[Closed] How on earth do you pick an engagement ring?!

Where are you based? I can reccomend a really good place in Birmingham.

Dave

buy a cheap one as a token for your proposal, then go get a proper one together ?

Ask a load of random people on a forum, they are bound to know your girlfriends tastes better than you 😉

Tricky thing
I bought custom made by a local jeweller, avoided the choosing thing and got brownie points for the romantic touch

Eeeny, meeeny, miney....

And spend a lot.

We went to Argos and spent about £20

We chose ours together, well she chose it and I paid. Given she has to wear it, I thought it made more sense for her to pick one she liked. We got it from a custom ring place: http://www.hkjewellery.co.uk

Best to get the proposal done without the ring, then go ring shopping together?

@itsallgood whats that place called?

Ooo it's hard isn't it. You sound like you are one step ahead of me in having actually been in jewellers before. I used baby steps. One discover where the jewellers actually are, two spend weeks looking in windows, three start going in shops but not speaking to anyone, four start speaking to staff, five start actually looking at particular rings. Eventually you figure out different settings, metals, carats, and before you know it you are being treated to a complementary coffee whilst you pay ( well fill in the installment forms) for the most expensive small box in the world.

Not from Argos or H Samuals!

You know the lady better than anyone, so has she made any hints? Err, sorry that's a stupid question, she's a woman, of course she has.

Plain and simple, solitaire in gold or platinum. White gold if your that way inclined. Or her birth stone. I had a white gold ring made with an aquamarine and pearls for my wife. She had spotted a similar shaped ring and pointed it out. See I paid attention. 😉

Not quite the same as surprising her with THE ring, but you could use a stand in ring and then go shopping together to get what she wants.*

* WARNING: this will cost significantly more the option 1.

Yes, get the proposal done first, then shop together. I believe a month's salary is considered appropriate. Whether that is gross of tax, NI and pension contributions is a different discussion!

Let. Her. Choose. It.

I got mine from Bicknells in the Jewellery Quarter in Brum. Brilliant shop and will look after your purchase for life.

Not from Argos or H Samuals!

We got our wedding rings from H Samuel. I think there were cheaper than the engagement ring.

You will know it when you see it, I loved shopping for my wife's, never in all my life have I drank so much tea, coffee and champagne ( I couldn't afford any of the ones in the establishments that offered champagne but it was great to browse/drink free champagne)

If you don't know her size put one of her rings on your little finger and remember where it goes up to, Mrs Piks was a perfect fit using this method.

Dannyh has been suckered in by tiffanys pricing scheme 😉

I picked jaynes my self - as she commented once on guys that didnt have the balls to pick an engagement ring;)

Stuck with classic platinum setting with single diamond.

Shes very happy with it

Dannyh has been suckered in by tiffanys pricing scheme

Don't whatever you do buy it from Tiffanys, really poor quality jewellery, massively over priced, combined with poor customer service. They get slated all over the web, for ripping off customers.

No hints as she has no idea I'm going to ask

I used one of my Mums

I had 5 to choose from 😯 and 🙄

I know she likes white gold though and she has talked about an aquamarine stone, whatever that is.

My problem is where to go, I'm based in Stockport if anyone has any suggestions of jewellers.

I'm tempted to put a haribo ring in a ring box then we can get something she loves after.

Thanks for all the advice, it's quite nerve wrecking ha.

+1 for footflaps. Unless she has her heart set on a brand name.

She has no idea but she isn't taken by brands at all. I really want to pick something myself so I'll go hunting. Not asking for a few weeks so plenty of time to shop around.

I really appreciate all the advice.

Decide on a budget.
Find a diamond that fits your budget. Select the diamond on the 4Cs rather than just size.
Have it set in a simple ring and let the stone do the talking.

The one I got for Redwoods on here was a certified diamond (although she lost the cert within 12 months). Got it from GH Moore in Birmingham I think. Simple but quality stone in a 6/4 Ti ring.

Easy, i made one on a lathe from a titainium off cut. Both free and priceless.

Bigdean that sounds awesome but sadly I have access to neither titanium or a lathe.

I only have a budget of £500 as we are saving for our deposit, plus she will kill me if I spend more than that.

No idea what stone I could get for that. Hmmmmmm

Think I'll make one out of string and a bit of plastic as a diamond.

Ok, here's my tips. It's all about the diamond. If she doesn't like the ring design, and you've got a decent diamond you can always have it reset in a different style ring relatively cheaply (some jewellers will do it for free). Look at whatever rings you look at in natural light - the bright white 12v lights in the shop make them look nicer than they might be in natural light - a classic high street shop trick, you think you're buying a nice twinkly diamond, but when you look at it out of the shop it doesn't twinkle nearly so bright and might even look a bit yellowy-brown. A decent diamond will twinkle brightly in natural light as still appear clear. Far better to go to a manufacturing jewellers. You'll get a much better ring for your budget than at a high street shop. If you're near Birmingham go to the Jewellery quarter, there are literally hundreds of jewellers to choose from. Other than that there are the 5 C's...

Cut: there are many different cuts but the most cost effective one is the Brilliant cut diamond as there is less wastage to achieve the shape. Get it mounted in a 4 claw ring as this allows maximum light to get in the sides and get refracted up through the diamond which gives it that twinkly appearance.

Colour: in my view this is the most important aspect. If you get as good a colour as your budget will allow then the diamond will noticeably look better quality and twinkle more brightly.

Carat: the weight of the diamond. Again depends on your budget, but from half a Carat up you pay a premium as they are usually professionally graded and certified. So if you're after a half carat sized diamond then get a 0.47 Carat or something. A tiny bit smaller, but unnoticeably so and you get more for your money.

Clarity: again go for the best you can afford, but unless you get a diamond with really poor clarity you're not going to notice it without looking through a loop, it's more important for investment we quality diamonds.

The last C is about the diamond being certified, so not necessarily an important aspect unless you want or need to know the heritage of the diamond.

If you're looking for a diamond, [url= http://www.bluenile.com/uk/ ]blue nile[/url] is what you want. You'll be able to get the cut/clarity/colour at least one grade higher on every level than highstreet diamonds, often 2 or 3 grades higher. They also have good quality settings.

I used the diamond store for my choice and was really happy with the ring and service. Have a look around and don't rush in to it and if you find yourself in Hatton Garden then leave immediately!! Good luck and all the best 🙂

http://www.thediamondstore.co.uk/

Don't buy a diamond ring. The diamond industry/market is just the biggest scam, like ever. If she wants something sparkly, buy fake.

I picked the best diamond i could afford and gave it to her (got a much better quality diamond this way). She then decided on the ring design.

I took my wife to be to Hatton Garden to pick a ring, just liked the history of it all really and made it quite an event. She then insisted on looking in every shop, took hours. Had a nice pub lunch so worked out pretty well really.

Oh and ignored the 3 month salary thing - marketing carp.

+1 for blue nile.

Spent the difference between that and my friends tiffanys ring on 4 nights dbb at macdonald cardrona.

I recently purchased an engagement ring for my fiancee and found it fairly hard but if you break it down logically it's not actually that bad.

First off, take a look at http://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk to get an idea of what different cuts look like and the price.

Then visit an area with several Jewelers and whatever you do, don't just visit one. I ended choosing a type of cut that I wasn't aware of from looking online. I spent about 6hrs in different jewelers in total and ended up having a ring made after selecting the diamond.

The is lots of advice online but I found that the clarity isn't too critical but colour is. Then pick the size you can afford or feel will be suitable. I found some jewelers are a rip off, easily more than £1000 more than another for a similar ring. I used the diamonds factory via my smartphone to compare what I was quoted, to gauge pricing. I was able to get a ring made in a high end jeweler not far off the price of the cheap online option but with the piece of mind and free in person resizing after proposal. You can haggle alot.

My Fiancee is a musician so took into account how easily it can be worn while played and has the correct look not only for her, but she'd be proud to wear as a performer, which is a major part of her life.

if you find yourself in Hatton Garden then leave immediately!!

I went to Hatton Garden and found the best stores were on the side streets. The main road seems to command either a higher price or poor customer service!

engagement ring was from Mull Silver shop IIRc, I chose it in advance and one of my few 'blind' choices that have been well received. Understated, nice, just right. YMMV 🙂

An engagement ring doesn't have to be a diamond, it can be any stone, and you actually mentioned that your lady had talked about aquamarine. They are nice stones, a clear pale blue, and you could get a pretty decent sized stone in a nice, understated solitaire setting for probably what a small solitaire diamond would cost. I was at college with a girl who had designed her own around a stone she'd found, a really large, and fabulously coloured black opal. I've never seen a stone like it, it must have been the size of my thumbnail, very deep blue/black, with the most intense flashes of colour. The mount was just two gold wires joined together, then separating and going around the top and bottom of the stone.
Utterly stunning and original, and she was thrilled to bits with it.
I'm all for simplicity, and one outstanding stone is far better than a garish mass of tiny little ones. Find a good goldsmith, not a jeweller, and get something made for your budget. A close mate is a goldsmith, but he's down here in Wiltshire, and really too far away for you, but custom is the way to go, that way it's so much more special.

Where are all the girls? I thought the running rate was three months salary minimum?

Have a trip down to the jewellery quarter in Birmingham - much cheaper most than high street

Don't bother with protocol. Is it still Victorian times or something? Ask her, then shop together. What difference does it make if you ask her before you buy? She's marrying you not your ring.

We went shopping together, and she chose one for £90. It's really not that important, there are far better things for you to spend money on than lining a South African bajillionaire's pockets further.

dont waste ur cash it is all a con de beers have manipulated the market and dreamt up diamonds are forever

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/diamond5.htm

if you are brave

buy something different and if possible bespoke for her she will love it but pls dont be a total sheep

I got some diamonds but little ones in a unique (ish) mount

I got Mrs B's engagement ring and both of our wedding rings from H Samuel....people are always telling her how nice her rings are.

Any toss about designer labels/technical nonsense about the diamond and also the three month salary thing should be igonred....it's aimed a people that drive Audi's and live in new builds. If as you say, she isn't at all fussed about designer labels etc then you will get something that she will love for 500 quid.

I had a close friend (who is a brilliant jeweller) make ours. Emerald set in Palladium. Had it made before I popped the question.

Very personal for the ring she'll wear forever, or until someone with more money/Randy de Puniet turns up......

I've tried to resist, but can't help myself.

Advice I should have listened to, is that it doesn't matter what the ring is or what clarity/size etc or how much it cost.

You're starting out, you're saving for a home and sounds like your OH has her head screwed on right.

It's called a 'proposal' - focus on that, and good luck 😉