Need advice on where to buy engagement ring

[Benaiah]

I am going to get engaged so I have to go buy a stupid ring. I was wondering if anyone here has any advice on where to get the best bang for the buck.

Online or offline? Where at?

I'm just looking to get a solitaire that is white gold or platinum. I'm a broke college student so I'd like to spend less than a grand.

[TheEvilDetector]

Congratulations on getting engaged!
:)

[EvilEngineer]

I am going to get engaged so I have to go buy a stupid ring. I was wondering if anyone here has any advice on where to get the best bang for the buck.

Online or offline? Where at?

I'm just looking to get a solitaire that is white gold or platinum. I'm a broke college student so I'd like to spend less than a grand.

Welcome to my world =) I'm in the same boat.

I took my girlfriend ring shopping to get all of the details right ahead of time... which saved me a great deal of hassle.

Ring I'm getting:

1/2 carat princess cut solitaire, set in white gold.

What the real pisser is that comparing synthetic diamonds to real diamonds. $3 for a synthetic diamond that no one could tell the difference... or $400 for the "real" thing.

[PatriotG]

First off congratulations!
second...dont do it! (Just kidding)

My advice to you is dont buy online.
When it comes to diamonds the best thing to do is try to go through someone you know or a friend of a friend etc.

For the kind of money you will lay out for a rock you want to be sure your getting a good quality stone, or even the real thing.

These days it almost impossible to tell the difference between a well made zircon and the real thing

And you can be rest assured there are merchants out there that sell low quality for high price.

Color and purity are the most important.
There's lots of tips online.

Good luck and all the best to you

Congrats
PatriotG

[zebov]

I'm going to recommend Blue Nile (http://www.bluenile.com). That is where I got my engagement ring a few years ago and everything was EXCELLENT. They've got the most wonderful website and their customer service is superb. To top it off, they are much less expensive than the brick-and-mortars. Have no fear, all their diamonds come with the certs and my (or I should say my wife's) ring even came with an appraisal for insurance purposes. They really are top-notch. I recommend looking around a lot (as I'm sure you have been) and I think you'll find that you like Blue Nile as well.

(wow, I sound like a Blue Nile rep or something... but seriously, they're good).

[TheEvilDetector]

I found the appropriate diamond ring for you.

18.44-Carat Round Diamond
This Ideal-cut, D-color, and FL-clarity diamond comes accompanied by a diamond grading report from the GIA.
Holiday Shipping Information
Order in the next 8 hours 10 minutes for delivery set in jewelry on Tuesday, December 11.
Price: $2,727,600

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?__fun_frm=i&track=btntext_viewselect&elem=img&pid=LD01226509&filter_id=1

[Mortikhi]

your local pawn shop

[micahnelson]

My wife worked in a jewelry store before we got married. Ain't I lucky.

Don't go with a knock-off, but Manufactured diamonds really are diamonds. The way you can tell they are man made is that they are perfect. Their price comes from manufacturing needs, not the debeers monopoly. No family in Africa was killed over these diamonds.

Its one of the few things I am "kooky" about. I would go for a manufactured ring from a jewelry store. For YOUR wedding ring, get it online. I paid over 150for a ring which I saw online later for 30 bucks.

Live and learn.

[steph3n]

your local pawn shop

you stole my thunder.....just watch for stolen goods :D

[SovereignMN]

First off, congratulations.

Secondly, when I bought my wife's ring 5 years ago I went to the Shane Co (shanco.com) and was very pleased with their selections, prices and customer service. When my brother got engaged a couple years ago I also recommended Shane Co to him and he was happy as well.

[tekkierich]

Delaware, home of tax free shopping.

I wish I had done that. Would have saved about $250

[Dave Pedersen]

platinum is very expensive. I recommend 14k white gold with a .5 carat genuine earth mined diamond. If .5 is too costly go for the .4 carat but make sure it is genuine earth mined. I buy such things from eBay but you will likely want to buy new from a local dealer. if you want to get the most bang for your buck you can do very well on eBay IF you familiarize yourself with what is available by spending a couple hours each day window shopping. eBay also does sell a lot of brand new jewelry, sometimes at very competitive prices. You need to do a lot of window shopping to learn how to get a good deal.

learn about carat clarity color and cut.. the four c's.

clarity should not be overlooked it makes a huge difference in the appearance. It is better to get a smaller diamond with high quality clarity and color.


congratulations !

[Kingfisher]

Go to a pawn shop and save at least 50%

[asgardshill]

I am going to get engaged so I have to go buy a stupid ring. I was wondering if anyone here has any advice on where to get the best bang for the buck.



Whatever you do, DON'T do what I did and put a real engagement ring in one of those round clear plastic things dispensed from bubble gum machines. My ex busted me one 'cross my lip when I gave it to her - she thought (with sufficient cause) that I was messing with her.

What I would (and did) do is use an heirloom engagement ring that's been in my family for a long time. I had the jeweler replate it, resize it, and put three new rubies and a diamond into the existing mounts. After I got my lip to stop bleeding, my ex loved it, especially when I told her its history.

[Benaiah]

Thanks for the advice all! I have been window shopping Ebay and will go and check out pawn shops. I am going to go the white gold route because it is a lot cheaper than platinum.

Thanks for the congrats, also. I'm way happy, I would just rather go on a super pimp vacation instead of buy a ring. /shrug. Chicks.

[neil]

Check out Sam's Club. Not Wal-Mart. They actually have good quality diamonds and the price hasn't been jacked up quiet like the jewelry store at the mall. The downside is you might not have a salesperson who knows anything about jewelry. I didn't have a membership at Sam's Club, so I had a friend who is a member take me and I just gave him the money to pay.
BTW my wife loves the ring.

[Richandler]

You want to buy your girlfriend a ring of power?

[jenninlouisiana]

www.bluenile.com or www.mondera.com I've ordered from both.

Here's what I suggest if you are broke. Get a round stone.. they are the cheapest. Get it in white gold. Go for the lowest class of "clarity" (I mean who the F cares if it has a piece of carbon you can only see if you turn the ring upside down and look for it)... and get the highest you can afford in color.

For color, DO NOT... I repeat... DO NOT go below an H... then you start getting cloudy and ikky.

So.. to summarize... you want a classic round stone... in a color E-G and clarity I-1 or I-2 or SI-1 or SI-2.

[ronpaulblogsdotcom]

Walmart is the largest jewelry seller in the USA. Odd but true.

I would also go to Costco if you have a membership and if not go with someone who is or jsut pay the $40 for a years membership. They have some very nice rings where I go. $10,000 at Costco seems weird but its there.

[mmink15]

Go to every jewelry store in you rlocal area and give them the same speech. After visiting them all visit 5 a second time try to talk down price then 3 then 2 then buy. Bartering is a skill that works in this situation.

[jenninlouisiana]

Here, I found you a diamond and a setting for 1,300.

http://www.bluenile.com/design.asp?filter_id=1&track=design_additem&set_shape=RD

Your Ring
This Four-Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring Setting in 18k White Gold (2mm) has a 0.51 carat Round diamond with Good-cut, G-color, and SI2-clarity.

Total Price: $1,312

Something like that is classic.

My diamond earrings from blue nile are fabuolus. And it was free shipping and at the time, no tax. (I think the last time I ordered I think mondera started chargning 4% state tax).

[jenninlouisiana]

Here, I changed the diamond and got it a little cheaper: Your Ring
This Four-Prong Solitaire Engagement Ring Setting in 18k White Gold (2mm) has a 0.50 carat Round diamond with Good-cut, H-color, and SI2-clarity.

Total Price: $1,157

BTW, you don't sound too happy.

Is this really about spending the money, which is a bummer.

Or are you not jazzed about getting engaged.

Care to share?

[Benaiah]

yes

[Enzo]

Don't buy a diamond. They are boring and overpriced. So many more interesting, more beautiful, and more affordable colored stones.

[mtmedlin]

Have you tried sqeezing a lump of coal REAL hard?

if not convince her a donation to Ron Paul is romantic.

[Original_Intent]

My wife and I found a "retired" jeweler who did custom work. I told him I wanted x carat etc etc and what i wanted and how much I had to spend and he said "if you want to spend that much, you'll need a bigger diamond."

We have been married for 15 years now and it was just awesome to get a custom design, etc etc and I really think going this route we probably got half price of what it would have cost in a retail outlet. see if you can find someone that does it for the love of what they are doing (and some extra cash) - if you can get someone with good recommendations, it sure worked for us.

Having read some of the other posts I will also add that going this route made it seem a lot more personal and symbolic, instead of "going shopping" and materialistic.

[Corydoras]

If she's stuck on a diamond, Blue Nile is the way to go.

But if she's not stuck on a diamond, go to Stephen's Gems. Some of the stuff he has will work with a wedding band. Or you can call him and have him do a wedding set, with a sapphire or whatever.
http://stores.ebay.com/Stephens-Gems

[Matt Collins]

Why buy a diamond out of the ground? Get a better diamond - one that was grown in a lab!

Bottom line - don't waste your money on jewelry unless you got it to waste (especially diamonds since they are the product of a monopoly).

If your chick is shallow enough to say no simply because of a ring, then get someone else.

[Corydoras]

Oh, one other thing, since we're talking about non-diamonds. What about a high-quality CZ? It doesn't fund a monopoly and doesn't require ripping open the earth and isn't as expensive as a lab-grown diamond. Would she go for that?
http://www.freecz.com

[ionlyknowy]

I have had a very good experience with www.bluenile.com

But you must make sure that your diamond is a good cut quality in order for it to shine... here is a calculator to help you with this

http://www.ideal-scope.com/hca.asp

Get one with a rating that is under .6 believe me it is worth it... they shine like no other... oh and the next best thing is color. Get at least a H dont go lower.

As for inclusions dont go lower than an SI2...

If you make sure you do all of this then you will have a really awesome one.. I guarantee.

[Peppy690]

tiffany's?

[Wingman]

well i would suggest tiffanys or cartier

they have this wonderful 62 carat Pink Diamond Tiara Necklace and Double 42 carat gold ring and glove set that is simply irresistible.

My husband (this is his ron paul account) wants to get it but i am resisting. He already spent so much on me its embarassing.

edit: oh just make sure you get someting good. here is a pic of my "first date" ring and well i told him to get something bigger for our next date etc :-
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/6422/firstdatezy4.jpg