How big should the gfs engagement ring be?
 

Hey guys, So ive been in a holding pattern from buying a 370z because of this issue. I wana pay cash only for her ring but at the same time get her something very nice. We have dated 5 years now, and I have known her about 8 years since she was in college at UNF. Now shes a 2nd year resident doctor in GA with only one more year to go starting in June. So how much is ok without going overboard on a ring. Most of her Doctor friends only have half ct. diamonds but I think that is too small for a doctor. Basically I told her I wouldnt buy a 370z till I had her ring. SO what do you suggest, Ive searched rings and have figured I would buy it from blue nile online as I have known others who purchased through them and their prices are much cheaper than in stores. I tossed out the 2ct number but she said she would never wear it to work so now im thinking between 1 and 1 1/2ct. I dont wana give it to her till our alaskan cruise in july so I have time to decide and save up for more cash, or just keep it and save for a nice downpayment on a Z haha. Thoughts and tips of course are welcome. Tell me what you bought etc?

Thanks! :tiphat:

Depends. If it's just a solitare then you can do 1.5 and that will be OK.

RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL J/K I just wanted to be a d**k. I have been with my GF for 5 years as well, good luck in the future.

I'd go the subtle route.

http://nflfaninengland.files.wordpre...pg?w=500&h=456

I would definitely get her at least a 1.5 ct. I don't care what they said. Bigger is always better. Save yourself from having to buy another one 5 or 10 years down the road.

:iagree:

1-1.5 seems like a perfect range. If you're moving up to 1.5, make sure it's in the VS range, and near colorless. Imperfection become a much bigger deal as you go up in size.

I'm so glad I went the cheapass route and purchased something so small she almost threw the box away that I was giving it to her in. 5 years later we divorced and I was only out $800......and that was for my ring and hers! :rofl2:

Size is just as important as the 3 other C's(color, cut, clarity). Best way is to let her decide or get hints from friends. I've had ex's that talked about 1ct avg and I think that's tiny cause my mom has a 5ct. VVS1 that has scared me into never wanting to get married...lol.

Engagement Rings - Engagement Ring Advice for Guys

I think at least 1, nothing smaller. I think I spent about 7k for one. I prefer blue Nile for the selection.

I would focus on the quality of the stone, not so much the size. I would suggest a 1 ct diamond. I recently bought my wife of 24 years a 'new' wedding ring with a 1 ct solitaire engagement stone. She did not want anything larger as the ring would 'catch' on things and be too ostentacious. The cut is a brilliant 100 facet design (which is very rare) and the clarity was VSI2 H (very slightly included, no colour).
I also bought her a non-conflict diamond (from Canada!) that is laser engraved with a serial number on the girdle for security. It also came with an appraisal and certificate of origin and a laser scan of the diamond for insurance purposes. In a platinum mount, on 18k gold ring, with a diamond on the INSIDE of the band from People's jewellers. Paid about $10000 for it.

One trick is to go just slightly under the milestones as in .96-.97 ct is usually much cheaper than 1.0 ct. At least it used to be that way. The "I think that is too small for a doctor" comment is funny. Most doctors rings... if they even have one... are much smaller than average. Doctors seem to be much more sensible than most women about such things.

If you're looking to get a big rock and want to save some money I may have a suggestion.

Engagement Rings | Wedding Bands | Jewelry | Diamond Nexus Labs

I'm not affiliated with them BUT I've seen the quality and clarity of these stones and they're excellent. Basically a synthetic diamond that has all the properties of a "real" diamond, including hardness, without any of the flaws. You aren't able to choose a clarity because all of the diamonds are FLAWLESS. These stones also come with certification from the american international gemologists. Best of all, the price of the ring is much cheaper due to it being a manufactured part rather than a rock that's been mined, ground down, and polished.

Ofcourse if you absolutely NEED a diamond stained with the blood of some African miner your local jewelry store will do. =)

Honestly it really depends on your station in life. Get the best you can afford. If you're getting married for the right reasons that's all that should matter. You can always upgrade at a future anniversary.

Just get something that suits her and her lifestyle. Don't get just one big rock but several rocks.

I spent about $1,000 on my wife, to the left, and she loves the ring. She gets more compliments about her ring than others who has a solitaire. The group of rocks makes it shine! I don't know how many carats it is.

She loves the ring even til this day :)

We've been dating for about 5 years too before we got married :)

:iagree: A simple, understated, yet high clarity diamond will work wonders.

Yes i totally agree on quality, ive been surfin lots of blue nile diamonds and have come across some amazing ones. I work for UPS and the last 2 years I was doubled up in the mall route at Christmas and got to know the salemen really good and they give me amazing discounts on stuff when I need it. However, their rings are normally of much lower quality and much higher prices than blue nile. I have seen the blue nile workmanship and quality and I think for something in the thousands, I want that quality with high color and quality! From what I can tell a 1 ct with pretty high marks is around 5k whereas a good 1 1/2ct starts at the high 7k range and goes up.

All great suggestions here, she is set on her solitare though so no multi diamonds for her and she is set on at least a 1ct diamond...shes half pinoy so from what I hear, they like their jewlery! haha I get ragged all day long that I can ride the easy life when I am married so I dont want her to ever think that so I wana show her I am investing alot into the marriage as well! Not just a gold digger (though she told me she would buy me a GTR in a few years)....

Feel free to throw more comments, I notice this topic is blowing up fast and I like reading what others think. :stirthepot:

I know its seems kind of straight forward, but buy the most you can afford without going too deeply into debt. It's as much about personal sacrifice as it is about a gesture of commitment. I'm nowhere near getting married any time soon, but I'm pretty shure its not going to be the ring she's going to care about (trust me i'm filipino). That size is more about what her friends will think. So just ask yourself what her friends will think of it when they see and balance that out with your gf would think of it. You have no say in this if I wasn't clear enough.:icon17:

Good Luck.

I know this is off-topic, but cheers to you, sir. That can not have been an easy task. :tup:

Consider going together to look at rings. That way she can pick what she wants and that way you don't have to worry about not getting the right one.

Its not too bad, splitting up the volume between 2 drivers is much easier than one! So I got all the huge bulk stops and delivered them outa the back of a semi truck and he got all the 1's and 2's boxes. Ive gotten lots of hookups since then too because of that and always taking care of the jewlers as the first stop of the day haha.

Man ive been on 3 cruises with her to the Caribbean and if you know anything about ports of call, you know they are swarming with diamond stores as thats the big sale in the Caribbean. I have been in every store with her and ive watched her try tons of rings on at local stores lol. Shes even taken pics of them on her finger!!!!! :excited: This girl is going nuts to get her ring, she said she will be fine once she gets it but till then she feels like shes just hanging in there! She knows shes gonna get it this year but not when. I wana do it on an Alaskan cruise while your out there on the Glacier tour in the Mountains! The more I work all the overtime they have been throwing at me recently, the more I want a 1.5ct, I have all the cash now to just buy her a 1ct with very high quality but at the same time I dont wana break myself for later and for a downpayment on that 370z. Thats why I came to the forums to ask some other gentlemen what they did. Im just 31 so this will be my first and only marriage God willing so I wana do it right!:tup:

This sounds like a really good plan, man. Best of luck!

It all depends on the pictures you post here. Oh wait ... this isn't the premium section :rolleyes:

Remember doctors spend a lot of time putting on and taking off latex gloves. If you want her to wear it all the time then you will need to get something that is low profile, the standard solitaire settings aren't going to work.

I went with a .82CT round with 6 diamonds on either side channel set and it cost alittle more than a SC kit haha




DAN

Just make sure to buy the insurance. My wife chipped her solitaire. She still wears it though.

Get a prenup.

Hate to be a downer, but marriage success and longevity is a coin flip.

Chipped a diamond solitaire? I would go back to the jeweller with that! Bad cut or a fake diamond! Most reputable jewellers have a lifetime warranty against chipping or such...

This big!

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...b/ad7d51b5.jpg

J/k! What I did was bring my sister with me and she helped finding a style my wife would like.

My wife's ring has a lifetime for hers just in case it gets damaged. Haven't used it yet. She's had the ring for 6 years.

Very true!

cubic zirconia. That way she gets a big ring she's really happy with. If she ever takes it to have it examined and confronts you about it, just be like "I can't believe you don't trust me!!!!" She will feel bad and make you a sandwich. Either way, you win.

Some women kill.

I understand your position OP. My girl and I were in the same graduating class. She now does Urgent Care/ Family Practice while I do Cardiology. Everyone in this field, down to the drug reps, have large diamond rings. While your girlfriend (future wife) may not care so much about the ring, she and you will be judged based off it. It's easy to say not to care about what others think but it's hard to actually have to face it on a daily basis.

Personally I went with a 1/2 carat center stone with .33 carat total weight channel set side stones for her promise ring. For the engagement ring I plan on just upgrading the center stone to a 1-1.5 carat. It's large enough to say you aren't cheap but not too outlandish. Also at 1-1.5 it won't rip too many latex gloves. You also have to make sure you don't anything that sits up too high or she will hate it being a doctor; unless she goes into a specialty where she doesn't use her hands too often.

Oh, and I also recommend an accompanying silver or gold plain band. Something to swap out with when doing activities where you don't want to damage or lose the diamond ring. When we go hiking, snorkeling, etc my girl always swaps out her ring. You can get a nice silver band for 25-50 bucks or a nice plain gold band for about 100-150. Cheap insurance for when you know there is risk depending on the activity

Yes...my gf said that if I ever did anything, she could kill me with untrackable stuff she could inject me with.....scary, ill keep you informed:icon18:

Thanks for your reponse, as a doc you deff understand the position im in. She is family practice like your wife. I also am glad you said the size I am looking at wont ruin the gloves she has on. Yah what you said about those drug reps, I fully understand, been to a few of their dinners that the residents were invited to and they are always way to overdressed and throwing money around like its nothing. I would never go under 1ct because I understand its nothing but a gossip bus rolling along throughout all of the hospital so I dont wana look cheap, thats part of the reason I wanted to look seriously at the 1.5ct.


From what Ive read, I think I have locked myself in on a min 1 ct for sure and a 1.5ct if the overtime at UPS provides me the extra cash to put toward one. I have till around June to buy it so I will just volunteer all of the extra hours I can toward buying a 1.5ct.

Thanks all so much for your tips and tricks on the matter, When I finally pick up the ring in June, I will post pics of it. Then, maybe I can buy my 370z that Ive been held back from way too long! haha :tup:

I purchased my engagement ring (1ct) from an in-law who knew the jewelry biz. SI2, H color (still white), but the CUT was amazing. It just lit from the inside. That ring was stolen, and the replacement was another 1ct, but was VS(something), E color, and more expensive. But the cut, though rated well, wasn't as good - sparkled, but no fire.

I'm with Clemson's saying, "bigger is better" - I ended up getting her a two carat down the road. :p

For you, recommend aiming for the 1.5ct. While the clarity and color increase the value of the diamond, and usually what we men focus on (specs, specs, SPECS!!! :excited:), the diamond ring is an emotional gift. And something that's big and bright will win her heart more than the description sheet that comes with the rock.

BTW, I purchased the 2ct from Blue Nile as well. GREAT company! :tup:

Your deff right about the size, it would blow away all of her co residents at the hospital. LOL Youve done blue nile, I sit there and play with those scaling charts just to try diff options. Well Once again I am being worked alot of OT this week so things are looking up, if they can stay high like this then I will deff buy her that 1.5ct ring just to rub it in her friends faces if nothing else:) lol :stirthepot: But in all reality, I wana make sure she is happy because this is the woman who will be footing most of the bill on a house, toys, etc and the woman who said in a few years Ill buy you a GTR! :bowrofl: so you are right, keep her happy and try for that 1.5! Thanks man