Post # 1
Member
74 posts
Worker bee
Hi! I’ve been lurking here in the last few weeks in an exhausting attempt in figure out what I wanted in an engagement ring. I don’t usually wear much jewellery and I had NO IDEA what I wanted. All I know was that I wanted it to be a little unique looking and that it had to look nice on my finger (I have pretty short fingers). I looked up and down all over the internet, on forums, pinterest and can I tell you it’s been so overwhelming!
Well, last Saturday, my boyfriend and I went ring shopping and I ended up trying on about 30 different rings from 6+ stores. I ended up getting my ring designed! It’s going to be an oval mossianite with a trillian-cut dark blue sapphire on each side, with a tapered, platinum band. I should get the CAD this week, I’m so excited! It’ll take a few weeks for the ring to be made, but the jeweller has been advised to just tell my boyfriend when it’s done. So hopefully, the proposal will come sometime in the next month or two…
If I can give 3 tips to anyone who might be in my position, it’s this:
1. You have to try on rings in real life. I was so surprised by how many rings I’ve pinned and which looked gorgeous on my screen ended up looking really mediocre or ugly on my finger. Even if you were to buy online, I highly recommend trying on a similar style of ring in person first.
2. It’s okay if you don’t know what you want! You can work it out the other way, figure out what you DON’T want! I found the latter method a lot easier and I was able to quite quickly work out what shapes and gems weren’t really my style. Process of elimination! 🙂
3. Consider designing your own ring. Many jewellers offer this option and they can help you work through what you might want but you haven’t really seen. A good jeweller/designer will offer sensible advice on whether your ideas would work in practice or aesthetically.
It’s all been a huge learning experience for me, and I really envy those who know *exactly* what they want.
So what was it like for you? Did you know what you want in a ring? Were you really indecisive? Or did your significant other get you the ring and you didn’t need to figure it out for yourself?
Post # 2
Member
4617 posts
Honey bee
i knew i wanted a solitaire. so it was just a matter of finding the right thickness band and pairing it with a wedding band that i liked.
Post # 3
Member
774 posts
Busy bee
I always thought I would wear a round brilliant solitaire in platinum but when the time came to choose a ring, I looked into diamonds, morganites, emeralds, sapphires, moissanites, white sapphires and cubic zirconias. I considered halos, pave bands, micropave, knife edge, and rolling rings. I even asked the ladies on the forum for their opinions on different metals. After all that, I ended up with a round diamond set in platinum prongs on a plain rose gold band. I might decide to switch it up in the future but for now, I am thrilled with the simplicity of my e-ring!
Post # 4
Member
774 posts
Busy bee
I also considered a stack of 3 thin eternity bands in rose gold, yellow gold and platinum.
All this and we didn’t even have a ring when we got engaged– my fiancé spontaneously proposed with a key ring that was sitting on my desk.
Post # 5
Member
9567 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
Since my mid teens I have dreamed of the classic Tiffany Setting, in yellow gold. So when it came time to look at rings/get the ring it didn’t take very long! But I have wanted a solitaire yellow gold diamond engagement ring for as far back as I can remember, probably due to the fact that my mother’s ring from a short distance looks like a solitaire (she has a diamond chip on either side but I didn’t notice that until a couple of years ago!).
Here is mine:
Post # 6
Member
774 posts
Busy bee
Jacqui90: Oh my gosh, it’s Jacqui90! I remember reading the Tiffany vs Tiffany Inspired Jewelry debate eons ago and being very entertained by the comments and how quickly that thread escalated! Love your ring!
Post # 7
Member
1120 posts
Bumble bee
I’m one of those who never tried on any e-rings lol. I just knew I wanted an emerald cut diamond in rose gold, so husband and I started looking for designs. I originally wanted a megan thorne design (some kind of unique solitaire), but my husband didn’t like them, so we looked for more, and I found a vintage inspired halo bezel with milgrain detailing, and he loves it, so we had that design customized and made some changes and love it in person as much as I did online! With my band, I was originally thinking of something that would actually match, but ended up trying some rings on and found something that’s totally different and had it made since I wanted to do some changes to it as well.
Post # 8
Member
2974 posts
Sugar bee
i always wanted a solitaire- simple, classic, timeless…but then i came across a picture of my ring in an online ad (totally by chance, i was not looking for rings at all) and i was sold- princess cut, halo, blue diamonds…it was exactly what i never knew i wanted…if that makes sense, haha.
Post # 9
Member
9567 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
Post # 10
Member
2140 posts
Buzzing bee
I didn’t choose my ring.. my husband did. I’ll never understand choosing your own ring :D.. I wanted to wear something that HE chose for me.. that’s the whole point of it (in my opinion).
Post # 11
Member
185 posts
Blushing bee
I completely agree with your #1 tip. I’ve saved/pinned so many rings and when it came time to trying them on, i wasnt completely wowed by any of them. I knew I wanted a round halo and a Verragio. My SO and I ended up deciding on a Verragio setting with a cushion halo and round moissanite. Now I’m just waiting for a proposal 🙂
Post # 12
Member
1463 posts
Bumble bee
I had no idea what I wanted, so one day after we had discussed thoughts on the future a bunch, now-DH told me to do some research and think about it. So I did, and I figured out that I wanted a .5-1ct diamond, probably round, probably in white gold. And while searching online I found the most beautiful setting! I don’t even remember how I found it, but we decided to get my engagement ring together after he proposed, and when the time came, we almost had to buy the setting without seeing it in person first. But we would have and it would have worked out anyways, because nothing else looks as perfect on my finger 🙂
My two pieces of advice are that sometimes you have to go with your gut, and don’t forget to think about a wedding band!
Post # 13
Member
23 posts
Newbee
I thought I wanted a solitare until I tried them on in the jewellers! I already had a solitaire I was given by my mum, and the solitaires just looked a bit plain on my hand. So I tried on some three stones and completely fell in love with them! I originally asked my fiancé to get my a three stone in yellow gold because that’s what my mum wanted me to have but after 4 months I decided I should have gone with what I wanted and so I had the diamonds reset into a palladium mount! I absolutely adore it so I do agree that you don’t really know what you want until you try it on! 😀 this is a 0.5 carat with two 0.25 carats either side.
Post # 14
Member
774 posts
Busy bee
Danie.pearce: Ooh, very pretty! Your ring makes me want to convert my half carat solitaire into a 3-stone!
Post # 15
Member
23 posts
Newbee
BridalMonkey2014: thank you! I was originally going to have just the half carat solitare until I saw the three stones and managed to push my fiances budget to the two extra stones
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