thews Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 I got engaged this weekend and we'll go ring shopping tonight. I figured someone out there has done some research on this and may point me in the right direction. Also, from a ladies I have a pretty big question to ask you. To the ladies: If you were getting married, regardless of whatever financial situation was involved, what size diamond would be the least you'd be truly happy with? WHat matters more, size or clarity? Do you think synthetic diamonds are an insult? Also looked on the web and found diamond prices. Is it cheaper to buy a diamond and have the ring made? Where can I get the best value? Thanks
talisyn Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Congrats! That's awesome But..haven't you seen read about the diamond mines in Africa? Diamonds are artificially rare, kept that way so as to control supply and demand by a handful of very rich families. OK save the world mode /off. What you should do is buy your fiance an engagement Jaguar, early edition However, if you really must buy a diamond understand that the colored ones are usually irradiated so the color will fade over time, and there really isn't any difference between created or mined diamonds, molecule wise. They are sparkly and pretty, just buy one that is at least 1/2 the size of her pinky fingernail.
thews Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Posted September 14, 2009 Congrats! That's awesome But..haven't you seen read about the diamond mines in Africa? Diamonds are artificially rare, kept that way so as to control supply and demand by a handful of very rich families. OK save the world mode /off.What you should do is buy your fiance an engagement Jaguar, early edition However, if you really must buy a diamond understand that the colored ones are usually irradiated so the color will fade over time, and there really isn't any difference between created or mined diamonds, molecule wise. They are sparkly and pretty, just buy one that is at least 1/2 the size of her pinky fingernail.Thanks. I'd opt for the Jag but I doubt she'd go for it:D. What is the price difference between a syntheitc and a real one? I realize clarity is a major issue, but is there a relative delta... like half?
Justinator1 Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 The four C's: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat. As for buying the setting and the diamond separate, I looked into and found that there was no real savings, the only real time to do this is if you find the setting from one retailer but don't really like their diamond selection, or vice-versa. One big thing I would recommend, get some kind of simple gold band as well for after you are married, that way she doesn't need to wear her diamond everywhere she goes, and if she does lose the band somehow it's not a big deal and easily replaced. Congrats man, marriage is great!
BenRaines Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 I would find a trusted jeweler to go to. Get referrals. If you walk in to a chain store mall diamond place you will pay much more for much less. If you are unable to find a referral for a trusted jeweler then any one will do. Ben Raines
Tarnished Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 From the female side of things it really depends on your girl. Ask her opinion about the stone. With my husband and myself we wanted to go with something non traditional. So we went with a blue diamond and a filagreed white gold band designed by a custom jeweler. It was exactly what we wanted but it is not what other women would like. Some women want their stone to be crystal clear, some don't mind if there are flaws but prefer size. At the time we got married I wanted a smaller stone, but now I think I wouldn't have minded a bigger stone. We discussed what we wanted to do regarding a ring in quite a lot of detail so when it came down to it we got just what we wanted. I am big on communication in marriage and I figure what better time to start than to discuss a ring. Shop around, visit a few jewelers, look at many rings, get an idea of what she likes and does not like. Remember this is something she is going to wear for the rest of her life, make sure it is something she wants to wear. My husband was the one that found my ring for me, but it was after we had gone shopping at many ring stores, and he had a good idea of what I wanted in a ring that he was able to surprise me by finding just the ring that I wanted.
rameumptom Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 What are your (both yours and hers) current financial strengths and weaknesses? What money do you have in the bank saved up to BUY a ring outright? Buy something that is in your budget, which means what money you already have available. Do not go into debt for a ring. That is the world encouraging you to do something quite stupid. Stay out of debt. Get a nice, but inexpensive ring for her. Save the rest of the money for food storage, investing, retirement, buying a house, whatever. Why start your engagement in bondage?
Hemidakota Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 I got engaged this weekend and we'll go ring shopping tonight. I figured someone out there has done some research on this and may point me in the right direction. Also, from a ladies I have a pretty big question to ask you.To the ladies: If you were getting married, regardless of whatever financial situation was involved, what size diamond would be the least you'd be truly happy with? WHat matters more, size or clarity? Do you think synthetic diamonds are an insult?Also looked on the web and found diamond prices. Is it cheaper to buy a diamond and have the ring made? Where can I get the best value? ThanksDoes it matter on buying a ring at all? Is it a requirement in purchasing a ring? I rather go with real love and a CTR ring from a local Desert Book store. A good case point is to look at the Kimballs marriage.
thews Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks for the replies. I looked into the syntheitc damonds on line, and there aren't any places locally listed that have them. I'll look around, search the net and compare. Thanks again for the input.
Justinator1 Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 One big thing I forgot to mention, don't go for the "round" carat (.25, .5, .75, 1.0, etc) instead go just above or below your desired size and you can save several hundred dollars on the diamond.
Honor Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Does it matter on buying a ring at all? Is it a requirement in purchasing a ring? I rather go with real love and a CTR ring from a local Desert Book store. A good case point is to look at the Kimballs marriage. I agree with you Hemi for the most part. I didn't care so much about my ring. We spent a total of $300 for BOTH our rings. I thought that it would be pointless to go into debt and build resentment for something that is supposed to symbolize a beautiful commitment. We couldn't afford much anyway. My husband's reaction was, "Sweet, she's cheap!" He didn't see it as a wise choice on my part, or a choice out of consideration for him and our finances. He saw it as his getting off easy. Hi attitude was that of, "It's not my fault she didn't want anything huge. I was willing to get into debt for her!" In the long run, it left me feeling like I gave and he took. While I'm not terribly impressed by gifts of diamonds and jewelry, there is something to be said for someone giving a gift that symbolizes their want to give their sweetheart the world. If I could go back, I would have put more stock in choosing someone who better knew how to work towards the things that he wanted to provide for himself, his wife and family in the future. To some couples, the ring can mean a whole lot, and I don't think that's a point to be overlooked. To others, it doesn't at all. I think there's a balance to be found between the two extremes, but I believe personal feelings and finances need to be taken into account. If the OP's fiancée is someone who really cares a lot about a ring, that's something he needs to take into consideration in the person that he's choosing, and with the finances that he has.
Just_A_Guy Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Rather than trying to "guide her" towards the cheapest ring possible, I'd just tell her flat-out what your overall finances look like and what your ring budget is. If, after all that, she nevertheless demands you purchase a ring that is patently beyond your means . . . you guys may want to have a few talks. :-)
pam Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Good points... Only if it is a 100 point diamond.
Hemidakota Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Has anyone compared a real diamond against one of the latest synthetic versions? I am amazed on the brilliantness of the synthetic version.
pam Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 My untrained eye probably wouldn't know the difference. Should I ever get married again..I hope he doesn't find out about that.
thews Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Posted September 14, 2009 One big thing I forgot to mention, don't go for the "round" carat (.25, .5, .75, 1.0, etc) instead go just above or below your desired size and you can save several hundred dollars on the diamond.Thanks, but I don't understand. Should I soot for a .43 or a .57 if my target was a half carat? I just got back from Samual's. I figured in this economy the sales would be so down that they'd be slashing prices, but she said sales were either on target or actually up. Anyway, she showed me a round G I1 1.0 carat for $2784, and a .75 carat F I1 for $1890. The price is really up to my fiance, because it all comes out of the same budget. Bigger ring, less wedding etc. I also found out that synthetic diamonds are hard to find... the local stores don't sell them. From what I've read, they are diamonds, and the only way to tell they're man made is to send them to a lab. Thanks for the advice
Justinator1 Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks, but I don't understand. Should I soot for a .43 or a .57 if my target was a half carat?Exactly, my wife has a .43 carat diamond that was $300 less then an almost identical .50 diamond from the same store, generally the large chains aren't going to carry these off sizes, you'll need to go to a smaller jeweler to find them.
Guest Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 Personally, I don't understand the importance of an expensive ring. I don't understand the importance of spending buckoo money on a wedding. I got married for $160 ($80 for the license, $20 for the judge, $60 for the pizza) plus $199 for this nice diamond band that my husband wanted me to have. I would have been just as happy with the bonus ring that came with the chocolate sampler... 4 years later, we got sealed at the temple - my mother-in-law made my dress, we spent about $100 for Panderosa for everybody who attended. 12 years after getting married, I'm just as happy, if not more, about my marriage as I was on that day. Would it have been cool to have a "traditional wedding"? Sure. But, I sure wouldn't be happy about paying for something we have to go into debt for or paying for a wedding dress when I needed the money to put on a downpayment on the house. The MARRIAGE was awesome. The material trappings - bleh. Not important. All we had was $200 bucks - so instead of waiting to "save up" for marriage, we figured we already have everything we needed for a marriage.
Guest Alana Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 I wanted a smaller diamond because I'm not a big diamond fan. We even considered rings with other stones. I found my perfect ring ( I LOVE it!) online. It's a very small diamond, white gold, from the 1930's with a little bit of filigree detail. Which I guess just means the gold is more elaborate, it's raised, with shapes and designs. It cost with shipping $212. As far as buying stuff new, I'm pretty clueless:)
thews Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Posted September 14, 2009 I wanted a smaller diamond because I'm not a big diamond fan. We even considered rings with other stones. I found my perfect ring ( I LOVE it!) online. It's a very small diamond, white gold, from the 1930's with a little bit of filigree detail. Which I guess just means the gold is more elaborate, it's raised, with shapes and designs. It cost with shipping $212. As far as buying stuff new, I'm pretty clueless:)I'm a guy, and while it's a pretty rock, it's still a rock. It's not just a rock to her though, and it's something she has to wear for life, so she wants a nice ring, so I'm good with it. I ask her about the antique ring, and while I'd be ok with it having been worn before (I acutally think it would be very cool), there was something about that, that I don't believe sat well with her. To each his/her own..., some peopl ebuy motorhomes and I have no idea why, but is she wants a ring, I want her to have the ring she wants. Thanks again.
Hemidakota Posted September 14, 2009 Report Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) I know it is a sentimental to purchase a ring but eternal love overrides any material object given at the beginning as a remembrance. Also, I am against overly hyped weddings with hundreds or thousands attend and showering gifts or cost runs into the thousands of dollars. This is not what the Lord wants us to state to the world with any eternal sealing. After being married for now 28-years, each year our love grows stronger and material objects are things of the past. No material object will ever replace your love for her/him. What she/he will have that is a greater worth for the men, it is those moments of opening her door, cooking a surprised meal and bringing it to her bed, bringing a surprise home to her [i.e. chocolates or something she loves], taking her out for a ice cream and being together holding hands, looking at her from across the store with thoughts of gratitude of being sealed together forever with this precious soul-mate, flirting with your companion, hugging and touching is required every day as showing affection, and so forth. I think you can relate more here but again. Most long enduring and filled marriages are those who served each other and show a real genuine love. Buy it small and cheap and spend the rest of your life in courting her daily. Edited September 15, 2009 by Hemidakota
Bini Posted September 15, 2009 Report Posted September 15, 2009 You can save money by investing in a lab diamond as opposed to a natural diamond. Congrats :]
marshac Posted September 15, 2009 Report Posted September 15, 2009 I found an estate ring online (1920s style art deco (like this, but with 5 diamonds, and hearts engraved along the outside) and bought it. The diamonds weren't very good, so I found a jeweler who swapped them out for higher grade gems. Total cost was about $1300 for a unique and awesome ring.Just a thought :) I really like art-deco rings... so much more character and style than current plain gold/platinum diamond bands.
chalkoutline Posted September 15, 2009 Report Posted September 15, 2009 Crystals look just like diamonds, and even sparkle more =) And are way cheaper check out: Online-Shop - Jewellery - Rings
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