Yeah, so, it's about that time. After a string of relationships ranging from bad to worse, I knew from our first date that my ladyfriend is the one. Because we're still in school, engagement isn't really an option right now, and we want to get some more time together under our belts before making that deal all official and whatnot. So, I still have a bunch of time til it's going to happen. I don't know exactly what ring I'm going to get her, but I am making a ballpark figure, in terms of money. GOAL: $2,000 PROGRESS: $425 DATE: October 2014 Related: What's an acceptable figure for an engagement ring? Inquiring minds need to know!
Good luck! I just purchased a ring for my now fiance and it ran me around $1500 and is absolutely beautiful. It's a bit different than your normal ring but everyone that sees is absolutely loves it. So you don't need to go to big to get something nice. I included an image of it below for you, sorry if it's the picture is a bit large. Ok, I guess IMGUR isn't allow...finding another solution... $2000 should be plenty to get somethign nice, and you have plenty of time to save up!
Awesome! That is really sweet. Thanks for the pic! I had sort of planned around $1500 for it, but I wanted a little extra cushion in case it was a bit more than that. And right now, I'm putting about half of what I make turking towards the ring and the other half towards other obligations, so it definitely is more incentive to keep working hard for it.
What a great goal!! Friends of mine got married in DC a few years ago. It was the closest place to DE that had legalized it. Good luck!!
Yeah, DC might be our best bet. But, we're hoping that in a couple of years when we're ready...well, it might be a little lofty to ask VA to legalize it, but, we can hope.
Best of luck! I think I spent about $2700 on my wife's, but $2000 would definitely buy you a nice ring!
You guys spent HOW MUCH on rings??? ainkiller: I have one that my SO got for ~$250 and it's beautiful! It's a 1.5carat sapphire (lab-created, but it looks as good as an AAA stone) on silver. I'll get a pic shortly. Honestly, it's totally not my business to tell you what to buy, but try looking for colored stones instead of diamonds. They're not marked up as much, and IMHO boatloads prettier. Find out what your SO's favorite gemstone is, and consider that as well. It would be more memorable than a diamond to those she shows it off to, as well. Consider other things she likes, as well, maybe there's a way to memorialize a trip or other memories from the relationship so far in the ring! (How romantic! <3) Semirelated rant: My dad believes that diamonds are truly rare and said he'd be very upset if his daughters opted for non-diamond engagement rings. My sister and I has to sit him down and make him read an article about the diamond industry, but he still refused to believe diamonds weren't as precious as emeralds, rubies, etc. I wear mine all the time, but he doesn't know that I'm getting married yet, ahaha. Best of luck, and I'm around if you need some more recommendations!
Well Diamonds are the hardest of all gemstones so I'd pick that since it's less likely to chip. A better alternative would be moissanite or something like that. Also if the silver doesn't have any plating it will tarnish over time and there's nothing you can really do about it. If it does have plating you can't have it machine buffed or resized because it will wear the plating.
Sapphire is a VERY close second. Moissanite is AWESOME, and also made with SCIENCE I've taken good care of my ring, polishing it, etc. It's solid, only know that I had to have it resized once already >.>
Speaking of Moissanite that is the kind of ring my fiance wanted when I engaged. She likes that it sparkles more than diamonds.
Why not casually bring up different style to see what she likes? If you are normally a person to look at jewelry online just look foe stuff and then say, "look, isn't this pretty?" My fiancée and I picked our a ring together from his sister when she worked at a jewelry store, got a great deal on it too!
I vote for a diamond but I love diamonds. I also would recommend looking for a vintage piece. You can get a much better deal on something "previously enjoyed".
I'm glad you posted this lol I was going to say just because it's an engagement ring doesn't mean it HAS to be a diamond. My wedding set cost around $100 and I have gotten many, many compliments on it. My husband actually wanted to get me a diamond but I have never really wanted one for a few reasons. There are lots of really gorgeous alternatives without having to break the bank to buy it.
there's an awesome article on business insider called "diamonds are a sham" GTS. "They could invest the money in assets that will compound over time and someday provide a nest egg. Instead, they trade that money for a diamond ring, which isn’t much of an asset at all. As soon as you leave the jeweler with a diamond, it loses over 50% of its value. "