re: What did you spend on an engagement ring?

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Something to consider when you get the diamond online is that you don't have a local jeweler to go to for anything that you will possibly need. If you buy the diamond only online, many jewelers wont put it in a setting since you didn't buy from them. They will tell you it's not worth it for them to be liable for a 10k diamond to make a $700 setting. I bought local and we were very happy with the price, service, and experience. Wouldn't change a thing.

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Im not sure why you have gotten downvoted, this is a legit answer to the question I asked about. I hate when people downvote without any type of rebuttal. I want to do business local to keep money local but it is tough for a local small jewelry shop to compete with the buying power of a larger retailer.

Are there any chain jewelry people that anyone recommends?

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Are there any chain jewelry people that anyone recommends?

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We got mine at ShaneCo. I have no complaints from them. Picked out the stone and setting separately. They joined my wedding band and engagement ring free of charge and kept the ring in their vault for me while I was on my honeymoon(I asked the ring to be joined while I went on my honeymoon). I bring my set in every 6 months to be inspected/cleaned. As long as I do that...I can get it redipped for free as many times as I wish and if any stone ever falls out(my set has over 30 tiny diamonds in it plus the center stone)....it is replaced at no charge to me.

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My ring was emeralds (it's what I wanted). We had to get them replaced with tsavorite because emeralds are soft and they kept breaking.

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this is what the jeweler told me yesterday. My girl wants emeralds so I was looking at very small emeralds on the sides to add the slight variance of color. The jeweler flat out told me not to buy bigger emeralds for one or they would have to be replaced sooner than later.

Yeah, 20k was tough to come by back then but it ended up being a "wash" as we aren't the dog and pony show type so we didn't want an actual wedding. Since my FIL didn't have to pay for a wedding, he gave us a check for 20k that we did indeed end up using as our down payment on our first home. BTW, I was the one that fell in love with the ring and thank goodness my wife loved it even more (even though we are BOTH very non materialistic).

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You could make it a really casual thing. Not a "hey we are going to go look at rings today". Could just be strolling around a mall or wherever and walk into a jewelry store "just for fun" to glance at rings. At least then you can get an idea of what kind of stuff she likes. Doesn't mean you are buying a ring that day in front of her. She may like certain rings...but when she puts them on realizes that style doesn't look right on her finger.

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This is what I did. I took her to the mall and casually steered her into a jewelry store so I could get her opinion but "hey, we're just looking for fun".

Zero

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Find a diamond wholesaler near you and buy a loose stone and have it set. Also buy a GIA certified diamond, other certifications don't hold value as well regardless of what the jeweler tells you.

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I agree that not all certificates companies use the same parameters. With that being said I would include AGS with GIA as being good companies.

Stay the hell away from UGL (Universal), EGL and the rest are bullshite.

I would recommend you buy it locally from someone who has been in business for at least 10-15 years and has good reviews online.

I stayed in the G_H color and SI1 clarity and my diamond had very good cutting. Cutting is not the shape, it is the parameters that a diamond is cut to. The angles (facets) must have good to perfect symmetry for the diamond to have proper sparkle. Facets act like mirrors to reflect light back to you. If the facets dont align correctly the light is lost through the side or bottom of the diamond. It is like using 2 mirrors to look at the back of your head, they have to be in the correct position for it to work.

Avoid diamonds that have a heavy girdle (the widest portion of the diamond when viewed from the side) as that was done to hide weight, that diamond was not cut for brilliance but rather to retain some weight because everybody wants a little bigger diamond.

A little florescence is ok, but too much will usually make the diamond fuzzy looking.

Dont buy from someone who is pushy or keeps trying to get you to buy right then, or to put a diamond on hold with a deposit. They are about as reputable as a car dealer or furniture store sales person. Take your time. It is a big purchase but it will at least hold its value, unlike cars, trucks and boats that depreciate almost immedeatly.

The store I used also offered a trade up policy where I could turn the center diamond back in against a larger diamond and they gave me the full price I originally paid as a credit against the new diamond.

$14.5k; appraised/insured for 26k.

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The store I used also offered a trade up policy where I could turn the center diamond back in against a larger diamond and they gave me the full price I originally paid as a credit against the new diamond.

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Place we got ours from does the same. I think it is standard policy for any decent jeweler. My center stone is half a carat....my husband says one day he will likely upgrade the center stone to a slightly bigger one as an anniversary gift(my setting could fit up to a carat sized center stone).

$6100 in 1987 and frankly I have no idea what it's worth today. Jeweler was a buddy of mine and was marked
$11,000 for it.

The only thing I kept thinking about was in 1979 I paid $6500 for my first new truck.