Buying an engagement ring, best time? Online safe?
February 18, 2012 10:39 AM Subscribe
I want to propose to my girlfriend. My budget is $750 or less, ideally $500 or less. She loves diamond solitaries or the 3 stone rings. She wants something less then 1/2 carat. My questions are:
1. When is the best time to buy a ring to get the best deal possible?
2. Is it safe to buy online, am I getting a good deal through Amazon or Overstock? Safest places to buy?
1. When is the best time to buy a ring to get the best deal possible?
2. Is it safe to buy online, am I getting a good deal through Amazon or Overstock? Safest places to buy?
BlueNile has great prices and great customer service.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:43 AM on February 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:43 AM on February 18, 2012 [5 favorites]
Congratulations!
I picked up a my wife's 1/2 carat diamond solitaire engagement ring for under your ideal budget at a little independently-owned consignment shop that I found with a little googling. It appraised at more than double your reach budget.
We also liked it because it meant we weren't giving money to the diamond industry, which -- not to preach -- was important to us.
posted by gauche at 10:50 AM on February 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
I picked up a my wife's 1/2 carat diamond solitaire engagement ring for under your ideal budget at a little independently-owned consignment shop that I found with a little googling. It appraised at more than double your reach budget.
We also liked it because it meant we weren't giving money to the diamond industry, which -- not to preach -- was important to us.
posted by gauche at 10:50 AM on February 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
Estate Jewelery (used) is a good place to look. If you're near a big city (e.g. San Francisco) there are tons of jewelry stores that offer both new and used. Used is always much cheaper.
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:08 AM on February 18, 2012
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:08 AM on February 18, 2012
Bought my (now) wife's engagement ring on Blue Nile and highly recommend it. You can adjust by cost, size, cut, and other factors, so you'll know what's available to you.
Congrats!
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 11:23 AM on February 18, 2012
Congrats!
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 11:23 AM on February 18, 2012
The price of gold is horrendous right now. If you have any gold or diamonds lying around (or if, for example, someone in your family is willing to give up some of their unused stuff for this purpose), trading it in with a jeweler could be a huge help in getting the most for your money.
If you have access to diamonds from older pieces, or if you're willing to go with a ruby or sapphire (or something else), shopping for the setting alone can save a lot of money, too. That's what we did, and we were very happy. In the end, my husband got me a ring that was appraised for $3k more than the sum of its parts.
I can't tell you about buying engagement rings online, but we bought my husband's solid band on Amazon (directly from their "Amazon Jewelers" or whatever they call themselves) and it was actually nicer than many of the more expensive rings that we'd found in person. It has a really nice weight to it and fits comfortably, and it only cost $299 for a 4 or 5mm band.
posted by Madamina at 11:24 AM on February 18, 2012
If you have access to diamonds from older pieces, or if you're willing to go with a ruby or sapphire (or something else), shopping for the setting alone can save a lot of money, too. That's what we did, and we were very happy. In the end, my husband got me a ring that was appraised for $3k more than the sum of its parts.
I can't tell you about buying engagement rings online, but we bought my husband's solid band on Amazon (directly from their "Amazon Jewelers" or whatever they call themselves) and it was actually nicer than many of the more expensive rings that we'd found in person. It has a really nice weight to it and fits comfortably, and it only cost $299 for a 4 or 5mm band.
posted by Madamina at 11:24 AM on February 18, 2012
Can you check out auctions -- not eBay, but live auctions. Maybe Proxibid or AuctionZip could help you do some searching for engagement rings that might be coming up for auction. You might be able to find a good deal.
posted by thorny at 12:02 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by thorny at 12:02 PM on February 18, 2012
I bought my wife's engagement ring on Amazon -- had a perfectly fine experience with a 3/4 caret SI ring there, for a reasonable price. I was concerned about quality and fit, but neither ended up being an issue, and the experience was comparatively stress-free.
posted by ellF at 12:18 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by ellF at 12:18 PM on February 18, 2012
My husband bought my engagement ring on Etsy. You can find so many beautiful rings there, both handmade and vintage, for a great price.
posted by two lights above the sea at 12:31 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by two lights above the sea at 12:31 PM on February 18, 2012
After my fiance proposed we spent a day going to antique stores and found a beautiful depression-era ring for about $300. I definitely felt like we got way more bang for our buck than buying from a big-box store.
posted by radioamy at 1:51 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by radioamy at 1:51 PM on February 18, 2012
You may try local designers for a good price.
I found this ring at a gold gallery full of jewelery from designers in the northeast of the US.
It was under $500.
My wedding ring, which has stones halfway around it, was about $1200.
I was able to adjust the designs of both to fit my taste (the ring linked above I have in white gold with a sapphire in the middle and two diamonds on the side and the diamonds on the side. I was also able to specify that I didn't want diamonds mined from Africa) and they were each made directly by the respective designer or the designer's immediate apprentice.
I'm sure the sites linked above work quite well, but I was able to get exactly what I wanted for not very much money through local designers.
posted by zizzle at 2:05 PM on February 18, 2012
I found this ring at a gold gallery full of jewelery from designers in the northeast of the US.
It was under $500.
My wedding ring, which has stones halfway around it, was about $1200.
I was able to adjust the designs of both to fit my taste (the ring linked above I have in white gold with a sapphire in the middle and two diamonds on the side and the diamonds on the side. I was also able to specify that I didn't want diamonds mined from Africa) and they were each made directly by the respective designer or the designer's immediate apprentice.
I'm sure the sites linked above work quite well, but I was able to get exactly what I wanted for not very much money through local designers.
posted by zizzle at 2:05 PM on February 18, 2012
Consider getting a rock other than a diamond. I got my wife a sapphire to go with her eyes. Rocks come in all sorts of nifty colors. Go to a rock shop and see what they've got.
Diamonds, while the hardest mineral, are semi-precious stones that are not all that rare, whose price is kept up artificially by the De Beers monopoly, which buys most of the output. At some point the bottom will drop out of the market as artificial diamonds come on line. And, of course, there's the moral risk that you're supporting warlords and slavery in Africa. (Not a problem, of course, with vintage jewelry.)
posted by musofire at 2:08 PM on February 18, 2012
Diamonds, while the hardest mineral, are semi-precious stones that are not all that rare, whose price is kept up artificially by the De Beers monopoly, which buys most of the output. At some point the bottom will drop out of the market as artificial diamonds come on line. And, of course, there's the moral risk that you're supporting warlords and slavery in Africa. (Not a problem, of course, with vintage jewelry.)
posted by musofire at 2:08 PM on February 18, 2012
A small note regarding Amazon rings - my engagement ring was purchased there, and it has the Amazon logo inscribed on the inside. This was fine with me, but it might not be fine for others. (It says "amazon PLAT" so I don't know if the practice of engraving like that is specific to platinum rings or not. It's possible a gold one might not have it.)
Our wedding rings were purchased through Blue Nile and we're very happy with them.
posted by meggan at 3:01 PM on February 18, 2012
Our wedding rings were purchased through Blue Nile and we're very happy with them.
posted by meggan at 3:01 PM on February 18, 2012
No piece of jewelry I have ever purchased on Amazon has had anything engraved upon it, as a point of reference.
posted by ellF at 6:50 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by ellF at 6:50 PM on February 18, 2012
My husband got my engagement ring from Blue Nile. He didn't know my ring size so he just bought a bigger ring, thinking that it would be better if it was too big rather than too small, so he had to get a resized ring from Blue Nile and it was no problem.
posted by kat518 at 7:46 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by kat518 at 7:46 PM on February 18, 2012
My husband bought my engagement ring from Costco!
Great quality, wonderful selection and it appraised for double what we paid.
Might be worth a check! Congratulations!!
posted by beloveddoll at 11:02 PM on February 18, 2012
Great quality, wonderful selection and it appraised for double what we paid.
Might be worth a check! Congratulations!!
posted by beloveddoll at 11:02 PM on February 18, 2012
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What about looking on Etsy? You could get something antique or custom made for that price.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 10:43 AM on February 18, 2012 [2 favorites]