Need engagement ideas and tips please

[squiggs96]

For $500 you could buy a nice penis ring. She'd probably appreciate that more anyways.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I think a woman needs to chime in, but I don't think they show off anything under 1 ct, maybe 0.75, so anything under that is all the same. Therefore, if money is an issue, you have several options:

1) tell her you'll buy her a nice ring when you are able to
2) buy her a non-diamond
3) try to get something unique/personal

I think that you're right, a woman should really chime in here.

I would note that if my wife was looking for a ring that she could show off to others though, she picked the wrong guy. I'm sure that most guys buy a bigger, shinier ring than what I did and probably spent more money on it. To be honest though, I've never given it a second thought. Some people also have bigger, more glamourous weddings than what we did...again it's really not a big deal to me.

All those threads on CP here where we laugh at the americans living way above their means, and chide people who treat their homes like ATMs and here a guy is trying to do something sensible and he just gets told to "spend more money" in various ways. Its kind of a shame.

I do think that for $500 you're going to have a tough time. I would say that you should keep saving for a little while longer (does it make a difference whether you get engaged immediately?) That being said, if you make sure she's comfortable with it and you can make it work for $500 or do something else (not diamonds) for that price then power to you.

[Hockeyguy15]

I'm not ripping on the guy for only wanting to spend $500...I'm ripping on him because he wants to get a big rock for $500.

[CaptainCrunch]

And it doesn't make her finger turn green. Or when she gets robbed the robber looks at the ring and throws it back at her, then reaches into his wallet, hands her a hundred bucks and leaves.

[crashbandit]

She would like a ring ASAP. I've found some nice ones for $700-800 that im going to get. .5 carat, VS1, color H, nice design to it too even.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by crashbandit

She would like a ring ASAP. I've found some nice ones for $700-800 that im going to get. .5 carat, VS1, color H, nice design to it too even.

Let me guess...You slipped one past the goalie?

[THE SCUD]

someone's preggo.

[lazypucker]

For me, I would get my girl a nice watch instead, something that last for decades. I often question the women who have huge rocks on their fingers but with a $20 Timex watch to go with it...

[moncton golden flames]

i recently picked up a diamond to put into my grandmothers old ring, that i gave to my girl a few months ago from brilliantearth.com. i ended up getting a .35 carat 'if', 'e' colour and super ideal cut for a steal from them imo. they had the rock at my door within 2 days of ordering.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by crashbandit

Interesting octothorp,

Do you mind me asking what the interesting figurine was? Did you not buy a ring that had a diamond? I was htinking about scribing somehting to the inside of it to personalize it more.

I think you misunderstood about it having a figurine in it; I got her one that was done with elaborate filigree with a floral motif. Google filigree rings and you can get a good idea of the style.
Even if you're going with one with a central diamond, filigree work is a nice way of making the ring look nicer and more expensive than it actually is, although it's not for every woman as it can give a ring a elegant yet antique look. As I said, there were a lot of things about it that made it the perfect ring for my wife, which is the important part of the process. I got mine at Carati in Bankers Hall, although I can't find the same ring on their website.

You know, the other piece of advice I'd give you is to enjoy the process. I know it can be really stressful trying to work on a limited budget to find something that's perfect for her, but if you don't stress out about it, it can be a great memory to look back on.

[81flames]

Until I got engaged, I didn't realize how critical women could be about the ring. After I got engaged, the first thing all the women wanted to closely inspect was the ring...so if that is something she cares about, then you might want to save up a bit more to get a bigger stone. That being said, I have seen some really tacky rings that cost a ton of money.

I can understand the pressure to have a nice ring to showoff, but at the same time you need to put it into perspective, there are way more important things to spend your money on. Trust me, the whole wedding industry is there to take as much money as they can. Find her something that suits her personality.

My husband ended up getting the ring custom made, it cost about half of what it would have been in the store and he got sapphires in it. It makes it unique and I get compliments on it because it is different. That might be something to look into as well. There is a trend towards getting engagement rings with gemstones (like rubies/sapphires/etc) because of the crazy markups on diamonds. If she is open to it, diamonds are not the only option.

If you are getting a diamond, make sure to get a good cut (ideal). This will make the ring look bigger and more brilliant. If you are comparing two rings that are the same carat, the one with the better cut will look bigger because of the way light reflects through it. Check out this website, it explains it way better than I could (with graphs).

http://www.armstrongjewelers.com/Cut12.08.html

Good luck!

[MickMcGeough]

$500 for a rock she can show off?



Your welcome.

Romantic, and delicious.

[CaptainCrunch]

Her - "Is it a blood diamond"

Him - "The bloodiest"

Her - "I love you"

[SeoulFire]

Get the $500 ring - if she bitches about it kick her to the curb now and save yourself a lifetime of pain.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by SeoulFire

Get the $500 ring - if she bitches about it kick her to the curb now and save yourself a lifetime of pain.

Huh, you spend less money on a wedding ring then an x-box and its her fault if she doesn't like it.

I hate to say it, but I think that there are some really weird priorities happening here.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Slava

I think that you're right, a woman should really chime in here.

I would note that if my wife was looking for a ring that she could show off to others though, she picked the wrong guy. I'm sure that most guys buy a bigger, shinier ring than what I did and probably spent more money on it. To be honest though, I've never given it a second thought. Some people also have bigger, more glamourous weddings than what we did...again it's really not a big deal to me.

All those threads on CP here where we laugh at the americans living way above their means, and chide people who treat their homes like ATMs and here a guy is trying to do something sensible and he just gets told to "spend more money" in various ways. Its kind of a shame.

I do think that for $500 you're going to have a tough time. I would say that you should keep saving for a little while longer (does it make a difference whether you get engaged immediately?) That being said, if you make sure she's comfortable with it and you can make it work for $500 or do something else (not diamonds) for that price then power to you.

Oh, I am not telling him to spend more - I think the whole thing is BS and I told my wife that. She understood, but explained that it's important to women to get one. I spent approx 1/2 of what I make in a month, and she is very happy with it.
The only point I was trying to make is that if he wants to get a diamond for $500, he'll either get crap or get ripped off.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by crashbandit

She would like a ring ASAP. I've found some nice ones for $700-800 that im going to get. .5 carat, VS1, color H, nice design to it too even.

Unless she is preggers, I would look at other options.

[SeoulFire]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Huh, you spend less money on a wedding ring then an x-box and its her fault if she doesn't like it.

I hate to say it, but I think that there are some really weird priorities happening here.

It all depends on the financial situation at the time - if things are tight and the woman expects a big rock to show-off and feed her ego then you'd probably be better off without her.

I really have to give credit to the diamond companies as they have very successfully pulled off the greatest marketing scam in the history of ever.

[prarieboy]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Oh, I am not telling him to spend more - I think the whole thing is BS and I told my wife that. She understood, but explained that it's important to women to get one. I spent approx 1/2 of what I make in a month, and she is very happy with it.
The only point I was trying to make is that if he wants to get a diamond for $500, he'll either get crap or get ripped off.

1/2 a months salary? But the commercial on TV says you should spend 2 months salary on the girl of your dreams.

What's up Vlad??

Seriously though $500 doesn't buy too much. Why don't you go shopping with her and find out what she's going to be happy with and go from there. If it's not in the budget hold off till you can afford it. If she wants a token ring buy a nice gold band with a small diamond in it to mark your commitment. Marriage is forever (in some cases) no need to rush.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by prarieboy

Marriage is forever (in some cases) no need to rush.

Except that he said he needs it ASAP...