Engaged/Married Folk How big was the engagement ring?

[frankybaby]

So i'm probably gonna pop the question soon.  I've been doing my research for cut, clarity, color, and all that good stuff.  I'm curious to see the carat weight some of you guys chose for your ladies or what your husbands chose for you.  I know that diamonds are weighed in carats, but most people don't know that.  They more so pay attention to the size of the rock.  If any of you guys have any pics or tips you are willing to share that would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm trying to figure out the right fit for my lady.  I want nice sized rock but not too gaudy.  I want the ring to draw attention but nothing crazy.  I'm not rich btw either I'm looking to get something 1-1.6 cts.  Thanks in advance.

 

[soltheman]

got you bruh.

http://www.myjewelrybox.c...f-11e0-9866-001b2166becc

 

[wohcttank]

Just proposed end of july, the ring was just about a carat. It was a clearance ring at a local jeweler, got it for $1100, orig price was about $2200

 

[crcballer55]

If you're on a budget, get a rock that's .9 karats.  You can always claim it as 1K and nobody would know anything else unless you needed to pawn it off.  .9K are significantly less than 1K since that's usually the least anyone is willing to go.  You can always upgrade later when you can afford it.

 

[chickhien]

if you want it to bling, you gotta get the right color and clarity. i suggest not to go lower than a D color and VS2 on clarity and GIA certified.
this is a great site http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education

 

[utvol23]

not doubting you wohcttank but you aren't going to find a carat for 2200 with setting unless the other 3 c's are bad. Maybe if its like .8 carat etc but if you take a look at blue Nile the cheapest 1 ct they have is 3500. Their prices are good but not the best.

anyway I just proposed a few months ago and got about 1.3 center with micropave band appraised at just over 10k but paid a few k less

 

[kleankicks]

Depends on if your girlfriend prefers a larger stone or a higher quality in color/clarity. Most important thing is the cut, get an ideal cut stone and a lesser color/clarity to save a little bit.

 

[dirtylicious]

Originally Posted by chickhien

if you want it to bling, you gotta get the right color and clarity. i suggest not to go lower than a D color and VS2 on clarity and GIA certified.
this is a great site http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education

no lower than D?  but that's the best color there is...
OP...F is still in the colorless range (DEF).  that's the lowest I'd go.

Personally, I went with SI2 since you still need a loupe to see the flaws, and they're invisible to the naked eye.

get an ideal cut.. that will make it shine and sparkle

def get a GIA certified diamond though.

 

[jayvee1220]

It's been so long since i got my wife's ring, but i do remember it's .75 carats. i do recall it being very good color don't remember any other stats, but when we got it appraised, it was valued at well over twice what i paid. The ring itself is white gold with just the marquis cut stone. simple yet elegant.

 

[rhinosport]

^^ dirty is right. Also there is a big price jump every .5 especially the 1.5 to 2 jump. Although the 1 to 1.5 is also noticeable. Go the 3 month salary route and you can't go wrong.

 

[dirtylicious]

^personally...3 months is crazy in my book... even 2 months would have been a ridiculous amount to pay for a ring to me.

I say.... pay what you can afford. don't go crazy, b/c down the road you will be paying for a wedding.

 

[rhinosport]

^ yea, your right about the additional expenses down the road. I always heard the 3 month thing but also thought that was insane. I personally went 1.67 SI2 G round cut flanked with 2 .25 VS2 on both sides. It was worth every penny. Plus I got a very good deal on it.

 

[mr jordan04]

How much did you guys spend?

 

[mojodmonky1]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

Originally Posted by chickhien

if you want it to bling, you gotta get the right color and clarity. i suggest not to go lower than a D color and VS2 on clarity and GIA certified.
this is a great site http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education

no lower than D?  but that's the best color there is...
OP...F is still in the colorless range (DEF).  that's the lowest I'd go.

Personally, I went with SI2 since you still need a loupe to see the flaws, and they're invisible to the naked eye.

get an ideal cut.. that will make it shine and sparkle

def get a GIA certified diamond though.

sounds like Dirty and I were on the same page in terms of what we were looking for.

I went SI2 when I bought mine as well.  It may sound silly (especially when we are talking about friggin diamonds here) but I didnt want to pay for something I cant see.  SI2 inclusions are not visible to the naked eye.  I dont expect my wife to trade in or trade up her stone unless we win the lotto or something like that, so I wasnt as concerned with the resale/investment aspect of it.

The most important thing in my opinion is the cut.  You can have a colorless stone with excellent clarity but if its not cut correctly you will not get maximum light reflection through it.  Try to look up some stuff online to find out what ideal cut proportions/angles are and compare accordingly.  Find an honest jeweler and ask them to school you on what you should be looking for in terms of cut.

GIA certified is the way to go.  That way you know what you are getting, especially in terms of cut since all the cut dimensions and specs are on the certificate itself.

I got engaged back in 2008 and paid a little over $16K for stone.  My girl wanted a basic setting (18K white gold tiffany style solitaire setting) so they threw that in for free.  1.83ct, G, SI2 with ideal cut dimensions.

  

 

[Sir San Diego]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

^personally...3 months is crazy in my book... even 2 months would have been a ridiculous amount to pay for a ring to me.

I say.... pay what you can afford. don't go crazy, b/c down the road you will be paying for a wedding.

I know a dummy who dropped 20K on a wedding and lives in a two bedroom apt with his wife and two kids. I know another dummy who dropped over 10K on a wedding and hates his life. Weddings, rings and all that is a waste of money. If she loves you she can get by without it and will ride with your frugality.

 

[retro23j]

*takes notes*

 

[smokey13]

I got a 1.67ct VS2 G round cut GIA certified for 15k.

 

[luong1209]

I had a feeling Dirty would be in here.

*Waits for Ben Barra to enter* // *Taking notes*

 

[i just got lucky]

Originally Posted by Dirtylicious

Originally Posted by chickhien

if you want it to bling, you gotta get the right color and clarity. i suggest not to go lower than a D color and VS2 on clarity and GIA certified.
this is a great site http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education

no lower than D?  but that's the best color there is...
OP...F is still in the colorless range (DEF).  that's the lowest I'd go.

Personally, I went with SI2 since you still need a loupe to see the flaws, and they're invisible to the naked eye.

get an ideal cut.. that will make it shine and sparkle

def get a GIA certified diamond though.

I dont about no lower than a D for color.

This is an H color with SI2 2.0 Carat total weight.  Center stone is about 1.10 Ct.

i went with the 3 x Monthly income. 

proposed August this year.

 

[frankybaby]

Was busy at work and I'm late with the reply. But yall have some great responses. Yeah I was thinking for color I was going to get a G or an H. When I went to the Jewler he was telling me that anything below an H wouldn't be a good look because then it will start to look yellow.

And I'm probably also going to go with an SI1 or SI2. I went to the store the other day and they let me look at an SI2, I was really shocked at the fact that I really could not see the inclusions at all. Well that is of course until I used the magnifying tool they gave me. But who on earth carries those around.

I see alot of you guys are saying cut is most important. I need to make sure I remember that because I wasnt as focused on the cut at all.

 

[i3]

I've heard 3 months salary worth OR 10% of you're annual earnings. Probably useless information..

 

[mustbetheshoe58]

1.5 carat, got married last october.

will be celebrating the 1 year wedding anniversary next week

 

[fraij da 5 11]

My girls got a GIA (I think thats the grading agency) .84 carat VVS2 clarity I think G color Princess cut ring on her finger. Platinum Martin Flyer band.

 

[sreggie101]

can you still get diamonds that have been "certified" conflict free?

my gf got upset at me because i made her feel guilty for liking diamonds that may have come from africa via inhumane methods. but after watching a documentary on it, it was hard for me to share her sympathy.

also i recently found out you can have a lab grown diamond...

 

[brotherforreal]

haven't yet but I've been told the best way is to buy the diamond loose and the band separate to get the best price.