Engagement Ring Advice

[AC]

I went with Bluenile and have absolutely no regrets.

I paid 60% of its actual value (confirmed by local appraisers).

[if.away]

Here's my little story:

I lived in Calgary where most of my family is and went to the UofC there. Now I live in Ottawa with my fiancee but I proposed in Calgary over Christmas. My fiancee is really cool about the whole ring thing and always offered to split the cost 50/50 should I buy something I deem expensive, but as you will see I never had to do it considering what I got for my budget.

I did a LOT of research at local stores and online stores. Talking to them over the phone, countless emails, spreadsheets, looking at photos and examining every single aspect of the diamonds I was interested in. At first I knew nothing about diamonds, after a few months of research I would dream about them and have my own custom equations of what I consider "real value"...

Locally, there are some awesome diamond stores but their prices are ridiculous + HST in Ontario is 13%. Comparing what I get online vs what I got in the store made it clear for me to go the online route, plus I bought several things from the states including clothes, snowboards and even my car. At that time there where 3 great online vendors from whom I would purchase from:

whiteflash
jamesallen
bluenile

I talked to all 3 of them and originally I wanted to buy the stone from whiteflash, the setting from bluenile and have them assembled locally. That didn't go well because bluenile wouldn't sell just the setting and then there would be no warranty.

I was looking for something very specific. My fiancee does not like the regular round diamond that you see almost everywhere, but she wanted something more halo-esque ala cushion cut and a nice setting that isn't too big/thick.

Eventually I purchased from james allen because they had the specific setting that I knew my GF was in love with and james allen had real life detailed photos of their diamonds. They offerd to modify the setting to match the stone. A good friend of mine purchased from whiteflash the whole ring, which he designed, and he also got a great deal plus the ring is beautiful.

I found a kick ass setting, a great rock(which I wouldn't be able to afford locally) that I selected after viewing detailed zoomed in photos(you can request them - up to 3) and what they said would be a 60 day no questions asked return policy.

I wanted to avoid tax and duty so I shipped it to Montana. When I ordered, around late Nov they had an online sale for like 24 hours that was about 10% if I recall properly. In the end I paid no GST/HST, no duty, no sales tax from the states since they shipped from NYC to MO and I got a discount on top of what I consider a great deal vs local prices.

Everything went without a hitch, my fiancee is extremly happy with the quality and size, it looks gorgeous and all her friends and even strangers on the airplane or coffee shops compliment her on the ring and ask her if it's a "Tacori".

Only I know how little I paid for it compared to what the local "spence" like stores charge and overall I feel like I got a great value for my budget.

[j_j]

Good advice here. I also got mine in the US, saved about 25% (or, more accurately, I got about 25% more diamond).

A couple points to add:
- Whatever your budget, think about spending 10% more than you think you can now. After 5 years of combined incomes, your perspective on the size and scope of money issues probably won't be as big as they are now (assuming you are marrying someone with a good head) and you might have wished you spent just a little a bit more.

- Where you got it (country of diamond, store) does matter for the first year or more as you will end up having a lot of conversations about it. You need to be comfortable saying the answers out loud.

Of course, this can mean different things to different people ... I avoided Spence just for this reason, as I wanted to be more creative, and also let her know that I put in a lot of extra thought.

Have you considered a antique ring? My wife is superstitious so it was a non-starter for me, but there are some pretty great early 20th century rings out there at good prices.

[Mazrim]

Alberta Diamond Exchange treated us very well. Got a great ring at a good price too. Give them a shot if you want to go local.

[moncton golden flames]

www.brilliantearth.com

i should add that i only bought a diamond thru them. i was lucky enough to have my grandmothers engagement ring given to me by my father to use for my proposal. the diamond was small and i wanted to upgrade the stone. from what i remember, it bought a 0.33 carat, internally flawless and super ideal cut and f colour for around $1800 thru brilliant earth. we received the order within days and we were completely happy with their service and diamond quality. to get the ring fit to the new stone, we brought it to jewels by design (downtown calgary) to have the shank replaced and the diamond set, which cost about $300 in total.

[puffnstuff]

If its an engagement/wedding ring...it's gonna be a conflict diamond.

[Russic]

6-10 grand? I'm happy I got engaged when I was still a student and didn't have the means to spend that much on anything.

[me_dennis]

A few other notes that you might find useful:

Diamond Certification - this makes quite a big difference in price of the diamond, depending on who grades the diamond. I found that GIA certified diamonds were much higher in price than other labs (AGL, EGL, etc). This might be because GIA is a non-profit organization that grades their diamonds to the highest standards. To me, as long as you're buying a good quality diamond (better than G color, VS1 or better, excellent cut) it doesn't make a huge difference between GIA and EGL. However, for lower quality colors, and clarity, that's where GIA is noticeably better quality.

I bought my fiancee's ring from Jewels by maxime's. I wanted to get a Tacori, and rather than ordering online and not having a warranty on it, I went with maximes. Their service has been nothing short of spectacular. We get her ring cleaned every time we are at the mall. They actually gave my fiancee quite a bit of a discount on a watch that she's giving me for our wedding present. Plus the ring has a lifetime warranty, and lifetime servicing and cleaning, so I can't really complain about it. A diamond that is always clean makes the ring look shinier and bigger.

If you are looking for designer settings, make sure to check out www.since1910.com.
They have a good selection of designer bands, and diamonds are very similar to bluenile.

Also, regarding the post earlier with the ring being appraised at $4000 over what you paid. Appraisals are ALWAYS higher than what you paid. It doesn't really mean much to be honest. The ring I bought was appraised $10000 higher than what I paid.

Ring Insurance - make sure you get this insured as soon as you pick up the ring. I've heard horror stories of the girl leaving the ring on the sink of a public washroom a week after the proposal, and losing it. House insurance will cover up to a certain amount, depending on your insurance policy, and assuming your fiance lives with you. If she doesn't live with you yet, or if your ring is worth more than the allowable limit, then you have to add an extra item to your insurance policy to cover the ring, and this gets expensive. If this is the case, check out jewelers mutual insurance. It will be cheaper than house insurance, and the ring is covered world wide. She could lose it while scuba diving and it will be covered.

Good luck!

[Pacem]

Pawn shop. There are good deals to be had. Don't let the stigma of a "used" diamond fool you. Just because you buy from a jewellery store doesn't guarantee you are not getting a used stone. There are many ways to acquire used stones, and its easy to put it into a new setting.

I have customers who buy a ring off me for the stone and then go to a jeweller to have the stone taken out and a custom ring made, or put into a new setting. Or, they get it proffesionally buffed and cleaned and its hard to tell that the ring was even used before.

Jewellery is such a frivolous expense. Save as much as you can.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by AC

I paid 60% of its actual value (confirmed by local appraisers).

I bought from BN as well, but just curious.....has any appraiser in the history of jewelry ever appraised something to be worth under what one paid for it? I feel like like everyone always suspiciously comes out this huge winner who got a steal.

And I'm sure as soon as you offer it for sale, the price drops by half.

[flamesflames444]

If you don't trust buying sight unseen, go down to the US. I saved 40% buying in San Francisco as compared to the same Tacori ring at Jewels by Maximes.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by photon

Lol well you may have a niche market there. At the very least you should start a fake website store that features that, and watch the outrage.

It would be quite interesting to see a store that sells nothing but conflict diamonds.

Their slogan could be:

"Everything we offer has and continues to contribute to deplorable human suffering."

Then, in the pricing its not just the setting, or the ring or the carat of the stone that determines price, but the actual weight of human misery caused by the stone could be a contributing factor to the price.

"Oh, I know it may seem small but 35 people died to bring me this diamond. Not to mention in addition to the warranty, I get a letter in the mail from a Kenyan Warlord every time he kills someone with guns that he bought with the money from the sale of this diamond. I think thats a really nice touch!"

[jayocal]

Peoples gives airmiles.

[TurdFerguson]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I bought from BN as well, but just curious.....has any appraiser in the history of jewelry ever appraised something to be worth under what one paid for it? I feel like like everyone always suspiciously comes out this huge winner who got a steal.

And I'm sure as soon as you offer it for sale, the price drops by half.

That's exactly my feeling as well. My wife's ring appraised almost 60% higher then what I paid and I dont really feel like I got a steal of a deal from Calgary Jewellery. Some kind of shenanigans going on with that system, I think.

[bringtheheat]

6-10K on a ring is a lot, but i guess to each their own,

personally I lucked out, my soon to be wife (Aug 18) flat out told me I should not spend that much and instead buy a nice less expensive one, and save the money for at the very least, the wedding, or the honeymoon (thats my recommendation)

I persoanlly bought from Peoples, down in Chinook mall, great service, great ring selection. I got it sized at the Peoples in Cross iron.

I looked at the thread from 2010 when I was looking for my fiancees ring, and looked at most of the selections, and selected Peoples, everything i have bought her came from there, they have amazing people working, they know what they are talking about, and the protection plan (i highly recommend it) is awesome, speaking from having to use it.

They also tend to have sales on, and once or twice a month they have a 10% sale on the weekends, and every now and again they have better sales.

But yeah, congrats to you looking for the ring, good luck with your choice.

another hint that worked really well for me, I took her ring shopping, months before I asked, but I still took her with me and she tried on a few of the rings, and found one that she liked. then i used that as the basis to find her perfect ring. it worked for me, and you still have the suprise part of the ring as she wont know what it actually looks like, and you might also find out what you were looking for, she doesnt actually like (like me, she thought she wanted a ring with 3 stones on it, and then found out she didnt and she wanted a solitare instead) and she is very happy with the ring

good luck again, its a hunt and ahalf to find "the ring"

[j_j]

One more from me:

While shopping, think about the fact you are going to need a match the engagement ring to a wedding band in the back of your mind. This makes a local purchase a better option for some.

If you do pick something unique, you better also set aside some money for a custom wedding band design.

[yads]

This would depend on the woman, but here's an idea. Buy her an inexpensive engagement ring. Then for your honeymoon, take a cruise down to the eastern carribean. Buy a duty free ring at one of the big sellers like Diamonds International.

One of the good things about DI, is that you can always trade up and they will give you a credit at the price you paid for your item. So you can get something at the first island, then check out some of the other islands and if you find something you like more, exchange it.

[Ace]

I also think 6-10K is way too much. You may be able to get a really great diamond and you may very well have no issues affording this, but frankly unless your future wife is all about the show...she will probably find the size of this ring will be annoying for day-to-day wear...

Just my 2 cents

[Lt.Spears]

Originally Posted by Ace

I also think 6-10K is way too much. You may be able to get a really great diamond and you may very well have no issues affording this, but frankly unless your future wife is all about the show...she will probably find the size of this ring will be annoying for day-to-day wear...

Just my 2 cents

6K-10K doesnt exactly buy you a huge diamond. If you want a good cut 1ct or higher you are looking at north of 10 grand (once again, for a properly cut one).

Personally, i believe it makes more sense to spend the money on a down payment or travel or whatnot, but in 15-20-25-35 years, you will look back and say "i kind of wish i had gotten you a bigger diamond", at least thats what i was thinking, the ring is for the rest of your life, might as well go with something you will be happy with forever. I know if i would have gotten a .4ct diamond i would eventually want to upgrade in 5-10 years when my salary increased. Just my .02

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

The difference is that everyone needs a home to live in (you don't have to buy real estate, of course, but many people do). Buying a property may or may not be a good long-term investment from a strictly financial point-of-view, but having a roof over your head serves an essential purpose in life. Likewise, having a vehicle is often necessary for employment/livelihood purposes for many people.

A diamond ring is nothing more than a frivalous luxury that serves absolutely no purpose other than being shiny.

People don't have to buy a house. They can rent. People tend to buy a bigger house than they need. Everyone spens frivilously. UFC tickets, Flames tickets, bigger house, faster car, etc. Some like to spend on a ring for the woman they love.

Girls talk about their rings. The last thing I want is my wife to be out with the girls and they all compare diamond sizes while she sits there all quiet and embarrassed. I'd rather sacrifice Flames tickets for a year than to subject her to that.