[cantsleep]

so how much damage should i expect?

okay, good. the poll doesnt display the names of voters

 

[J.D.N]

Tradition over here seems to be 3 months wages.

Im a student, so that would be zero at the moment!

 

[krmathis]

~$1,500

 

[ArmAndHammer]

I think it was around 6k. That was from a chain jewelry store because I was able to get it on credit. My advice is if you have the cash or can get credit at a small local store, that is probably the best way. It should be less money and you will most likely get better service. You may even consider pre-owned and have the stone set in to a new ring/mount and you could save a bunch that way and it would be just like a new ring.

 

[Oublie]

here in Northern Ireland tradition is a months salary but that will vary, I spent 2 months salary and got a phenominal ring. My fiance and I hunted around the jewelry shops and found the ring she wanted which was a lot more than 2 month wages and not that great a quality.

Read up on diamonds before buys know the differences colour and clarity are important. The first time she wore it to church someone in the balcony seats commented afterward that it sparkeled so much that it kept catching her eye even from quite a distance.

I got the ring made with the exact size stone, cut, colour, clarity and setting for about half the price the jewelry store was charging. Yes it's not exactly romantic but it was her idea!

She love the ring and i will get her a matching necklace and earrings as a wedding gift.

 

[XXII]

2-3 months salary is the standard...but you should also consider things like:

1) Her expectations: Is she of a higher "social status"...
2) Her friend's expectations: Does she hang out with people who are all going to end up with huge diamonds so that hers looks tiny in comparison

Congrats btw...

 

[Uncle Erik]

Find one someone else is selling and have it reset in a new ring. You'll save a bundle over retail and get over any silly notion of it being "used." You never know if the "new" one was a trade-in or not. And especially in this economy, you should be able to find someone willing to unload well below retail.

 

[smuh]

I know it can be like that, but our very close friends, my gf and I do not care if our rings or jewelry in general helps our social status... If they judge her on a ring then I am very sure I do not care much about that kind of person.
That ring is something special, but I would not spend more then 3 wages on it. If we go shopping for jewelry (as we will in the next 20 mins

) we know the places to go, where I do not have to look at the prices all the tme because they usually have things that I can afford without selling my headphone rig

What I am trying to say is, don't look to much at the price, she has to like/love the ring and it should be of good quality (that has quite often nothing or close to nothing to do with the price)...

 

[cantsleep]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smuh /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know it can be like that, but our very close friends, my gf and I do not care if our rings or jewelry in general helps our social status... If they judge her on a ring then I am very sure I do not care much about that kind of person. That ring is something special, but I would not spend more then 3 wages on it. If we go shopping for jewelry (as we will in the next 20 mins ) we know the places to go, where I do not have to look at the prices all the tme because they usually have things that I can afford without selling my headphone rig What I am trying to say is, don't look to much at the price, she has to like/love the ring and it should be of good quality (that has quite often nothing or close to nothing to do with the price)...

mm.. you're about my age

i have a lot of time, about an yr. i would like to do some research before i actually spend the money. i dont want to end up buying the bose of engagement rings. i mean bose is cool but i think i should do a little better with the money

 

[Erik_C]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantsleep /img/forum/go_quote.gif so how much damage should i expect? okay, good. the poll doesnt display the names of voters

Spend what you can afford without having to eat ramen noodles or leftovers for the foreseeable future. This is one of those purchases where spending as much as you comfortably can is recommended. And equally as important, pleasepleaseplease go for quality over size. A smaller, better-quality (read: sparklier) diamond will almost always look better than a larger, non-colorless, less sparkly one.

Case in point. I spent $X on a very high quality diamond for my wife. GIA certified, darn near flawless, and definitely colorless. It's still the best stone I've ever seen. A former colleague spent 2/3 of what I spent, but on a ring twice the size with all sorts of flaws in the stone and pale yellow in color; not canary yellow, but more like the color of snow after a dog pees in it. Sure, it's huge, but it looks like crap. There's no sparkle, no fire, nothing but a dull yellow reflection of light. Put the two rings side my side, and from a couple feet away, my wife's stone looks a lot bigger because of the sparkle. Guess who's proud of her ring, and guess who hides her ring hand in public?

I'm usually the first to agree that you can't buy love. But an engagement ring is kinda the exception. If you go all cheap and crappy on something so important to the woman (and trust me it is, no matter what she says to you otherwise), she'll always wonder what else you decide's just "good enough" for her, as opposed to the best you can afford for her.

As a starting point, do not consider anything SI or worse in quality. VS2 should be the lowest quality you consider -- that's half the battle in getting good sparkle. Form there, find the sweet spot of colorlessness and size that you can afford. A slightly less colorless stone may sparkle better if it's cut better, so go with your eyes, not the specs, once you get this far.

Do this and you'll be off to a great start with married life.

Good luck!

 

[smuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantsleep /img/forum/go_quote.gif mm.. you're about my age i have a lot of time, about an yr. i would like to do some research before i actually spend the money. i dont want to end up buying the bose of engagement rings. i mean bose is cool but i think i should do a little better with the money

About the same age, but you seem to be quite a few steps above me in the headphone ladder

About the ring, we always go to the same "stores", one is a chain, the other 2-3 are smaller stores have their own "production". What is most important to me is, they know how to make a good recommendation and you get the feeling they really care, not just try to recommend something (expensive), convince you and make you buy it...
My cousine and her fiancé are currently looking for rings too, they could not afford the ones they wanted, but now get "standard" rings "customized" which look almost the same as the ones they wanted and they seem to be very happy with the choice they made. Good thing is, they make the decision together and are both very happy about it. I am sure they do not regret going for "a cheaper" ring.

But now the most important question, which phones and amp would you let go for the ring?

(I know I am mean

And I like to be mean

)


After reading Eric's post I think I am done here

Btw. Do you know in which direction it goes? Gold, white gold or platinum?

 

[VicAjax]

I went all in. Spent a LOT of money on the ring, but 10 years later, I still think it was worth it.

 

[digger945]

Go under $2000 and save for ring #2 soon after.
Have you put any thought into a unique or special way to give it to her?

 

[acidbasement]

You probably know this already, but it's worth a read: Blood diamond - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Get a Canadian diamond, for all of the environmental degradation associated with diamond mining but none of the oppression and bloodshed. We've got some really pretty bright blue ones too.

FWIW, my wife did not want a diamond when we got engaged, so we got her a nice green demantoid garnet for $500. Don't believe anyone who says you have to spend a lot - if that's the kind of relationship you're in, you'll know it, and if not, you'll have more money to spend on sound gear.

Anyway, now my wife wants a Canadian blue diamond.

Congrats! It's an exciting journey.

 

[lmilhan]

I got lucky. The ring I gave my wife was an heirloom that was handed down from my mother. But I also lucked out with finding my wife, because it could have been one of those plastic whistle rings and she would have been thrilled.

I digress.

In a hobby where people don't even sneeze at spending upwards of $5,000+ on a headphone amplifier and source, I say do it right and drop a nice chunk of change and get her something special - with the caveat that you don't go into debt in the process. Save up and pay cash. Get a temporary second job if you need to, but DON'T put it on a credit card. Starting a marriage off in debt is a formula for disaster, and more often than not ends in a divorce. Look at the stats - sad but true.

Good luck.