Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with diamond and ring

Like the one ring, but with less evil.

SNWidget — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:32:30 -0800

EngagementRingFilter: I'm coming upon that time in my life - I'm going to buy a ring and propose to my wonderful girlfriend. My problem is, though, that no matter how much I look up, and what I read, I still can't wrap my head around buying an actual ring. She wants something like this, but I can't see to find anything. Help! Issues: I'm looking for something within the next few months. She doesn't care if it's a real diamond or man-made, but no cubic zirconium. She does want a diamond, though, so recommendations for other stones aren't entirely helpful. She prefers the three stones as in the photos linked above, and no solitaires. The ring in the photos was purchased as Wal-Mart as an example of something she'd like. It doesn't have to match perfectly, though, just the general aesthetic.

The Quest: I've looked at various online websites, and nothing seems to match up. I feel like I'm going about this whole search wrong. I've been avoiding mall stores, because I was told that, but most of the local diamond dealers seem to be less than helpful. I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, if that matters at all.

Question: Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to find something, either real or man-made in that style? My price range is somewhere under $3000, but I can go higher if I find something I absolutely love. Size of the stone isn't a big deal... I just feel completely out of my depth in finding this.

Thanks Hivemind - I've looked at past questions, but they all seemed to be not quite what I was looking for.

Any suggestions/advice/general recommendations for engagement ring shopping is much appreciated.

A diamond ring that takes a licking and keeps on, um, ticking

range — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:36:33 -0800

Help me find a diamond ring setting that my wife can't break. Back when Mrs. Range and I got engaged, she decided she didn't want a diamond ring because she didn't want something she could break, and her life wasn't really conducive to being gentle on her hands. She's an engineer who does development work, and we couldn't imagine a ring that would survive working a lathe, crushing sugar cane w/ rocks, etc.

However, 8 years in, my mom wants her to have her engagement ring (awww!), and we're re-evaluating. The diamond is about 1 carat, in what I'm guessing is a brilliant cut or some similar round cut.

So the question is: Is there a setting, or a class of settings, that holds the diamond securely and isn't likely to snag on stuff? We're talking more-or-less in the neighborhood of "I want to be able to punch a heavy bag from time to time." Or are we dreaming, and if so, what's the sturdiness upper limit? The naive Google search suggests that tension settings may be our solution, but it's unclear how rugged they really are and how much of that is based in marketing, rather than reality.

Engagement Ethics Optimization: Estate Jewelry / MYOR

lalochezia — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:41:11 -0800

Buying an engagement ring. Advice wanted on a) Estate Jewelry: recommendations on how to buy & not get ripped off. b) Make-your-own-ring workshops: how to get a good used diamond. c) recommendations for both of the above in the LA / SoCal area. My sweetie wants a diamond ring for her engagement. I want to give her one. I would like to avoid Tifffany, Big Box stores and even (gasp) Blue Nile. I'd either like to make my own ring or buy her an unusual used one.

I'd like to either

i) Buy her Estate Jewelry: it's more unique, doesn't contribute significantly to the demand for new diamonds, and considering the value of diamonds drops precipitously after being used, should provide a good deal.

How do I get a good deal? How do I avoid being ripped off? Does anyone have any good recommendations from PERSONAL experience in Southern California with used/estate jewelry?

Alternatively

ii) There are workshops (in SF and NYC) where you can craft your own engagement ring with your own hands: they provide eco-gold and tuition and you provide the stone.
Does anyone know whether there is a similar person/organization who runs a workshop like this in SoCal? (google fails me on this count)? How would I go about buying a used diamond for this process?

I have seen the many questions on AskMe before, but none address the points above. Please: no all diamonds are evil spiels. No non-diamond gems. No new natural diamonds. If anyone can show me white synthetic diamonds that are indistinguishable from the natural stuff, go right ahead. I know her ring size and I know her taste: we've looked at rings together & have pictures of ones she likes.

I've made my peace with buying some compressed carbon. I just want to perform an optimization on the nature of the transaction to maximize my ethics within the framework of buying a Rock.

Big Onyx Man Ring: Secret Meaning? Where to get one?

SlyBevel — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:02:10 -0800

Big Onyx Man Ring: Secret Meaning? Where to get one? I know this is a completely weird question, but here goes.

I've known at least two guys in the past who I've admired, and who had nearly identical man rings. They were not acquainted that I know of. It's possible they met briefly once or twice.

The rings were a fairly common style, but I got the impression from both men that the rings had some kind of special meaning. Here's the rub; this ring (which I'll describe below) is a popular style for Masonic rings, but these rings did not bear Masonic insignia, and I'm 92% certain that neither of the men were Masons.

Ring style: Plain gold, with a big, square (or rectangular), black onyx on the top, with a small diamond in the middle of the onyx.

Similar ring 1: (But take off the diamonds on the sides and the compass and square, add a small diamond at center-onyx.)

Similar ring 2: (But onyx covers entire face of ring, no diamonds on sides, and smaller diamond in the middle without a gold frame.)

The two questions:

1. Some kind of fraternal order? (Very) Closeted Masons? My brain's coincidence circuitry throwing an error? Possible clue: Both men were LDS. I'm also LDS, and I know the culture inside and out, and they are not CTR rings. The LDS angle seems to be a dead end, but...hm. They were both VERY religious, and that seems to be the most likely commonality.

2. I liked these rings, and I want one. The diamonds need not be real, and I'd like to pay less than $50. Extensive Googling and Yahooing have not yielded an exact match. The photos above are from Amazon and Wal-Mart online. I'd also rather not have it custom made. Anyone with better Google-fu for this?

Hey, I found the third one! Looks like the diamond is framed in gold in this one.

One last thing: It's not a question about religion or politics. Please, let's not go there.

Diamond in the rough?

lannanh — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:00:57 -0800

Unique Engagement Rings in NYC or SF? My bf currently lives in NYC and I am visiting him this weekend. He wants to go shopping for rings *eeeeiiii!!!!!* I'm in SF and he's here often so suggestions in both cities would be great.

We are already going to check out the Clay Pot and Niwaka does anyone have any other suggestions of where to go to find something unique? Is it even worth it to stop by the Diamond District? Also, suggestions on conflict free diamond sellers would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, the ring I really love is from Krikawa (the Carved Wing) but he wants to buy it in person. Maybe some good testimonals would sway him.

Where to get an old ring?

greta simone — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:57:02 -0800

Where can I find estate/antique jewelry in the Triangle area? My friend is coming into town (Chapel Hill) to seek my help in picking out an engagement ring for his girlfriend. I have been put in charge of finding places to take him. He wants to look at vintage/estate/antique rings and my google-fu isn't too stong on this one, nor is my yellow-pages-fu, or my craigslist-fu. I would prefer actual stores and not online stores or online listings.
Also, seeing as how I hate driving, I would like for these places to at least try and be limited to Chapel Hill/Carrboro, Pittsboro (which we are definitely going to hit up--I'm thinking with all the antique stores down there this would be a good idea, right?), Hillsborough, and the lower end of Durham (I get lost in north Durham).
Also I hate driving to Raleigh. But if there is somewhere in Raleigh that we absolutley have to go to because there is a huge selection with reasonable pricing, then by all means, let me know.
Also keep in mind that this is going to be about a $4,000 kind of buy not a $100,000 kind of buy, so don't send me to an auction house or something.
Thanks in advance for the help-

Resetting a diamond into a non-engagement ring

anondonna — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 07:52:33 -0800

I have a 1 carat platinum diamond engagement ring and am now divorced. It’s a gorgeous stone and I want to do something with it. I’d really like to reset it as a ring (I have a pendant and can’t afford a match to convert it into earrings). Any suggestions on how I can design this without it looking like an engagement ring?

Engagement ring insurance

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 13:10:15 -0800

Help me insure my future fiancée's (I hope) engagement ring! Insurance requirements:
-Covered in both USA and Europe (Ruling out Jeweler's Mutual)
-Standalone (No homeowners or renters insurance to put a rider on)
-Sensible premiums for a ring that will cost me ~$3k (appraisal info below)

Insurance Desires:
-Cash replacement policies are awesome. I would rather pay premiums on an appraisal near my purchase price and buy my own replacement if the ring is lost than have to pay premiums on an artificially inflated appraisal and get whatever poorly cut gem the insurance company can buy for cheap and give me.

-I would love a Chubb policy, but I keep getting responses from Chubb agents saying that they have a $250 minimum premium. This seems to conflict with the $50 minimum premiums offered by Bluenile.com. Does Bluenile have some sort of special deal? Should I just be talking to more agents further and further away from home?

-I'm buying this from a Jeweler friend who owns a little shop in town and will provide an appraisal ranging from near what I paid to the ridiculously inflated appraisals most of the chain stores provide, depending on what I want. I would love to be able to purchase a replacement ring through him, should the need ever come up. This would be an acceptable alternative to a cash value replacement policy. (If I could specify which Jeweler I want replacements to come from, and no, he doesn't have any insurance companies he regularly works with)

-The diamond is a 0.74ct, D, SI1, Round, Ideal Plus cut, EGL cert. It's a beautiful rock and I'm concerned about making sure any policy would replace it with a gem of equal quality (And that *must* include cut quality).

What do I do now? Who do I talk to? What companies offer the things I'm looking for?

Diamond in the rough

jasondigitized — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 05:37:20 -0800

I have to start looking for a diamond engagement ring. I am getting a lot of conflicting information on the best means of finding and buying a ring. Some people in Bermuda are telling me they have found the best deals in Bermuda. Others are saying to go to BlueNile.com. And others are telling me to go to Diamond City in NYC, etc. etc. So......where should I get the diamond, where should I get the band, or should I get them together? I don't mind traveling if I have to. Help me topple the DeBeers monopoly while at the same time making Rachel very happy.

Bling or no bling?

n'muakolo — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 08:03:19 -0800

Engagement ring dilemma. To get one or not? Romance is in a terrible state of affairs when a girl will post a question like this, but I would like to hear some opinions on this subject since I'm in such a quandary.

My boyfriend and I are talking about getting married, and he has asked me to decide whether I want an engagement ring or not. (I've often said tht I don't want one.) I'm torn. Btw, I'm fairly traditional, so I would only want a diamond ring.

The reasons why I don't want one:
-I don't like wearing rings much - mostly because I don't like my hands and because my hands swell a lot during the day and when I exercise, so rings are often uncomfortably tight, or too loose.
-Connection to human rights abuses (although I would only get a conflict-free diamond).
-I've heard diamonds devalue quickly.
-I don't want him to have to spend so much money on something I don't necessarily want, and something that will lose so much value, and something that is just for me. Also, he's a high school coach and doesn't have a lot of money, so for us and for him it could be better to use this money differently.
-Historical implications of the woman as property.
-I don't like what I hear about how diamond companies artificially controlling diamond supply and demand.
-Women with diamond engagement rings annoy me a bit - sometimes it feels to me like they're more excited about the ring than the upcoming marriage, and sometimes it feels almost like a fad - the accessory to have at the moment (I'm in my early twenties, and lots of friends and acquaintances are newly engaged)
-The idea of flashing around an expensive gem for the rest of my life sort of puts me off - too public an indicator of my socio-economic status.

Reasons why I might want one:
-I do think they're beautiful.
-I would be wearing a wedding ring anyway, so the fact that I don't like rings might not matter.
-I think he wants me to have one.
-My mother would be heart broken if I didn't have one, and I feel like I've been disappointing her a lot lately on unrelated matters. And my mother thinks that I would be happy having one, because it would constantly remind me of being loved by him.
-It would be exciting - constant reminder of the engagement.
-Sometimes I wonder if people would take my engagement less seriously if I didn't have one.
-A close friend had these same qualms, and has one now and absolutely loves it because it's so pretty and because it reminds her of her fiance, and because of the public aspect of marriage - the world can see that she is going to be marrying him, which is the public demonstration of their commitment to each other.

I'm ashamed of some of these pros and cons, but there they are. No one can make up my mind for me, obviously, but I would like to hear if you had (have) these dilemmas, if you wish you had one or didn't have one; if you wish your wife/fiancee had one/didn't have one.

Help! My diamond ring is missing!

Gankmore — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 06:29:18 -0800

Where is my girlfriend's diamond ring? We think it got stolen.... ...Actually we are sure it is...

She had her carpet steam cleaned a couple of days ago. Apparently, her ring, which was sitting in a jewelry box was missing the next day and the only possiblity of where it might be is in the possession of the carpet cleaners.

My question is what actions should we take to either get the ring back or to make this carpet cleaner's business suffer. Obviously we are going to call the police, but is there anything else we can do?

Better Business Bureau? Local TV News?

Also, how can I research the business to find out if they are operating under fraudulant pretenses?

Chances are the ring is long gone to a pawn shop, but I want to exhaust ALL options to find it.

This is very stressful for my lady (and myself) so any help or assistance would be appreciated.

Ooh, shiny! And strangely maple-scented!

randomination — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 06:50:55 -0800

How do I buy an engagement ring with a Canadian diamond in the UK? We are in London, and my girlfriend is from the true north strong and free. (Oh, OK then. Toronto.) Can anybody recommend an online or reality-based jewellers' that could source a Canadian diamond for us and create an engagement ring?

Or would it be a better idea to buy it in T.O. and take it home?

{
include('explanation of why we want a Canadian diamond');
include('explanation of why we want a diamond at all');
}

Thanks!

Advice for selling a ring

mad_little_monkey — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 17:56:48 -0800

Ah, the divorce aftermath. I'm looking to get a decent price for my diamond engagement ring. (3/4 karat, about $5K retail)I don't want to eBay it. Any suggestions on getting the best value for reselling? How can I really figure out what its worth?

Moissanite or what?

hamster — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 15:00:54 -0800

Does anyone have experience with a moissanite engagement ring? I hate the diamond industry because I've been doing human rights work all my life, but those Harry Winston diamond ads make me swoon more than I'd like to admit. I like the clarity and sparkle of diamonds, but they're not an option. If you went with moissanite, are you pleased with the quality and look? How did you find a dealer? Do you feel compelled to explain that it's not a diamond all the time? Has anyone gone with another kind of human rights-friendly (no emeralds) stone and been happy with it? Something unique that doesn't draw stares of disdain from my traditional friends and family... help! Isn't it enough for marriage to be forever?

Selling an engagement ring.

Irontom — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 10:28:21 -0800

Any Advice on the best way to sell a ring and not get ripped off? A friend of mine has an engagement ring he would like to sell (the relationship died some time ago, before he popped the question). It was originally worth $2,500 and he would like to maximize his return. Clearly, a pawn shop is not the way to go, but neither of us know what other options there are.