wow...I had no idea how intimidated I am by a jewelry store--I just don't know anything about ANYTHING. Problem is, I really love this girl and would do anything for her--but we're both poor college students and I need to stay realistic as well buying the ring. So I figured I would utilize the vast resources of Clutchfans.net and see if there's any advice you can give me--I'm sure quite a few of you are married and have confronted the same problem, so I'm curious to see what you might have to say. And with the recent surge in female posters on the board, say what you can to make me understand WHY all of this pre-marriage stuff is such a big deal (rings, receptions, flowers, colors, etc.) Thanks in advance.
Congrats! I was in a similar situation when I became engaged. We didn't have a great deal of money and were going to school. It may sound silly, but we'd seen Breakfast at Tiffany's again on TV late at night and it occurred to me that it'd be fun to check them out at the Galleria in Houston. I ended up buying an elegant gold band with diamonds around it there. The idea was that we'd get an "engagement ring" when we could afford a really nice one, down the road. That's what we did. Thirty years later, we have no regrets. Good luck, whatever you do.
You were broke and bought a ring at Tiffany's?? I've always heard that place is outragous. Slc - I was in a similar situation when I got engaged to my wife. I was still in college and only had about $900 saved up. My grandmother had an old friend who was a jeweler, so we went to see him. I wanted to get something really nice, but couldn't afford it so my grandmother did a really awesome thing for me. She let me have a 1 carat diamond from a pair of earrings she had, and let me use that as the main stone in the ring. All I had to buy was the setting it went in. If you have an old family diamond or something like that , it is a good way to be romantic and still save money.
It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't outrageous. They have an amazing selection. The one we bought fit her finger perfectly and didn't need sizing. When she slipped it on, we looked at each other and knew that was it. Heck, we still have the Tiffany's box it came in. And it's still beautiful. As a matter of fact, my wife's engagement ring was made with inherited diamonds. We ended up doing what you suggested, except that it was many years later.
I bought my wife's engagement ring over the Internet....sight unseen. It was kind of a leap of faith, but we had it appraised and the appraiser gave it a "broker" value rather than a retail value because I had bought it through a broker. The broker value was still twice what I paid for it. Retail would have been more yet. I got a REALLY good deal. Before I took the plunge, I educated myself here: http://www.diamondring.com/ I finally bought from these guys: http://www.diamondbrokersoffl.com/
Look out for the 4 Cs: Cut, clarity, color and ......something else (always forget the 4th). WHen I did research on the 4 Cs, I found that the concensus seemed to be that color was more important than clarity. The way that it was explained to me, was that if you have a good color (colorless) then the clarity's effect is minimal since most of the inclusions can't be seen with a human eye anyway. For my wife, I ended up getting 1 carat, colorless, but with moderate clarity, set on a platinum band for only $1,500. And to be honest (and I feel bad for being proud of this), my wife's ex-husband basically paid for it. We were able to turn in her old engagement ring and wedding ban in to the jeweler and get almost full credit back, where we applied it to her new ring.
Just find out what kind she wants. See which ones she looks at when you go shopping together. Maybe you'll be lucky and she won't want the expensive kind. If she does, explain that you only have so many ways you can spend your money... I actually didn't want an expensive ring. As long as it had a diamond in it, that was all I needed. Big bulky jewelry isn't my style anyway, and who wants to constantly worry about losing it or having it stolen... besides, instead of saving up so much of your money for the ring, you could spend it on entertainment or something that will be a lot more fun. (On the other hand, the girls who are high maintenance seem to be the same ones who have guys desperate to make them happy... maybe it somehow commands their respect if you only ask for the best...)
One thing you have in your favor is that Northern Utah is the capitol of engagement ring stores. Chances are competition will be in your favor. Seriously, go down to Provo and shop around... I got married 2 years ago, and I was broker than broke. (of course, I took the summer off from school and did nothing but save up for the wedding) But there are some things you can do to get a nice ring and still save some money. The best situation is if your fiance doesn't have an exact picture in her mind of what she wants. If she does, you're probably screwed. If she has a general idea or no idea at all ("just something nice") then you're in luck. One way you can probably save money is to not get a solitaire, but maybe a 3 diamond ring instead. It sounds more expensive, but usually the diamonds are smaller, and hence stones of that size are more available, and thus more affordable. I was in luck because my wife actually WANTED a ring with 3 stones. Also, you might want to consider buying off the internet. I have a friend that got a ring off Ebay for a great price and his wife is very happy with it. Remember that size isn't the most imporant thing because you can always get a ring resized for $10-15. You may also want to check out places like Sam's Club and Costco. Also sounds silly, but their rings are real gold and real diamonds, and a diamond is a diamond. No one will care where you got it if it's a nice ring. (and you don't tell them where you got it) My brother actually got his wife's ring from Sam's Club, and she loves it. (she was actually one of those who had an exact mental image of what she wanted her ring to be) Anyway, good luck searching.
Very materialistic to see the ring as a symbol of your love for this chick-a-roo... If she loves you so much, she won't care what size the ring is, and she won't care what other people say about "SIZE" compared to "QUALITY". I gave my wife a smaller ring, and she told me and I knew by what she said to me that she didn't care what size it was, but just what it meant to her to actually have one... and she was happy... no matter if I gave a ring or not... ... i can't believe people put so much thought into a rock that is supposed to be a symbol... Man, like Tina Turner said... WHAT'S RING HAVE TO DO, have to do WITH IT? What's RING... with a second-heart emo-tion... Oops... sorry, Karla... YES, I'm a cheap-skate... but I am glad I married someone who accepts a cheap-skate...
DO NOT BUY A RING FROM THE MALL!!! Do as much indepth research regarding diamonds before hand so you know the jeweler is not ripping you off. If you do your research just right and end up with the right stone, you'll maximize the appreciation, and most importantly of all, your girl will definitely appreciate the extra effort you put into it. Congrats and good luck!!!
Like Deckard, I bought one of the cheaper rings at an upscale store. When we went to have it sized they buzzed us in, gave us tea, talked all sophisticated like and called me Mr. Very cool. I suppose I could have bought a ring at Costco. But it just didn't have the same zing. I was also comfortable this store dealt with quality. And I got to design the setting. Some of the more retail stores just struck me as slippery. In the end, i realized that this was a ring for us. It really wasn't an investment in that we have no intention of selling it -- ever. So in some ways we bought the experience. Have fun with it. Relax. It's not so important which ring you buy, but rather who you give it to. And congrats!
Wow ... I have been looking for about 2 weeks to buy an engagement ring and I am looking for a platinum band with a 0.5 carat diamond and the cheapest I have been able to find was about $2400. Where did you get your ring? I feel like Paris Hilton going to a car mechanic when I go into a jewelry shop because I know I am going to get used and abused.
Dude, the best place to get the best value along w/ a great price is Jared's. I go to the one in Clear Lake by Baybrook Mall. Got a steal of a price on a diamond ring and that thing still shines! All the people are nice there and they are at your every need. Try it out!
Buy a ticket to anywhere in the Middle East and you'll find some excellent, fairly reasonable stuff there. I picked up a 1.2 carat ring (VVS2, G) from Kuwait for ~$1050USD. Had it appraised at a dealer here in DC for $3200.
I was making $27k when I proposed. My granmother gave us an onyx cameo that she got from her grandmother and my wife used that as an engagement band. We looked at a lot of places for wedding rings and finally got an incredible deal on rings at a pawn shop. I.W. Marks appraised hers for $1200 and mine at $800. We paid $105. Total with tax.
We were out of school, but ended up paying for most of our wedding and all of our honeymoon. Next year will be 15 and we decided to get an engagement ring to celebrate. As long as you love and trust each other, the right choice is the one you both make.
Harrisment, how much did your setting cost? I've already got the stone as a family heirloom, and it's been sitting in an envelope for almost a year now. For my birthday this year, I'm considering picking out a setting and just having a nice diamond ring for the heck of it does anyone else have any experience with this?
