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: