Post # 1
Member
2 posts
Wannabee
Doesn’t seem like men post on here very often, but what the heck. Here goes.
I did it. I went out today and bought my soon to be fiancee her ring. We’ve been together nearly five years, and I couldn’t be more excited to propose. I’m nervous though – not about asking, I know she will say yes, but about the ring I bought.
I researched for almost a year before deciding on it. I am a grad student, so my budget was quite limited. I purchased a second hand 1/3 ct. marquise solitaire, set in 14k yellow gold with a platinum head. It has VS1 clarity, a very good cut and I color. I knew that with my budget I would need to buy second hand, but the ring is in excellent condition and came with a GIA certification. It has been professionally polished and looks brand new now.
I wanted something unique, that people our age don’t typically wear. I chose the marquise because it is in my opinion a classic cut, and I knew that she would like having something different. We have talked rings before, long enough for her to say that when the time came she didn’t want to be involved in choosing one. She wanted it to be up to me.
Did I make a good choice? It has been polished since this picture was taken, but I don’t have access to a good camera right now. If anybody has a picture of a similar sized marquise on a size 6-7 finger, please post! It will help calm my nerves!
Post # 3
Member
729 posts
Busy bee
@AmorVincitOmnia: very elegant, classic and beautiful….. i am a solitaire girl myself but have a round center… wecome to WB…
Post # 4
Member
6355 posts
Bee Keeper
@diamondsforevershine: +1
OP, it’s lovely! I don’t have one, but I’ve always been a fan of the marquise cut, and I love yellow gold diamond rings. The fact that this diamond is GIA certified with very good clarity is really good too. Excellent choice!
Post # 5
Member
3296 posts
Sugar bee
- Wedding: August 2013 - An amazing non-profit retreat
It is gorgeous and looks like quite a nice diamond 🙂
I have a similar ring, but with a round stone and a knife edge band (raised in the centre) and I find I prefer it to a lot of the more elaborate rings out there.
Congratulations in advance!
Post # 7
Member
474 posts
Helper bee
@AmorVincitOmnia: It’s gorgeous! She’ll love it 🙂
Post # 8
Member
494 posts
Helper bee
@AmorVincitOmnia: well done! Its a beautiful ring, she’ll love it!
Post # 9
Member
1607 posts
Bumble bee
i think it’s beautiful and is timeless- she will love it!
One thing i do notice- if you want to “customize” it a bit (and probably make the stone look a bit bigger) you could change the north/south prongs with a v-tip type which is more common in custom-made jewlery and has a unique look, I think. Replacing just the head of that ring shouldn’t cost much, I’d say maybe $200 to send it out, get it replaced and get the stone reset. Plus then it’s actually made for your lady! And it probably wouldn’t hurt to have it reset anyway so you’re sure the stone isn’t loose or anything. See pic below for an example of v-tips 🙂
Post # 10
Member
764 posts
Busy bee
@bkrocks13: I seriously doubt he has $200 laying around to make such a minor change. He already said he had a very limited budget!
Post # 11
Member
1607 posts
Bumble bee
@blingbling: its just a suggestion, obviously.
OP- I would def. take it to a jeweler to make sure that the stone isn’t loose and to check the prongs. Platinum has no memory, which means that it cannot really be bent so if the previous owner had the stone serviced it might get loose again at some point. You will probably want to get it appraised for insurance reasons anyway, so that might be a good time to do it 🙂
Post pics when you give it to her!!
Post # 12
Member
11419 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I have two friends whose fiances had very small budgets for their FI’s rings, and both have marquise-cut solitares very similar to what you chose. Although I personally prefer a round stone, I’ve always noticed that, for their size, marquise cuts appear larger and seem to make a bigger statement than a round of similar size, simply because of the cut and north-south way that they sit on a woman’s finger.
I’m sure your girlfriend will love it! 🙂
Post # 13
Member
863 posts
Busy bee
i think you chose an elegant, cassy and classic ring for her, and if it was in your price range, you did really well. I dont think there is anything you should do to it…I actually prefer the prongs on it to the v-prongs mentioned earlier….they are more timeless.
often, a 1/3 ct marquise looks size-wie like a 1/2 ct round, so the marquise was a good choice in terms of shape.
have her post pictures of it on her finger when she finally gets the ring 😉
PS my first e-ring when I was young (many years ago) was a .25 ct marquise set in a swirly baguette setting and presented as a much bigger ring than it was.
Post # 14
Member
197 posts
Blushing bee
Beautiful! I’m sure she will love it. The ring is classy, elegant and timeless. I love marquise cut diamonds and yellow gold. Congrats on a making a great choice.
Post # 15
Member
285 posts
Helper bee
It’s lovely!!!!!!! 
Good Job!
Post # 16
Member
1152 posts
Bumble bee
It is gorgeous. I love marquise cuts, I love yellow gold, I think that size is absolutely perfect, and the tapered band is so classy. I wouldn’t mind receiving that ring myself 🙂 The marquise and yellow gold will definitely help her stand out, kudos to you for thinking about her personality!
Also, keep in mind that if she wants a wedding band, she will be able to pick that out herself. Solitaires are so flexible in that you can get whatever kind of wedding band you want and it’ll work, so she’ll be able to create her dream set. You did good, sir!!
Member