Diamond Purchase....more info added!

[DBL]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
www.diamondtalk.com

Good site. Also, Dirt Cheap Diamonds is a good place to purchase. I work in the industry and was able to get real wholesale prices. At the time I bought mine, dirt cheap had the exact diamond listed for only a 6-8% (not positive) premium over the pricing I got. They have very good pricing and an inventory representing much of what is available currently.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
WHO'S

WHO IS

WHO IS TO SAY

NAZI

NAZIS

NAZI'S

 

[LeonarD26]

Why don't you just ask you GF what she expects?

 

[91TTZ]

Who's

Who is.

If she's not satisfied with the rock you get her, cut your losses and dump the bitch.

 

[denmalley]

I'd say buy the ring two month's after you're laid off...two months salary...

 

[ghostman]

I didn't know how much was appropriate either. My sister went around and asked friends (male and female). Answers consistently came back at around $10,000. I thought WTF! Carrying around 10K on your finger?!?! One of her friends got a (relatively) cheap ring at about $4000, I believe. She was very happy with it. I personally think giant diamonds and overly-showy rings in general look like crap.

Like others have said, you should get what you can afford and make sure she's aware of what she's getting. In any case, if she grimaces at your engagement ring, you've probably already made a big mistake.

 

[yoda291]

it's an engagement ring, not a wedding band. She should be getting married because of the guy behind the ring, not for the ring itself.

 

[tami]

Originally posted by: bobbybe01
I think the general idea is to spend $$ on the wedding ring...the wedding band is cheap and most women I believe wear both?

what do you mean spend $$ on the wedding ring? i'm getting married on sunday. my fiance and i got wedding rings in january and my ring cost $100. plain gold, 18k. $100.

my engagement ring, however, was a lot more than that. and the engagement ring is ultimately a lot more special.

given the OP's circumstances, go to a diamond dealer who deals exclusively with the industry (try to know someone who knows someone), and not to a regular store at the mall. you'll get much better deals, and depending on the dealer, you may be able to get some sort of financial package as well. my ring was appraised for over 2 times more than the fiance paid for it (yes, you should get it appraised for insurance purposes), but you need to shop wisely.

 

[DBL]

Originally posted by: tami

Originally posted by: bobbybe01
I think the general idea is to spend $$ on the wedding ring...the wedding band is cheap and most women I believe wear both?

what do you mean spend $$ on the wedding ring? i'm getting married on sunday. my fiance and i got wedding rings in january and my ring cost $100. plain gold, 18k. $100.

my engagement ring, however, was a lot more than that. and the engagement ring is ultimately a lot more special.

given the OP's circumstances, go to a diamond dealer who deals exclusively with the industry (try to know someone who knows someone), and not to a regular store at the mall. you'll get much better deals, and depending on the dealer, you may be able to get some sort of financial package as well. my ring was appraised for over 2 times more than the fiance paid for it (yes, you should get it appraised for insurance purposes), but you need to shop wisely.

I hope you didn't submit the inflated appraisal to your insurance company. It's silly to pay twice the premium for something that you can replace for half of the insured value.

 

[elektrolokomotive]

DeBeers is an evil empire. I can't stomach giving them money to further their stranglehold on the diamond markets. Look into Moissanite.

Strangely, Mrs. Elektro agrees with me. She's so cool!

 

[Spike]

Man you guys are spending alot on freaking rings! I spent a grand total of $1800, that included a .5 carrot blue marquie (sp?) cut diamond (no visible defects in 10x) and a custom-made curved 14k white-gold ring with 6 smaller whit diamonds (totalling .36 carrots) channel set along the side of the main diamond. Is it as flashy as most... no! But it definitly draws alot of attention for being elegant and unique. People LOVE the blue diamond.

My philosophy was spend more on the honeymoon than the ring... which we did! A little over $4k bought us a very nice 2 week cruise in the northern med ranging from Spain to Turkey.

All of this was on a college students budget but even now that I am working I can't see myself having spent more.

-spike

 

[mexkn]

Originally posted by: shenaniganz
If she really loves you she'll understand if you tell her you can't afford the most expensive ring at the moment. Then when you're a little more financially stable maybe replace the diamond for a bigger one. Just my $.02.

I agree. At the time I got engaged, I was working half-time, school full time and I got what I could afford at the time. Luckily, during the 6-month engagement, I got a nice full-time position so I was able to afford upgrading her diamond. She completely understood and did not make any sort of fuss. It's "behind" the ring that counts. After we got married, I took the engagement ring and the wedding band (actually a wrap) soldered; i accidently upgraded the diamond. She really appreciated it, but assured me it wasn't necessary. She also mentioned "I was lucky" that I did it then, 'cause later she wouldn't want to part with it (and it would be kinda hard to pry it off her unless it needed resizing, and even then... ).

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: mexkn
i accidently upgraded the diamond.

So were you walking along the street, tripped, and accidently landed on a more expensive diamond that adhered to the ring?

 

[mexkn]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: mexkn
i accidently upgraded the diamond.

So were you walking along the street, tripped, and accidently landed on a more expensive diamond that adhered to the ring?

-.- I was being facetious

 

[aircooled]

2 words. Cubic Zirconia.

 

[kgokal]

bump for more info!

 

[kranky]

Read your update and it sounds like she expects to get an expensive ring. So there's your answer. I think it's unwise, given your current circumstances, but if she feels she needs a ring big enough to impress her friends with, I guess that's the way it is.

If it was me, I'd tell my gf that it doesn't matter how much money her family has, and we are not going to begin our lives together being financially irresponsible because we have someone who will bail us out if we screw up.

 

[StageLeft]

$1500 and you're done with it.

 

[kgokal]

Yeah, i am getting the feeling that she will not be happy with anything smaller....
Now a good thing is that i may be able to hold out untill closer to the wedding in summer of 06' to get the ring, and hopefully i will be more fiancially stable by then....

What would you guys think a good percentage of savings could be used for the ring?
The reason is that i do have a good bit saved up, but want to know how much, on a percentage base, would be a good amount to earmark for an engagement ring?
Im guessing that would be informative, and more relative to my situation.

 

[kranky]

Percentage of savings is not relevant to how much you should spend. You need the money to start a business and cover your expenses, right?

I agree with your thought of holding off until later, when you will be hopefully in better shape financially.

 

[denmalley]

When I gave my wife her engagement ring two years ago, I had spent a year saving for it. She hassled me that all her friends were always bugging her about when the question was going to be dropped, and she kept accusing me of dragging my feet, that I wasn't willing to make the commitment. I told her to be patient, when I was able to give her the ring she deserved, that that would be the right time for us to get married.

I put the ring on layaway, and steadily made the payments. The very day it was paid off, I rushed to meet her at the airport as she was returning from a business trip. I proposed to her right there in the baggage claim, and said that as soon as I got the ring I couldn't wait another moment to give it to her.

I don't regret the decision to wait until it was paid off for a single moment, and neither does my wife.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: kgokal
Ok so i am basically on the hunt for an egagement ring, and i've searched high and low for a good method to determine what to spend. All women say, TWO MONTHS SALARY, a consequence of extremely good marketing by the diamond industry. Most sites and books say spend what you can afford. Whose to say what you can afford? What if you have a good amount in savings, but will no longer be earning an income for an undermined amount of time? Basically my situation is im about to be laid off at the end of the month. And am trying to go into business, but that could take up a year before it will start producing profits ( No where near ready to open as of right now). I do have a good bit saved up, but i want to save it for supporting myself till biz takes off. I do have a 0% interest CC till May 06', but that requires 4% minium monthly payments.... HOw do i figure out how much to spend?

Now just to add some more information. I do live with her, and could live on her income if we cut out frivilous expenses. And truely if worse comes to worse, she always has her wealthy parents for backup. Does this change anything to you guys, because these are reasons she uses to justify making such a big purchase now.

She wants to spend $$$$$$ on something with poor resale value. And she wants to use your SAVINGS to do it, while you're unemployed. And she's willing to run to mommy and daddy if the going gets rough.

Good luck to you, you're going to need it.

EDIT: I hate to be harsh, but...geez dude, get a clue! This could go so bad in so many ways very quickly.

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: kgokal
Ok so i am basically on the hunt for an egagement ring, and i've searched high and low for a good method to determine what to spend. All women say, TWO MONTHS SALARY, a consequence of extremely good marketing by the diamond industry. Most sites and books say spend what you can afford. Whose to say what you can afford? What if you have a good amount in savings, but will no longer be earning an income for an undermined amount of time? Basically my situation is im about to be laid off at the end of the month. And am trying to go into business, but that could take up a year before it will start producing profits ( No where near ready to open as of right now). I do have a good bit saved up, but i want to save it for supporting myself till biz takes off. I do have a 0% interest CC till May 06', but that requires 4% minium monthly payments.... HOw do i figure out how much to spend?

Now just to add some more information. I do live with her, and could live on her income if we cut out frivilous expenses. And truely if worse comes to worse, she always has her wealthy parents for backup. Does this change anything to you guys, because these are reasons she uses to justify making such a big purchase now.

her wealthy parents shouldn't be an issue and their presence shouldn't be pressuring you to buy something more expensive. also, living with her is not justification for purchasing an expensive ring for her. i get the feeling anything smaller than a one carat practically flawless diamond will be subpar, and that will be expensive.

the two months salary is the most you can spend. for most people it's ridiculous to spend that much money on a ring.

for now, if you can, you can buy a smaller one and promise her you'll get her a bigger one when you can afford it. my parents did that (or well... my mom went out and got herself a better one...) right now starting up something you want to do is leaps and bounds more important than a ring for a person that should be there for you no matter what.