[yooooooo]

what would you guys buy?

friend of mine is getting married, and i'm telling him to get a generic ring with a bigger rock instead with prices being very similar to a Big name ring

[aut0sh0cker]

Pay for quality, not a name.

[DBFIU]

bigger rock, she will be looking at that for the rest of her life.

And whenever they get in an argument, she can never bring up the fact he only got her a half carot.

2 CAROT BISH

[MCMLXXXIX]

generic big rock ring fursure

quality over quantity imo but then again I don't know what women look for in engagement rings.

[number335]

size matters

[Sara]

I would want the Cartier/Bulgari Engagement ring. Only because I hate jewelry though.If shes always wearing some sort of jewelry go for the big one. But girls like me who never wear anything like smaller stuff.

[Scorpion]

Big Diamond definitely.

[chungdae]

I own a jewelry corporation. Cartier and the other big name brands mark up their products because of their name. In the end she won't even know it's a Cartier unless it comes in a Cartier box. Many will agree that spending $10,000 for half a carat when you can get a two carat isn't the best choice. Just make sure it's at least a VS quality, the color is between D-K, and the depth of the diamond isn't too deep (it will make the diamond look small). If you have any further questions don't hesitate to PM.

[DOCTOR 3VIL]

None...............do not get married!

[Memphis1]

Ma momma said don't love them hoes!! Fuck 'em and leave 'em...

[Blake]

Originally Posted by chungdae

I own a jewelry corporation. Cartier and the other big name brands mark up their products because of their name. In the end she won't even know it's a Cartier unless it comes in a Cartier box. Many will agree that spending $10,000 for half a carat when you can get a two carat isn't the best choice. Just make sure it's at least a VS quality, the color is between D-K, and the depth of the diamond isn't too deep (it will make the diamond look small). If you have any further questions don't hesitate to PM.

+1. your best bet will be finding the diamond first, then worry about the band/setting. brand is irrelevant with engagement rings...as long as the diamond and band are great quality, the name stamped on it is almost worthless.

[boymonkey]

I'd get a 1 carat with brand name.

[Nawaaz]

I'm all for keeping it simple and buying the one with the smaller diamond.

Somehow, I don't like it to be too flashy.

[McMuffin]

Originally Posted by number335

size matters

In every aspect.

[cotenseto]

It all depends what you can afford and what you think your future wife is going to like, size is not everything unless she prefers size over quality.

My boy just pulled the trigger on a plain platinum band with a 1 carat vvs2 stone and it ran him $6200 cash. GIA cert and the whole 9 from a reputable store in Philly that has been around 50+ yrs.

His girl didn't want a fancy setting, and preferred higher quality stone over larger with more inclusions and flaws.

Also to be honest it depends on the size of the girl. A tiny girl with a huge rock IMO looks stupid. You need things to be proportional or they look out of whack....

Good luck, and congratulations...

c

[KiokenM3]

i was on the same boat, i knew exactly what she wanted in her ring and had her setting custom made with the bigger stone. needless to say, she loved it

[spectrumphoto]

If you really want to make an impression, then design the ring yourself. Buy the main diamond as a loose stone and come up with a ring design. Any qualified jeweler can make a wax mock-up (or a CAD/3D one now days) and from there can cast and build your design.

When your loved one learns its your design, it goes a long way to the sentimental value and you'll hear it bragged about by her for years to come.

Diamond wise, one of the most illustrious diamonds with the best sparkle in my mind are Hearts On Fire diamonds. Technically they are not "Top Quality" stones (like IF, or VVSI1 or VVSI2 with a G,H,I color) but their cuts are impeccable and thats what gives the best sparkle.

[LI E90]

Living NY I had a distinct advantage as we have the diamond district here. I peppered my now wife's sister and many iof her friends to get an idea of the cut she wanted and the style, once I had that I took a few pictures of Tiffany, Cartier, rings to the diamond district and met with a few guys that were recommended by friends who had gotten married before me.. I ended up with a beautiful custom ring with GIA cert

my advise to your friend is to forget name brands, go for the best quality, cut and clarity he can afford. remember the ring is only the beginning a wedding is expensive

[neoduffer]

My jeweler told me that diamonds "shrink" over time. LOL

If you get a small diamond, you're probably gonna have to upgrade that later on anyways, so get the bigger one now and avoid that ish. Most girls like to compare rings and rocks when they get together, so size matters in that regard.

G VS2 or better if you're looking in that price range. Resale will be better if you opt for an upgrade later on, or you can use the stone for a pimp'n earring. Bluenile.com prices is helpful to gauge what you can get.

[Zephyr15]

Originally Posted by KiokenM3

i was on the same boat, i knew exactly what she wanted in her ring and had her setting custom made with the bigger stone. needless to say, she loved it

This statement trumps all. Find out exactly what she wants (not what her mother/sister/friend thinks she might possibly want) and make it happen. Every other piece of advice is a crapshoot.

[Muffnbluff]

Diamond rings are not something where it's worth the money to buy a big brand name like tiffany's. You're better to just get what YOU think she'd like.

I bought my girls engagement ring at a really nice jewelry store. They custom made the ring themselves and I picked out a nice looking diamond to go in it.

Pay for cut first, color second, clarity last. Carat just kind of falls out of the equation after you figure out how nice you want the diamond to be. Get ideal cut, colorless but don't waste money on clarity. SI2 is only visible under 10x magnification, you'll never know the difference between SI2 and VS1, but you'll pay big for it. Cut and color are what make the diamond sparkle.

I'll post a pic up of mine if I get a chance tonight.