Quote :

"my fiancée and i had the same experience...when they finally bothered to help us, the woman was hella pushy and said that every ring my fiancée LOOKED at was "the one" for her and then became so fucking annoying with her, "let's talk about payment plans...you may think you only want to spend $XXXX, but you easily spend twice as much if you love her and we all know diamonds are forever blah blah blah" "

similar story here

first the pushy bitch wanted me to fill out a info sheet with my email, phone, etc so they could bug they shit out of me. then when i told her roughly what i was looking for, but that i wasn't going to buy that day, she brought me some ugly BS that wasn't at all what i wanted.

then i told her i had done some online shopping & education (on bluenile, which is where i bought from) and she freaked out and spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince me why buying online was a bad idea. so then i left. all in all i ended up with a nicer diamond at a hell of a lot better price than what diamonds direct was pushing.

4/27/2010 1:10:25 PM

^^^^ I'd wear anything a guy gave me. I think all rings are ugly, but I understand that it's important to wear a symbol of matrimony.

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 1:10 PM. Reason : .]

4/27/2010 1:10:43 PM

yes but it belongs to a gemologist, I'm assuming the stones must have some intrigue beyond the gentleman's ring look

4/27/2010 1:11:55 PM

I'll say this...diamonds might be forever, but if you're stuck with a ring after a failed engagement, it's a bitch to get much of your investment back. The diamond market is an artificially inflated one.

BTW, I have a ring to sell for a great price, lol.

4/27/2010 1:14:53 PM

Let's see it

4/27/2010 1:15:26 PM

yeah post it again dan, i've been back 10 pages trying to find it LOL


Let me know when you are willing to take 500 for it

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 1:28 PM. Reason : ]

4/27/2010 1:27:38 PM

this is more just brainstorming for further down the road, but if you're going the route of total surprise, what tactic would you use to figure out a ring size for a girl who just plain does not own any rings that you're aware of.

4/27/2010 1:28:44 PM

hmmmm...

i'd say guess at it.
you can always get it resized

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 1:30 PM. Reason : ...]

4/27/2010 1:29:59 PM

haha

my other thought is, she's a very heavy sleeper...

but again, if this breaks this way, ive got atleast 6 months or so before i even start looking. reading the thread though the thought did occur to me.

4/27/2010 1:30:45 PM

yeah, just guess. resizing is usually free (at least the first one is, anyway) for this very reason.

4/27/2010 1:31:37 PM

i have plenty of time to concoct an elaborate scheme.

4/27/2010 1:44:57 PM

I'm really curious to as to why Diamonds Direct has been a Jeckyl & Hyde in this thread. They were either assholes or very easy to work with (myself being the latter)

I visited at least 6 other jewelers in the area before "checking out" Diamonds Direct expecting to walk out with some guy's business card. Instead i walked out with a ring and bar of chocolate.

I didn't have to listen to some fat lady lecture me on how to spend alot more money on clarity or some old fart justify the outrageous prices by claming to be Raleigh's oldest gemologist. Hell you get a free glass of wine or soda at Diamond's direct. Once again i would recommend them to anybody. I saw that someone waited for 15 min to be seen and that's unfortunate. With commissioned sales reps, there will always be cherrypicking.

4/27/2010 1:57:40 PM

^ my fiance' was the one who waited for 15 minutes.. and I don't want this to sound arrogant or anything, but he was ready to drop $3K on just the down payment. Soooo basically, I think they screwed themselves by not dealing with him.. Bailey's had a win situation though


and as for ring sizing, Eric asked me my ring size to buy me a new claddagh then just remembered when he went ring shopping

4/27/2010 2:05:37 PM

Quote :

"who just plain does not own any rings that you're aware of."

also, not to be a dick but who finances an engagement ring

4/27/2010 2:08:52 PM

Quote :

"he was ready to drop $3K on just the down payment"

My engagement ring and both wedding bands (one on each side) cost less than that.

I can't believe people spend so much on jewelry

4/27/2010 2:09:33 PM

^^^^But did he LOOK like he was ready to drop 3k on the down payment

^^^and someone who wants to buy some expensive rocks for their girl. If the three month salary rule is true, I'm gonna finance a ring when it comes time to buy one, because that thing is gonna be expensive.

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 2:14 PM. Reason : When I need my girl's ring size I'll just cut off her hand and take it with me]

4/27/2010 2:13:23 PM

Any man who spends three month's salary on a ring is a fucking idiot.

4/27/2010 2:15:18 PM

Quote :

"If the three month salary rule is true, I'm gonna finance a ring when it comes time to buy one, because that thing is gonna be expensive. "

I thought two months' salary was traditional. And I think rules are meant to be broken. It depends on your families and the girl. If you and your families are traditional, then it makes sense to follow the rules. If they aren't, then break the rules.

4/27/2010 2:17:00 PM

^3 He probably did look like your typical college guy but at the same time, why would you ignore the person in the engagement rings section versus a regular bangle or tennis bracelet, ya know?

Quote :

"My engagement ring and both wedding bands (one on each side) cost less than that. I can't believe people spend so much on jewelry "

I'm not even going to mention how much he actually paid for the ring... but at the same time, I never set a "price" - I really didn't care as long as it at least fit what kind of jewelry I normally wear. Hell, I told him with the style I wanted it probably came out cheaper because you can get a smaller diamond (since I think halo style with anything bigger than 1 ct looks like costume jewelry :\). When I asked why he spent so much he said he saw the diamond in the case and knew that was just the one he wanted to give me, because to him it was perfect and that was what I deserved.

Then he found the band that he knew I would love and matched it with that diamond.

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 2:21 PM. Reason : .]

4/27/2010 2:20:21 PM

I'd kill my bf for spending 3k on a ring. Straight up KILL. I'd really make him take it back but he is well aware I do not want an expensive ring, just a kick ass honeymoon.

4/27/2010 2:21:53 PM

^ I thought the same thing... I asked him how much he spent then I was like, well do I even want to know... Then he had to give me the card with the stats anyway (so I can take it in every 3 months to get inspected at Bailey's) and it showed the price. At first I was like AHHHHASLKDFJALSKDF but then I was like.... but it's really pretty........ guess I'll keep it

4/27/2010 2:23:21 PM

Quote :

"he saw the diamond in the case and knew that was just the one he wanted to give me, because to him it was perfect and that was what I deserved."

aww


i mean, i'm still that someone would spend so much on a ring, but that's really freaking sweet

4/27/2010 2:24:17 PM

If my bf spent gobs of $$$ on a ring, I'd take out a ton of insurance and then lose it.

4/27/2010 2:26:50 PM

i never told my gf how much i paid for the ring.

4/27/2010 2:31:54 PM

^I wouldn't tell either

4/27/2010 2:44:30 PM

he tried to get around it but the price is on the thing I have to show Bailey's :\

4/27/2010 3:02:47 PM

i paid for it, then went and had it appraised for insurance purposes and that was that.

she does know how much i paid for the matching wedding band. her engagement ring has channel set diamonds. the matching wedding band has channel set diamonds as well. so she probably has some idea what her engagement ring is worth.

4/27/2010 3:07:58 PM

WTF 3 months salary?

Quote :

"Any man who spends three month's salary on a ring is a fucking idiot."

LOL

4/27/2010 3:11:27 PM

whats wrong with spending 3 months salary?

4/27/2010 3:16:03 PM

nothing

spend what you want to spend and don't let anyone else tell you it's stupid just because they wouldn't (whether it be more or less)

4/27/2010 3:20:55 PM

what's right with spending 3 months salary on a ring?

unless you work at mcdonald's, where you'd need to save that much to get something decent

i'm just being a dick, so don't mind me

there are deals out there, you know

4/27/2010 3:31:19 PM

it's a waste of money on a rock that people get enslaved and killed for. if your woman is so uppity that she requires you to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a ring, punch that bitch in the face and never talk to her again. you'll be glad you did five years from now.

4/27/2010 3:41:17 PM

for the record... my diamond is a conflict free one

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 3:45 PM. Reason : conflict not cruelty haha]

4/27/2010 3:45:00 PM

spend 10k on a diamond for me

i'll show you cruelty and conflict

4/27/2010 3:45:56 PM

who's talking about spending $10K?

4/27/2010 3:47:02 PM

hahahah i was just referring to my dear hubby's post above yours

4/27/2010 3:47:55 PM

ah, just wondering where that value came from

oh and I just noticed Joie's statement

Quote :

"spend what you want to spend and don't let anyone else tell you it's stupid just because they wouldn't (whether it be more or less"

I completely agree

[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 3:49 PM. Reason : .]

4/27/2010 3:48:35 PM

Quote :

"tens of thousands "

i rounded down

4/27/2010 3:49:16 PM

yeah, three months would definitely be a new car in value, no doubt

4/27/2010 3:51:29 PM

Quote :

"it's a waste of money on a rock that people get enslaved and killed for"

if thats the reason, then why buy an engagement ring at all.


[Edited on April 27, 2010 at 3:53 PM. Reason : ]

4/27/2010 3:52:16 PM

damn there is a lot of lewoods type action in this thread

who cares what is spent on the ring if the couple can afford it? who's business is it if the ring cost $10,000 or $1,000? fuck, even $100 if thats what they CHOOSE to buy. jesus fuck. they're not hurting you. and no one is holding a gun to the dude's head to make him spend more than he wants. just leave it!

Quote :

"When I need my girl's ring size I'll just cut off her hand and take it with me"

LOLOLOL

4/27/2010 3:52:17 PM

^Thanks, I'll be here all night

4/27/2010 3:58:06 PM

i found out her ring size at a jewelry store that we happened to walk by in a mall. it was probably about 8 months before i even started looking to actually buy a ring.

4/27/2010 4:00:31 PM

Quote :

"for the record... my diamond is a conflict free one "

that's a smart marketing campaign, not proof that your diamond is conflict free. Your jewelry store doesn't know.

4/27/2010 4:01:17 PM

It was a joke, broseph.

4/27/2010 4:01:49 PM

yeah, Napoleon Bronaparte

4/27/2010 4:19:42 PM

Go for a Moissanite engagement ring. Moissanite stones are cheaper than diamonds yet are more durable--thus more symbolic of a long-lasting marriage.

4/27/2010 4:54:03 PM

Tip for finding ring size: One of my friends was shopping with her lady pal and who suggested, "Hey, let's go try on some engagement rings for fun." But really the husband-to-be had asked her friend to get her to do that to see 1) what kind of rings she swooned over when he wasn't around and 2) what her ring size was. She had no idea, and it worked.

^ Moissanite sounds good in theory but from what I've heard it's more reflective than a traditional diamond, which some people like, but others say it looks too costumey that way. But I have never actually seen a moissanite stone in natural light, so I don't know how true that is.

4/27/2010 6:14:00 PM

^ Thats what I was thinking of, or Miadonna stones. I know the setting my gf wants, so that is taken care of. She told me not to spend much on the stone, she will be putting her had up cows asses as a large animal vet, so she dont want anything hugely expensive.

4/27/2010 7:39:52 PM

let me jump in this thread...she said yes, but I took this picture on the way to the beach with my cell phone

4/27/2010 10:07:47 PM