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Some of you may know that I'm waiting on my engagment ring, and I've been looking at tons of pictures on here of beautiful rings. I keep reading from bees about how certain rings look too big on their fingers and/or about how certain styles don't look nice on their hands. Is this really that important?
I guess my main fear is that since my fingers are HUGE (size 10) that I will only look good with a big carat weight. Ummm, hello, can't really afford a 2 or 3 carat ring!!!! My guy's budget is only $1,000, and that really won't buy a substantial sized ring. So if we find the PERFECT ring, both in beauty and price, and it happens to be a little dainty compared to my sausage fingers......could I still rock it and not worry about it not looking proportional to my hand?
i understand ur dilemma...i have a size 11 finger! have u ever considered moissanite? you could get a 2 carat solitaire for $935...http://www.moissaniteco.com/6prong-round-moissanite-tiffany-solitaire-w-matching-band-p-8234.html
I had that same fear. But i soon realized the problem was just solitare settings. Once i tried on rings with a more substantial setting the diamond in the center still looked huge despite having "chubby" fingers.
Here is a pic of my ring and wedding band so you can see what im talking about
Here is a pic on my hand that isn't too clear but you can see the proportion 
christmas_tree_007.jpg (937.2 KB, 249 downloads) 1 year old 1_ring.jpg (71.5 KB, 252 downloads) 1 year old christmas_tree_004.jpg (893.4 KB, 126 downloads) 1 year old
I honestly don't think that's true at all. I have a really tiny finger (size 3 3/4th) and the size of my diamond didn't matter.. like a huge diamond didn't look really insanely huge on my finger or disproportionate nor did a little speck diamond look too tiny.. sooo.. I think your fine :)
Me and Mr.PapaBear were JUST talking about this. In the Martha Stewart Weddings magazines, there are pictures of the sizes of diamonds. I wear a size 9.5 so I told him I need a carat (or more) b/c anything else will look tiny.LMAO
I really don't get the whole ring proportion thing. I think that you get used to whatever you have (probably informed by how you feel about what you have). If everyone you know has a 2ct ring and that seems normal to you, you could have a size 4 finger and easily think that a 2ct ring looks perfect. Similarly if everyone you know wears .25 ct and that looks normal to you, you could rock it on your size 11 and feel it looks perfect as well :) Just get what you love and what you can afford and don't worry about what looks "right."
If you are concerned about costs and getting the most for your money, this may be an option. I read an article about i do now i don't on glamour.com. This is a website where people sell engagement rings that they do not want anymore. If i recall correctly, the rings are all checked to verify that they are in fact diamonds before the buyer receives it. You can get a bigger diamond this way at a better cost. Just figured I would toss it out :-). Below is the glamour article and the i do now i don't website.
http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2010/05/would-you-wear-a-previously-ow.html
@zalonia: On another bee's recommendation I checked out some moissanite rings, and there was a style I fell in love with, but unfortunately it was more than twice our budget.
@nanettenicole: Your ring is absolutely GORGEOUS and totally my style! And it looks great on your finger (which doesn't look chubby at all, IMO). Can I ask what carat weight your center stone is? I've found a couple rings that are 1/2 carat in the middle with a halo around making them look larger. I think that's the best way to go, and they're so pretty!
@Corykru: Thanks for that information, I'll definitely be looking at those sites.
BTW: does anybody know some good exercises to lose weight in your fingers, lol????
I hope this helps -- but I think you are probably the only person who will notice your fingers instead of the ring. During my engagement, I've had fingernails fall off (no joke, slammed in car doors...and no manicures to cover it), I've sliced the finger next to it with a knife --- and overall, i've kept my hands in pretty bad shape. I'm as positive as I can be about other people's thoughts ---- but I'm positive other people didn't notice unless i said "i'm so embarrassed by my fingernails!!".
I think you should a ring that you think is pretty and doesn't leave you in debt:-), and shouldn't worry about your fingers!!
@Corgitales -- I think you're absolutely right. I think something is "small" not compared to your fingers, but maybe compared to what you're used to seeing on other people in your area. So no matter what, I think it's silly to ever think something is "big" or "small"...it's whether it works for you!!
you should look at some halo settings, as they can make the center stone look bigger by surrounding it with a circle of more diamonds.
definitely look at halo settings. i have a half carat center diamond with a bigger halo setting and it totally does the trick :) looks big and right within our budget. and they are just SO beautiful :) i love the halo setting and i feel you can't go wrong with one. but most importantly, go with what you absolutely love and something that won't break the bank :)
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@Kaitlin: your ring is very beautiful! I love how big the setting is, and it would look good on my fat finger (you have very slender ones by the way, lol) I think.
I guess I'm just jealous over the women who have tiny hands and can make a 1/2 carat look HUMONGOUS, do you know what I mean? I'm not complaining about our budget and wanting a gigantic diamond, that's not the point of my post. I've just heard so many bees say your ring needs to be in proportion with your fingers, and it's making me dwell on and worry about an issue I had never thought of before. I personally know I will still love my future ring and think it's absolutely PERFECT.....but I will unfortunately always view my fingers as being too fat and ugly, lol. I hope that doesn't take away from the joy of my engagement ring! 
@AudzinLuv: thanks girl! and i don't think they are that slender ... i'm a size 6. i think my fingers are just in the middle :) and i definitely am also jealous of the girls with tiny size 4 or 5 fingers who can pull off anything and make it look big. and no matter when the time comes, you will love your ring so much and you will be so happy that you are finally marrying the love of your life :)
I don't think you need to worry. When you go to the select your ring, just make sure the salesperson knows your budget.
One thing I have noticed about my ring is that when I got it I thought it looked huge, but I think it might be shrinking, because it keeps looking smaller and smaller. haha!
@kaitlinandjason: I know what you mean. I'm a size 6 too, and I don't think they're slender either. One thing nice about being size 6 though is that it is an average size, so a lot of the rings in jewelry stores fit without having to be sized!
Check out Diamond Nexus labs. They are a diamond simulant and they have beautiful rings in your price range. I have a ring from there, a friend has two rings from there, plus earrings......really good quality and customer service.
I don't think it's that important. I personally think what only matters is the style of the ring and if it is what you love. Who cares how big or small the diamond is as long as it is what you wanted and is within your budget?
Ditto Maggie Mae. My ring is from Diamond Nexus Labs. It's a 2ct solitaire, and he paid under a grand for it. I have size 8.5 fingers, and the 2ct looks enormous on my hand. Their customer service is phenomenal, and their jewelery has a lifetime guarantee on it.
(I wanted a ring from there because of ethical issues, and I also could not wrap my brain around spending so much money on a ring)
@buttontoes: Could you explain what you mean by "ethical issues"?
@MaggieMae & buttontoes:
Could you please post pics of your rings from Diamond Nexus Labs? I'm very curious!
I think it totally depends on what you think looks right on your hand! I wear a 3 1/2 so for me I felt like if I had anything more than a carat I would look like I was playing dress up!! I'm just not a super flashy person and didnt want my hand to be overwhelmed. But I have friends who rock their 3 carat rings beautifully, so I think it depends more on your personality than on your ring size!!
I'd love to hear reviews of created diamonds too! I have my rings already but I would love some nice earrings and there is no way I want to pay diamond prices for them! :)
@AudzinLuv: I don't have a pic, but have the Cinderella Staircase. It's currently on their website. Center stone 1.24, total weight 2.24. I don't have a pic of my ring and tried to upload the image from their website without success. I think the engagement ring was about $700.00 total. Their products are gorgeous. I have a friend who has the Diamond Nexus Tiffany set knife edge, 1.5. I love their products.
@buttontoes: Conflict free was/is important to me as well......and like you just didn't chose to spend a small fortune on my ring. Yeah for Diamond Nexus!!!!
@CorgiTales: A friend of mine has studs from Diamond Nexus labs and they are stunning!!!! I'm a fan, can you tell ~ lol.
Whoa! That is a GORGEOUS ring!!!!
I just checked out their site and fell in love with the Venice design (it's based on my dream ring, the Tiffany Legacy style). Unfortunately, it's $2173 for the smallest center stone size. Good Gosh, who knew diamond simulants and moissanite could get that expensive, too?
I found this ring the other day that fits perfectly within our budget, and it's the style I prefer most:
http://www.pompeii3.com/site/index.php?p=accent_setting&pp=detail&id=1427
I think it's absolutely beautiful, and I can't believe the price for a real 1/2 carat diamond. I'm in love with it already, and I think it will still look awesome on my ginormous finger even though it's not a huge rock! Of all the designs I've shown my boyfriend as inspiration, this is the one I keep coming back to time after time.
I'm going to cross my chubby fingers and hope that one day soon I will be able to see for myself how great it looks, lol!
Think there is something to be said for proportion. I have kind of bigger hands and I have sort of a large bone structure. I didn't want my ring to be lost on me. Have you considered a composite ring? It's a bunch of little diamonds placed together. That's what I have and I like how my ring has a modern/Art Deco kind of vibe to it (sorry, don't have picture). By getting the composite diamonds, groom was able to afford to get me a ring that wouldn't break his budget, but would also look nice on me. People actually think he spent quite a bit, but I know that he didn't!
There's a couple "ethical" issues: (1) the conflict diamond issue (while some people say this isn't a problem anymore, I just don't feel 100% that this is true) and (2) the fact that diamonds are so ridiculously overpriced because one company dominates the market.
I think my ring has a unique setting (that you can't really tell from this particular picture...the prongs have a kind of swoop design), and I love the cushion cut stone. I think when I get the wedding band to go with it, I may have them customize it a bit more by adding pave set stones...maybe.
I don't have a picture of my actual ring (for some reason, I cannot take a decent picture of the ring on my hand without it getting all washed out), but this is the stock photo from the website:
cardiff-295x215.jpg (11.6 KB, 96 downloads) 1 year old
@Birdie Love: I remember seeing a pie-cut ring once on tv (the Liquidation Channel), and it was amazing. There were 4 little diamonds put together to make what looked like one big solitaire. I loved it! It was very vintage-looking, so my style, and came with a matching wedding band. And if I remember correctly, it was less than $800. This was probably back in January that I saw it, and when I looked on their website again recently I couldn't find it. 
But it was gorgeous, so I'll bet your composite ring is stunning as well!
@Buttontoes: *drool* your ring is beyond beautiful!
I don't think that it's so much the size of the stone, but my concern was and still is the width of the band...my ring size is 8 1/2--but the distance between my knuckles is TINY! So, it's uncomfortable to wear some rings because they are so wide--I can't imagine wearing two rings! So, when we went ring shopping, I made sure that we looked at rings that were very dainty and narrow--I also wanted something with a fairly small diamond (in most people's opinon), and the setting we ended up choosing actually detracted from my sausage fingers! I say--go and do LOTS and LOTS of shopping, even he doesn't want to--because my guy def. didn't want to...he was totally against it, but I knew (from being previously engaged, and not being in love with my ring) that the ring could be an issue if it wasn't the right setting for my hand. Try on lots and lots of settings until you find something that is comfortable for you, and then look for the stone
@buttontoes: Here is a link that gives great instruction for taking fantastic pictures of your ring. A friend sent it to me when I was trying to take a good picture but not succeeding. Once I followed the instructions, I haven't had any problems at all getting a good picture.
How to Take Amazing Engagement Ring Photos
Thanks, Loribeth. I'll check that out! FMIL has been bugging me for a pic of the ring on my hand.
My husband picked my diamond size based on how it looked on his pinky finger, lol. My ring finger is the same size as his pinky. My hands can't handle big jewelry, especially because my pinky is suppppper tiny. Seriously people joke about it all the time. My ring is perfect :) But I have a feeling it would have been no matter what size it was.
I know that Im a little late on the party, but I have size 10 hands too, and I have a 1/2 carat (and I got to pick my ring.) I really really love it. Pic attached so you can see.
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Thanks, RedPepperGal, for posting that pic! Your ring is lovely, and it really helps me visualize what a similar ring would look like on my hand. I don't think it looks too dainty or too "small" for your size 10 finger at all, so that really helps ease my worries. What kind of wedding band are you going to get?
My wedding band is about half as thick as the rest of the ring and is white gold that follows the curve of the engagment ring. I actually think that the engagement ring on it's own maybe a little too thin, but I like how thick both rings are together and that'll be on my hand for longer!
My biggest suggestion is to consider ordering your ring in already sized rather than having the store size it. My band doesn't match up quite with the e-ring because the jeweller didn't size it skillfully - and going from a six to a ten with a thin band isn't easy. I'm going to have to get the back of my ring rebuilt because it is so thin. So be careful with that!
I had the SAME PROBLEM (and budget) as you!... and I'm a size 11!
Here was my solution: http://mystiquegems.com/
Yes, they are cz's but they are FABULOUS! My boyfriend and I went to the store and we could NOT tell the difference between them and a diamond! The BEST part was it came with all the same guarantees a diamond does: If the gems fall out they will replace them... or if they ever chip or get cloudy they will replace them (which they aren't supposed to since they are made from the toughest kind of simulant).
The people there are SUPER nice. They DEFINITELY have rings for under 1,000 and others hover around there. They will customize your ring if you don't want such a LARGE diamond in the center. That's what me and my boyfriend are doing (We decided I would show him EXACTLY what I like BEFORE he asked, especialy since I have such a large ring size).
They will also give you a free estimate if you see one you like and want changes.
I'm telling you... you will stay on your budget, get a FABULOUS ring, and no one will no know the difference!
Oh... and halo's ARE the way to go! It makes a smaller carat look bigger for sure... and covers more of the finger (which is nice for us!). Here is the ring I chose (its a more expensive one):
http://www.mystiquegems.com/carat-cushion-emerald-with-rounds-designer-inspired-ring-p-851.html
Except I asked them to make it a 1.5 carat and a clear stone, not yellow, in a size 11.
They have even more at the store! There was a 1.5 carat oval with halo for $495 when I was there. I think 1.5 is about the right size carat for your finger... well at least it is for MINE.
What I did was go to a really expensive jeweler and say, show me a diamond ring in THIS carat... tell them you don't care about cost (and yes... they will ASK). Then they will show you what you want. I went without my boyfriend so they couldnt "pressure" him into trying to buy what he couldnt affort anyhow... and they never pressure the to-be bride. I felt a little guilty, but that's the best way to find out what a carat size looks next to your finger (and yes, I say next, because ALL the rings at the store will NOT fit on your ring finger. Bummer.)
Hope that all helps!
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