I just wanted to come in and tell you how sweet you are! :) I'm afraid I may be no good in the ring advice department (my husband is the pro ring guy haha!), but I'm sure you'll get lots of helpful advice soon! Best of luck to you!
You're so very sweet! If you want the most bang for your buck and your girlfriend wouldn't mind, I think you should look into a gemstone called moissanite. It's a clear gemstone which is super super sparkly, very hard (never needs replacing like a CZ would) and is more affordable than a typical diamond.
MoissaniteCo.com is an EXCELLENT place to start. What type of setting does she like?
@musician32992: I don't know exactly what she likes, but I feel like she'd rather something simple (so would I). Obviously the size of it isn't a big deal for me. I've never heard of moissanite. It's a good suggestion, so I'll look over the site to see. What do you think of the kind of ring in the picture? Would I find something like that in my price range?
@seffweds: That's what looks like a six prong Tiffany solitaire setting. This ring with a one carat round moissanite stone would be $495!.
You can get the plain matching wedding band for $180 more, or you can get something a little "blingier" like the ones I posted below, for around $400 extra.
1) Solitaire Ring
2) Prong Set Wedding Band, $400, 9 stones, 0.06 ct, 2.5mm
3) Channel Set Wedding Band, $469, 13 stones, .26ct, 1.8mm
@seffweds: Thats super cute and I think very afforable if you get a Moissy Stone.
@musician32992: Such a great suggestion! I really love it. I prefer a four prong one, but can't find it. Though this may be the ring I want for her. Looks great.
I hope her friends don't call me a cheap-o! I assume that one day I'll be able to replace it with a better one given my career takes off.
@seffweds: If her friends call you cheap, they shouldn't be her friends. Moissanite is a beautiful gemstone in its own right that just happens to be less expensive. Not every engagement ring has to be the stereotypical diamond.
This is a 4 prong solitaire for the same price as the 6 prong. 
@musician32992: This is great. I think I'll be going with this one! Thank you so much for being such a great help. Like I said, we've spoken about getting married before and she understands that if I ask her to marry me, we'd make wedding arrangements after school to make sure we're doing it all right. Hopefully my proposal is half as amazing as she is. I'm planning on learning to play the ukulele enough to serenade her with this song after taking her out on the best date she's ever had then asking. She's my better half. How madly in love I am with her. Thank you so much!
@musician32992: Or this other song. I've always been hopeless romantic. I appreciate the help so much and I do hope she'll be forever my co-pilot.
@seffweds: First off, welcome!
My FH did a lot of research on here before he bought my engagement ring (although he wasn't brave enough to make an account!) and the way he decided to go was the gemstone route, and researched those heavily.
This is my beauty:
The specs:
9ct yellow gold - I wanted yellow gold to match my other 'special' jewellery, and when he researched he discovered that white gold is generally less pure than yellow gold, it's mixed with other metals and then dipped to give the effect, so whilst it's more fashionable, its metal value is a lot lower. BUT because its less fashionable, I think it can be a bit cheaper in places.
0.75ct Tanzanite - when researching gemstones, he mistakenly (although fortuitously!) thought that Tanzanite was my birthstone. It's not (mine's Topaz), but this means my engagement ring perfectly matches my gold-and-tanzanite graduation ring from my parents. Tanzanite is actually rarer than diamond, as there is only a small radius where it can be mined, around Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It can vary in shades from blue to purple, although as I understand it the more purple it is, the more 'pure' it is.
0.25ct Diamond - the diamonds are very tiny, but nicely finish the ring off. And what meant a lot to me was that he made sure they were Conflict Free, and are certified as such. Whilst they're not necessarily 'perfect' (I think it's a I clarity?), they're so small any flaws are impossible to see, but they still catch the light beautifully. Before I saw it on the certificate, it hadn't even occurred to me to think about having conflict-free diamonds, but once I saw it I realised that was more important to me than having the biggest, shiniest, most flawless diamond.
At full price, this ring clocks in at about £230, I think. Which XE tells me is about $363.50. He got it from an independent jewellers, rather than a chain store, and bought it online as well - AND got it in a sale, so promises me he got a bargain on it. He also promises that when he has money he'll buy me a big beautiful ring, but I utterly adore my ring as it is, and wouldn't change it for the world.
So I'd advise to steer clear of Big Name Jewellers, and also to shop around online. And look out for sales - apparently May is a good time to buy a ring (because it's after Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, so there are a lot of sales on), and my FH bought mine in September, which I suspect would be another good time, because there aren't any big holidays immediately around the corner.
I hope that helps! Good luck!
@seffweds: I have a tear in my eye reading your posts you are so very sweet and I wish you and your future FI all the luck, love and happiness in the world! :D <3
OMG how sweet are you! Have you tried Esty or Moissaniteco? There are some very reasonable prices there. Good luck and let us know how you make out!!!!
@seffweds:You are such a sweetie!
It is important to talk to your girlfriend, to see if she would want a moissanite or alternative stone. If she is a "diamond lover", a diamond ring is not out of your price range, you could get a small diamond, or a diamond with a lower clarity/color rating. For example, this ring at pompii3
http://www.pompeii3.com/p-551-gold-50ct-round-solitaire-diamond-engagement-ring.aspx.
(They could probably do it in white gold too).
I have a ring from pompeii3, and it is not the best quality, but it was a great price just and it is pretty, it just depends on what is more important to your girlfriend.
Good luck!
@GelaMac: I decided to go with a Moissanite.Co one, but I'm going to keep looking just in case! No matter what, I'll replace the ring in the furute with something better if she prefers (she doesn't like tossing or replacing anything I give her already)!
@seffweds: good choice on the moissanite, she will LOVE it! NO ONE will think you are cheap because they will be blinded by the sparkle!
Palladium metal is pretty much the same colour as Platinum but is more scratch resistant and most importantly is MUCH cheaper! I've seen some gorgeous diamond rings online for only a few hundred dollars.
@chronicwhimsy: I feel quite in love with this ring. What do you all think? It's like $700 more than my budget, but looks to be worth it.
@seffweds: I also think you should make sure she's Ok with a non diamond stone befor you go that rout.
Although she said any ring will do, I'd just check.
Its likely, if you don't have the conversation with her then she'll think it's a dIamond since that's the norm. Then, you'll have to tell her it's not. I think that would be awkward.
@seffweds: ABSOLUTELY get the Tiffany ring ;) it's impossible to go wrong with that choice, their diamonds are beautiful.
@seffweds: PLEASE make sure to feel out her feelings about moissanite stones, and just her feelings about what kind of ring she is hoping for, before you buy the ring!
Although a $5 ring could have done for me, for example, I would have REALLY been against wearing moissanite or cubic zirconia in my engagement ring. I would NOT have been against wearing a simple gold or silver band, or a garnet, or a ruby, or amethyst, etc. etc.
Women can have strong opinions in that department. Please make sure you know hers!
@joya_aspera: She's OK with it, but I decided to go with a .25 ct - The Tiffany Setting - so an actual diamond!
@seffweds: Sounds beautiful. Congratulations on finding the ring! Good luck with the proposal! :)
@joya_aspera: I made sure she was OK with what I wanted to get (she doesn't know when I'll propose) and even though .25ct is small, she was blown away by it and can't wait for me to propose.
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Hello, everyone! I'm sorry if I posted in the wrong section, but I just made an account after months of being a casual reader.
I'm completely, madly in love with my girlfriend. She's 20 and I'm 19. I know a lot of you will be up and arms about me "rushing" things, but she and I have spoken about getting married someday and having kids. I plan on getting engaged (hopefully) on December 25, 2013. I'd have been with her for about three years by then. We're both in university and graduate early 2015. I want to get married with her soon after that.
So, to my question. She's told me on multiple occasions that even a $5 ring would suffice, but that's obviously out of the question. I'm trying to pay for school and save up about $1,000 to get the ring. What kind of ring can I get with that and where should I go for the best deal, but for a product not completely flawed? Her ring size is 5.5, so she has pretty small fingers. I love her so much and she deserves the best ring in the world -- I want to make her the happiest woman alive (she's my soulmate and more than I could ever ask for in a person. My best friend), but how do I go about getting a decent ring for my $1,000 price cap?
Best,
Seth!