How do you go about buying an engagement ring?

Question

Ring Sizes, Styles, Money

Answer 1

I would start by looking online. You can find a LOT of websites where you can design your own, and get a feel for what you like.

If you know a good jeweler, you can have one made. I had a cathedral setting w/ a celtic design hand engraved on it, and a .60 oval diamond in it. Replacement value for insurance purposes is over $5000 and we only paid a little over $2000. If you want a bigger ring, but don't wanna pay the huge price, build one from scratch.

The website below will let you look at different ring styles, diamond shapes, etc. It will also give you the price of buying it online.

Also, if you choose to buy from a jeweler, do your homework!! Some jewelers are a complete rip-off. My dad's close friend (the above mentioned jeweler) said to stay away from chain jewelery stores if you can. They overcharge quite a bit, and you can get a better ring for less (*generally*) at an independent jeweler.

Edited to add: Stay away from Walmart rings. My first ring was from there because I figured, hey, a ring is a ring. Why do I care where it came from? It turned my figure black, and the diamonds were a horrible grade. You're better off putting that $400 towards a ring that you'll want forever. Sam's Club has better grade diamonds, so you can try looking there. But, seriously, stay away from Walmart. (Not knockin' people that had a ring from there...like I said, it's where my first one came from.)

Happy shopping! :)

Answer 2

As a woman patiently waiting for her ring, the best way to get her a ring is start getting an idea of what she likes/dislikes. Examples: If a friend recently got engaged, ask her what she thought about the ring (too flashy, "what did you think of her ring?", etc) or if you are out shopping, walk by a jeweler and stop at the window. Ask her "if you could pick one ring out of all of these, which would it be?" Be sure to do this well in advance of when you plan to ask her so she may not have it on her mind all the time!

My bf is very unsure of what to get, afraid he will get me something I don't like. If you and your gf have talked about marriage and you know it will happen soon, she may have the foresight to assure you that size, style, etc does not matter--or she may indicate that she just wants a plain, simple solitaire.

If you are going to suprise her, you can also buy the stone and have it placed in a temporary setting--most higher end jewelers will do this--and pick out the setting together after she says yes.

Personally, I have told my bf that is doesn't matter--I would be happy with a gum wrapper, but have hinted to my likes when I see something in a magazine, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 3

It depends on if you want to completely surprise your girlfriend. If yes, then pay a lot of attention to what kind of jewelry she wears - if it's mostly silver, go with platinum or white gold. If she has simple tastes, it's a good idea to stick with a classic ring - a solitaire in a round, marquise, or emerald cut is always beautiful and never goes out of style. Talk to a jeweler (a reputable one, and I would advise visiting more than one jeweler, both local and chain based) to get advice on the 4 C's, which will largely be determined by your budget (tradition says 2 months' salary, but it's a lot more realistic to just know what you can afford - you don't want to start a marriage up to your ears in debt over the ring - much better to be able to buy things like a house!). If a larger stone is most important to her, then you can sacrifice a little on the clarity or color to increase that carats. As far as size, if you can "steal" a ring from her jewelry box, the jeweler can probably come close to the right size, or you can just buy what they have in stock and then have it sized after you propose (if she'll take it off!).

Of course, if you're to the point of looking at rings, you guys have probably talked about it. Even if you aren't quite ready to propose yet, get her to go with you to look at rings - not to pick out one specific one, but to get an idea of her tastes and to have a jeweler size her. Browse the internet or magazines together and have her show you what she likes. Remember, this is something she'll wear every day for the rest of her life, so you definitely want it to be something she'll love.

Answer 4

1. Size...the woman will need to know her size (if buying together); I have also known guys to "steal" a ring their girlfriend doesn't wear often to find a ring. They put it back before she notices.
You can measure your own ring size - use this link:
http://www.leftwrist.com/measure_your_finger.asp

2. Style depends on what the woman wants. She should use her own sense of fashion and common sense.

3. Money - the saying used to be that 3 months salary is the standard for engagement rings, but not every man can afford tradition, so it's best for him to figure out what he can afford beforehand. Then, stick to it.

After that, you need to get the best quality diamond you can afford for the money: http://www.hwgem.com/diascale.htm.

Answer 5

My fiance and I recently bought an engagement right together and it was perfect, exactly what I wanted and in our budget.

We started by window shopping and deciding what kind of style we liked the best. Then did some research and learn what the 4Cs are. Cost/Cut /Clarity/Color Check out the soyouwanna link, it walks you through what these C's mean and gives you sugguestions for staying in your budget.

We check out stores in our area and found that in most cases they were ripping us off and pushing us to get something twice our budget. Then we found bluenile and other online stores. We found exactly what we wanted, in our budget and without pushy sales people.

Good luck and congrats on your new engagement!

Answer 6

you need to know what is your partner ring size. how much you want to spend on the engagement ring. check out this site. they have more information on rings and what type you are looking for. good luck!

Answer 7

honestly you dont have to go to tiffanys or any other fine jeweler. my fiance and i found my engagement ring and our wedding rings at walmart. they have a great jewlery department and lifetime warrenties on their diamonds (and yes they are real diamonds). good luck

Answer 8

You've got to know what you are looking for and what she likes. As for the quality, check out the website below. It looks complicated, but remember the 4 C's---cut, color, clarity and carats.

Answer 9

http://www.daylon.com/engagement/

There's the ring I had made for my fiance (diamond and dark blue Sapphire ).

Answer 10

Go to walmart. They have them for 25 cents in those little machiens