Guy seeking engagement ring advice

[Dizzbear]

Hi there,

I'm not new to the Disboards, but my GF reads these boards all the time so I had to come up with a secret username

I'm ring shopping & I'd like to buy her a simple 1 ct white gold ring, but my budget is only $1500 (& that's pushing it ). We will need to save up for the wedding & are currently saving up for a house so I'm trying to buy something inexpensive but nice.

I figured you girls would have some advice for me?

I was looking around Overstock.com. Anyone have any experience with buying jewelry from here? I found a really nice ring for less than $1000 & I wondered what you girls think?

It got rave reviews, except for a few comments that mentioned a diamond sidestone fell out (3 posters mentioned this out of 3 pages of comments-everyone else ranted and raved about this ring!)

I want my GF's ring to last a lifetime & I know she would love the style of the ring on the link above.

If a sidestone did eventually fall out, would this be tough to get fixed?

Also, do you girls take your ring off ever or have you kept it on since you got it?

Any other advice for places/websites with inexpensive good quality rings? I'd really like to stick with 1ct if I can swing it.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Dizzbear]

ETA: Just realized I can't post links until I have 10 posts in. I'm off to stack up 8 useless posts & I'll be back to post the link to the ring I mentioned!

 

[Dizzbear]

Ok, 8 mindless posts later...

Here is the ring I am considering:

http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wa...d-Engagement-Ring-H-I-I1/1856191/product.html

 

[MissScarlet]

Have you looked at www.bluenile.com ?

My husband purchased my engagement ring there, and we purchased our wedding bands from there as well. We love our rings and the experience we had with Blue Nile.

Take a look at the build your own ring/diamond search on the site.

 

[BecBennett]

I can't comment on the purchasing online question, but I do know that at some jewellers, if you buy the ring from them, and get it cleaned regularly with them, they will fix any diamond that falls out.

Also, I take my ring off to sleep and shower, and do the dishes and gardening and other things like that.

 

[girli565]

I also recommend bluenile.com My DFi got my ring there.

I don't take mine off, I do everything with it.

 

[VAN]

I also know of someone who got their ring at Blue Nile.

Okay, if it were me, I'd like to be able to pick my own ring. Maybe I'm in the minority - but it is an expensive purchase and she will be wearing it for the rest of her life.

What about getting a cheap child's ring (with a super large-cartoonish diamond) to propose and then choose the ring together?

 

[curiouser]

Just a few things of note..

I want to make sure you know that that ring is 1ct TOTAL weight, not just the center stone. The center stone is under 1/2ct.

How much diamond research have you done? Personally it was more important to me (and I do have) a smaller diamond of much higher quality. I have a solitaire a little over 1/2 ct but it's colorless and flawless. It's so amazingly beautiful I just sit and watch it glitter in the light. But for some girls, they'd rather have something larger; you know your GF best.

That particular ring is an I1, which means it will have a flaw visible to the naked eye. That means it could have a black or gray spot in it when viewed from certain angles.

I think doing your research is the most important thing so you get the most for your investment. Honestly, you can find amazing deals at the most unexpected places; people are astonished when they find out my ring came from Amazon. Yes, Amazon.com. They have a build your own ring option just like BlueNile. Pick your diamond, pick your setting. I know people who have gotten amazing diamonds at great prices by going to places like Costco as well. HTH!!

 

[MegKate]

If you really like that particular diamond ring, I would take it to a jeweler before giving it to her. They'll check for any loose stones and would be able to fix it before they fall out.

I take mine off when I'm doing anything involving paint or glue, or anyother substance that could get onto the ring. Otherwise I keep it on.

 

[carisdcnj]

I have to agree with the others. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The ring is gorgeous and with that many stones, $999 (at "full price) seems awfully cheap. Check Ebay or Craigslist. Especially if the seller is local, ask to go with them to a Jeweler who can verify the stones; or, at the very least, they should have a certificate of authenticity, and an appraisal. Sites like overstock.com generally do not take responsibility if there is something wrong with it; nor can you return it.

I know that budget is a stretch for you...perhaps getting her a smaller ring now with the idea of upgrading in the future.

 

[Swmhc]

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you go with 7/8 carat, your price will be less and it will look just as big as a full carat. You can also get diamonds that "face up" larger or smaller than the averge carat. I got a 7/8 that faces up larger than a lot of full carats and looks fab. I prefer quality over size, so we went with a colorless, flawless 7/8.

Also, if you go with a solitare, you will get more diamond shine for your $$. Then you can add a band or wrap for the wedding band later, when you could save a little more and end up with more sparkle. Then, if she wasn't crazy about the setting, she could always have it reset and you wouldn't be out a lot of $$.

I am picky about my jewelry and I had an in with a local jeweler, so my DH proposed without the ring and then immediately had me call my jeweler for an appointment.

 

[pezaddict231]

My DF got my ring at Blue Nile and I love it. We will also get our wedding bands from them.

I think you need to do a little more research first and I wouldn't buy a ring that was below a VS2 without speaking to someone to make sure you couldn't see the inclusions. You want your ring to be "eye-clean." It is also set in 14k and most e-rings I've seen are set in 18k.

Blue Nile has a whole section on the Four C's, which you may find helpful. If you call them they will also work with you to find the best ring for your budget and finding a ring that is eye-clean even if it does have inclusions. I just looked quickly and you can get about a 1/2 carat good quality ring (near colorless, no visible inclusions) for around $1k. The 18k white gold band would cost about $300, so you would be under your budget.

Since you are working with a limited budget, maybe discuss things with your GF to get an idea of what she wants in terms of the diamond.

Good luck in your search!

 

[PrincessMonkey]

Congratulations!

My fiance surprised me with the ring he bought, and it's a 1 ct center diamond with two smaller ones on the edges. Be careful of retailers that are advertising total weight. I have learned a lot about rings since our engagement. It's a smart idea not to get caught up in the advertising and hype of engagement rings, especially in this economy.

I have heard that Costco has great prices on rings that might fit your particular budget. They have a good return policy too in case something happens to the ring.

 

[LLLBelle]

Okay I'm probably going to get shot for saying this, but it gives you another option.

Personally having a diamond did not matter to me, I had a specific ring in mind and that's what I wanted. However, the funds did not equal what the ring I really wanted cost. Sooo we found this awesome jeweler (if you are in the Phoenix area let me know, Randy is awesome), anyway, we looked through rings and the one I loooved was $5000 and that did not include the center stone The good thing about this jeweler is that they do custom work, so that's what we did, we made it custom similar to the designer ring, but without the designer price tag. The other part is that we choose to put CZs in place of diamonds, instead of a real diamond. Although I have a round cut stone, which they are better for, he did not suggest them for princess cut. My point being is that I got the ring I wanted for $1500, the centerstone is almost 1.5 ct and I have two side stones that are a 1/4 ct each (I think) I also put blue sapphires down the sides of the ring. It was a personal choice and we may replace the stones down the road, but it was not a big deal to me, it may be to your GF. Or you can put something else that is inexpensive in the center now and save up and replace it later and use that stone in a necklace, or something.

I should mention that even though I was involved in the design process, I was still surprised with the proposal.

Just do some research see what she likes and go from there, you just want to make sure you are buying quality.

 

[Tistal]

I have bought jewelry off of overstock. It is hit or miss. There have been things I've purchased and kept (including my wedding band) and things that I have returned.

Their return policy is is pretty flexible as long as you return it in 30 days and it's still new with tags they'll refund you. With a purchase as important as this it's up to you on if you're willing to take the gamble. I had many months to find my wedding band, and I still do realistically we're not getting married until December, so I knew I had time to return the band that I ordered if it wasn't right. When the ring I ordered got here, it turned out that it was actually the same ring that I had been looking at in one of the jewelry stores in the mall, and I ended up saving a lot. But, at the same time, I can't say that I have never returned jewelry to overstock because I have because I wasn't happy with the product that arrived.

If this is something you're planning to do soon, you're probably going to want to go and pick it out yourself. A picture online may or may not fully represent what you're getting in the end.

 

[ChocoKat]

My humble advice:
Make sure not to blow your budget, even if it means a smaller ring right now.
Starting a marriage on the red only leads to tension, stress etc.

Like an earlier poster said, maybe a smaller ring with the promise of an "upgrade" later down the road could be a good idea.

I know that a sweet note or something you could say to her when you present her would be very romantic... on the lines of: "I would be honored if you accepted to marry me, and like with this ring we could make our love and happiness grow stronger and bigger as the years go by"

 

[girli565]

I agree with most people, buy what you can with the amount you're willing to spend but go for the best quality you can. Talk to someone at a jewelers or use a place like blue nile or ice.com, they are so helpful and can really get you what you're looking for.

I will stress, make sure the ring is clean to the naked eye when you look at it or if you buy online make sure it is of a certain quality so that you are assured it is clean to the eye, nothing is worse than a huge rock with black flecks in it.

I also want to say that I'm sure she will be more than happy that you are proposing and the ring is secondary, at least for me it is. My ring is gorgeous, yes, but it was the sentiment behind it that mattered most.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I would strongly recommend bluenile.com. My DDad bought my DMom's replacement ring at bluenile (she lost her original diamond).

They took the ring to a jeweler to get it valued and the jeweler was shocked by the quality of the diamond. He said it was one of the nicest he ever saw as a balance of cut, colour, clarity and carrat.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Here is my 2 cents.
Learn about diamonds first...bluenile.com or pricescope.com has some great information! Pricescope has forums and a lot of people out there willing to help you choose the right diamond and setting.

Second, consider something a tad smaller with a good/ideal cut. You'll get a slightly smaller diamond-but at less of the cost of the full carat. Does that make sense? For example, if you want 1 carat but get .85 carats-it's closer to your 1 CT but you will pay a lower cost for the diamond. (Pricescope peeps explain this much better than I do!)

The setting you chose is beautiful. HOWEVER, b/c of the setting, if it is cleaned in a jewelers machine, the diamonds could be easily knocked loose and fall out into the machine...the side stone would be gone forever (at least I'm told) It looks like it is a prong to prong setting-which means those prongs need to be checked regularly to make sure that you don't loose them.

Hope this helps...

 

[Tink_Kel]

Here is my 2 cents.
Learn about diamonds first...bluenile.com or pricescope.com has some great information! Pricescope has forums and a lot of people out there willing to help you choose the right diamond and setting.

Second, consider something a tad smaller with a good/ideal cut. You'll get a slightly smaller diamond-but at less of the cost of the full carat. Does that make sense? For example, if you want 1 carat but get .85 carats-it's closer to your 1 CT but you will pay a lower cost for the diamond. (Pricescope peeps explain this much better than I do!)

The setting you chose is beautiful. HOWEVER, b/c of the setting, if it is cleaned in a jewelers machine, the diamonds could be easily knocked loose and fall out into the machine...the side stone would be gone forever (at least I'm told) It looks like it is a prong to prong setting-which means those prongs need to be checked regularly to make sure that you don't loose them.

Hope this helps...

Ditto!! Pricescope has everything you wanted (and didn't want) to know about buying a diamond, but was afraid to ask! I'd definitely prefer quality over size...my 1/2ct has more fire and brilliance than any 1ct I've ever seen.

I wear my rings all the time, except when I put hand lotion on.