Engagement Ring

[ktink]

Mine is a carat and it is a real diamond. DH had the help of my mom and his own so he was guided very well.

 

[Lassie Lynne]

My ring is a carat total weight, with the center stone being a little under half a carat.



Here is a little story about engagement rings from my jewelry selling days:

I sold at a department store at a mall in a small town. When I would show engagement rings, I would always get remarks about how much nicer our diamonds were than another jeweler's in the mall. The customers would always remark about this 1 carat ring priced real cheap at this other store, but you could see the flaw in it with the naked eye.

One of the young girls at our store got engaged and came to show me her ring and asked me to clean it, it had a "dark spot of dirt". Alas......I finally got the see that cheap ring with the flaw. Well, they tried to hide it next to a prong, but that was why it was so inexpensive. I explained this as nicely as I could. She was upset that he would buy her such an inferior ring. So I asked her if they talked about what type of ring she wanted and how much was he able to spend? No, she just told him she wanted a carat. So, I told her that I suspected that he bought what she wanted, the carat he could afford and was trying to make her wish come true. After that, she looked differently at the ring, and communicated better with her boyfriend.

 

[shortbun]

Mine is one carat, 'flawless' and I didn't get it until my 40th birthday-6 years after my wedding. Jewelry is just not my thing. I only wear it to dress up.

 

[RNMOM]

I got mine after 22 years of marriage. He let me design my own. We found a setting we liked, a center stone with graduated diamonds leading up to it on either side channel set. I looked at a lot of diamond the jeweler brought in but I had fallen in love with a sapphire in another ring in the case. The jeweler took that 1.1 carat sapphire and put it in my ring. It is deep, clear sapphire blue and very high quality and from Thailand, called a Siam sapphire. I love it to pieces. In the sunlight it is so amazing. I too wear it only when out as I whacked the heck out of it doing laundry and learned my lesson. I had my MIL's diamonds from her wedding ring reset into a channel set band to go along with it.

Sometimes it is worth the wait.

 

[RNMOM]

I just saw your post about the 40k weddings and 2 carat engagement rings. That is really sad. I understand how you feel but since you were smart enough to choose a vocation that made you happy, why not go all the way and choose the ring and wedding that makes you happy?

If I could suggest, maybe doing your wedding in a more conservative, relaxed way will be just the ticket as it will be unique and very special to you and your fiance. I bet a lot of the people attending will be glad to not have to attend another big, splashy cookie cutter wedding too.

Be brave, grab life by the horns and be a trend setter not a follower.

 

[mirthmaiden]

Well, I will be one of the few people here to say that my ring is a CZ - at my choice. I had a 1/2 carat marquise with my first husband - lost in the ocean. I had a 3/4 carat round with my second husband - got divorced. With DH (my last husband ), I decided I wanted something pretty but was much more practical about money by this time. I have a 1 carat brilliant round stone in a coronet setting (which looks like a crown from the side). It has 8 prongs in 14k yellow gold. It's absolutely beautiful and I got compliments on it all the time. I don't volunteer that it's CZ but if somebody asks me I will tell them.

Instead of spending thousands on the ring, we spent thousands on our honeymoon. We had a rather small wedding and took our kids to Hawaii for 12 days. I would much rather have done that.

 

[antmaril]

When my DH and I got engaged, lightyears ago , we used my mother's diamond. It belonged to her mother and was only 1/4 carat and not really a good diamond. But, it worked for us and the price was right. We were young and it wasn't that important to me at the time.

Fast forward to our 25th wedding anniversary eight years ago. I told my DH it was time for a bauble and he bought me a 1.25 carat diamond set in a platinum band with princess cut diamonds. It's a beauty and I earned it

I agree with another poster - It was worth the wait.

 

[tinatark]

My original e ring - 20 years ago was a .25 pear solitare with a plain gold band on either side. I love the look of stacked rings - been seeing anniversary bands with plain bands on either side lately - they're very pretty!

Upgraded on our 15th anniversary almost 5 years ago - a 2.03 carat radiant cut (it is shaped like a emerald cut, but the facets are like a round diamond) with 3 rounds and d 3 baguettes on each side. Total for the ring is 3.06. I don't wear a band with it - it is probably 4-5 mm wide.

I love it!

The problem with wearing larger engagement/wedding rings is getting the right ring to wear on your right hand - the balance - I have a couple of rings I wear on my right hand - a coin ring, 3 stone sapphire, and a sim 3 stone.

 

[Tink561]

I got engaged at 17 and my dh was 22. My ring is a marquee cut .33 carat. The clarity is amazing and it only has 1 flaw so the quality is great. It is the perfect engagement ring.

For our 10th anniversary I got an anniversary band that is 1 carat total with marquee cut diamonds. For Christmas of 2004 my dh got me a 3 stone diamond ring. They are princess cut stones and the total is 1.5 carat. Our 20th anniversary is coming up in September and I hope to get the matching diamond band for the 3 stone ring.

I still love my original engagement ring!

 

[djm99]

When my husband and I was first married, a CZ is what I was given (I knew it and picked it out). We were both in our senior year in college and money was tight. It IS extremely pretty and my DH promised when we see better financial days we would upgrade to the real deal holy field. Well, many years and degrees later, better days are here. But something has happened to me the last 6 months - I've seen the movie, "Blood Diamond". That movie had a profound affect on me. One that I can't shake. Yes I do own REAL diamonds (although I'm more fond of Australian crystals). Australian Crystals sparkle even when dirty.

Our 10 year anniversary is around the corner (Aug 29) DH asked if I was ready to upgrade, my response, "NO WAY" - I really do love my ring - all 2 1/2 CZ carats. And the image of those little boys (fabricated or not) will NOT sit well in me. I think diamonds are beautiful, but deciphering between conflict/non-conflict diamonds is almost always impossible (with non-conflict diamonds intermingled into blood diamonds). So, today I am okay, although I did see a wedding set in Australian Crystals that was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and a little pricey too. We will see!!!

 

[ahutton]

Mine right about .25 carat - brilliant cut. It is small but very pretty. I've gotten lots of compliments over the years. It is so sparkly and the color is near perfect so it is quite striking. It was what we could afford at the time - two newly on their own who just bought a house. I would not dream of changing it or my wedding band. DH and I picked something we both liked so we could have matching bands.

 

[robinb]

Mine is an Emerald Cut .62 ct diamond, E-F clarity, VVS1 (IIRC). My ring was custom made by a friend and it is rose gold with white gold accents. My wedding ring "connects" and is while gold with rose accents. After wearing it for almost 15 years I *still* get comments on it. I am happy with a smaller diamond as it doesn't get in the way of things, so I rarely take my rings off for anything except when I played softball.

Remember, the 1-2 months salary guide for price was made up by Jewelers and DeBeers. They *want* you to spend as much as possible! Your DFi doesn't love you less if he doesn't buy you a huge rock.

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

I have a 1 ct center stone, very good quality, marquise diamond and very small diamonds on each side. I love my ring.

Two months ago the stone fell out. I looked everywhere and by a stroke of luck found it on the carpet in one of the bedrooms. Before I found it, I decided that if I didn't find it then I would replace it with a CZ. Although we are much better off financially than when we first married, I'm a lot more practical now and a CZ would have worked just as well as the original diamond.

 

[EthansMom]

I just wanted to say "Thanks" to those folks who've posted about their CZ and/or moissanite rings.

I've never been interested in buying a diamond because (1) the whole deBeers monopoly on diamonds, (2) it's difficult to make certain that the stone isn't a conflict diamond, and (3) I can't see spending that much money. But, lately (with my original engagement ring not fitting my finger or lifestyle), I've been considering getting a ring with a diamond look.

Honestly, I'd never heard of moissanite before this post, but found some beautiful rings on http://bellajewelryco.com/. I think I may have figured out what I want for my next birthday.

To the OP, don't worry too much about the opinion of those people around you who are only interested in appearances. The price of the ring and wedding have little-to-nothing to do with the quality of the marriage. If anything, spending more than you can afford will only add unneeded stress to your lives. Higher quality, whether in rings or weddings or anything else, does not always require spending more money.

Personally, DH and I spent less on my ring and on our wedding (small, but elegant wedding) so that we could afford a honeymoon and a down payment on a house. DH was willing to spend however much I wanted on a ring, but instead of spending the money on a wedding that lasted one day, I wanted to spend the money on a honeymoon (that lasted 1 week) and a house (that we lived in for 2.5 years). I've never regreted that decision one bit!

Do what makes you and your BF happy. Ignore any rude comments.

 

[lemondog]

Mine is 1.01 carats -- a marquis cut diamond solitaire in platinum. Very simple, but that's me, lol! The band is also platinum, with tiny channel-set diamonds across the top.

 

[robinb]

To the OP, don't worry too much about the opinion of those people around you who are only interested in appearances. The price of the ring and wedding have little-to-nothing to do with the quality of the marriage.

I usually don't quote guests on Oprah's show, but I was watching yesterday's show about single men (not that I need one ... I have a great DH!). Anyway, they were asking this adorable hunk if he had been married. He said, "I had a wedding but I didn't have a marriage." I thought ... if he can know that about himself then that guy's a keeper! Once he gets married, LOL.

 

[suzimar57]

mine is round .75 carat in a 6 prong white gold setting

and i love it!!!!

 

[JunieJay]

Mine is about 1/2 carat. My husband bought it in an antique store in France. Its platinum, that was my only request. I love my ring, sadly, 21 years later it no longer fits. Sinces its so old (made in the early 1930s) I refuse to have to resized. I wear a white gold band in its place, and hopefully one day one of my boys will want to give this ring to their wife.

 

[Southern4sure]

I have a 1/3 carat round on a thin gold band, very traditional. It is simple and nothing fancy. Dh picked it out and surprised me with it 20 yrs ago. Compared to rings now adays it might not be much but I love me ring and I would not change it for the world. My wedding band is just a traditional, 4 mm gold.

 

[willis37862]

I have no idea what carat mine is. It was a gift to DH from his grandma...she wanted us to have it because it was special to her ( given to her by Dh's grandfather). It means so much more because of that....and I have never cared to find out the carat size, that doesn't matter at all to me. Like other posters have said and I have seen so many times Large diamonds do not equal happy marriages and you are crazy if you think so.