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Hello,
I had a few questions on engagment rings to all who have bought one for their GF, soon to be wife. I really know nothing about jewelry, but my GF does haha. I want to get her a really nice one, but not too expensive. I was thinking somewhere in the 2k-3k range. Can I get a nice ring for that amount? How much and where did you get yours (if you don't mind me asking). I would love to get her a tiffany ring, bit they are kinda pricey. I have bought her a coupole pieces of jelwery the last few years there.
Hello,
I had a few questions on engagment rings to all who have bought one for their GF, soon to be wife. I really know nothing about jewelry, but my GF does haha. I want to get her a really nice one, but not too expensive. I was thinking somewhere in the 2k-3k range. Can I get a nice ring for that amount? How much and where did you get yours (if you don't mind me asking). I would love to get her a tiffany ring, bit they are kinda pricey. I have bought her a coupole pieces of jelwery the last few years there.
Let me get in here before all the usual people go on about how diamonds are worthless and your girlfriend should buy you a boat or a car because you're buying her a ring.
Okay... does your GF really like things like say, Tiffany?
If so, buy her Tiffany. If you think the Tiffany quality means more to her than the carat size of the ring, go for it. Tiffany sells rings in your price range. One of my coworkers has one, as a matter of fact. It's a standard Tiffany, round-cut stone. She adores it. She had some custom bands made to go alongside it that are set with diamonds and sapphires. It is simple, yet elegant...and she got her Tiffany stone.
Mine is a Tiffany. It's considerably more than 2-3k... at an extra zero and you'll get an idea of the range. Once my hubby started looking in that high a range, I told him I'd rather a Tiffany than a larger ring from Blue Nile or some such for the same price. I could not be happier. I don't care that I could've gotten an extra half carat (mine is 1 1/2 carats) for the same price. My ring is beautiful, and it is something we chose completely together.
As long as you two have a similar budget in mind (and she's not expecting a 3 carat rock when you can only afford half a carat), it'll all be fine!
Why not take her out looking at stones in the price range you have in mind? Have you two browsed before?
I'll give you my advice re: cut/clarity, etc.
It is far better to go for a stone with a better clarity than any of the other 3 Cs. As long as the color isn't horrible and the cut isn't unflattering, the clarity will seriously enhance the overall appearance of the stone. I'd never buy anything below an SI2, myself. I1-I3 stones have very visible inclusions that can be see pretty easily with the naked eye. Not attractive.
So, go for the highest clarity vs. size ratio you can afford, unless your GF has indicated that she wants a particular cut or color of stone (most women don't fret over color, as long as it's not dull yellow when it's supposed to be clear white, you're good).
Happy hunting!
on edit: single solitaires are always going to be the best bang for your buck... forget side stones in your price range... you can always have it reset later on an anniversary if she so desires... though, if you go Tiffany, why bother? You also want to be sure you know whether she prefers yellow gold or white gold (or platinum, but that's pricey for your budget, so white gold should suffice, I'd think).
Last edited by RedZin; 04-06-2011 at 09:53 AM..
Reason: forgot something
That's the only advice I know to give other than the, what is it...2 months of salary rule?
It is said that the average a man spends on his woman's ring is more than 3 months of his salary.
Dodgerguy,
I think saying "I am looking for something that will cost me X amount" is, I dunno. Why not look for something she will like instead and you can afford comfortable and not put yourself in debt and then limit her to other luxuries and commodities because of all you spent on the ring. Remember, it is the ring and then you also have to save for her wedding, dress, and all other expenses involved in the wedding and all. The honeymoon, the initial costs of moving to a place, etc.
Let me get in here before all the usual people go on about how diamonds are worthless and your girlfriend should buy you a boat or a car because you're buying her a ring.
Okay... does your GF really like things like say, Tiffany?
If so, buy her Tiffany. If you think the Tiffany quality means more to her than the carat size of the ring, go for it. Tiffany sells rings in your price range. One of my coworkers has one, as a matter of fact. It's a standard Tiffany, round-cut stone. She adores it. She had some custom bands made to go alongside it that are set with diamonds and sapphires. It is simple, yet elegant...and she got her Tiffany stone.
Mine is a Tiffany. It's considerably more than 2-3k... at an extra zero and you'll get an idea of the range. Once my hubby started looking in that high a range, I told him I'd rather a Tiffany than a larger ring from Blue Nile or some such for the same price. I could not be happier. I don't care that I could've gotten an extra half carat (mine is 1 1/2 carats) for the same price. My ring is beautiful, and it is something we chose completely together.
As long as you two have a similar budget in mind (and she's not expecting a 3 carat rock when you can only afford half a carat), it'll all be fine!
Why not take her out looking at stones in the price range you have in mind? Have you two browsed before?
I'll give you my advice re: cut/clarity, etc.
It is far better to go for a stone with a better clarity than any of the other 3 Cs. As long as the color isn't horrible and the cut isn't unflattering, the clarity will seriously enhance the overall appearance of the stone. I'd never buy anything below an SI2, myself. I1-I3 stones have very visible inclusions that can be see pretty easily with the naked eye. Not attractive.
So, go for the highest clarity vs. size ratio you can afford, unless your GF has indicated that she wants a particular cut or color of stone (most women don't fret over color, as long as it's not dull yellow when it's supposed to be clear white, you're good).
Happy hunting!
on edit: single solitaires are always going to be the best bang for your buck... forget side stones in your price range... you can always have it reset later on an anniversary if she so desires... though, if you go Tiffany, why bother? You also want to be sure you know whether she prefers yellow gold or white gold (or platinum, but that's pricey for your budget, so white gold should suffice, I'd think).
Thank you so much. well, if we go looking together she'll know it's coming haha. I want to blindside her, even thugh we both know we'll marry someday.
Another secret... a Princess cut (square, radiant) is less expensive than a Round cut (radiant). No clue why... I'm guessing it's just easier to extract a square from a given diamond than a round (wastes less stone when it is cut down).
In your price range at Tiffany, that's just under a 1/2 carat in a round, and right at 1/2 in a square.
They also have these nice stones (bezet) that have a bezel around them. It would make a slightly smaller stone appear a bit larger, and it's a very cool bezel.
If you have a Tiffany near you, you could call them with your price range, and tell them what style you like (check out their web site), then they'll order in a few stones for you and you can go check them out in person.
Sometimes one will look better than another in person, and they can be about the same size/price/quality overall.
That's my suggestion.
They are also great with exchanges. So, say you find one by yourself, then propose and find out that your GF would've preferred another cut of stone... you two can have them order in a few of the cut she wants, then go pick the final stone together.
That's what we did. We already knew what I wanted. My hubby wanted to have the ring ready for a surprise proposal, so we took one we knew was a bit smaller and less than we'd budgeted.
Later, after he proposed, we ordered in a handful of stones in the price range we wanted... we went in, tried them all on, and we both liked the exact same stone. Go figure!
It's gorgeous, and I could not be more pleased with the service we got from our local Tiffany, and the one in Philly where we first started shopping.
We even got our wedding bands there.
Now, to get him to buy me that sapphire anniversary band we planned to go with the rest...
Thank you so much. well, if we go looking together she'll know it's coming haha. I want to blindside her, even thugh we both know we'll marry someday.
Well, I already left you another msg... go the route I suggested... buy her a ring from Tiffany, in the size you feel you can reasonably afford. After you propose (and of course, she accepts), tell her that you weren't sure about the cut and that you did have a budget, but the Tiffany folks will be happy to order in a few rings in for your both to go in and check out and that this ring is a symbol of your intent to marry her, but you ultimately want her to be happy wearing her engagement ring for many years to come.
Who knows? She may be thrilled right off the bat with your selection. She may opt to look at other cuts of stone.
Let it be a happy time, and it'll work out great.
2-3k sounds quite reasonable for a ring she's meant to wear a lifetime.
And you CAN buy a lovely ring from Tiffany for that price.
PM me if you have any questions. I don't work there or anything, I just love the blue box. A proposal pretty much can't go wrong when you hand her a Tiffany box and she likes Tiffany, yannowhatImean?
It is said that the average a man spends on his woman's ring is more than 3 months of his salary.
Dodgerguy,
I think saying "I am looking for something that will cost me X amount" is, I dunno. Why not look for something she will like instead and you can afford comfortable and not put yourself in debt and then limit her to other luxuries and commodities because of all you spent on the ring. Remember, it is the ring and then you also have to save for her wedding, dress, and all other expenses involved in the wedding and all. The honeymoon, the initial costs of moving to a place, etc.
I'm gonna trust that Dodgerguy has already calculated that 2-3k is a good budget for him and he won't wind up feeding Ramen noodles to his fiance once they're engaged.
My ring cost more than our wedding and honeymoon combined. LOL!
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