Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814
My advice would honestly be to wait a little bit if your budget is only $1000. This is the girl you're going to commit the rest of your life to. You don't need to drop 10 grand on a rock, but given that she isn't going to take that thing off for much between now and death/divorce, splurge a little bit.
Go for quality, not quantity as well. She's going to be looking at the thing once every eight seconds between the time you give it to her and the time you guys get married, so the less opportunity for her to discover some flaw that's going to knaw at her and wonder if you cheaped out on the physical manifestation of your love for her the better.
Save a little bit more money, go to Tiffany in Chinook, sit down with one of their staff and let them show you exactly what you're paying for. You can get some pretty spectacular offerings for less than 3K. Which seems like a lot (and it's not like I'm rolling it it either mate, 13K in student loan debts) but I'll say it again: girl you wanna spend the rest of your life with. Don't lowball this one. It's not a CBA proposal.
Best of luck, sir.
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edit: oops, sorry I didn't read that you didnt' want to order online.
I disagree with Tiffany. They're diamonds are even more overpriced than normal diamonds, because they claim their diamonds are the best of the best. Not worth it IMO.
Check out
http://www.bluenile.ca
You can choose your own diamond, setting, and matching wedding band.
The diamonds are usually cheaper than if you were to buy from a store, b
ecause jewellery mark-up is absolutely insane. Plus bluenile diamonds are usually GIA certified (meaning that the diamonds are graded by the GIA, which ensures that the cut, clarity, color are accurate. Some stores will carry diamonds graded by other labs (privately owned, who are making money to grade diamonds) so the accuracy could be compromised.
Get to know your 4 C's:
(listed in order of importance IMO)
1. Carat (size) - this is what most people will see, and so it is usually the most important factor for most women.
2. Cut - a smaller well cut diamond will actually shine brighter than a larger, lower quality diamond, making it look larger than it is from afar.
Color
3. Color - you want to stay in the H-G-F region for color (the closer to D you get, the more expensive it gets). The color of the diamond shows how "clear" the diamond is. H colored diamonds will look slightly cloudy when compared to an F. The cloudiness will make the diamond look dull and dirty, and thus it will shine less.
4. Clarity - This factor is mostly overrated. Clarity doesn't make a huge difference as long as you stay middle of the road. Clarity is only very apparent if the diamond is huge, and if you look at the diamond through a microscope.
Spence diamonds is a good place to get educated. You can also read more about the 4 C's here:
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamonds/diamond-education
For a budget of $1500, here's an example of an option you could go with:
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/build-you...s+style&shape=
Blue nile does ship to canada, however, it will get stuck in customs, and you will have to pay duties for it. Guaranteed, it will be better bang for your buck than anything you can find in a jewellery store in the mall.
FYI, I just got married about a month ago, and I spent a few months researching engagement rings last year, so if you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
Here is another website similar to blue nile if you wanted to go for some designer engagement rings (Tacori, Scott Kay, Simon G, etc):
http://www.since1910.com/