Buying a Ring Today

[ccoltmanm]

So I am going to buy an engagement ring today. I narrowed it down to 3 rings. Looking for some feedback from you guys on them, preferably from our female members. Couldn't tell you what her tastes are, I always bought her stones in the past.

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13148083

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12268342

http://www.zales.com/product/index.jsp?productId=17579916

[fusi0n]

I like the last one..

I bought my rings from Zales.. NIGHTMARE experience. I have bought a lot from there and only had that one horrible experience . but when I researched them a lot of people had alot of the same issues I had with them..

GET THE PROTECTION plan. I did and very thankful that I did.. This was a painless experience.

[Detection]

My gf said she would choose the middle one due to its unusualness then choice 2 would be the top ring because it is minimalistic and neat

[BillyJack]

If you can't get what she likes before you propose then maybe after you propose you can give her the choice to take it back and get something similar if she likes. You can also talk to her friends to get an idea if you can trust them being quite. Some woman like to wear the engagement ring with the wedding ring. If that is something your woman might like to do then keep that in mind when picking a ring.

Also, do not be afraid to try to push the price down. Jewelery has a high markup and they will go way down if you haggle them. You can get them to drop the price down even if there is a current discount. You can go from store to store to compare prices and rings and make sure the sales person knows that. That way they are more likely to try to get your business by giving you a percentage of the jewelry.

Usually they have an insurance you can buy that is a one time fee and will replace damaged or lost jewelry. The insurance usually requires an annual inspection which is a pain in the ass and over time you will forget to do. If you do not do the inspection it will void the insurance. So keep that in mind before buying the insurance. Some places will still do the inspection even though you missed it. As long as nothing is damaged or mission they will update the insurance and sign off the inspection.

[fusi0n]

If you PUSH hard enough, Zales WILL give you up to 10% off a ring.. There is a huge markup.. Usually the local jewelry stores will deal more than Zales, Kays, ect.

[indy]

i would by from a diamond broker not zales ... like blue nile .com

the markup is huge!!! do you know what diamond cut she likes does she have sisters or a really good friend to ask the cut style that she likes ... princess etc.... just saying .. the cuts matters the price also ring size you can use a ring she has already that she is not wearing .. just trying to help

[spacer]

I shopped around for one earlier this year, and there are two pieces of advice that I can give you.

Do not get a princess cut diamond. It is the easiest cut to do. Gemologists literally learn to cut diamonds with this cut. Princess cut diamons are generally the worst ones in terms of quality that you can get. That's why they gave it a name that would attraction more attention. In my opinion, go with a round-cut. It's THE classic cut for a diamond ring, and it will never go out of style. So go with that one, unless your significant other explicitly stated they wanted another cut. (And if they said they wanted a princess-cut, get them to change their mind)

Do not buy a diamond or buy from a jeweler that is not AGS certified. Otherwise, you could be (read: probably are) paying way more money for a diamond than what you should be. A diamond certified by the AGS will get an appraisal that is guaranteed, no matter where you go. A certified jeweler is basically a jeweler that stands behind all of their diamonds. The AGS can and does randomly visit these jewelers, select any number of diamonds on display, and appraises them. If a certified jeweler misrepresents any of their diamonds, the AGS will revoke that jeweler's certification. I would never buy from a jeweler that is not certified with the AGS. Zales, Hannoush, Jareds, Kays are not certified. In CT, the only close certified dealer is Michael's, and that is the only place I would buy one. But Michael's is a local jeweler. I don't know what is out there in IL.

As for the style to get, that is totally up to the person receiving it. If you don't know what they want, ask. Or, shop for the ring together. Trust me, you don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a ring that they hate or find unattractive.

[articuno1au]

I like the second one. It's both classy and attractive.

Man vote.

[firey]

I'd go with a pack of these:

Pros: Tasty

Get more for less

Edible

Chicks Dig Guys who pay for food

Bigger than any gem any of her friends have

Cons: Too many Pros, and not enough cons.

But.. if you don't agree, and want to spend more money.. then go with the third.

[zeta_immersion]

agree with the above ... then again I got a nice ring for the wife about $500 ... any more than that it hurts too much

[elangab]

Second one is nice

[Guest]

Ask her to pick one now, then suprise her later. Rather than getting something that you think she will like. She might not like any of them?

[typu]

too much bling for my taste - simple platin with a little (real) stone in it would be the right for my better half.

something like this

http://www.schmuck.ch/detail?id=533371

[Sandor]

Should always try to work out how the ring will interact with a wedding ring in the future. Awkward shapes could be uncomfortable.

Personally I think the first one is the nicest but it's all subjective.

[spikey_richie]

My wife has something similar to the first one, but in platinum. You need to think about how the wedding ring will match; the 2nd one will be a pig to get a wedding ring that complements it.

[Andrew Lyle Global Moderator]

I'm not great with this stuff.. So I'll just say good luck!

[Charisma Veteran]

First of all, congrats :D

Secondly, I love the last one :D I prefer round to square cuts (but I notice a lot more women like the squares, so probably a good choice) and I'm a total sucker for the three-stone look like that. The first one's pretty too.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

personally i prefer the last one.

However, I have being told many times of this rules:

1.Get it from a store in person so you can negotiate!!! 10% down is not much, sometimes you can have 40% down

2. Diamond cuts have grades! The fine cuts have higher prices. Unless you girlfirend is a specialist, get the the LARGEST diamond in your budget, with the ********* cut. Trust me, it is for her girlfirends to see, and none of them will carry a magnifying glass with them.

I have seen people buy locally a ring with a giant diamond and two tiny ones around it for the same price as you ring number 3. it looked WAAAAY more impressive! and it was not the best diamonds, but for inexperienced person it looked DAMN IMPRESSIVE! much more so then any of your examples.

good luck, depending on where you are in might be hard to find a deal... but never buy based on a grade! buy based on size!

[Growled Member]

I'm not great with this stuff.. So I'll just say good luck!

Same here. Good luck. :)

[LUTZIFER]

You must have a pretty good computer to be willing to waste that much money on a ring for some chick, lol, sorry couldn't resist.

Anyways... I say the 3rd one. The middle one is really nice but seems kinda big.

[Charisma Veteran]

personally i prefer the last one.

However, I have being told many times of this rules:

1.Get it from a store in person so you can negotiate!!! 10% down is not much, sometimes you can have 40% down

2. Diamond cuts have grades! The fine cuts have higher prices. Unless you girlfirend is a specialist, get the the LARGEST diamond in your budget, with the ********* cut. Trust me, it is for her girlfirends to see, and none of them will carry a magnifying glass with them.

I have seen people buy locally a ring with a giant diamond and two tiny ones around it for the same price as you ring number 3. it looked WAAAAY more impressive! and it was not the best diamonds, but for inexperienced person it looked DAMN IMPRESSIVE! much more so then any of your examples.

good luck, depending on where you are in might be hard to find a deal... but never buy based on a grade! buy based on size!

Just.. no.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

imo i'd avoid chain jewerly stores like the plague. as others have mentioned, their mark-up is huge. plus, all the rings look kinda the same. of those 3, however, i like the 3rd one. everyone's tastes and priorities are different though!

in my case, last year my wife and i went ring shopping together. i didnt want to guess and pick something she wouldnt like. buying together, she now has a ring that we both love. in our case, i bought the diamond separately from Zoara, then we went to a local, family-owned store to pick out the setting. we had the setting custom-made by Gelin Abaci and the diamond set. we are very happy w/ our purchase.

[ccoltmanm]

Thanks for the tips and opinions guys.

I ended up not going with any of those three, and instead went with a more custom design. It ended up being 6k!!!! Anyways, here are the pics... weird, the iPhone 5 couldn't focus...

[123456789A]

Nice ring, what socket type is it?

[Charisma Veteran]

Oh, that's beautiful! I love the little stones all along the band. Pricey but I am sure she will love it. :)