Purchasing a engagment ring. Diamond Advice.PLz

[canadiandisneymommy]

The tint is only visible under a jewelers light. The one ring is .5 karat colorless or the other one is .75 karat near colorless. They have been ring shopping for 6 months and he has an idea of what she likes. It's a Verragio ring.

Tell him to bargain with the jewelry store to get a better deal, especially if he's considering the more expensive one. They're used to it, especially in that price range. He can probably get at least taxes included if he simply asks. Marks up for engagement rings are about 100% so there is plenty of room for negotiation. I come from a family that has been in the jewelry business for all of their lives with experience in small independent business and chain jewelry stores.

 

[buzz5985]

We bought what my DH could afford at the time. 1/2 carat. You can always upgrade. I just recently received a larger diamond and wedding band for our 30th wedding anniversary. My original diamond is being reset in a halo with trapezoid sapphires on the side.

Congratulations!!

 

[kymom99]

Tell him to bargain with the jewelry store to get a better deal, especially if he's considering the more expensive one. They're used to it, especially in that price range. He can probably get at least taxes included if he simply asks. Marks up for engagement rings are about 100% so there is plenty of room for negotiation. I come from a family that has been in the jewelry business for all of their lives with experience in small independent business and chain jewelry stores.

Very true. The jewelry store we like is a small, family owned business. They automatically discount what we buy because we are repeat customers. My BIL who Christmas shops on Christmas Eve gets post cards in the mail a couple weeks before offering him a discount. They know he is coming in anyway!

 

[dashofsunshine]

Mine is a pear shaped champagne/peach sapphire, almost 1 carat, surrounded by tiny diamonds. Set in rose gold. It has been on my finger for 3 years now and I literally get complimented on it at least several times a month by new people. I picked out 3 rings and told my husband to choose from there. I specifically did not want a diamond. Good luck!

 

[neatokimmo]

If she likes the look of diamond but isn't completely attached to the idea then mention Moissanite. It's more reflective, shows a better range of colors and is a fraction of the cost.

I have a round bezet moissanite (Tiffany knock off). I love it, I would been have horrified if he had bought the $12,000 Tiffany one. I was able to compare the two in Vegas last month, which made me even more pleased with my $500 ring lol The only thing, I set it in white gold. I wish I had used platinum instead. I was just excited to find the style

 

[kymom99]

We should post pictures of our rings!

 

[FINFAN]

I would take into consideration what the wedding band will be like. If it is going to have diamonds in it, I would want the quality to match visually to the stone in the engagement ring. I , personally, would prefer smaller/clear and be able to have a slim band that was also as high quality as I wear just my band a lot. Point is, if diamonds may be involved in the band, make sure that cost is considered now for matching if that is important.
Congratulations to your son and future DIL!

 

[madhavok]

When I bought my wife's engagement ring, I went with quality over quantity. Go with good color and clarity and the diamond will shine.

 

[staceyeileen]

Glad he decided to let her choose! I picked a sapphire with diamond chip accents. Specifically did NOT want a diamond as the center piece.

 

[emilymad]

My DH proposed without a ring at all. I told him we/I would pick it out after the fact. I wanted to be sure I loved it if I was wearing it everyday!

I went for quality over quantity. The color would really bother me if it wasn't clear. My middle stone is .75 carats. I tried on rings of different sizes. Going from .5 to .75 carats seemed like a big difference on my finger but going from .75 to 1 carats wasn't as noticeable.

My jeweler recommended high quality white gold instead of platinum. The cost was way less and it is still as white as it was when we got married 5 years ago.

 

[smadath]

I don't like white/clear stones, so I wanted a sapphire. DH didn't like that idea. He's "old fashioned" and thinks wedding/engagement rings should have diamonds. So, we compromised and got a blue diamond. He's happy, I love it, everybody wins!

 

[pryncess527]

Tell him to bargain with the jewelry store to get a better deal, especially if he's considering the more expensive one. They're used to it, especially in that price range. He can probably get at least taxes included if he simply asks. Marks up for engagement rings are about 100% so there is plenty of room for negotiation. I come from a family that has been in the jewelry business for all of their lives with experience in small independent business and chain jewelry stores.

Excellent point! I only worked at chain jewelry stores, but every chain I worked in, customers could absolutely negotiate a better price. Haggling is not common for US retail, so a lot of people don't realize jewelry is often an exception and it's perfectly appropriate in that industry.

 

[usnuzuloose]

To me a ring is the symbol of love, not what I could or could not afford. IMHO anyway.

 

[ktlm]

I think he made the right choice in involving her. As you can see, there are definitely differing opinions on the subject. If it were me, I would pick the .75 diamond assuming it is a true near colorless and sparkles when the light hits it, especially if it were a G or H grade. With a G or H near colorless, the color is not even visible to the naked eye. With an I or J near colorless, the very slight color is usually only visible to a very trained eye, but I would want to get it under a good light to make sure. In any event, he wants to get it under a very good bright light and take a good look at it. If all else fails because the store lighting is not that great, pull out the cell phone flashlight and shine it right on it. All stones are not created equal, even if they are supposedly in the same color category (all stores aren't created equal in what the represent either). Definitely try to bargain with them-- jewelry stores both chain and non-chain typically do negotiate on the price. As far as expecting to upgrade to something bigger later- that depends on the girl. I've been married almost 20 years. My ring is a solitaire which I think is somewhere between a .8 and a .9, and it is a high quality stone. DH has talked about upgrading it, as pretty much all my friends, family etc. have much bigger rings or rings with a lot more stones. I won't agree, because a new one, even if mine was reset with it wouldn't be my wedding ring from my wedding.

 

[DVCcurious]

I'd say if she's going to be his first wife he should go with the cheapest he can get.

If she's going to be his only wife I'd go with the most expensive he can afford.

I think deep down people know if it'll last or not. I know I did.

 

[Lynne G]

Call me old fashioned too. We both decided on what diamond and then I chose the setting I wanted. We also chose quality over size, and because I wanted to wear my ring all the time, I had the diamond set lower, so you can't see the entire diamond. It still sparkles after all these years.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I would want the larger stone. I bet dollars to donuts the average person can't tell the difference between colorless and near colorless with the naked eye.