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Engagement Rings

HeavyPetter said:
That depends on how much money you have.
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BostonDeac said:
so is there at least a minimum cut/clarity/color that i should be looking at?
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You know your GF, so pick something that she'll like. It doesnt have to be the flashiest, most beautiful diamond in the world. Unless you look at it through a microscope, most people will never know the difference between the higher quality diamonds.

Also, what HP said. So many guys tend to over extend themselves buying engagement rings that are above their means. Unless her parents are loaded and are planning on covering the wedding/honeymoon entirely, its best to choose something you can pay off prior to the wedding. The last thing you need is compounding debt from the ring/wedding/honeymoon.
 
ITK said:
http://www.pricescope.com is a great resource.
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Pricescope is awesome. Cut is the most important thing and that doesn't mean the shape. You can get lower clarity and color if you have a well cut stone because the cut hides those "flaws."

If you're ok with doing some shopping together, check out several different colors. Some girls love icy whites; I preferred slightly warmer, so we were able to save some money there, as the lower color grades are less expensive.

Also, IMHO, you will never be able to tell the difference between a IF and a VS1/VS2. There are no inclusions visible to the naked eye at VS1/VS2. So unless there are cultural reasons for needing a flawless stone (common in Asian cultures), I'd stick with VS1 to SI1. That is where the most bang for your buck is. There are some eye clean SI2's, which is a great value, but they are hard to find. I1 and lower means she and all her friends will be able to see the inclusions with their naked eye. Not good.

You know your gf best, so talk to her and take her shopping to try some rings on! I stuck to my guns in terms of style and shape, but found that my fingers are rather small, so the size I thought I wanted looked too big and ended up with something smaller and less expensive than my husband had planned on.
 
JerseyDeac said:
Pricescope is awesome. Cut is the most important thing and that doesn't mean the shape. You can get lower clarity and color if you have a well cut stone because the cut hides those "flaws."

If you're ok with doing some shopping together, check out several different colors. Some girls love icy whites; I preferred slightly warmer, so we were able to save some money there, as the lower color grades are less expensive.

Also, IMHO, you will never be able to tell the difference between a IF and a VS1/VS2. There are no inclusions visible to the naked eye at VS1/VS2. So unless there are cultural reasons for needing a flawless stone (common in Asian cultures), I'd stick with VS1 to SI1. That is where the most bang for your buck is. There are some eye clean SI2's, which is a great value, but they are hard to find. I1 and lower means she and all her friends will be able to see the inclusions with their naked eye. Not good.

You know your gf best, so talk to her and take her shopping to try some rings on! I stuck to my guns in terms of style and shape, but found that my fingers are rather small, so the size I thought I wanted looked too big and ended up with something smaller and less expensive than my husband had planned on.
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Are there women that sit around and look for flaws in their/their friends diamonds?
 
i was happy to get my wife a ring but diamonds are the dumbest fucking racket on the planet
 
We had Christmas Eve at an old neighbors house and one of the girls brought out a giant 3K family ring with an old-fashioned 8-prong setting. That sucker was so gaudy it looked fake. It was pointed out that it wasn't flawless as it didn't come to a complete point and you could tell by looking at it as there was a black dot straight down the middle. But screw it, that thing was pretty nutty.
 
Pricescope is a great resource! Find a jeweler that you trust.

Most importantly find out what is important to her - size, cut, clarity, setting, etc. I didn't care about the diamond other than it sparkle (has become a theme here lately), but I did care about the setting. I wanted the diamond in a setting that I would keep forever.
 
JDawg said:
We had Christmas Eve at an old neighbors house and one of the girls brought out a giant 3K family ring with an old-fashioned 8-prong setting. That sucker was so gaudy it looked fake. It was pointed out that it wasn't flawless as it didn't come to a complete point and you could tell by looking at it as there was a black dot straight down the middle. But screw it, that thing was pretty nutty.
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One of my mother-in-law's friends is rocking 8 carats.
 
awakeandready said:
Are there women that sit around and look for flaws in their/their friends diamonds?
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If you go to pricescope you will see people who have stories of friends telling them $hit like that. Of course, IMO, those women aren't really your friends....
 
ITK said:
If you go to pricescope you will see people who have stories of friends telling them $hit like that. Of course, IMO, those women aren't really your friends....
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I'm sorry, but if there is a huge black spot in the middle of your diamond, I'm going to notice. I wouldn't say anything to you, but I'd notice. Little white inclusions and feathers are one thing, but a huge black spot is just obvious. There is no need to buy a diamond like that. A better one can be found in budget. Unless you're a girl who likes black spots in your diamond, then by all means.
 
JerseyDeac said:
I'm sorry, but if there is a huge black spot in the middle of your diamond, I'm going to notice. I wouldn't say anything to you, but I'd notice. Little white inclusions and feathers are one thing, but a huge black spot is just obvious. There is no need to buy a diamond like that. A better one can be found in budget. Unless you're a girl who likes black spots in your diamond, then by all means.
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Oh I agree. I'm just saying don't underestimate women getting nasty over their "friends" rings.
 
I don't know that I would buy the diamond with a huge black spot (not sure what that looks like, though) but I wouldn't ever look at a friend's diamond close enough to notice any flaws.
 
Slightly off subject but what is the general rule of thumb regarding returns at a jewelry store? I replaced a bracelet that we thought was stolen, only to find it last week. The replacement was given as a Christmas present so it has been opened and worn once. I can verify proof of payment via credit card. Am I looking at store credit or no dice??
 
I have an heirloom diamond that has some very slight flaws (nothing anyone would notice without a loop) but every time I get the setting checked the jeweler comes over to me and whispers about it like they are scared to tell me it's not perfect. It always makes me laugh to think of the encounters they must have had to make them so petrified.
 
My fiancee's ring is perfect in every single way. Much like myself.
 
As Ron White White so aptly said,"Diamonds, that'll shut her up....for a while."
 
awakeandready said:
Are there women that sit around and look for flaws in their/their friends diamonds?
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Yes. Women are awful people. Single women with engaged friends are the absolute worst. When my fiance met up with friends after the proposal, the one girl who isn't really that close with my fiance anymore immediately asked how big it was and if she's sure it's real.

I'm only 26 and in my 2L year, so I could only afford close to $5k and she loves it. She's also 5'2 with small hands, which really helps when you can't afford 1.25ct like the OP. I'd just say pay what you can afford and buy what she wants. If she's pissed you didn't spend more on her engagement ring, she shouldn't get one.
 
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