Hey guys,

Going to pop the question to my girlfriend while over in Europe soon. Starting to look into rings and I have to be honest, I can't tell the difference between one of the $2 rings at the markets and the $20,000 rocks, I just lack that part of the brain. They all look the same to me.

Does anyone have any experience here on major do's and don'ts. I'm going to talk to one of her friends and probably go with her to have a look but I need all the help I can get.

Get a feel for her favourite stone/metal. If she wears a lot of gold, she won't appreciate silver, vice versa. If she likes diamonds/CZ/etc, she probably won't like rubies/sapphires etc.

Get her friend to ask some questions about style, you'll be all set.

Oh. Em. Gee! :o

PM leftrightout. He has a family jeweller business IIRC.

Why marry her?? If you don't wanna have sex with her anymore just break up with her.

Whatever you do, don't tell her you bought it on the recommendation of some blokes on an internet football forum.

Pick something cheap to do the engagement with, then work out together if you want to spend more and what she wants.

Keep in mind that assuming you are going to end up with a mortgage, how much do you really want to blow on a couple of pieces of jewellery that in the end are nearly meaningless compared to what they symbolise.

Oh my gosh that's so cute! Good luck!

Whoa. Aren't you like 20? :lol:

Nah mate good luck!

25 in February. Been together for the best part of 4 years.

Engagement Onion Rings. If she laughs you've got a keeper.

Can't help one bit - noone knows less about the subject than I do.

Just wanted to wish you all the best mate.

PS - popping the question at OT during halftime is class.

PPS - just read it to the missus, she said "tell him to get a white gold 1 carat princess cut diamond ring".

I've no idea how much that costs, you might have to research that bit.

My mate got married when he was 18. Ive got 3 mates all engaged, they aged...22, 20 and 19.

A friend of mine in my running squad is 20 and engaged to his 17 year-old girlfriend...whom only last week did they pass one year together #-o

Fake, but still :lol:
[youtube]g9TM_MbPDxs[/youtube]

One of my friends bought his online from the USA, picked out the diamond and a design himself, reckons in the end was a lot cheaper than getting one here. Will ask him what stores he used.

Know a lady I'm hong kong who will make a ring worth 20-30k for around 10. Sounds dodgy, but shes very good. So far our company has spent around 500,000 on jewelry over the past few years. I'd get a design and a stone and get it made. Save you heaps. Also, rule of thumb is 3 months wages. (in terms of how much you should $$)

Cheers,

Make sure you compare prices with:
http://www.bluenile.com

As well. Keep in mind the $1000 GST limit and potential import duties as well.

Princess means pyramid basically.

I played around with the ring calculator for a bit and did some research for you.

For best value for money without sacrificing visual quality you'd want:

Cut - Very Good. This is the most important feature. Ideal if you can afford it but makes them much more expensive but for little visible gain.
Colour - F, E or D (they are all colourless to the naked eye, F is cheaper than E which is cheaper than D). This is 2nd most important.
Clarity - VVS2, VVS1 (no imperfections visible with naked eye, only with 10x scope). Don't go lower than this.

You then get the carats (weight) based on how much your budget is.

For 0.30 of a carat that's around $400 to $600.

A half-carat diamond at that level would cost about $1000+.

.75 Carat is $3,000+

1 carat is over $6,000, to around $10,000 at 1.25 carats.

The band could be anything depending on if you want extra diamonds in them as well. But generally they would cost about $500 to $1,500 for good ones.

In short:
half carat = $2,500.
1 carat = $10,000.

Totally, she can chuck her finger in the keyring, and open your beer for you. Perfect.

Seriously, good luck!

This. Lefty will be able to give you a pretty good idea.

General rule of thumb is two week's wages, and ask the girlfriends for ideas :lol: Her best friend will probably be able to pick one out with you.

Friend of mine did this. :lol: Went down badly.

But yeah..."asking the guys on a football forum for ideas" isn't exactly the most romance inspiring...

[size=9]DON'T DO IT[/size]

my reaction to this comment is your avatar.

I'm a jewellery manufacturer by trade.

Just one word of advice when making a diamond purchase. If you see a diamond ring and the diamond is not independently certified by a gemmologist lab like GIA, DCLA, ADGL or AusCert you are just paying for someones opinion basically. A certification is a guarantee that you are getting what you pay for and gives the consumer comparing power. It's a set of standards that are set by GIA that all gem labs must comply with. If you see a diamond and the grade listed varies, for example it will be listed at G/H colour VS-SI it is not certified. A cert comes with a certificate that tell you exactly what colour and exactly what clarity (example D colour VS1 clarity, no variables) along with a lot of other information and these days most certified diamonds are laser inscribed on the girdle of the diamond with a serial number that matches your certification. There is no dollar value on a cert, that's a valuation and it's important you know the difference. Valuations are purely for your home and contents insurance and they are not a guide to what the ring is worth to sell privatly only a guide for insurance companies to know what and how much needs to be replaced if the ring is lost or stolen. We use Eternity Diamonds as one of our main suppliers who are based in QLD and they cert everything with ADGL & GIA.

You have to ask yourself whether you want a custom made ring or an off the shelf ring. There is also a clear difference in quality when you shop at commercial jewellery store as opposed to a jewellery manufacturer. Most commercial jewellers bulk buy from Hong Kong an India and certain specification are normally way under what they should be for a ring that is meant to last. I recommend educating yourself as much as possible because you'll feel a a lot more confident about the purchase.

Let me know if you have anymore questions and I'd be happy to pass on some advice.

You'll learn.

You can spend $20,000 or a few hundred, but what reallycounts is how the ring reflects who she is. I spent a total of $700 on a bridal set. My wife isn't into flashy massive flawless diamonds and all that. She likes simple and elegant things that areunderstated. She's also alergic to yellow gold so I wnt with white gold as it would also complement the large amount of silver jewelary she wears.

You could also look at rose gold for something different and also things like Platnium are making an in road to the wedding market.


No if you're or your missus is a stickler for traditon, you're supposed to spend 3 months wages on the ring. personally my favourite rings are the non traditional saphire and ruby rings with a sprinkling of diamonds, but then I'm not the one marrying you so perhaps feeling her out. I did by making jokes and loitering with her near jewellary stores to see what one's she liked and didn't, my Wife actually picked her bridal set without knowing it.

The only ring you want in return is the one between her cheeks ;)

Don't feel bad about that - that is called being a male.

Bloody hell!
It used to be 1 month's wages...

I've always wondered, does the guy get an engagement ring too??

:lol:

Don't let anyone else tell you what to spend, it's your and your partner's business, and especially don't feel pressured to submit to a "tradition" that was only started by PR firms working for diamond companies anyway.

Not traditionally, but it is becoming more common for men to buy a ring to ware at the same time.

My wife bought me a ring before we were engaged to show our commitment to each other and that became my wedding ring once we did get married.

Step 1: Pick the colour of the ring you want (White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum etc)

Step 2: Pick your budget

Step 3: Use the following calculator http://www.diamondexchange.com.au/store/diamonds.html?shape=round

And find the biggest rock you can afford which is better than F colour, VVS2 Clarity and is Excellent Cut.

Step 4: You will soon realise that the closer you get to 1 Carat, the more expensive the prick becomes, mainly because people want something that is more than 1 carat. My wife has a Round, VVS1, F, Excellent Hearts and Arrows cut 0.83 Carat Diamond. A 1 carat diamond has a 6.5mm diameter, the 0.83 has a 6.2mm diameter. That extra 0.3mm would cost twice as much!

Step 5: Get it set as a solitaire diamond, set in a simple ring design. More than one diamond on an engagement ring is for unknowledgeable people who think that more is better.

Step 6: Make your wife get a simple band wedding ring with no diamonds so it doesn’t take anything away from the engagement ring you forked out for.

Step 7: Constantly get your wife to keep the ring clean and flash it everywhere, so you can show everyone how much you know about the 4 C’s of diamonds. An excellent cut, clear and colourless ring will ALWAYS look good, even when dirty.

Step 8: Pat yourself on the back for not being a schmuck who handed a small fortune over the counter at a Jeweller and said “I have $XXX, i want that one, it looks the shiniest”


Edited by c3024446: 1/11/2012 04:20:35 PM

if in doubt, just buy her a lord of the rings ring. Chicks dig that kinda stuff.

that's what you think... I bet she had a fair bit of an idea what was going on

Thanks for all the help guys. Probably looking to spend around 2-3k, still on student rates. I know she prefers silver and would opt for sapphire over diamonds, so still just going to look around and see what feels right.

I see some people writing don't get lower than VVS (Very Very Slight) which is laughable. Remember colour is something you can notice and clarity is something that you can notice to a point. It all depends on the cut. In round brilliant cut and the princess type cuts you could get away with going as low as SI1 and SI2 and you will not pick up any inclusions with your naked eye. Why pay for something you cant see?. Eye glass assisted you will still even struggle to find any in this range. If it's a cut with not very many facets like a baguette I wouldn't go any lower than VS1 and you can see into a stone like the much easier. Inclusion can look like a white bubble, a black spot or a white feather. Nobody walks around with an eye glass. I show my clients a VVS1 compared to an SI1 all the time and with the naked eye there is no difference. The major difference is the cost.

Example: 1.02ct Hearts & Arrows D VS1 $19970.00
1.15ct Hearts & Arrows D SI1 $14430.00

That is a $5540 difference between two diamonds that essentially with the naked eye look the same and the SI1 is bigger!

Colour is something you can notice. Especially when comparing it to other colours. Anywhere between D (highest colour) to H is the colourless range after that they start to looked tinged and yellow as you go down the alphabet. Do not go lower than H.

Thanks lefty, still very complicated but thinking I have a better understanding of a few things now. Still going to go with what feels right and not what a bunch of Victory or Liverpool fans thinks but every opinion helps and is appreciated.

Anymore discussion is welcome....

all the best. Hope it goes well whatever style you choose. In the end its just a piece of metal so don't over think it too much i'd say.

Just a thought.

My thoughts exactly, she has 20 rings she changes every day. Just getting as many thoughts together as I can.

Biggest mistake men make is getting the woman involved in the purchase. This is when us jewellers start rubbing our palms together. Women will always press for bigger and better when presented with the option. If not than you have found a true gem.

My wife had no idea what was coming, I designed and made it because it was what I pictured her wearing and she loves it.

Why would you listen to what De Beers says in regard to buying a ring? They're trying to get as much money out of you as they can! :lol:

3 months is the 'rule of thumb' for the wedding ring, not the engagement ring. :lol:

Hey Afro, you have to pay me three months of your salary for this napkin because I wrote that you're supposed to pay me three months of your salary on it. :lol:

This investment advice brought to you by Lombard.

None what so ever. as a non conformist she was under the impression that i would never get married as I was happy living in a common law agreement. I actually only got married as it was a milestone she felt she needed to be complete. Plus it was a fun day for me, her and our friends.

i got engaged to the mrs last year in march, and for about 4-5 months beforehand was doing legwork similar to what you're doing.

you really need to figure out what style she'd be into - with a view into what type of wedder she'd want too. do you get her a wavey type engagement ring, and match a wedder into it? or do you go simple, solitaire? or do you boss it out with a whole row of diamonds along the band? does she want claw setting or channel setting? and what size diamond does she want? will a 0.5ct look too small in comparison to her hand/finger size? will a 1ct look like she's got a 20kg weight on her hand and be way too big? will she want a 4ct one to be like kim kardashian?

it's a huge decision!

i went simple & elegant. i also paid a ridiculous amount as i wanted a really highly rated diamond. i ended up getting gold band, white gold setting, 1ct solitaire. i couldn't find the exact, simple design i wanted so went to a local jewellers & got it custom-made, which worked out awesome. on their own, all diamonds look the same. but when put next to each other to compare, you can really appreciate the clarity/colour of each diamond. when i chose the rock, the bloke had 5 diamonds layed out next to each other. without getting too close, it was simple to see what ones were the legit/good ones, and what were the shotty/colourful ones.

buying at my local shop meant that the people know me personally now, and i get free checkups/cleaning for the ring as they're a family-friendly-run business. so maybe take that into account also?

also - through word of mouth i've been told to steer clear of michael hill. jewellers i am friends with that are in the know are under huge belief that they over-state the quality of their rings/diamonds, and you get less than what you paid for.

Can confirm that Michael Hill should be stayed away from. Know a couple of people who work for them.

And you're also supporting the Kiwis as they are a NZ owed company.

I would extend that and avoid all commercial style jewellery stores that don't have their own jeweller on premises.

LOL

I always thought the wedding ring was meant to be cheaper than the engagement ring - certainly it was in my case (and that's not saying that the engagement ring was particularly expensive).

=d> =d> =d>

Slightly off topic, but one of the things I like in life are when you hear about a topic from someone who;
a) Really knows what they're talking about (more than just voicing an opinion)
and
b) Is passionate about the subject.

Jewellery doesn't particularly interest me, but leftrightout's posts in this thread are fantastic.

Thanks man! :d

Each and every person will have a different experience when shopping for the engagement ring. It can be a daunting experience. Even with my clients I try to educate them prior to a purchase. Jewellery is nothing like buying a car and you don't want a carsalesman selling you the ring. They will push the sale above all else.

I cant stress this enough. GO to your local family jeweller. Look at their work and compare it to others. Talk to the jeweller, ask about warranty and ask fuckloads of questions and don't be afraid. Make sure the work is being done on premises and not sub-contracted to fuck knows who. Don't fall for the prestigious looking stores with fancy lights and snobby woman behind the counter either. Ask to speak with jeweller and ask to see his work. No jeweller, no good.

And just to be fair, there are shit jewellers and there are good jewellers just like in any other trade. A jeweller is a person who served a four year apprenticeship not a store that sells jewellery.

So not only would he have bought it on the recommendation of some blokes on an internet football forum, he would have got it made by some bloke on an internet football forum.

\:d/ =d>

I let my wife pick her own ring engagement and wedding ring, just as I picked my own wedding band and we paid for them together.

Different strokes for different folks.

:lol:

This can be arranged :lol:

I never understand this joke, in today's world of over sexualisation aren't we getting more of it even in marriage? Perhaps stereotypes are to well set in, but if you have made a commitment to only have sex with one person for the rest of your life, then shouldn't you do it at every given opportunity???

i will pass on this piece of sexual advice though to anyone getting married or planning on having kids, enjoy things like morning sex and impromptue sex as these are the things you lose when you have a child that can walk and talk and demand attention.

Never use a need to sleep to put off having sex either, it could be the only chance you get, especially in Football season.

Kids ruin everything... Although I did manage to have sex two nights in a row this week, I can't even remember the last time that happened because of kids and pregnancy. Probably well over 18 months

It's actually not taht ridiculous. HAving seen some of the Grech Jeweller's work, it's pretty good.

When my grandfather was a jeweller he'd recommend the big, gaudy stone for the engagement ring and then smaller, finer diamonds for the wedding ring so it'd be more expensive. I always thought that was the way it was done, but convention suggests it's the other way around. :lolL

The future of jewellery design is already here...

[youtube]R9x5QAzFmoc[/youtube]

It was a big investment but definitely worth it. I had to fly to Brisbane for a three day training course.

CAD allows us to project to our clients exact schematics and realistic 3D renders of rings before we even start the manufacturing process. We can even animate the ring on a 360 degree loop.

http://www.grechjewellers.com.au/

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