tips on buying an engagement ring

[holden j caufield]

Hi I was thinking about buying one at costco for my gf. Then I thought about all the unused ones and figured maybe craigslist? My gf is techie and isn't too much into rings so she'd probably be cool with a used one since we'd be saving a bunch of money and that saved money would go towards our worldwide trip.

I just know nothing about it so how do I go about not getting ripped off on craigslist. Besides going to a jeweler for appraisal.

Thanks

 

[ThinClient]

Tip: Don't.

 

[alzan]

Hi I was thinking about buying one at costco for my gf. Then I thought about all the unused ones and figured maybe craigslist? My gf is techie and isn't too much into rings so she'd probably be cool with a used one since we'd be saving a bunch of money and that saved money would go towards our worldwide trip.

I just know nothing about it so how do I go about not getting ripped off on craigslist. Besides going to a jeweler for appraisal.

Thanks

Just get one that fits her nose and you'll be fine. Maybe a nice round, gold-colored drapery ring from Home Depot will suffice.

Craigslist will be just fine; pay no attention to the stories you hear about people getting ripped off on Craigslist, they're all rubes.

 

[MustISO]

Don't spend too much. Get something basic that she likes the look of.

My wife and I picked out the stones together and then both went into the same store independently to look at settings. We ended up liking the exact same one.

Never purchased anything like this one CL but I imagine it's like buying anything else, you can either get a deal or get ripped off.

I'd suggest going to a store, but again, don't spend too much.

 

[Zeze]

Oh god, get prepared for the 'diamond is just a worthless rock' crowd (it's true yes, but ATOT sometimes get carried away in the typical antisocial fashion in their delivery)

 

[poofyhairguy]

If you are serious the answer is get the rock off of bluenile.com and get a jeweler to mount it onto a ring for maximum value.

 

[Zeze]

If you are serious the answer is get the rock off of bluenile.com and get a jeweler to mount it onto a ring for maximum value.

Use discover.com like me.

I happened to get lucky because Discover was having extra 5% cashback that weekend AND 'shop through discover.com' into bluenile link provided for another 5% cashback, all on top of regular 1% cashback.

And they didn't collect tax. Maximum value.

 

[mikeford]

Going into debt for at least five years shows someone that you really care about them. Unfortunately that someone is the person who sells you the ring.

 

[holden j caufield]

ok thanks. I'll check out bluenile but I've always been very happy with Costco and big purchases. If anything goes wrong or she doesn't like it they take back stuff no hassle and have a great return policy with no 15% restock etc. How many carats is the norm now 1ct?

 

[poofyhairguy]

ok thanks. I'll check out bluenile but I've always been very happy with Costco and big purchases. If anything goes wrong or she doesn't like it they take back stuff no hassle and have a great return policy with no 15% restock etc. How many carats is the norm now 1ct?

Depends on how many female friends your potential fiance has and how much she cares to impress them.

If she is an average American women 1ct is the floor.

 

[Wonderful Pork]

carats are just a measure of weight, so a poorly cut diamond can weigh more than a well cut stone, but cost more because its higher carats.

First thing first, set a price range you are willing to spend for the stone & band, from the price you can adjust other variables until you're happy (color, clarity, carats) or if you realize you'll never be happy you can increase the budget.

Though BlueNile is very popular (and a good jewler - got my wedding band from there) but I went to a small local shop so I could view the stones and pick the one I like the best. They emailed me some GIA sheets before hand and I various selected stones from 0.92 to 1.08 look at. You might be able to do this through BlueNile but I didn't want to have a CC bill of $15k as I evaluated several stones.

One tool I used is the Holloway Cut Advisor Tool which kind of gives an estimate on "sparkliness"...the stone I selected scored <2 and was a .92 E VS2...gets plenty of compliments too. You can get the info for the HCA tool from the GIA sheet ahead of time.

 

[holden j caufield]

she's a science geek with common sense so I doubt it will really matter to her. Instead of a purse she uses an cellphone/camera bag as her "purse". I'm sure she's more concerned with efficiency than a show off item. She doesn't hang out with a bunch typical girls, most of her friends are in the science field. But hey she has family and coworkers so I'd like something she can be proud of. I'd like to keep it around 3 - 3.5k, but I haven't even stepped foot in the jewelry dept so I don't know. Obviously the lower the better and if I can find someone with a great ring that didn't pan out for him I'm sure he'd sell it for a lot lot less.

 

[Wonderful Pork]

she's a science geek with common sense so I doubt it will really matter to her. Instead of a purse she uses an cellphone/camera bag as her "purse". I'm sure she's more concerned with efficiency than a show off item. She doesn't hang out with a bunch typical girls, most of her friends are in the science field. But hey she has family and coworkers so I'd like something she can be proud of. I'd like to keep it around 3 - 3.5k, but I haven't even stepped foot in the jewelry dept so I don't know. Obviously the lower the better and if I can find someone with a great ring that didn't pan out for him I'm sure he'd sell it for a lot lot less.

my .92ct was about 6.7k + $500 for a white gold setting = $7.2k total.

I'd say $3-$3.5 could get a good .5-.6ct or a fair .8-1ct

 

[holden j caufield]

ok thanks. Newb reading up on colors etc. Going to head on my way costco. Guy says his gf said no to him and has no use for this ring. Says it's a 1/2 ct. Any since she said no he's selling it for considerably less than my 3.5k budget which is great Selling it for under $1k. It looks fine to me, any advice?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7934298@N02/14535145994/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7934298@N02/14349987720/

 

[crashtestdummy]

she's a science geek with common sense so I doubt it will really matter to her. Instead of a purse she uses an cellphone/camera bag as her "purse". I'm sure she's more concerned with efficiency than a show off item. She doesn't hang out with a bunch typical girls, most of her friends are in the science field. But hey she has family and coworkers so I'd like something she can be proud of. I'd like to keep it around 3 - 3.5k, but I haven't even stepped foot in the jewelry dept so I don't know. Obviously the lower the better and if I can find someone with a great ring that didn't pan out for him I'm sure he'd sell it for a lot lot less.

If she *really* doesn't care about diamonds, sapphires hold up really well and can be had in a number of colors.



Also, if she's the type to do things in the lab, think about a design that doesn't have any edges that will catch.

 

[holden j caufield]

yes she won't care if it's from a lab. I've heard man made ones look just as good and it doesn't involve the politics and issues in africa. Can anyone recommend one. Thanks

 

[Babbles]

she's a science geek with common sense so I doubt it will really matter to her. Instead of a purse she uses an cellphone/camera bag as her "purse". I'm sure she's more concerned with efficiency than a show off item. She doesn't hang out with a bunch typical girls, most of her friends are in the science field. But hey she has family and coworkers so I'd like something she can be proud of. I'd like to keep it around 3 - 3.5k, but I haven't even stepped foot in the jewelry dept so I don't know. Obviously the lower the better and if I can find someone with a great ring that didn't pan out for him I'm sure he'd sell it for a lot lot less.

I am a scientist, and work with a bunch of female scientists and most - if not all of them - still like nice jewelry, including engagement rings. But, everybody is different.

My approach was to get a good clarity, color, and cut. You don't need super high clarity and color - you won't be able to visually notice it - then get the largest carat within your budget that meets the other constraints. My wife's engagement ring is ~0.95 carats, but I got crazy perfect table measurements, clarity, cut, and so forth and it looks like a much larger stone because it is cut so well. The sweet spot is right under 1.0 carat. Again with the right specifications a ring under 1 carat will look much, much better than a larger carat with crappy specs.

 

[holden j caufield]

ok thanks. Newb reading up on colors etc. Going to head on my way costco. Guy says his gf said no to him and has no use for this ring. Says it's a 1/2 ct. Any since she said no he's selling it for considerably less than my 3.5k budget which is great Selling it for under $1k. It looks fine to me, any advice?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7934298@N02/14535145994/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7934298@N02/14349987720/

http://www.kay.com/en/kaystore/diamond-engagement-ring-1-1-4-ct-tw-princess-cut-14k-white-gold

any thoughts on either of these. I'm going to surprise her, so if she doesn't like it are most jewelers ok with exchanging if for another model.

 

[alzan]

ok thanks. Newb reading up on colors etc. Going to head on my way costco. Guy says his gf said no to him and has no use for this ring. Says it's a 1/2 ct. Any since she said no he's selling it for considerably less than my 3.5k budget which is great Selling it for under $1k. It looks fine to me, any advice?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7934298@N02/14535145994/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7934298@N02/14349987720/

First linky no worky.

Were it me and knowing what my wife liked when we got engaged I would go with the second of the two; the Kay Jeweler's ring is nice but I would choose the three diamond style.

Also:

If she *really* doesn't care about diamonds, sapphires hold up really well and can be had in a number of colors.

Second that; I've had several things made for my wife that use a mixture of white gold and blue star sapphires that she adores.

I had a ring made for myself with standard sapphires that we both love.

 

[alkemyst]

Before you put a ring on her finger, make sure her ring is around yours.

 

[Ns1]

The only thing that matters is size. No matter what she says.

 

[alkemyst]

The only thing that matters is size. No matter what she says.

lol

 

[Midwayman]

Getting one used isn't a bad idea. Meet at a jeweler that you choose to verify the stone. Get it reset. The trouble is going to be finding someone who doesn't think their stone is worth mall store prices. Also if you're picky I can't tell you how much crap I rejected locally. Had to buy online to find a good cut at a reasonable price.

Is she cool with a non-diamond stone? You can save a ton there too.

 

[Newell Steamer]

If you are willing to go used - might as well go to a pawn shop.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Ring value should be defined by your BUDGET (without going into debt).

Ask your girl, sounds like she is not the "big rock" type of a gal.....you don't want to offend her by blowing too much money right off the bat.