Anonymous wrote:My fiancée told me that all she really cared about was having a ring that:
(1) was bigger than her moms ring and
(2) was shiny enough an big enough for her friends to notice/get jealous and
(3) was not so big that it looks fake.
Given that criteria I realized that the engagement ring was really about female on female competition and outwards displays so I really discounted the symbolism of the ring as a monetized expression of love and commitment. I decided I wasn't going into the trap of 3 months salary and spending the equivalent of a new car...
So I went and got a 1 carat round ideal shape D color IF diamond in a hearts and arrows cut in a lab grown diamond I told her and she didn't appear to care about the lab aspect and is happy with people noticing the ring. It looks like that is really all she cares about.... getting it noticed. A "natural" diamond would have cost a lot more... I really glad I went the cheap route.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Halo rings can be very pretty, and if that's what you want, go for it, and enjoy.
But I don't think many people understand why jewelers/marketing agencies are pushing this particular look so hard, making it such a trend.
A one-carat solitaire is far and away more rare and valuable than a "one-carat total weight ring." So if your center stone is .75 carats, surrounded by .25 of "promotional grade" diamonds, you are being SOLD a one-carat ring that doesn't really translate to one-carat solitaire market value. (Mileage varies, of course, I'm speaking in general terms.)
They're trying to sell you the "one-carat ring experience" while not giving you the one-carat value.
But that also goes for any non-halo setting with diamonds- people often include total carat weight.
Anonymous wrote:Halo rings can be very pretty, and if that's what you want, go for it, and enjoy.
But I don't think many people understand why jewelers/marketing agencies are pushing this particular look so hard, making it such a trend.
A one-carat solitaire is far and away more rare and valuable than a "one-carat total weight ring." So if your center stone is .75 carats, surrounded by .25 of "promotional grade" diamonds, you are being SOLD a one-carat ring that doesn't really translate to one-carat solitaire market value. (Mileage varies, of course, I'm speaking in general terms.)
They're trying to sell you the "one-carat ring experience" while not giving you the one-carat value.
Anonymous wrote:Halo rings can be very pretty, and if that's what you want, go for it, and enjoy.
But I don't think many people understand why jewelers/marketing agencies are pushing this particular look so hard, making it such a trend.
A one-carat solitaire is far and away more rare and valuable than a "one-carat total weight ring." So if your center stone is .75 carats, surrounded by .25 of "promotional grade" diamonds, you are being SOLD a one-carat ring that doesn't really translate to one-carat solitaire market value. (Mileage varies, of course, I'm speaking in general terms.)
They're trying to sell you the "one-carat ring experience" while not giving you the one-carat value.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This thread really makes us catty, huh?
In my original social circle, 1.5 - 3 was the norm, with some outliers (one gf married someone 15 years older and got a 6 carat ring, pretty but ostentatious).
Mine is 1.8. When we got engaged, that was important to me that it be in that range because it felt like everyone else I knew had a ring that size (I know, I know but I was youngish).
I love my ring, but my husband is a professors, not a banker or in big law. We're mid 30's now, and none of the other professor's wives have rings like mine, so my husband actually prefers that i not wear it around colleagues or other university area people - which is most of the people we see now.
C'est la vie.
A family ring? No way in hell a newly minted professor is making the kind of money needed to buy 1.8 carats.
It's kind of strange you feel the need to hide a 1.8 carat ring. That's the size of mine and I don't feel like it is big at all. I doubt anyone cares.
I'm that PP: I completely agree with you! Also, it's an square-emerald cut, which means that it looks about the size of a 1 carat round cut.
But, as another poster mentioned above, academics often don't do the classic engagement ring thing. They seem to go for delicate antique rings or colored stones. So my DH feels like it draws unnecessary attention, which he is paranoid about because academic departments are strange, sometimes bitterly competitive environments where people quibble over nonsense.
Your dh needs to focus on his career as opposed to what you wear on your finger.
Anonymous wrote:A large engagement ring just screams "please don't take me seriously".
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This thread really makes us catty, huh?
In my original social circle, 1.5 - 3 was the norm, with some outliers (one gf married someone 15 years older and got a 6 carat ring, pretty but ostentatious).
Mine is 1.8. When we got engaged, that was important to me that it be in that range because it felt like everyone else I knew had a ring that size (I know, I know but I was youngish).
I love my ring, but my husband is a professors, not a banker or in big law. We're mid 30's now, and none of the other professor's wives have rings like mine, so my husband actually prefers that i not wear it around colleagues or other university area people - which is most of the people we see now.
C'est la vie.
A family ring? No way in hell a newly minted professor is making the kind of money needed to buy 1.8 carats.
It's kind of strange you feel the need to hide a 1.8 carat ring. That's the size of mine and I don't feel like it is big at all. I doubt anyone cares.
I'm that PP: I completely agree with you! Also, it's an square-emerald cut, which means that it looks about the size of a 1 carat round cut.
But, as another poster mentioned above, academics often don't do the classic engagement ring thing. They seem to go for delicate antique rings or colored stones. So my DH feels like it draws unnecessary attention, which he is paranoid about because academic departments are strange, sometimes bitterly competitive environments where people quibble over nonsense.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I live in Europe. None of the European women in my circle wear engagement rings: it is customary to only wear a wedding band in this country, and in the countries some other European friends call home. I really like the simplicity of this look, and I feel ostentatious and a bit look-at-ME-look-at-ME wearing an e-ring here, so I usually just wear the band now too. None of these women are "poor", either, by the way.
+1 They are just classy. Not everyone wants to be dripping rocks associated with armed conflict.
Does any other country put as much cultural importance and self-worth into the e-ring as the United States? I swear, we are the biggest suckers on earth.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mine is 0.5; most in my circle are larger. I got married early and DH paid for it all himself.
My BFF has a HUGE ring. That her DH put on their joint credit card and took forever to pay off.
Better than being saddled with a tiny ring. I want a rock and if I had to pay for it, no problem.
DH makes 7 figures now; trust me - if I want a new one its not a problem. Its not a priority for me.
Your spouse makes 7 figures and you have a 0.5 carat? Lol. That is embarrassing.