Engagement rings.

[hilt134]

So I’m looking for some tips and advice from folks on here about engagement rings. It’s getting to the point for me and my girlfriend that we’ve talked about it and are getting ready to be engaged. Now this isn’t a rush thing that I’m looking to get in a week. So I have some time to browse and learn.

Some basic info, she like vintage style rings and isn’t totally sold on a diamond. Sapphire is a personal favourite of hers. My budget is pretty much capped at 1000. She’s flat out told me she’d rather have a 100$ ring and not have payments on it. Of course I do want to get her a quality ring that’s going to actually last.

My questions are pretty simple, where did you guys buy yours? Any advice on the purchase process for jewelry in general. This is pretty much the first piece I’ll ever have bought. Anything to be wary or concerned about? Have any of you delt with online vendors? Etsy and the like.

[Trochu]

Costco.

They've got some nice sapphire rings.

[calgarychef]

Believe it or not Costco …. It was a long time ago but they advertised that the ring would appraise at 150% of the price paid. Zero jewellers would even guarantee that their rings would appraise at the price I paid. Seemed like a no brainer.

[hilt134]

Believe it or not Costco …. It was a long time ago but they advertised that the ring would appraise at 150% of the price paid. Zero jewellers would even guarantee that their rings would appraise at the price I paid. Seemed like a no brainer.

I never would of thought of them, I’ve seen rings there but it never occurred to try them

[stob]

jewelers often buy rings @ Costco for the stones ... you might try IDAR in Victoria and tell them up front your budget and what that you want a vintage design and not necessarily a diamond or whatever ... Cheers

[thumper]

We stood at the Costco ring display, and sketched out a ring design she liked, then took it to a local jeweller, and has him make the same ring, with an inexpensive centre stone. 15 years later, when I could afford it, we replaced the scuffed centre stone with a real diamond !

[DiabeticKripple]

I just bought a ring a month ago myself, spent a few months researching and such.

While Costco has nice rings and they are good diamonds, they dont have a maintenance process or wont help you out if you loose the diamond out of the setting.

I went to many jewellers with my GF and we found a style she liked but didnt find the right ring.

We then went to Spence Diamonds in Calgary (i know their ads are annoying haha) but that was by far the best thing we did.

She picked out the band and setting style she wanted, then we sat down with the rep and looked at some diamonds under a microscope to see what the different grades were and such, and picked out a diamond to have put in the band she picked out.

they also have lab made diamonds, you can get a bigger and better quality diamond for the same price as a mined diamond. Physically they are the exact same but they may not appreciate in value like a mined diamond will.

[kujoseto]

We didn’t have much money at the time, searched what felt like all the locations in Edmonton, then settled on Vandenberg’s downtown Edmonton. Designed our own and although we didn’t spend much, they treated us with utmost decency and respect. Honestly, it’s been 16 years and still stands out as the best client experience I’ve had. They love what they do, know what they’re doing, and take great pleasure in serving those willing to talk to them.

[mrcrossbow]

Costco. definitely costco
other option would be buy the gold ( bar ) take to jeweler and have them make you one. or can cast one your self and clean it up,polish it , buy a stone and set your self. , and have something you made your self. i like do it your self stuff.

[Sleddawg]

I just bought a ring a month ago myself, spent a few months researching and such.

While Costco has nice rings and they are good diamonds, they dont have a maintenance process or wont help you out if you loose the diamond out of the setting.

I went to many jewellers with my GF and we found a style she liked but didnt find the right ring.

We then went to Spence Diamonds in Calgary (i know their ads are annoying haha) but that was by far the best thing we did.

She picked out the band and setting style she wanted, then we sat down with the rep and looked at some diamonds under a microscope to see what the different grades were and such, and picked out a diamond to have put in the band she picked out.

they also have lab made diamonds, you can get a bigger and better quality diamond for the same price as a mined diamond. Physically they are the exact same but they may not appreciate in value like a mined diamond will.

I wonder if you could return it for being faulty. I had a friend return one after 7 years and got full refund.

[Popcan]

Have you considered buying a pre owned ring? I've always disliked that thought because it felt cheap to me... Like I only loved her a little bit & she wasn't worth a new one which is absolutely ridiculous. Cash flow was the same as yours when went browsing together. Three reputable jewelry stores later, she falls in love with a used ring. Diamond solitaire. It looked brand new all polished up and certified by a gemologist. Mint condition. Big difference in price if the original seal is broken. The rest is history. Something to consider.

Happy shopping & congrats on your upcoming engagement !

[Iron Brew]

My wife isn't a diamond person. It may partly be because my Dad is a geologist and has told her about diamonds since way before my wife and I became a couple. When things got that serious, and we broke it to the family that their son wasn't going to be a lifelong bachelor after all, out came the family jewelry and my wife got one of my Grandmother's rings from India during WW2 (grandpa was in the Royal Indian Navy and they returned to Scotland after the war). It does have some very small diamonds and a nice sapphire main stone. She got a classic stone with family history AND she didn't want a brand new ring (we were pretty poor). We've never regretted it and she never let me upgrade once we had money.

Interesting to note... Not all gold is the same colour. 24 karat gold is too soft so they 'mix' it. The colour changes depending on what and when the mixing was done (and how much, obviously). I personally tend to prefer the colour of the "old" gold but...:medium-smiley-035:

I don't know about every family, but my family has a fair amount of passed down jewelry. You may want to look at that option?

[pdog15]

Just a thought. Recommend you listen to her range of choices and have her involved in the purchase. She is the one who wears it and if she is happy, the world is a better place.

[Sundancefisher]

I’d go with a pre owned ring. They are cheap and you will end up with better quality. Get it cleaned and polished up so it’s just like new.

Diamond rings don’t appreciate. That’s all in the marketing sell job. There are far more diamonds in the world than most people know… such that if they were all released today they would be essentially worthless. So any diamond IS NOT an investment.

The only investment is the emotional attachment to each other. Spend less, save more.

Plus a ring is just something that could be lost, damaged or stolen. The more emotional attachment and value you put into a simple object like a ring the less you are putting into the actual relationship.

IMHO.

[DirtShooter]

Bought the diamond on james allen website (like blue nile) took it to a little jewelery shop in sherwood park and had a custom ring built because my wife couldn't find what she liked in a store.

Stay away from Spence if you or any of your friends work in the energy sector. Their eco friendly lab grown diamonds lets shut down the mining industry agenda would never get a dime from me.

[Cottus]

Just shop around and research. Deal with a reputable place, try to find somewhere that will clean and inspect the ring every year, which helps to prevent losing a stone. Some places have a “replace the stone” warranty if you bring it to them for their free cleaning every year. It’s good to have a budget but don’t stress about going over if it doesn’t take food off the table. This is a lifelong purchase, and while there will be more opportunities for jewelry purchases in the future (like the wedding ring in another year or so!) the engagement ring can mean a lot.

Factor in if she’s going to wear it after the wedding -always, sometimes, never. That might change the kind of style she likes. My wife only busts out the engagement ring for special occasions, wearing her wedding band most of the time. Some engagement rings come in matching sets with the wedding band.

I have friends with rings carved from wood, 14k gold from London drugs, vintage heirloom, and $10,000 tiny diamonds from Tiffany’s. Only you and yours can truly assign a dollar value to this symbolic purchase.

Good luck!

PS after the wedding make sure you invest in silicone wedding bands for all your adventures and house Reno’s and stuff. Save your fingers!

[74monster]

We restored a 1980 FJ40 together and that was her engagement “ring” as she doesn’t wear jewelry, still have the truck 20years later and drive it every summer. She still tells everyone what we did

[Cement Bench]

true story I got my wife to put the ring on her visa, then it was not over;riced

[Grizzly Adams1]

The only investment is the emotional attachment to each other. Spend less, save more.

Cigar Band. :lol:

Grizz

[Savage Bacon]

Congrats to you and your lady. Every once in a while mine bugs me about the same thing.

Are your folks in the picture? Maybe they've been hanging on to a ring waiting for this moment?

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

[pittman]

Consider buying the diamond from a distributor (Blue Nile or the like) and having a local goldsmith make what your wife wants.

You'll get a better diamond at a lower price and will end up with a ring a bit more personal than what you'd get at Costco.

It'll be appraised for considerably more than you pay for sure.

[Indy]

Costco - bought my wife's 10 year there. When I got the appraisal back for insurance, there was a big arm pump, actually, slacked jawed then arm pump. By far the best value. Was told they will refund at least to seven years, no questions. Yes, you need to go elsewhere for maintenance, repairs (unless you return and get a new one) but that is pretty cheap. They also worked with me to get me exactly what I wanted, custom ordered (took ~10 months to get).

I compared to a lot of other places and they couldn't come close.

[IL Bar]

If you can find a stone that you like in a jewelry store they have a special box to put it in to present to your girlfriend and then the both of you can go back in and pick the type ring she would like later.

I bought my wife’s at Peoples. It gets inspected and cleaned for free. I’d looked at rings for a couple months at lots of stores and then happened across this sale. Bought a better ring than one I just about purchased elsewhere for the same price. I also did it all on my own. My wife didn’t know about it. I thought that was the best part was the surprise.

[-JR-]

I meet a Husband / Wife that had a tattoo of a ring .

[Tronneroi]

We then went to Spence Diamonds in Calgary (i know their ads are annoying haha) but that was by far the best thing we did.

they also have lab made diamonds, you can get a bigger and better quality diamond for the same price as a mined diamond. Physically they are the exact same but they may not appreciate in value like a mined diamond will.I also went to Spence about four years ago for my wife's ring. I went with the lab made diamond, and if memory serves me correct, it was over 30% less than the real thing. I know OP isn't set on a diamond, but for anyone else, it's a very good option.

[calgarychef]

Costco - bought my wife's 10 year there. When I got the appraisal back for insurance, there was a big arm pump, actually, slacked jawed then arm pump. By far the best value. Was told they will refund at least to seven years, no questions. Yes, you need to go elsewhere for maintenance, repairs (unless you return and get a new one) but that is pretty cheap. They also worked with me to get me exactly what I wanted, custom ordered (took ~10 months to get).

I compared to a lot of other places and they couldn't come close.

When we got wifeys rings appraised the jewellers wife was there and she was pretty damned impressed, he words were “this must have cost you an arm and a leg.”

And don’t fall for that old jewellers story about “we’ll do free maintenance for life” any jeweller will check for loose stones and it doesn’t cost much to get them tightened if they are.

Here’s another interesting tidbit, I metal detector a lot and my buddy sells all the rings he finds. The gold buyers pop the stones out and give to him because unless they’re bloody big most diamonds are not worth much. So buying loose stones and getting them out into a ring is a good idea but it’s also fraught with potential financial disaster unless you really know what you’re doing when buying.

[TBark]

Bought ours in 1985, wife’s was $1k, and mine aprx the same, near 1ct ea IIRC.
They’ve both been sitting for years now, I mean for near 20 yrs now.
We just aren’t ring people. Like 2-3x original value now.

She’s more so a pearl person now since we were in Aus for 3 yrs,
She likes pearl bracelets, broaches, earrings etc, but those will likely sit now too.

TBark

[DirtShooter]

I meet a Husband / Wife that had a tattoo of a ring .

That'll be fun to remove if they ever split lol

[lyallpeder]

We re-bought our rings a couple years ago after the originals were stolen. We went to Spence diamonds and were happy. I would deal with them again.

[pinelakeperch]

Nothing wrong with a pre-owner ring, as long as your SO is comfortable with it. I paid $6,500 for my wife’s, and it was about $20k from Maxime’s in Calgary. No brainer to me :)

[midgetwaiter]

they also have lab made diamonds, you can get a bigger and better quality diamond for the same price as a mined diamond. Physically they are the exact same but they may not appreciate in value like a mined diamond will.

First, congratulations on the engagement!

I’m sure the guy at Spence had a convincing script but if you look into it a little you’ll find that diamonds are inherently worthless, the price is controlled by supply manipulations by the companies that control production. What price appreciation you will see over time is in line with inflation and they are the very opposite of a liquid asset, very difficult to sell. Here’s an analysis done by the WSJ.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704337004575059723597630174

The diamond industry has some amazing marketing and this “tradition” of the diamond engagement ring is 100% a result of that advertising. I bought one too, it is what it is but it it certainly not any kind of investment.

https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/385376/

[DiabeticKripple]

I also went to Spence about four years ago for my wife's ring. I went with the lab made diamond, and if memory serves me correct, it was over 30% less than the real thing. I know OP isn't set on a diamond, but for anyone else, it's a very good option.

She picked everything out, I just had to pay. She knows I have it, just haven’t popped the question yet.

She picked the lab made diamond over the mined diamond. Mined diamond was a 0.9ct and the lab one was a 1.5ct with better clarity for the same price.

Essentially a 67% larger, clearer diamond for the same price.

[huntinstuff]

A ring is nice
Hardly something to worry about tho. If you have $1000 to spend, thats good!

Shop with her.. let her choose. Great that she said what she said about price. She sounds practical. Good for both of you!

It isnt an investment. Thats just a bs statement the salesman will give you.

If you are in the $1000 market, you can pretty much start shopping at your local jewelry store. Your 4 C's (color cut carat clarity) are not really considerations. Just buy the one she thinks looks best on her finger. It's the meaning behind the ring, not the ring, that matters.

[pinelakeperch]

Are lab diamonds not worth virtually nothing? Doesn’t seem like a better value to me when it’s worth nothing after purchase.

[Off in the Bushes]

So I’m looking for some tips and advice from folks on here about engagement rings. It’s getting to the point for me and my girlfriend that we’ve talked about it and are getting ready to be engaged. Now this isn’t a rush thing that I’m looking to get in a week. So I have some time to browse and learn.

Some basic info, she like vintage style rings and isn’t totally sold on a diamond. Sapphire is a personal favourite of hers. My budget is pretty much capped at 1000. She’s flat out told me she’d rather have a 100$ ring and not have payments on it. Of course I do want to get her a quality ring that’s going to actually last.

My questions are pretty simple, where did you guys buy yours? Any advice on the purchase process for jewelry in general. This is pretty much the first piece I’ll ever have bought. Anything to be wary or concerned about? Have any of you delt with online vendors? Etsy and the like.


Remember a ring is just the token of affection it is not the value that should be represented. It is a measure of your love and not of your wallet. Diamond have no intrinsic valve, it is simply made up by a very clever marketing. If you are looking for a stone search Kijiji and have them meet you a jeweller to confirm the stone. Then personalize the ring, if made of gold has valve.

[hilt134]

Congrats to you and your lady. Every once in a while mine bugs me about the same thing.

Are your folks in the picture? Maybe they've been hanging on to a ring waiting for this moment?

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

They are in the picture but nobody has a passed down ring unfortunately.

[fishtank]

Keep it simple, stick with your budget and don’t get upselled . Definitely check out Costco. But you do have option of a used set at a cheaper price then go for it. After all most gold are recycled.

Also don’t know if this is option but There is a silver smith class at silver anvil rock and gem shop in the west end cost about $175 but you can make each other a ring / wedding band . Money better spend for some thing interesting.

[Lornce]

When we were engaged we bought plain gold rings, nothing special. When married we went the same route. Years later I bought my wife a fancy diamond ring set. We watched out pennies and are still married after 40 years. I still wear the simple gold band.

[gramps73]

Personaly I think to much money goes into them, buy what you can afford.
depending on your age and living arrangement. Put the rest into a vacation, house or something you both can enjoy.

[07icanam]

Congrats on the engagement. I included my wife in the shopping process to see what she liked and what she didn't which was very important. We both had a budget/price in mind that we would go up to and had rings picked out from really low in the budget to a bit over. 18 years later if we were to both do it again we would find a cheap nice looking ring online and go that route.

People say that its an investment and a good diamond will appreciate in value are lying, why do used rings sell for so cheap then... Diamonds are a marketing scheme and thats about it. My wife is a nurse so she rarely wears hers unless its a special occasion, I wear my ring more than her and even for myself if I were to do it again I would save the $500-700 on my ring and go get a silicone one.

[lmtada]

Literally keep your head own, And behind up….Found a diamond ring on the road. Took it to the police. No one claimed it after a year. Police called back, to pick it up. Appraised at $6k 1988. Rebuilt new ring with those diamonds for my wife almost 30 years later. 💝💍💍💍

[calgarychef]

Remember a ring is just the token of affection it is not the value that should be represented. It is a measure of your love and not of your wallet. Diamond have no intrinsic valve, it is simply made up by a very clever marketing. If you are looking for a stone search Kijiji and have them meet you a jeweller to confirm the stone. Then personalize the ring, if made of gold has valve.

Good post.

[canuck]

Purchased the most recent (:scared0015:) engagement ring on line from Canadian Estate Jewelers, a beautiful full carat vintage ring for at least half price what we were looking at in the stores - it was a smooth, trouble free transaction, I recommend them

https://www.estateoriginals.com/

[Red Bullets]

Congrats on your engagement.
Consider buying the stone and a wafer of gold or silver and have a goldsmith build you the ring.

I would highly recommend Al-Brite Jewelers. They have been around 60 years in downtown Edmonton.

[savage shooter]

Well, you're in luck. Sapphire is super cheap. The reason for this is that we can now make it synthetically to such a high fidelity that it's completely indistinguishable from naturally occurring sapphire. How cheap? It's so cheap that I have several watches where the entire "glass" is literally just white sapphire. It's no longer a precious stone.

You lucked out there. Don't let any jeweler charge you much for sapphire.

Just keep in mind that sapphire will collect the oil etc from her skin and regular wear and will need regular cleaning to continue to look good.

As for the ring itself, white gold is less than ideal in my opinion. What colour is gold when it comes out of the ground? It's yellow of course. If you opt for a 10K yellow gold ring, you're getting something that is harder wearing than 14 or 18k and more affordable. The luster can always be restored with a buffing.

White gold, on the other hand, is a precious metal made to look like a cheaper metal. Why would you want to ad so much nickle to your gold that it looks like cheaper silver? It's so strange to me. Further, white gold has no luster on its own like yellow gold does and requires plating with Rhodium in order to look good. The bad news is that plating wears away and needs to be re-done periodically. All that just to make your gold look like silver. Yuck.

You should be able to get a very nice ring for less than $1k. Good luck.


My wife and I went shopping together and she chose a ring that she liked. She has to wear it every day so let her choose it.

[aardvaark]

I bought a new set in 98. My wife passed in 07 and I just kept them. Don’t know if I’ll ever remarry, no prospects, most likely not. I’ve had the best and I doubt I’ll ever trump that. So, if you’re interested, I’ll let it go. PM me if you’re interested.

[amosfella]

Don't do it. Women completely change after they lock down commitment. Everything you thought you had that was good stops after women know they have you buy the balls. Seen that happen over and over with my friends. Everyone of them thought their girl wouldn't change and was unique.

[Off in the Bushes]

Don't do it. Women completely change after they lock down commitment. Everything you thought you had that was good stops after women know they have you buy the balls. Seen that happen over and over with my friends. Everyone of them thought their girl wouldn't change and was unique.

It’s some what humorous men enter into a relationship because they like the gal and she perfect if she never changes. Inevitably they do change much to the man’s dislike. Women think I change my guy just a little bit to be the perfect partner. Inevitably men never go change, creating disappointment.
The trick is learning to accepts it and to live in peace with it, for both parties.