Engagement ring woes.

angela+scottie · September 2013

Hi ladies, I wasn't exactly sure where to post this, because technically we know we want to get married, but I don't have a ring yet. Which is what brings me here. I am having the hardest time ever finding engagement rings offered in bigger sizes (about 10.5), without spending a crapload of money, which we could be saving for the wedding. Do you have any suggestionson places to look? Thanks so much!

annmarie714 · September 2013

Local jewelers. They can size anything up that high (be wary of rings with stones in the setting, there may be some loss of integrity due to sizing) or they can custom make something that is molded to fit you and can have any design you wish.

cu97tiger · September 2013

Have you looked at men's rings? I don't know for sure, but I'd guess those would come in larger sizes and many have gems in them. I did a quick google search (here) and a whole bunch of stuff came up, including many that I would never know were 'mens' rings!

[Deleted User] · September 2013

what type of ring are you looking for? can you give some examples of rings you like (even if the sizing doesn't work) to give us to go off of? are you set on a certain type of stone (or no stone) or metal or style?

I know people often say "local jewelers", but I've found that local jewelers are often more expensive, although they tend to work with their customers on a more personal level. that may not be a normal experience though, as local jewelers are often suggested by others. just a thought!

buddysmom80 · September 2013

Here's an idea I just came up with. Blue Nile has a pretty good selection of diamonds and you could probably order the largest size they have then bring it to a local jeweler to get sized. I agree with @cocobellaf, local jewelers are great but can be expensive, especially with custom stuff.

If you go the Blue Nile, James Allen route be careful in regards to your setting. I wouldn't get anything with a pave since sizing it will mess up with the settings of the diamonds.

Good luck (I have like a 7-ish finger size so I understand where you're coming from!)

phira · September 2013

Definitely yelp the heck out of your area to see if you can find a good local jeweler. What area are you in? Feel free to post on your local board, too.

I have a seriously awesome recommendation for a jeweler in the Boston area, but obviously, if you're not in Boston, that likely will not work

I also recommend finding your gemstone separately, if you're able to. It's easier to do with diamonds than other gemstones, but not impossible.

Finally, hang in there! Nothin' wrong with big fingers. My ring fingers are 7s, but my index and middle fingers are all 9s, and my thumbs are 10s because I have square thumbs.

annmarie714 · September 2013

CocoBellaF said:

what type of ring are you looking for? can you give some examples of rings you like (even if the sizing doesn't work) to give us to go off of? are you set on a certain type of stone (or no stone) or metal or style?

I know people often say "local jewelers", but I've found that local jewelers are often more expensive, although they tend to work with their customers on a more personal level. that may not be a normal experience though, as local jewelers are often suggested by others. just a thought!

While I know the adage is true in some areas, the local jewelers here are less expensive than any chain jeweler (Kay, Jared's, etc) in regards to quality comparison.

Example: My ring was $3200-ish (don't know exact $$ but between 32-3300) with higher quality & slightly larger stone than Kays 3/4 carat Leo diamond solitaire that is $4299 (a $1000 difference!!).

It may be the quality of the stone that makes the local jewelers seem more expensive but when you're comparing apples to apple, it's usually less expensive.

bride2b71614 · September 2013

@Phira, I totally agree on finding the gemstone separately. My FI found a white sapphire and found a jeweler who provided the setting he saved a fortune on the ring. As scary as it sounds, I know of a few jewelers on Etsy with amazing reviews. Its also possible to find jewelers on Etsy in your area, and you could try setting up a meeting with them to see their work as well as negotiate a price. As for sizing, I've been able to get rings resized (depending on the thickness and material used) at a local jeweler. Good luck!

OnceUponAVine · September 2013

I worked in jewelry for a while... Check out the mall jewelry stores - most have catalougs from their suppliers and they can order a custom sized ring if you have an abnormal ring size (I'm a super small size 4 and have all of mine custom ordered)

loves2shop4shoes · September 2013

I think a large part of it is going to come down to what type of metal you want to use.

When my H and I were looking at wedding bands for him, the difference between platinum and white gold and paladium (which he has) was HUGE because of his larger size fingers. The more metal, the more money (obviously).

I second PP on checking out BlueNile.com. They might be the most budget friendly option.

ahende04 · September 2013

I got my bridal set at Zales. My fingers are huge (size 12) I got my entire bridal set for 1400....its 1 carat and beautiful!

cu97tiger · September 2013

ahende04 said:
I got my bridal set at Zales. My fingers are huge (size 12) I got my entire bridal set for 1400....its 1 carat and beautiful!

You got a 1 carat diamond ring set for $1, 400? Something doesn't sound right about that. Care to share the cut/color/clarity/metal?

annmarie714 · September 2013

cu97tiger said:

I got my bridal set at Zales. My fingers are huge (size 12) I got my entire bridal set for 1400....its 1 carat and beautiful!
You got a 1 carat diamond ring set for $1, 400? Something doesn't sound right about that. Care to share the cut/color/clarity/metal?

Here's her post from the E-ring thread: http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/theknot.vanillaforums.com/FileUpload/75/63a7a378dba2600d85c2ea78f6f96d.jpg

Looks like it may be 1ctw made up of lots of small diamonds.

loves2shop4shoes · September 2013

cu97tiger said:

I got my bridal set at Zales. My fingers are huge (size 12) I got my entire bridal set for 1400....its 1 carat and beautiful!
You got a 1 carat diamond ring set for $1, 400? Something doesn't sound right about that. Care to share the cut/color/clarity/metal?

Scratches head.

CrazyCatLady3 · September 2013

loves2shop4shoes said:

cu97tiger said:

I got my bridal set at Zales. My fingers are huge (size 12) I got my entire bridal set for 1400....its 1 carat and beautiful!
You got a 1 carat diamond ring set for $1, 400? Something doesn't sound right about that. Care to share the cut/color/clarity/metal?

Scratches head.

It looks like a cluster ring--so its 1 ct total worth of small diamonds, not a 1 ct solitaire.

OP, find a more affordable metal and check out some of the jewelers on etsy--i had a nice ring custom made by an etsy seller (not my e-ring though); the service and quality was excellent. PM me if you want the name.

Engagement ring woes.

Re: Engagement ring woes.

Choose Another Board

Search Boards