Trying On Rings - Not Engaged Yet

lavenderfields13

blabla89 said:

What are your opinions about trying on/researching rings?
I'll be honest, I pinned some rings on a (secret) pinterest board after the first time FI and I discussed our timeline for engagement. I was a little bit BSC. I went to a jewelry store by myself and tried on rings to figure out which styles I liked, because I didn't want to put any pressure on him by having him come with me.

I don't recommend researching rings until you and your BF have had a discussion about your timeline for getting engaged. But once you've established that, I think it's important to research all the different jewelers and options so you can make an informed purchase.

Have you and your significant other talked about engagement rings?
The second time we talked about our timelines, he said he wanted to get engaged in about 5-6 months and he also mentioned that he had purchased a center stone already. So I whipped out my phone and showed him a couple of pictures of ring styles that I liked.

Did you try any engagement rings on?
Yes, but I didn't have him come with me.

Did y'all talk about price ranges?
No, because I wasn't involved in picking out the ring. I gave him a few ideas of styles that I liked that I knew would be in various price ranges. I told him I didn't want him to spend more than he was comfortable with or could pay upfront.

Will your ring be a complete surprise?
FI had assumed that we would shop for a ring together because that's what his sister and her H did, so I had to explain to him that I wanted it to be a surprise. I showed him some pictures of styles that I liked. He designed my ring based on a few different pictures that I showed him and it's even lovelier than any other ring I had looked at.

Did he bring up "the ring" searching discussion, or did you bring up the discussion?
He brought up the timing of our engagement and part of that was when he would be able to pay for a ring, so that led into showing him the styles I liked.

I would also like to add that @GoldenPenguin's ring makes me wish that I had asked for morganite. I think I'm a little obsessed with it...

THIS. I'm in love.

What are your opinions about trying on/researching rings? 

I think if you don't want everything about your ring to be a COMPLETE surprise then it's a good idea to research and try on rings when you and your SO have talked engagement.

Have you and your significant other talked about engagement rings? 

yes

Did you try any engagement rings on? 

Yes, I never tried any on with FI though. He never understood that a lot of couples search together nowadays.

Did y'all talk about price ranges? 

Umm I'm pretty much the cheapest person ever and decided spending over a certain amount I had in my head would be ridiculous. I picked out my ring, I know exactly how much it cost and I was so excited about how inexpensive it was LOL. Once in awhile I think about how if I had left it completely up to him I'd have a bigger and more expensive stone..and I wouldn't hate that, but at the end of the day it's not about how big or expensive it is.

Will your ring be a complete surprise?

It wasn't at all, I picked the diamond and the band..just didn't know what it looked like in the actual setting for my shape stone until he proposed (when he proposed was a surprise) It was pretty nontraditional how the ring purchase all went down.

Did he bring up "the ring" searching discussion, or did you bring up the discussion?

I brought it up when I was BSC. I had a ring I liked all picked out on Blue Nile and saved it on his computer too and told him JUST IN CASE. At one point when I had not been BSC for quite some time I had to bring up the timeline discussion because it seemed like a proposal was nowhere close- that's when he asked me to show him what rings I liked online.

GoldenPenguin

AWW thanks, ladies I'll let FI know he did a great job

lilacck28

What are your opinions about trying on/researching rings? 

Most definitely do it! Rings can be expensive, and knowledge about what you are buying is important. That goes for 4c's if you're doing a diamond, or where the stone was mined or created, as well as how much what you're interested in can vary in price. When I researched I was looking for price variation. Before I met fiance I had tried out blue nile's "build your ring" as a lark. I knew I liked oval stones and thin pave bands. Then I met fiance and became close to getting engaged, and my mom offered me her marquise diamond. So I started figuring out what I liked with that.... which ended up also being a thin pave band. I am allergic to white gold (i'm assuming the nickel), which made my options more limited as I wanted a silver colored piece. Figuring out what was a good deal was important to me. 

Have you and your significant other talked about engagement rings? 

We did. We're engaged now. He was pretty happy that my mom was offering her diamond. He used to watch me obsess about rings by going through tons of pictures on the internet. 

Did you try any engagement rings on? 

By the time we went ring looking, I already knew I would use my mom's diamond. So I did try rings on, but I was only interested in the settings. I also found it helpful to get sized by the jewelers and ask questions about the rings. 

Did y'all talk about price ranges? 

Yes. As I said in the research question, I was interested in finding good prices for my ring. We saved A LOT of money by using my mom's diamond, but I still didn't want fiance to have to spend too much (I would have gone halfsies but he didn't want to, and at that time... I saw his money as my money and vice versa anyway.) We found a platinum pave setting we liked at a brick and mortar jewelry store with a price tag that was very similar (often times less than!)  similar looking and similar specs of platinum pave settings on online retailers (blue nile, brilliant earth, james allen.) 

Will your ring be a complete surprise?

It was a complete unsurprise. But I was okay with that. I preferred knowing that I was getting something I would love, and that we were getting a "good deal." He preferred it as well-- he didn't want to have to guess for me, and he appreciated that I did a lot of research, which saved him time and stress. 

Did he bring up "the ring" searching discussion, or did you bring up the discussion?

Hmm... trying to remember. I think when we just started dating, I brought it up. We were having a hypothetical discussion about it. I said something about how I would not want him to spend a lot of money on a ring that wasn't to my taste. That I would prefer he (or any future fiance) propose with a $20 ring, and we save up for something that was of a quality/ look that I would want to wear for the rest of my life. That discussion became moot when we were actually ready to get engaged.

 We had timeline discussions sort of often. A month into dating I asked him "do you see yourself getting married and having kids? Is that something you want?" 3 months in we started saying "I think I can see marriage and kids with you, and I can see getting engaged when we're 25 or 26, married when we're around 26 or 27." 8 months in, I was getting ready to move for graduate school and he came with me. We decided to move in together. Then we were having discussions like "I think in two years (when I was done with school) would be a good time to get engaged." And then after a year and a half of dating it became "In the spring of next year." And then when we started approaching that, he said we could start going ring shopping if I wanted. ha! I wanted. 

So... we basically followed the timeline we  discussed when were only dating for 3 months.   

NowIamMrsKlein

What are your opinions about trying on/researching rings? 

I was pretty adamant about being involved in the ring decision. This is something that you are going to wear for the rest of your life, I think its very important that you get something that fits 'you' as a person and that feels comfortable for everyday wear.

Have you and your significant other talked about engagement rings? 

I'm engaged, but when we first started talking marriage we did talk about the process as well. He wanted to know how much i wanted to be involved, as well as what i had in mind, style wise.

Did you try any engagement rings on? Yup! We made a date day out of it and it was super romantic. We got dressed up, went to the store and spent the afternoon trying on rings and then went for dinner. It really helped solidify in my mind that i was right about the style i wanted (simple solitare) as well as find a ring that both of us completely adored. And as I said, super romantic to be browsing and trying on engagement rings with your future FI. I was giddy for days after. 

Did y'all talk about price ranges? Yes. This was super important to me. FI and I have very different takes on money. Im very frugal where he doesnt mind spending more on important items. It was very important for us to come up with a compromise on cost. I do most of our budgeting and fiances so I gave him a price range I was comfortable with us spending and we found something within that budget. 

Will your ring be a complete surprise? No. We chose the ring completely together. When trying them on, by the end of the appointment we had picked out 'the ring' not several options. I felt very connected to it and so did he so there was no surprise there. However how the jewellary store we went to worked was that you choose your setting and price range. Then you choose your 4 C's and they bring you diamonds within those requirements. So when my FI went back in to order my ring he got to do the choosing of the actual diamond. He had done research on that and knew what was important to him on each scale and found the perfect diamond. So ring not a surprise, but I was a little shocked by how much that diamond sparkled! As well as to when I got the ring. Due to life (new jobs, moving 7 hours away etc). He didnt end up proposing until 6 months later, so it was a surprise proposal with my perfect ring

Did he bring up "the ring" searching discussion, or did you bring up the discussion?
Was a mutual decision. We had been talking for months about getting married and he knew that I wanted at least some say in the ring. So he mentioned a future 'ring shopping date' and then I got the ball rolling by being like 'ok lets go on this day'

hleigh10

What are your opinions about trying on/researching rings? I am all for it! The more you shop around and read information online the more informed you will be!

Have you and your significant other talked about engagement rings? We have been together 8 years so we talked about it a lot. He also knows I am picky and he suggested we go ring shopping together so he could get an idea of what I liked and didn't like.

Did you try any engagement rings on? Yes, I went to Kay's Jewelers at our local mall alone to try on for the first time alone. Then we made three different trips to try on at jewelers that weren't a chain. I browsed online for about a month and found four styles I wanted, so I called the jeweler that carried Simon G, Tacori, and Verragio. They were able to order the particular styles of rings that I wanted. I thought I found the ring that I wanted it was a Simon G and my fiance almost ordered it. Thank goodness he didn't because it was not pretty in person at all! That is why I highly recommend shopping and trying them on! Also make a Pinterest board with styles you like. 

Did y'all talk about price ranges? In a way? I told him that budget was up to him. I just told him not to go overboard, no more than two months salary. 

Will your ring be a complete surprise? No, my ring wasn't a complete surprise. I chose three final rings for him to choose from. I knew he went with the first one I ever tired on, the Verragio. We both fell in love with it the first time I had it on. He also saw my expression when I was wearing it just completely glowing and the others didn't give me that feeling.

Did he bring up "the ring" searching discussion, or did you bring up the discussion? He brought it up to me, we had just graduated college and I didn't think he was truly serious. Then after someone in his family got married he told me he was serious and wanted to go shopping together.