shopping for a diamond or engagement ring? my advice

[gretch6364]

Only suggestion I have Sirshredalot is to put it in a platinum ring.

Update in case anyone cares....

Was planning on doing the whole online thing...went to Shane Co. in Denver last night. I wanted to just look at stones and settings and get a better idea of what I wanted, etc.

Went through a bunch of stones, either did not like the shape or color, the inclusion, etc. None of the inclusions were visible to the naked eye, but I really did not want to pay for something with a black inclusion. Anyhow, found one that I am super stoked on, and put a refundable deposit on it. The people at the store were super nice and did not pressure me at all. They really searched hard through their inventory to find me something I liked, even after a turned down a bunch.

Found a nice antique cushion cut that had the square look I really wanted. G color, VS2 Clarity, and an ideal cut. The great thing was, it had the table and depth that I really wanted, but could not find online. I found pretty close ones, and they were about 5%cheaper online, but being able to look at that diamond for half an hour in person, was sooo worth that money.

I looked at diamonds that had better ratings, but darker inclusions. This one, had a very light white inclusion near the corner that myself and the jewler could find...then when we pulled out the GIA cert, there is a very small cloud in the middle, that you can only faintly see with the loupe at a certain angle...and you almost have to know it is there to find it under the magnification.

Anyhow...super happy with the rock. The setting options...not so much. I found a setting that I really like on James Allen, and the reason I like it is the way the prongs/head or whatever it is called are attached to the band.

They said if I give them the measurements of the diamond from the cert, they will set the prongs and everything, then mail me the ring and Shane said they would put it in...keeping my warrantly and service policy.

Anyhow...I am super happy with the stone choice. Shane was really great and did not pressure me, and I stayed within in my budget.

Speaking of budget...3 months is insane...2 months is more reasonable for people relatively young in their careers...I went a little less. The girlfriend has never said anything to me when we have discussed it other then her ring size, not wanting yellow gold, wanting a square shaped stone, and wanting a classic design that won't go out of style.

I am more then happy to spend what I spent to get something she will be proud to wear.

[grskier]

I got my diamond from a family heirloom, it was used in my in my grandfather's pinky ring, then one of my mother's rings. We designed a band together and had them put tiny diamonds around the band too (like 4 equal spaced), those were the only ones we had to buy... we could then afford platinum... jebus that crap is expensive.

[jfost]

I was lucky enough to have a ring to give my wife that belonged to my maternal grandmother. Unfortunately, the stone seems to have developed a bit of a wiggle for the second time over the past two years. I probably would've gone with a sapphire or something if the ring hadn't been freely available. Of course, what my wife really wants is a new 6" travel trail bike and a board to replace her Arbor Element that she has delammed from years of abuse. And she teaches elementary school science, so she inflicts a beating on the bling.

Have any maggettes had luck with settings that are meant to take more abuse? Wifey is on a pace to send the ring in to the shop more than once a year, and it seems to be getting increasingly frequent. I'm thinking we may need to get it reset eventually.

my wife has a ring with "shoulders" that protect the rock a bit.

/*\
| |
\_/

kind of like that, where the diamond isn't really recessed, but sits down a bit so it doesn't get hit by stuff.

[drboudreaux]

The only thing she wanted was a symbol in the form of a ring, she was never insistent on anything. After doing the research, and discovering I could get a certified Canadian diamond, I made the decision that a rock was the way to go. I don't give a fuck about the false valuation of diamonds, I give a fuck about making my wife happy. That makes me happy, and facilitates the acquisition of more gear.

Could not agree more. My wife wanted a nice ring. That was our splurge. We did a small wedding with only immediate families and very close friends, and took a nice honeymoon to Jackson. I think I spent at least double on the ring than we did on everything else. Even though it was more than I ever imagined I would spend on a wedding ring (partly because I am a cheap SOB), it was worth it.

[Jhaus]

Just to annoy everyone, I'm going to say that I found my wife's diamond in the middle of a fucking parking lot at around 10pm. I get lucky sometimes, apparently. Extra hilarity comes in when you consider that she never wanted a diamond in the first place. She was happy to take it in and exchange the mundane setting for a nicer one though... Even with the sapphire addiction she picked up as a result of picking a setting, I figure we're still $1500 or so ahead in the jewelery game. [/dickish bragging]

To contribute, I'd say that unless you're dating a woman with a well-established and easily predictable bling taste, let her pick the setting. When we went ring shopping, all of my favorites were rejected out of hand. Get the nicest stone (diamond or otherwise) in your budget and put it in a cheap setting for question popping if that's how you're doing it.

And +1 for ShaneCo. The people are light-years better than the smarmy db's in the mall stores and their return policy=teh best.

[gretch6364]

To contribute, I'd say that unless you're dating a woman with a well-established and easily predictable bling taste, let her pick the setting. When we went ring shopping, all of my favorites were rejected out of hand. Get the nicest stone (diamond or otherwise) in your budget and put it in a cheap setting for question popping if that's how you're doing it.

And +1 for ShaneCo. The people are light-years better than the smarmy db's in the mall stores and their return policy=teh best.

I have been having a lot of trouble with the setting and Shane has a return policy of 60 days, and they said they would do it from the day I ask not the day I walk out the door with the ring. I am thinking about having them put it in a traditional standard setting and then after I ask her, tell her I wanted it to be a suprise, but I also want her to be able to pick out her ring and go and pick out the setting together.

Thoughts?

[Jhaus]

With my wife, there is no way I would have picked something she liked, but we were just a few years out of college when we got engaged and she had absolutely no decent jewelery for me to compare with and she never did the "look at this ring and how pretty it is" thing. If your ladyfriend already has some good pieces or has made her tastes known, it might be worth picking something, especially since a good choice will impress her with your jewelery-picking mojo. But surprising her with a stone and then looking for settings can show her you value her input on something she'll be wearing for (hopefully) a long time.

Not that I have a hudge amount of experience with this racket, but like anything else it comes down to the individual woman you're trying to impress. You have to go with your own impressions, since you ought to know her better than some anonymous internet assholes. Anyways, if she's willing to marry you she'll probably be willing to overlook a misstep one way or the other.

[concretejungle]

[concretejungle]

Shane Co.? FFS I would kick that mother fucker in the nuts just based off the fact that his radio commercials drive me apeshit.

Then again I didn't go to the mall and my wife got a 25 cent engagement ring from a vending machine at the Vista Mercado on Montana Ave. in El Paso while we were at Hueco Tanks and then we went to an independent jeweler to pick the ring later. She's a bad ass.

[warthog]

I did the antique/ estate jewelry thing. Ring was gorgeous, but the band was too thin. Got the diamond re set into an $1100 pimp setup that looks wayyyy more expensive. I got off pretty cheap. About 2 months salary, but it looks like I spent my savings.