I have her choices in an email for when the time comes. Her mother’s a jeweler so I wont be buying shite apparently.

HK Jewellery is very popular it seems! They also made my engagement ring (ethical sapphire)and both our wedding rings.

We went to a shop that sold such things and I asked her which one she wanted. She picked one, I paid for it. Job done.

The people at the shop (local jewellers) were nice, helpful and reasonable, so we went back there for our wedding rings.

http://www.stevenstone.co.uk/

I got one fro ‘Er-In-Doors from here. You choose the diamond, style of ring etc etc and they’re in Hale/Altrincham.

Way better value than anything I saw in shops of a comparison.

Ha ha ha brilliant quote from HK jewellery about aquamarine stones;

“There are many interesting and odd facts about this gemstone such as Aquamarine can cure as sore throat and helps relieve stress. And it has also been said that if aquamarine is held in the mouth, you could call upon a devil and receive answers to any questions you ask.”

. . . .or you could just post a question on STW 😆

If you’re more London-based, there are loads of really good shops along Hatton Garden (where Mrs O’s came from), although I never got any free Champagne. I picked what I liked, really.

One thing to think of, if she’s a bike-tinkerer then gold is easily nicked if she forgets to take it off before diving into a rear hub rebuild or whatever. Platinum is muchy harder wearing.

Read all the opinions on here then decide what suits the two of you.

My tuppence worth is don’t go spending more than you can afford as struggling to pay isn’t going to make you happy. Also forget value for money as I don’t see an engagement ring as an investment.

Me, I proposed in a park then led my new fiancé into a nearby jewellers to choose a ring. They gave us some fizzy wine and little cake things then we asked an assistant to take a picture of us. We have smiles on our faces in the picture so I’d say it went well. I bet the ring wouldn’t fetch what I paid for it but is that ever going to matter?

a bloomin ring. Save your money for something actually good like the wedding or honeymoon! If someone is on £50k then they should be spending 4 or 12 grand on a ring? Sod that.

Oh it’s meant to be before tax? Sod that. I didn’t give a budget and let my wife choose an appropriate amount, I was happy with it; I suppose I’d have had a bit of a chat with her if she’d got carried away.

Well budget is sorted, now I need to go see her dad and sort out the proposal.

All penned in for the day after the peaks pootle 🙂

We went together to the same place, and for both our wedding rings too. Went in for a bespoke ring, Sat down with the designer and after a few minutes the missus had designed the exact same ring they had in a cabinet; not wanting to wait for another to be made she walked out with it.

Same thing here, we went in thinking custom, but they had one she liked in the display cabinet, so we bought that. We then had a matching wedding band made. My wedding band and was an off the peg number from another shop.

I liked the idea of a simple platinum wedding band but not the £££, they suggested palladium as a good value alternative. It seems to scratch pretty easily but has been back to be polished once and came back as good a new.

Cheers,
Jamie

Engagment ring? Did I just wake up in the 1950s?

Me and the Mrs went to the jewellery quarter together to pick hers, got a nice simple platinum solitaire for about £350 just under 10 years ago. I think it looks nice, won’t win any awards for worlds flashiest but we like it.

Not sure what you can get down there for £500 these days, but it’s not all megabucks stuff. My first wedding ring was £40 from the same shop I think.

I got engaged last month OP, I know your pain. Trust me, go and choose one together. Make your proposal and then go to the jewellers with each other. It’s what we ended up doing and to be honest it saves the possibility of getting something she really doesn’t like, and also I think it’s quite a nice experience and quite exciting to do it together.

I wish you all the best, and congrats! (As long as she says yes 😉 )

Trust me, go and choose one together.

Trust me, don’t.

We were together 14 years before I proposed, with the most expensive thing I’d bought other than a car or house (yes, including bikes) – the reaction was worth every penny.

Worked especially well from a rain soaked muddy pannier (frame bag now of course ;-)) atop a windy rainy hill.

PS – </destroyromance> most shops will take it back if she really really hates it!

We’ve been together 9 years and she’s always said if I asked shed say yes so I’m not too worried, she is amazing and I know she will love whatever I pick.

As much as I want her to cone with me and pick it I know she would love the surprise.

I’m going to Manchester Saturday to have a look. Now to find a white gold ring that isn’t wide and the stone doesn’t sit too high. The only thing I do know for sure is she likes the diamonds that have points. Except I’m not sure what that means. Ha

How on earth do you pick an engagement ring?!

You dont. You just engineer the conversation until she has told you exactly what she wants without knowing it. Tell her you really dislike one of her friend’s rings or something like that. That’ll get her talking and then you just coax out information until the picture is so clear that you cant go wrong.

jamiea – Member
I liked the idea of a simple platinum wedding band but not the £££, they suggested palladium as a good value alternative. It seems to scratch pretty easily but has been back to be polished once and came back as good a new.

Cheers,
Jamie

I went for a Palladium wedding ring and to be honest, it looks no different to my brother’s platinum wedding ring. His is equally scratched up.
Apart from telling people you’ve got a platinum ring (i.e. we paid loads for this), I don’t know what the advantage of it is over something like palladium.

Matt,

Just emailed you. http://www.elementbespokejewellery.com/

Dave

“There are many interesting and odd facts about this gemstone such as Aquamarine can cure as sore throat and helps relieve stress. And it has also been said that if aquamarine is held in the mouth, you could call upon a devil and receive answers to any questions you ask.”

Heh, I went around the ‘Cheapside Hoard’ exhibition in the Museum Of London yesterday, which is a mass of jewellery found in the cellar of a former goldsmith from Elizabethan times. Most stones had supposed health-giving properties back then, and pearls were very popular, as were diamonds, emeralds, garnets, sapphires, aquamarines, amethyst, iolites. Quality garnets are beautiful when well cut, with a fabulous deep wine-red colour. Emeralds are a bugger, they’re rarely clear, usually full of inclusions, and rather fragile.
It was enlightening having a goldsmith with me when looking at the Elizabethan equipment used; not much has changed, really.

Itsallgood, did you mean you’d emailed me mate?

This is Mrs Polisherman. I also wanted a ring with a stone that didn’t stick out too much. I chose a simple gold band with 7 tiny diamonds studded randomly round it. I love it and can wear it on the bike without worrying about it getting damaged. Ignore any comments about how much it should cost, it’s irrelevant. Choose with your heart and she will love it……

Thanks Mrs PolisherMan, budget wise is what I can afford not was is expected.

I know the other half would be happy if I used a Haribo ring.

Mosey how did you get on with this, any updates? 🙂

We didn’t bother with engagement rings. Do people carry on wearing them once their married?

If not it seems an awful lot of money to spend on something you’re only going to wear for a few months or whatever.

Do people carry on wearing them once their married?

Most married women I know wear both rings all the time.

As an update I bought the ring, from a local jewellers. Saw it and loved it.

Only issue is I’ve now realised my proposal coincides with the peaks pootle.

Hmmmmmm

We went looking around the local jewellers but we could find a ring we both liked.

To me a diamond should sparkle and one of the shops put me in touch with a local designer .

I took my future wife so she could pick the diamond and decide on the setting and precious metal. I had agreed budgets before hand and my future wife picked the smallest but the highest quality diamond! The budget was blown but the ring was stunning. We went back for our wedding rings, blew the budget again which meant we had to decide between the rings or a stair carpet. We chose the rings and moved house 18 months later.

The designer was http://www.sherryjewellery.co.uk

Is a future wife like a hover board?

MoseyMTB does that mean you will be bringing her with you? Will you be doing a Peaks Pootle Proposal??

We can all lurk quietly in the back ground when you get down on bended knee and then score your efforts on

Location picked
Sincerity
Choice of ring

Shall we pack mini bottles of bubbles? (Probably not wise from a health and safety point if view!)

Ha I’m nervous enough without a crowd scoring my inability to ask a simple question.

It more likely means I got my days wrong thinking the pootle was on the Saturday not the Sunday.

Next up is go and see her dad.

Her dad will be pleased you made the effort. If the future Mrs Mosey has brothers prepare to have the piss ripped unmercifully.

She does and he already tries it on. Good lad though we get on well.

Picking up the ring Tuesday and then meeting her parents.

nice work. good luck. 🙂

Awesome, all the best. I’m sure you’ll not need it though.

Cheers all, can’t wait to pick the ring up and for next weekend.

Feeling the nerves now, tomorrow is the big day.

Good luck. It’ll be brilliant I’m sure. 🙂

Don’t forget to enjoy the day.

If your lucky you’ll only do it once.

Good luck! How is that meta?