Ozbargining My Engagement Ring! (+ Poll: "How Much Did You Spend on Your Engagement Ring?")

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    punk000 on 02/11/2016 - 23:05

    Don't agree with "don't surprise". Isn't proposal a surprise, so would the ring.

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      [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 01:21

      Up to you

      I know people who have paid up to 70k for a ring

      I would hate to get that choice wrong just for a moment of surprise romance

      Especially when a 1.5+ carat rock looks retarded [read: distasteful] on some tiny fingers

      But then YOLO my main point anyway is do what you want and don't feel pressured by mainstream expectations

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  U4333439 on 02/11/2016 - 21:16

  +1

  I had my wife a ring made 5 years ago for around 6k. I purchased the diamond online (blue nile) for around 4.5k from memory and the ring cost the remainder. I spent a long time looking at ring designs to try find what i wanted and it simply wasn't available in local shops. Really glad i went the designer jeweller option though. It was cheaper; more fun; and a better quality product (although the there are some imperfections from not being cast). For me cost wasn't the primary issue. The design I wanted dictated the size/style of diamond (. 8ct, larger stones just looked over-sized for the design). As it was an less common cut (cushion) the best quality I could find was relatively reasonable in cost. Not so lucky if you want a round which can cost 4 times the price for high end stones.

  I guess my advice is to have a think about design first rather than 'it must be 1.5ct'. When you see some samples of runs in that style with that size stone you may decide if isn't quite right. Size != quality or overall appeal.

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  nickj on 02/11/2016 - 21:19

  +1

  Personally we were going to be in Dubai anyway for 4 days for a holiday stopover, and I encouraged her to choose a ring she liked from the gold and jewellery retailers there, with a request to not go too nuts on the price (i.e. under 4 or 5 k). After 2 days of visiting every store & jewellery souk in the city, and hearing way more than I ever needed to know about carats/cut/clarity, she narrowed it down to 2 rings that she liked, picked the marginally more expensive one, with five diamonds in a princess cut and very sparkly and yellow gold band, roughly $3.5k, they re-sized it in less than 24 hours, but she was really happy to show it to everyone and loves that ring and it's very special to her and she won't take it off, which should be the desired effect :-) We got gold bands at the same time that went nicely with the ring, and they were so cheap in comparison it was nuts ($250 or so for mine, $150 or so for hers, all the gold-only jewellery is sold by weight for a price closely linked to the international gold price). So it's really the diamonds that you pay for. But if that's what she wants then that's what she wants. So it's very personal what the right approach is, it really depends on both of you.

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  LlamaOfDoom on 02/11/2016 - 21:25

  +1

  I got a stone from Israel Diamonds (http://www.israel-diamonds.com/Default.aspx), and got it set in the type of ring my Mrs liked locally (was difficult to find a jeweller willing to do that for a decent price to be honest).
  Excellent result, went with a ~0.6 carat stone with higher quality rather than a larger but less spectacular one.

  Good luck!

  • 

    mbck on 02/11/2016 - 21:50

    +1

    Good choice. Quality is best. Carat should be the last (or second last) to be prioritised.

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  punk000 on 02/11/2016 - 23:01

  +1

  I think the ring should cost more than anything you will buy for your own personal use or entertainment (eg laptop, big screen tv). so just go from there

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  punk000 on 02/11/2016 - 23:07

  +2

  Just go to Tiffany, get the Tiffany setting, in platinum. You can do much worse.

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  [Deactivated] on 02/11/2016 - 23:11

  +1

  A friend bought his fiancee's ring from this etsy seller. He said he was impressed with the quality of the ring.

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  fastnbulbous on 03/11/2016 - 00:10

  +1

  Does the fiancee in waiting know about the "side gigs"?

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  Aneurism on 03/11/2016 - 00:18

  +2

  Better to buy a highly 'affordable' engagement ring without any bling, according to your wage and savings. The advantage is you get to find out if she truly loves you

  Logically, if she says no:
  a. it is because of the ring (gold digger… avoid like the plague).
  b. it is because she's not into you the way you think. (time to cut your losses)

  If she says yes:
  a. but then renegs because time sinks in over the ring (then she isn't the right one anyway)
  b. and it all works out (then you have a winner)

  It is also a good way to find out if your potential bride has enough fortitude to put her friends in their place if they attempt to lessen yourself or herself in their eyes over a material possession.

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    DisneyPrincess on 05/11/2016 - 03:20

    -1

    I totally disagree with this logic!

    1a.) if you suspect she's a gold digger, test the waters with something other than an engagement ring!?!? I really don't think a proposal is the best time to be playing any kind of mind-games or relationship tests.
    1b.) probably is true that it's best to not get engaged if 'she's not into the way you think', although i'd be on her side 100% if I suspected my bf wasn't totally genuine when he was proposing. Rather than changing girlfriends, you should probably change the way you think, if you honestly think a marriage proposal is a good time to be playing mind games and personality tests.

    2a.) I actually agree, but would like to think that most engagements end because of personality compatabilities, not because of an ugly or cheap ring
    2b.) ♥️💍💯✅

    To summarise: proposing as a test = bad. Proposing because you're genuinely in love & know you want to spend the rest of your life together = good.

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      Aneurism on 05/11/2016 - 12:16

      +2

      My post was never at heart about mind games and tests and I think you are reading into it a little too much.

      What I am doing is encouraging every guy to show their true nature to their potential wives. If he is frugal and decides to buy a cheap ring, then be frugal..let her see him being frugal.. and let her accept how he is. If not then obviously something is wrong.

      I personally think when it comes to marriage, there is not enough true life long commitment ( male or female) which leads to a ton of divorce.

      In regards to the logical outcomes for a proposal..They come after the fact. A guy proposes with his heart with the intention of the proposed of saying yes. If that outcome is met then none of the others matter.

      I'm not into mind games..but think about this..

      Obviously for any guy to propose, he is most likely going to be head over heels in love with a girl.
      If a guy is head over heels with a girl.. Goes out of his way to buy a ring (cheap or not) to propose,.. and the gal says 'no'.. who do you think has been playing mind games ?

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  lenlynn on 03/11/2016 - 00:42

  +1

  Have you tried First State Auctions? We bought my engagement ring from there.

  1.1 carat round diamond (I think. Can't remember exactly), excellent cut, vvs1 and colour L, for about 6.5k including resizing (you get measured there and then; they send it to you by registered post 3 weeks later).

  We went to the Hyatt Hotel in the morning for the auction and tried on all the rings we liked before deciding. It was our first time at an auction and we told them that; they sent this really friendly lady to help us bid and after we won, she even announced what it was for and got everyone to cheer for us!

  Quite a good experience. Only one every few months and you can check out the online catalogue and email for estimated prices too. Only bad thing is the buyer's premium has increased this year - can't remember how much it is now.

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    lenlynn on 03/11/2016 - 00:51

    +2

    My advice is, unless you are 100% sure what she wants and 100% sure she means it when she says you choose it for her, do let her choose. She will be wearing it for life.

    I was sure my partner and I would agree on the same ring, until we were comparing two on our final shortlist and he liked the other one, I liked the one we got in the end.

    And if her fingers are slim, a 1carat stone can look massive; no need for a 1.5.

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  aragornelessar on 03/11/2016 - 01:10

  +1

  I haven't read all the posts so apologies if it's already been mentioned, but don't forget the TRS as an option depending on your timing and your 'ethics'! This is OzB after all…

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  billbro on 03/11/2016 - 01:25

  +1

  Interesting thread, I've been planning on purchasing one for almost 12 months now.

  Based on the comments and votes I'm going to be in one of the more uncommon buckets, either the 2nd or 3rd last.

  Option 1 - is not good value based on the benchmarking I did at a few top end stores, I'm sure you could find a bargain or two at some more discrete stores.

  Option 2 - is your best bet for value, but how comfortable are you about making a purchase entirely online? Personally it scares the crap out of me and no one on here seems to have spoken about light performance (google ASET, IS, etc).

  Seems to be lot of emphasis on the 4 C's but knowing that is elementary and insufficient if you are making a purchase without seeing a stone.

  Option 3 - not for me, did cross my mind though.

  Oh and I completely agree that spending so much on a ring is entirely irrational, but you factored in this sunk cost when you decided to propose. It's a massive depreciating asset, but presumably the intension is to do it once and never again - may as well do it properly then.

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  AceIsMe on 03/11/2016 - 07:40

  +1

  I was asking myself the same question when i bought my ring. How much is too much, or how much is not enough? What I found out is that the rule of thumb is between 1-2 months worth of your pay. That is a minimum of 1 months pay not to be stingy and not more than 2 months pay or you'll be considered crazy. So on that theory, on 80k wage I would probably be looking at a 4-5k ring. Don't know where you can Ozbargain one as I bought mine OS.

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  chartparker on 03/11/2016 - 07:49

  +2

  I spent pretty much bang on $1k, but my (now) wife is the kind who doesn't really care how much something costs as long as it looks pretty. Plus she'd have killed me if I spent much more as that would have eaten into our house deposit. I got my mum to buy it from Sri Lanka when she went there. The only thing is that it's 24ct gold, which isn't really popular in Australia. Had to find a Jeweler in Warrandyte who could resize it for her (it was way too small).

  Oh, also my wife doesn't really like diamonds anyway, so I got her sapphires instead.

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    enzioFirenze on 04/11/2016 - 08:34

    Sri Lanka is a strange place to buy a diamond ring, but they do have some good sapphire stones.

    • 

      chartparker on 04/11/2016 - 10:37

      I was born in Sri Lanka :)

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        enzioFirenze on 04/11/2016 - 13:54

        +1

        Lucky you, it's a lovely country :)

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  supersabroso on 03/11/2016 - 07:56

  +2

  No, 1 carat is not excessive. You're looking at 15k for a triple excellent ring in D colour. 1.5 carat, that's a different story at 25k+. I don't know why anyone would buy anything less than a triple excellent ring. D colour because it's the best of the best, much cheaper than trying to buy the best class of clarity (flawless). Unless she has man hands or you plan on run around in penthouse circles (or she wants to know that you spent the most out of all your teacher buddies), the 1.5 carat is not worth it.

  The real question you need to ask yourself is, are you sure she's the one the one (ie. no matter how hard things get or how much you hate each other, are you ready to commit forever and ever?). If the answer is yes…but surely not if we hate each other, that won't happen right? Then, pack your bags and forget the whole thing. Otherwise, congratulations! Definitely fork out for the $15k on your salary. You won't regret it unless she's a forgetful cookie.

  To know how much shops should be charging you, look online for the diamond. You'll learn a lot too.

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  ozbd on 03/11/2016 - 08:00

  +1

  I used bluenile for engagement ring and I found it great. Subsequently bought the wedding through there as well. If you have a UK bank account you can use http://www.topcashback.co.uk/blue-nile/ for cashback!

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  sheebies on 03/11/2016 - 08:36

  +1

  I don't like wearing rings at all, so I was quite happy when I got a $3 ring from Ali Express. I can leave it off 90% of the time and I wear it occasionally when I leave the house. The only issue I have is because it's a cheap fake ring it sometimes leaves discolouring on my finger but considering I never wear it, it's really not an issue.

  My partner got a $14 Tungsten ring from Ali Express and he loves it.

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  That Guy on 03/11/2016 - 09:23

  +3

  I have an engagement ring in my safe I doubt I'll be using.
  I anti-ozbrgained myself.

  The ring was absolutely perfect for her, she pointed it out very early in the relationship (I took notice of her ring size) and I kept an eye on it for years until it popped up in an awesome sale.

  I planned on popping the question this year. Things appear to be going south… ahh well better now then after a wedding!

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    [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 19:37

    -3

    Well, if you do break up, you have to totally give the ring to her anyway. In public. Just tell her that she might as well have it, as it's worthless to you now anyway.

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  scotty on 03/11/2016 - 09:45

  +3

  My then-girlfriend / now-wife bought a set of cheap metal rings, and our gold wedding bands were recasted old jewelry that my in-laws "found somewhere". That was almost 2 decades ago, and we were young, poor and extremely cheap…

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  wchau on 03/11/2016 - 10:15

  Wow so many responses..

  Back in the "days" , I had the same question and the answer was to spend a months salary on it. You are so young and have an above average wage so a months salary is quite a bit of mulla.

  I actually gave her a ring that I made from some bits and pieces ( its the thought that counts ) for the proposal and then said for her to go and buy it herself ( with her friends or mum etc.. with a limit of months salary)

  This way she actually knows what ring she wants and that she likes it.. if I bought it myself it may not appeal to her.

  In my honest opinion I think an expensive ring is just a waste of money, and on top of that to be brutally honest who knows what may lead down the track…
  "seemed like a good idea at the time"

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5aWTKb83JA

  Anyway goodluck.

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    donkcat on 03/11/2016 - 11:46

    -1

    If it makes her happy is it such a waste of money if it's a once off purchase? I mean I did think it was a complete waste of money but then I looked at it that I might purchase a new car at some point in my life that I don't need that I would lose more on driving it out of the car yard than on her ring. I like to purchase a new graphics card every 4 years which I basically lose $500 bucks on, add that up over a long time and it soon adds up to more than most would spend on a ring. I guess though priorities are different, we already have a house together and no way could I justify 10k on a ring if we were renting. Don't get me wrong if my mrs was happy with a .2 crt $500 ring then I would have been happy to get her that but she really wanted a 1crt ring and she knew it was something that could be afforded in our financial circumstances.

    • 

      wchau on 03/11/2016 - 12:08

      I said "expensive" ring :) 5k vs 10k.. They bring the sames happiness ( but 5k less you can get an awesome holiday too ) and its not like you are going to get double the mrs by doubling the ring cost. =-P

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  freakatronic on 03/11/2016 - 10:19

  +6

  Diamonds are a scam. An entirely worthless rock. Want proof? Try reselling one. Even with things like a GIA certificate, you will find the private market runs at a fraction of the retail diamond market.

  That said, I still spent two or three thousand on her engagement ring.

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  lainey13 on 03/11/2016 - 11:19

  It really depends on your lady what she would prefer. Everyone is different, her requirements could be entirely different from what you're being told here. She could like a specific style, no ring, huge ring, ring that doesn't sit up too much, different stone, who knows… This is a conversation you need to have with her first, THEN ozbargain how to get the cheapest price for what she really wants. Maybe she'd be happy with anything, you don't know that… or she could hate most things and be very specific about what she likes.

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  inusure on 03/11/2016 - 11:37

  +7

  I didnt get an engagement ring for my wife :(
  She told me all she wanted was a a home. So we worked really hard in 3 years, saved up 90K plus and bought a house. Now, 2 and a half year passed, the house's value goes up 200k plus :)
  We are happy, and soon I will get her a ring that she deserves.

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  Trying2SaveABuck on 03/11/2016 - 12:06

  +6

  All these people that say they got a ring for so much but it is really worth this much more are talking s***

  Engagement rings are like a car once you buy it the value drops you simply cant just sell it at a profit unless you own a jewelry store.

  I know a few blokes who either got divorced or there engagement broke off and they could get back half what they paid for it.

  Example i have a friend who paid 8k on his ring got it custom made and was told it was worth 13-15k engagement broke off couldnt even get 3k for the ring and he has been trying to pawn it off for 2 years!

  My advice is ask your wife what she wants and go from there

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  Xizo on 03/11/2016 - 12:40

  +5

  I think if you ONLY focus on the ring's price, you maybe missing the point.

  Buy her something that you know she will love and be happy every time she looks at while making you proud for the next 50-60 years together. That can vary depending on the couple and her preference for shiny stones.

  Also, I'm against buying an overpriced worthless rock, so even 3-4 K maybe too much for a low quality diamond, and hence the massive sales they run every now and then.

  The principle I heard over and over again is that while you go looking, the ring will find you. You'll find connection to the actual ring you'll buy, and that certainly happened with me.

  Personally, I did break my bank on the ring, and it did cost more than double the cost of the honeymoon (which itself was in the Maldives), while my own wedding band cost 70$. Having said that, I did know from my diligent research what her childhood dreams have always been regarding the particular jewellery brand and where she always wanted to have a honeymoon, so The emotional return was well worth it.
  The result is that for the past few years, every time she looks at the rings, put them on or off, she expresses happiness and gratitude. That, to me is priceless.

  Main point is, do your research on what she likes, what is good value and good craftsmanship, and consider it an investment. I think the ring will ideally live longer than the honeymoon (The memory of which itself will be short lived unless you take some really nice photos to hang around!)

  EDIT: Just to clarify, that doesn't mean buying a ring that will stress your finances severely, and it in no way means buying the most expensive ring from the most luxurious jewellers around. It just means finding the sweet spot after a lot of research.

  Also, to Ozbargain's credit, my Maldives honeymoon was an absolute bargain thanks to one of the deals posted some time ago!

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  trevbreak on 03/11/2016 - 12:50

  +2

  Plenty of local jewelry chains will offer ~1ct gold rings around the $2k mark - and frankly, they're all horrible with very poor cut, color, and clarity. Yes, you can brag about giving her a big diamond… but it will be rather nasty to look at. To give context, what i'd consider an OK 1ct diamond (brilliant cut, VIS2 clarity, F colour) you'd be looking at $5k+ for the diamond alone…. that gives an idea of just how horrible those cheap local diamonds are.

  I got my wife's engagement ring made locally, and bought a loose diamond from BlueNile in the US. It was much more expensive, but the quality is light-years ahead of anything you'll find for similar money. For our 0.80ct loose brilliant cut diamond it was $4k delivered, and another $4k to make the ring here in Aus (platinum ring, 27x smaller diamonds in a halo). For the $8k outlay, the ring is valued and insured for just over $20k

  When buying diamonds - you want the highest possible cut. This is what makes it look the nicest, and really sparkle when light hits it. Color and clarity are next most important, but both can be more flexible than cut (i'd argue a nicer color is better than clarity)

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  Gronk on 03/11/2016 - 14:25

  +1

  When I decided it was time to pop the question, it was one of the few times where I made the decision that no matter the cost I'd make sure she got exactly what she wanted. Lucky for me she doesn't have super-expensive tastes or I'd still be paying the thing off.

  For her, the most important thing was that it wasn't mass produced, so we avoided the large chain jewelers and went with a store who design and make all their own pieces. Diamonds are one of those things that I'm not sure if I'm comfortable purchasing over the internet because I don't know enough about them, but each to their own on that one.

  Not sure I'd entertain the idea of option #3, but that's mostly because I wanted her to have whatever she wanted without having to compromise and I feel as though buying something that was originally intended for someone else is a bit of a compromise, unless you're extremely lucky and it's exactly what you were looking for.

  All up I spent around $4k on her engagement ring, but I get the feeling that even if it had have cost half or a quarter of that amount she'd have loved it all the same.

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  syousef on 03/11/2016 - 14:36

  +2

  I proposed with a $10 ring. I kid you not. Use a prop ring and give your wife some choice and agree a budget with her. Then go ring shopping together. Much more romantic than lumping her with something she might not like. My wife thought she'd like to be surprised but when it actually came down to it had many, many ideas about what she did and didn't like so this worked out very well.

  It'll be 10 years this coming September. Nothing to brag about but whatever happens in the future this is not a short marriage that didn't last.

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  bighead on 03/11/2016 - 16:09

  +6

  I also believe that diamonds are a scam. Overpriced piece of rock that doesnt keep its value. Could probably be fooled with a Swarovski crystal.

  However, as a young male who recently got on one knee and proposed last month (Oct 16'), I still forked out 12k+ on a engagement ring.
  She is the woman of my dreams and was happy to fork out the money. Dont regret it.

  I wanted somthing of classic design. Wasnt a fan of Tiffany. Did not like the Tiffany setting 6 prong and knife edge ring mould.
  I decided to go with a more classic design. Cartier Solitare 1895 Gold Band Engagement ring.
  Cartier was more overpriced but damn, it look nice. Free engravings too.

  It may sound naive, but If you love the girl, dont see why not spent a little extra.
  Was it a waste of money on a rock. Yes. BUT still worth it.

  She said 'Yes' btw :)

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  supersoda on 03/11/2016 - 16:48

  +4

  Proverbs 31:10 says: "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." If getting inspiration from scripture isn't too, you know, religious, for you, then a nice ruby ring along with an explanation for why you chose it might also be nice.

  Edited to add: congratulations!

  • 

    The Wololo Wombat on 04/11/2016 - 14:56

    +3

    Hey! Thanks for the verse! I am a committed Christian, should've know my answer was already there in scripture! :)

    • 

      supersoda on 05/11/2016 - 10:40

      Well if your future wife is too, then she'll love it! Speaking as a wife that doesn't have a ruby ring ;-)

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  hackseed on 03/11/2016 - 17:05

  +1

  Lets face it… nothing is guaranteed in engagments… the amount of engagements break ups I hear about - wow.

  buy a ring second hand for the diamond then have it set into your own ring. (make sure you get documentation with it)
  You can use the gold in the ring also or trade that in with the jeweller.

  I went for moissanite… rarer, more fire, cheaper and for the price got a big 1.25ct which gets my wife many compliments. See moimoi in the QVB in sydney. engagment and wedding band with a thick banded 18ct yellow gold and real diamonds on the band set me back $4800.

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  [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 18:21

  +4

  Bought mine from blue nile, isnt bad but make sure you got the size right.

  Also, must ask them to ship from US to avoid import tax. (I wish some1 told me this)

  Dont forget to use 28 degrees card to avoid 3% foreign transaction fee

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  trapper on 03/11/2016 - 18:22

  +3

  Just make sure you buy within 60 days of an international flight so you can get the tax back! I really messed up on that with my wife's engagement ring, tax would have paid for the whole holiday lol

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  [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 19:29

  +2

  Congratulations! Just remember that for some, perhaps many, women, the engagement ring is valuable for what it symbolises. (I'll assume your fiancée is like this). So, as a symbol, for many people, this means you can't skimp on the actual material part of the symbol. For example, many stones might be objectively better than diamonds, but a diamond is part of symbol now for better or for worse, so you are not going to be able to use a manufactured diamond, or some other pretty-and-much-cheaper-than-a-diamond stone. A ring is meant to be expensive, symbolising the value you put on the relationship, so don't tell her how you got it for a bargain. Having said that - there is still wiggle room. So no, she probably won't want to wear a dead or divorced woman's engagement ring (because of the obvious symbolism), but if you bought a diamond that was part of setting (a necklace or brooch) from the 20's England, that would probably be a different matter. That is just romantic :) This would be a much cheaper way of getting a big diamond. Also, you probably don't want to get something from eBay - if you're buying a big diamond, you'll want an auction house that sounds traditional and expensive. I remember my wife's friends looking at her engagement ring- they all expressed great interest, whether feigned or not. It was kind of a script they followed. But you could see in some of their eyes that the value of the ring was important. That is kind of shallow, but on the other hand, forking out an extra few grand once in your life to surpass other people's expectations isn't the end of the world. That is what I think anyway.

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  [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 19:32

  +1

  BTW - I also believe that diamonds are a scam in an objective sense. However, in this instance for many people it doesn't matter. If your partner would genuinely prefer the money spent on a holiday or house, do that I think and get something simple and beautiful for the ring (like plain silver or white gold).

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  misspep on 03/11/2016 - 19:38

  +2

  I think it really depends on your girlfriend (hopefully soon to be fiancé). If she truly doesn't mind branding and doesn't want you to blow big bucks (especially when the $ could be put to use on a mortgage or something along this early lines), I think $5-10K is plenty. My fiancé blew me away with a 0.6 carat diamond from James Allen, and I know he spent something like 5K on it. To me, that's already plenty and I love it! I would stay away from Moissanite…unless you are 100% certain she won't mind. I thought I'd be ok with a sapphire or moissanite myself but after ring shopping and seeing differences, I decided I did want a diamond after all. Don't buy rings from Prouds or Angus & Coote, it's poor quality and you can visibly see the difference in the stone. I also think local jewellers will just rip you off…we went to a few jewellers in the CBD and even in Chinatown, and I'm no diamond expert, but we just felt the money doesn't stretch as far in terms of carat, cut, clarity etc. E.G. 8k for a 0.5 carat diamond plus white gold setting at one place.
  By the way, if you want a 1.5 carat ring, it will set you back like 15 to 20K. Had a mate who dished out 20K on his now wife's ring.
  Anyway, I would just recommend to get it online! :) And James Allen usually have 15-20% off sales from time to time, so definitely something to watch out for.
  Good luck! At the end of the day, she loves you and will probably love the ring :)

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  chiefbodge on 03/11/2016 - 20:48

  I proposed to my fiance without a ring knowing that she's the kind of person who would like to have input into the design. We didn't want to buy something off the shelf so went around to jewellers with an idea of what she wanted - got quoted between $1000 and $2000 (wasn't anything special - white gold with sapphires because she doesn't really like diamonds). Because we've been together for many years and already share money it just wasn't something that we wanted to spend that much on. We happened to be going to Thailand a couple of months after that and went and saw a reputable jeweller in Bangkok - they sat down and drew the design on the spot and then posted it to us 2 weeks later. Cost $250 AUD all up (for the exact same thing we'd been quoted $1500 for here). Seriously awesome experience.

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  [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 21:18

  +4

  Gave my girl an onion ring from hj. This is why I'm single now.

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  ef on 03/11/2016 - 22:45

  when you guys are talking about synthetic diamonds are you meaning something like these? http://renaissancediamonds.com/engagement-rings/ which are real pieces of carbon crystal or fake diamonds like cubic zircon/ moissanite?

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  ericshurn on 04/11/2016 - 00:30

  +3

  Hi!
  Long time Ozbargainer, and I happen to be in the jewellery business (family business for 30 years). I'm from Cabramatta in Sydney, which if you know is a primarily Vietnamese-Chinese community.
  This results in extremely competitive prices for everything, INCLUDING jewellery (there are more than 5 jewellery stores on the main street).
  Out of your 3 options you mentioned above, BlueNile is probably your best option
  Retail stores are absolute shite, their markup is RIDICULOUS and the quality of their stones i.e. colour, clarity, cut, polish, symmetry, are terrible for the prices they are charging.
  The definition of 'good' stone is relative, but for $3k the BlueNile prices are relatively true to their true value price.
  HOWEVER, if you want a GIA certified diamond (most trustworthy and reliable certificate for diamonds), you're going to be looking at at least $4k (for a diamond I don't even consider good but each to their own)
  You mentioned that your brother(in-law?) had his ring 'valued' for $7k. Those are bullshit and are only good for insurance claims, otherwise they would never be sold for anywhere near that price.

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  redslert on 04/11/2016 - 03:29

  Just went through this process.
  I live in HK currently so went to one of the local high quality diamond wholesalers. http://www.beesdiamonds.com/
  Highly rated and excellent reviews.

  I'm still waiting for the ring, only put in a deposit on Monday. Pickup next Monday. Custom made.

  My partner and I spent over 6 hours over 2 days in their office, Saturday + last Monday sitting with the CEO of the company Mr Bee's himself selecting a diamond and then designing/buying a ring.
  Just by the number of hours spent with us along it is well worth it.

  He showed us how to look at diamonds, many many diamonds just left on the table for us to compare. Give us real advice and absolute no ups selling as we explained our budget and he kept within it. I had to ask him for more expensive diamonds on the 2nd visit.

  We bought this diamond: http://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=2217453457
  You can d/l the PDF to see the markings picture, which I checked in detail and it was eye clean… I'm 20/20 after lasik.

  It is SI2, but it is eye clean.
  We compared and had struggled between SI1 of the same stats everything else, it was HKD12,000 MORE.
  Partner wanted it… I had to talk her out of it.

  Paid HKD48,500 (USD6,253) for the Diamond and HKD3,800 for the ring 18K white gold custom.
  There is zero bargaining, it is take or leave. They don't bump up prices and are as is.

  The exact same rock was been listed on gemtrove and dimaonds.hk for USD10,484
  http://ww.w.diamonds.hk/stock/wholesale_diamond_prices/view/…
  Listing has since been removed from gemtrove but still on dimamonds.hk

  Highly recomend bees diamonds.

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  itsdanthaman on 04/11/2016 - 07:12

  -1

  It wont last.

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  sal78 on 04/11/2016 - 07:45

  -1

  When my hubby proposed to me, it was completely by surprise. We hadn't been dating that long either. He's pretty clueless and just started working at that time. Still he got totally ripped off buying a ring from a high street store for about aud$1k. I still have it and I don't think I've ever worn it. I don't wear rings at all anyway. I hate it.

  I've had 2 upgrades since. About 2 yrs later when we were financially better off and USD was very low, I thought it was a great time to buy a diamond. I purchased a round brilliant F, VVS2 from Mondera on a platinum band for about AUD$1.1k If you know rings and diamonds then that's a very good price for the quality. I had it set in a traditional 6 prong Tiffany setting but son realised that's way too high and too impractical to wear. Gets caught in everything.

  A few yrs after that one last upgrade. I found a wholesale diamond supplier in WA for could supply me the quality and sz of diamonds that I wanted. I wanted a ring from a tiffany catalogue. It's 3 stone eternity ring with oval shaped diamonds. I wanted 0.75 carat in middle with 0.33 on each side. It had to be white coloured so nothing F and no carbon. Al stones were D/E and VVS1. The Tiffany equivalent had smaller stones and lower quality and cost $30k. Mine cost $5.5k set on platinum. Valuation $20k. AUD was strong at the time so good time for diamonds.

  Make sure you get a GIA Certificate. all mine have one,

  Omg Skramit, is Jogia diamonds still around? I bought mine from him too and it was more than 10 yrs ago. Nice guy to deal with. Beautiful diamonds. Love wearing my ring on special occasions, always get compliments. The cut for the 3 diamonds sparkle like crazy and it's colourless D. Love it.

  I don't think the cost of the ring is that important but I don't think a husband should be stingy on his wife. The point is that even though my hubby cluelessly picked out a ring, he still bought it himself and he doesn't do stuff like that much so I am very grateful. But when it was time for an upgrade he was more than happy to and we could comfortably afford it. Actually he really wanted to upgrade. Although he's not very romantic and I'm not very materialistic but he wants me to have some nice things. It's just important that a man can be so stingy to everyone else but never to his wife.

  Plus I hate rings so I never wear it. Only on special occasions. I hate jewellery altogether. I only wear necklaces because I don't need to take it off. My hubby is quite clever now. He asks my friends for help when choosing presents. Last yr he bought me a beautiful Chanel necklace for my bday.This yr he bought me a tiffany bracelet for valentines day because he noticed i don't wear bracelets. We have been married 14yrs. I felt really bad but I had to return it. It was way too exxy for something I would never wear because I hate wearing bracelets. I have a pandora bracelet, He loves it because it's easy for him to buy a charm and add to it. So I've kept that just for the sake of it but I seldom wear it. However, each charm he ha picked out is meaningful.

  I think just you stressing about a ring and asking ppl here for help is very sweet. Buy what you can afford. I think Tiffany is overpriced. Not like you can tell ring is from Tiffany ad you can get even better quality diamonds than Tiffany for a fraction of the price.

  I lose jewellery that I have to take off and have lost heaps over the yrs. If I was to wear a ring everyday, I would choose something cheap because I'd probably lose it. But My hubby and I have never worn our rings. We both hate it.

  For a wedding ring, Bvlgari is nice since they make nice men's ring too. But now is exxy to buy diamonds since USD is strong.

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  imurgod on 04/11/2016 - 08:01

  Edit: far more knowledgeable people posting than me. Good luck!

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  cyrax83 on 04/11/2016 - 10:24

  Going to go the other way and say don't be stingy on the ring. She's going to wear it for the rest of her life. Get her something nice. Money comes and goes.

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  roddiw on 04/11/2016 - 12:12

  Ordered mine from brilliantearth.com for half of what Melbourne jewellers quoted (although they would have bargained down - but I don't think I would have got 50% off from them).
  Ring and service was great, but needed it resized - but you get one resize for free.
  The only hassle was finding an official Fedex drop off point to return the ring for resizing.
  Had to go to their distribution centre in Derrimutt to do that, the local MBE affiliates won't take the package.
  All in all happy with the experience.
  Also had friends who bought from bluenile.com and were happy.
  Buying engagement rings locally is for chumps.

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  Spending2Much on 04/11/2016 - 12:54

  +4

  Forgot how much I spent on engagement ring and two wedding rings.. …….
  I remember my divorce certificate cost me many many thousands, the happiness of that purchase was priceless.

  • 

    mightygirl on 05/11/2016 - 13:25

    Your smile means more to me than anything in the world… that's all you need to wear to keep me baby… and it doesn't cost a cent 😍😘

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  end user on 04/11/2016 - 13:03

  +4

  Remember the four C's when shopping for a ring:
  1. Cost
  2. Cost
  3. Cost
  4. Cost

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  fruxo on 04/11/2016 - 13:24

  +1

  It depends on your wife to be. But consider that she will hopefully wear it every day for the rest of her life. I only read first page of comments, but definitely don't skimp on the metal. Gold or platinum.

  If you have talked about it, maybe get her to try out some rings to see what style and size looks good on her fingers. It's very hard to guess, and even though she might say she only want something small, it's hard to have any perspective before you try something on.

  Personally, I think diamonds are the stupidest thing in the world to spend money on, and I tried to push my wife in the direction of mossanite etc, but in the end I gave up and spent a ridiculous amount of money on a massive diamond.

  In hindsight though, I definitely made the right choice. Remember, happy wife happy life. In 30 years time you might have a different house and car and everything else and pretty much the only thing you still have is the ring.

  Now you don't have to get a solitaire, which would be much cheaper. A band with smaller diamonds can be a lot more personal and is common in other countries, but again you really need to make sure this is what she wants.

  I bought the ring from overseas, but I was lucky in that the dollar was very strong so not sure the best place to buy at the moment. But yes, import taxes apply.

  Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that I do understand where you are coming from, but I would recommend to go against your instincts and splurge. If you think it's what she wants, break the magical 1carat barrier. Make sure you get a good GIA certified diamond though and ignore any "valued at" crap. I would also definitely stay clear of overpriced Tiffany's etc and go with a seller where you pick the diamond and the ring separately such as bluenile or jamesallen (and whatever the Australian equivalent sellers are). I bought mine from Brian Gavin, but I had the ring custom made and dollar was strong as mentioned.

  Check out pricescope forums. Was a lifesaver when I was in the same position.

  Edit: I voted 5-10k.

  Edit: obviously it all comes down to Her. If she genuinely doesn't care about these things, spend it on something more useful. Else do your best to get her what she wants (and preferably slightly above the bare minimum of her preferences).

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  Duram on 04/11/2016 - 13:55

  +3

  You don't need a ring or a certificate to prove your in love, go on a holiday instead. End of thread.

  Edit: After reading through this thread I have to commend the diamond and jewelry sellers that have instilled this notion of 1-2 months’ salary for a ring well played!

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    fruxo on 04/11/2016 - 17:49

    +1

    For sure diamond prices is the best executed scam ever. But at the end of the day, if the expectation from missus is a diamond, there's no way around it.

    The ring will be on the finger basically 24/7 and you don't want an OK ring that you both know is not the ring she really wanted. Better to close your eyes and just get her what she wants. In this specific case I mean, you don't want to make a habit of it off course ;)

    Edit: you have to give a shout out to the whole wedding industry as well. One of the weddings we went to apparently cost $50k all up. Yikes. At least with a ring you have keepsake. Or even a honeymoon where you have a longer and more enjoyable and memorable experience. An expensive wedding and reception is the most wasteful IMO.

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  porsche26c on 04/11/2016 - 14:22

  i spent around 8k on the diamond and 2.5k on the set up - purchased separately.
  was a very unique design and thus gets my wife praises all the time. dont be tight like the rest of the ozbargainers. if this girl is for life then its for life really. pretty good long term investment.
  i bought that when i was a student - many many yrs of saving.

  try diamond merchants first and then once you get one you like then find someone to make it.

  regarding the diamond, check out all the websites which have been posted on the thread.
  the making of it especially if you have a unique design, just get it done locally.

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  folken on 04/11/2016 - 14:33

  Get something the Mrs will like but don't go crazy. At the end of the day the price you pay will always be more than what it's really worth. It could be "valued" more but this will actually cost you more in insurance premiums :D I did pay a fair bit for my wife but I don't regret it.

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  Galvatron on 04/11/2016 - 15:15

  Paid 5-10k.

  If you're going to stick to a local jeweller, and are based in Sydney, I would give Nicholas Haywood a visit (Elizabeth St, CBD).

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  DWH on 04/11/2016 - 16:30

  If you have time and patience, check eBay for a genuine second hand. $3k rings go for $500-700.

  I myself left it till the last minute of course and paid full price!

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  whitepa on 04/11/2016 - 17:38

  Very hard to determine what a ring is 'worth'. I have heard diamonds routinely have markups of 1000%! To me rings and jewellery in general are very opaque when it comes to what it actually costs - I don't want to line someone else's pocket from my hard earned cash.
  Get a fancy ring later when you can both afford it. Keep the cash in the bank, and put it towards a house deposit or loan (hell, or a holiday!).

  Budget: $500.

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  Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 04/11/2016 - 19:20

  +1

  Got her to try on rings. She had her heart set on a 7k beauty. Bought one that looks very similar, waited 6 months and proposed. Cost 2k.
  Bought a $100 job for myself for the actual day.

  A friend paid 9k on a ring. They split up after 6 months. AWKSSSSS

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  gimme on 04/11/2016 - 22:18

  +1

  $10. Married over 10 years. Couldn't be happier.

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  try2bhelpful on 05/11/2016 - 13:06

  Whatever you decide to do make sure the girlfriend is onboard with the selection; she may not say she doesn't like the ring but she is the one who has to wear it. When my man and I got an engagement ring we both went to the stores to buy it.

• 

  Pungentia on 05/11/2016 - 13:37

  I would get a jeweller in the burbs to make something special, with her input. My rings cost around $2500 all up (9 years ago now) to be designed - I'm quite happy with what I ended up with as I don't believe in the 'spend $15k hype, or 2 months of salary stuff'. (And don't get me started on the wedding hype and wedding mark up).

  I like a nice ring, honestly without a huge stone (as I think proportion is good - I don't wear huge earrings I don't want a huge ring).

  I have diamonds in my engagement ring - reasonable size of 0.4 with diamond chips to the side - cut and colour were more important. My wedding bands (I have 2, for symmetries sake) are eternity ring (i.e tiny diamonds right the way around), also with white gold.

  Our jeweller advised white gold is quite soft, so if you are a major sentimentalist, you might want to go platinum as that will last lifetimes. I probably would have liked platinum, but they are all good.

  My point is get something nice, involve her in the decision, look around at the fancy stores, but get it made for you by a suburban jeweller, don't listen to the hype.

  Personally, a holiday, house etc is more important!

• 

  j4ice on 07/11/2016 - 12:50

  There are actually "bargain diamonds" to be had if you know what to look for.
  From personal experience, what the certificate says about the diamond is only half the story (i.e. a "triple excellent" diamond can still look mediocre).

  If you can view the certificate beforehand, put the facet details into this:
  http://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

  This would give you an indication of whether the diamond has the scintillation and fire of a top notch diamond.

  Also, it is really really difficult to tell colours D-G apart without turning the diamond upside down and using reference stones.

  Furthermore, buy a diamond with fluorescence (as long as it doesn't have the rare "cloudy" effect) will save you an additional 8-10% off the wholesale price.

  I bought a GIA certified G, VS2 (eye-clean), 1.06CT, Strong Blue Florescence diamond from Blue Nile for my now wifey. When she compared it to her friend's "triple excellent" D VVS1 1.18CT no fluorescence, my wife's one looks bigger, sparkles a lot more, same white colour, no visible defects. Best bit: cost $8k less :)

• 

  gimme on 07/11/2016 - 15:24

  Why do we even buy a diamond engagement ring? and how does that somehow correlate to how much we love the other person? (it doesn't)

  Everyone's been sucked in!

  http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/diamond-de-beers-marketing…

• 

  pernunz on 07/11/2016 - 16:21

  My girlfriend has said it's OK if I propose to her with a Burger Ring.

• 

  paaj on 09/11/2016 - 19:04

  Spent 4K on an 11K design - went to India and got the same ring that would have cost 11K here. Still cheaper if you include the flights and accomo etc. But I was able to do that. Not everyone is.

  Ironically i'm not even from India.

• 

  1968 on 18/09/2019 - 12:29

  Does anyone have a referral link for bluenile? Pm me!

  Appears there’s $100 in it for both..

• 

  myusername on 19/09/2019 - 21:11

  alas no 100k+ option

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