Engagement Ring and Diamond Purchasing Advice

[ACamp1900]

It's two months after taxes, three months before taxes.....

And she'll only wear te thing until the wedding, at which point she'll wear a different one??

 

[BobD]

Get matching mood rings. She love you long time.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Mood rings are tacky, go with this:

 

[BobD]

Woman are impossible to understand, so maybe get yourself a decoder ring?

 

[Rack Em]

Again, I appreciate all the thoughts. This has been helpful.

For those who have been through the process how would you consider the following:

3/4 carat, Ideal cut, I color, SI1 for $3,500

That's one of the diamonds the jeweler showed me. I plan on having her look for other diamonds if I go with one of the settings she carries. But I want to be as informed as possible when negotiating price.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

That seems a little pricey IMO. $2500-$3000 sounds more reasonable for a stone of that quality.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

My advice would be to pick out a setting first. Spending an extra few hundred there will get a bigger upgrade to the ring's appearance than a slightly bigger/better diamond.

From there I would see what size stone looks best and then work toward the best quality stone you can get in that size range (noting that at the high end of the color and clarity grades look the same as the slightly above middling grades to the naked eye).

 

[Rack Em]

I appreciate all the help fellas. I finally purchased the diamond last week! Got it from JamesAllen.com and I would highly recommend them. Excellent service and I saw every diamond under 20x magnification to check if they were eye clean.

The color was 1 grade lower than what I wanted, but the cut was superb. I made a slight sacrifice there in order to get an excellent cut that doesn't allow light to leak through. It really lights up the room because its facets and proportions are great. I was also able to get one a bit bigger than I expected as well.

When I started this wild goose chase, I didn't realize there were 2 different styles of cushion cut diamonds. 1 style has many, small flashes of light. The other has fewer, but bigger and bolder flashes of light. I went with the latter because it looks infinitely better. The first style just looked cheap and tacky if the cut wasn't perfect. Overall, I'm really excited to get this stone in the setting.

Again, thanks for all the advice guys. Very helpful.

 

[Rack Em]

She said 'yes'! There's now a soon-to-be Mrs. Rack Em!

 

[clashmore_mike]

Daddy likes

 

[Rack Em]

Daddy likes

Yeah he does

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

She said 'yes'! There's now a soon-to-be Mrs. Rack Em!

Congrats brother!

 

[clashmore_mike]

Congrats man

 

[tussin]

Congrats!

 

[BGIF]

Congrats (and condolences) to the future Mrs. Rack Em.

 

[ACamp1900]

She said 'yes'! There's now a soon-to-be Mrs. Rack Em!

There's still time Rack...

 

[Rack Em]

There's still time Rack...

Dude, I'm not going to shack up with you. Give it a rest.

 

[ACamp1900]

Dude, I'm not going to shack up with you. Give it a rest.

I'm a eunuch, just looking out for ya...

 

[dshans]

Rack Em Up!

Eight Ball?

Nine Ball?

Straight?




Run the table.

There are far too many billiard/pool crass puns to include here.



Congratulations. All the best.

 

[Fbolt]

She said "yes" but it's not over yet. Run, before she owns half.

 

[Norcal Irish]

MAKE SURE YOU ARE MARRYING YOUR BEST FRIEND. If not....don't bother with the ring.

 

[woolybug25]

MAKE SURE YOU ARE MARRYING YOUR BEST FRIEND. If not....don't bother with the ring.

I never understood this premise. Why? So they can want to come fishing with you when you just want some man time? So they can walk into the bathroom when you're trying to drop a duece? So they can call you a bastard in front of your other friends?

Those are things my best friend does. I didn't marry my wife because she was my best friend. I married her because I love her and want to spend my life with her. I have buddies to drink beer and smoke cigars with. My relationship with my wife is completely different than with my best friends and I like it that way.

 

[koonja]

I'm currently searching for engagement rings for my girlfriend. I already know what she likes in terms of a ring, the setting, etc. I have that down.

I've done my research on diamonds and I have a very good grasp on what's good and what's shit. All I've done the last few weeks is read about color, cut, clarity, and carats. But I'm trying to figure out how to maximize my purchasing power on a diamond.

Obviously jewelers have an extra mark up built in to the price of their diamonds. And I would like to avoid that mark so I can put a little more into the actual diamond. But I don't know whether the jeweler I've been in contact with (or many other ones for that matter) would be willing to set a diamond that I buy on my own? I'm also a little nervous about shopping around for diamonds online and not being able to see them in person.

Does anybody have thoughts, advice, or personal experiences?

No advice, but want to congratulate you on being frugal as possible. 3 year's salary is a lot of money so good luck!

 

[GowerND11]

No advice, but want to congratulate you on being frugal as possible. 3 year's salary is a lot of money so good luck!

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Ádh mór, mo chara!

 

[Rack Em]

MAKE SURE YOU ARE MARRYING YOUR BEST FRIEND. If not....don't bother with the ring.

Is this why ACamp is constantly hitting on me?

 

[ACamp1900]

Is this why ACamp is constantly hitting on me?

You had me at the Old Dirty look alike...

 

[Rack Em]

You had me at the Old Dirty look alike...

Oh baby I like it rawwwwww

 

[Irish Insanity]

Besides the standard mall stores, any good options for a quality, competitive priced ring? Online vs Mall Stores, what can I expect quality/$.

 

[Cackalacky]

Besides the standard mall stores, any good options for a quality, competitive priced ring? Online vs Mall Stores, what can I expect quality/$.

Sorry bruh... I got a local guy who makes all my stuff. I have never bought anything from Zales or Jared etc.