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Not Engaged Yet
desertsun
member
Ring porn?
We seem to be getting lots of questions on rings lately. So, engaged or married girls, would you mind sharing a pic of your ring? Also share your C's and cost, time it took to save, any other important details, etc. Of course no one should share anything they'd prefer to keep private. But I think it would be helpful for our NEY girls to see real-world examples. 
ETA: I think a range for cost would also be helpful if people feel more comfortable with that: under $1k, under $2k, etc.
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Re: Ring porn?
The center stone is a 1.3 carat lab created sapphire. The setting is palladium and cost $1070 and the stone was about $300. DH did finance it though I wish he had paid for it all at once but we were able to pay it all off within 4 months. I can't remember how much the wedding band cost but I know it was more than the e-ring.
Here is my e-ring & wedding band. Together the price was $4160. My DH paid for it from savings.
My center stone is a princess cut .79 carat signature ideal. Color is I and clarity is VS2
E-ring setting - less than $3K
Center Stone - unknown because DH did that on his own and got it insured. I believe it is around 1.5ct or so based on the different solitaires I tried on in the store.
Wedding band - less than $3K and we didn't buy it until after the wedding because it wasn't going to be in on time anyways.
Both bands are petite prong set instead of pave set. I did not want to worry about losing stones. Several of my friends have had issues with pave set bands.
Time it took to save - DH had the $ in the bank before we were ever together. (Not that it was set aside for an e-ring, but he had a notion about what he needed to have in order before getting married.) I was just insistent that we would still be able to buy a house and keep our savings high after he bought the ring. I told him that I would rather have a house than a ring.
The only thing I know is that it is that the center stone is .6 ct and it was from my great aunt's wedding ring which she gave to my grandmother butthen took it back when I was born to give to me.
FI didn't know how much he paid for it when he designed it. When we asked my uncle he said "Don't worry about it. We'll take care of him." So I think FI is now in a secret family mafia even I did not know about. FI hasn't told me how much he paid but I do know he paid cash for it.
The center stone is 1.25ct. and the setting has 112 diamonds on it. It was a custom white gold micropave setting, has 2 picaboo diamonds, milgrain and hand-engraved filigree.
I was not involved in the ring designing process whatsoever, nor our ring budget. We had discussed ballparks of around $5K. DH spent somewhere around $8K. total (I believe the setting cost $2-3K)
My wedding band is an eternity band with milgrain and engraved sides. $500 from Jared.
We dated for 3 years before getting engaged. We spent one year heavily saving towards the ring.
http://tinypic.com/r/kd4yyq/7
Engagment ring:
Center stone: 3/4 ct princess cut diamond (specs unknown- the color and cut appear to be great, and it does have a couple visible inclusions)
Side stones: tiny baby round diamonds, a total of 1/4 ct- pave-set in a yellow gold band (he also got the warranty... smart guy!)
Cost: just under $1k
Wedding band:
2mm yellow gold band, comfort-fit (worth the extra cost!)
Cost: $120
DH paid for the engagement ring on a new credit card with no interest for the first year. He paid it off well within the year.
I would have preferred he save up and pay cash, however since he had NO credit when we met (no car loan, no credit card, no anything) he has been working to build it up in preperation for buying a house. I have to admit, I'm really proud of how responsible he's been with credit. I'm seriously chicken when it comes to debt.
[QUOTE]We seem to be getting lots of questions on rings lately. So, engaged or married girls, would you mind sharing a pic of your ring? Also share your C's and cost, time it took to save, any other important details, etc. Of course no one should share anything they'd prefer to keep private. But I think it would be helpful for our NEY girls to see real-world examples. :) ETA: I think a range for cost would also be helpful if people feel more comfortable with that: under $1k, under $2k, etc.
Posted by desertsun[/QUOTE]
LOL Desert, I love this thread everyone loves pretty rings!
<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/1/1/213acadb-118a-4ecc-81fe-05cebdf3cec7.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" onclick="return gSiteLife.LoadForumPage('ForumImage', 'plckPhotoId', '213acadb-118a-4ecc-81fe-05cebdf3cec7', 'plckRedirectUrl', gSiteLife.EscapeValue(window.location.href));" class="PhotoLink"><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/1/1/213acadb-118a-4ecc-81fe-05cebdf3cec7.medium.jpg" alt="" width="186" height="138" /></a><a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/14/8/2e3e36f7-aafa-4b9f-a893-d00e2978ce68.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" onclick="return gSiteLife.LoadForumPage('ForumImage', 'plckPhotoId', '2e3e36f7-aafa-4b9f-a893-d00e2978ce68', 'plckRedirectUrl', gSiteLife.EscapeValue(window.location.href));" class="PhotoLink"><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/14/8/2e3e36f7-aafa-4b9f-a893-d00e2978ce68.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>
Near colorless, VS2 - S1, 1.29 carats with a 1ct princess cut center stone with a cathedral setting and encrusted diamonds for both side accents. I don't know the exact cost because while we picked it out together he went and bought it. Somewhere around $3000ish, I think. Had it appraised and it was $5700 (?) ... I don't know.
I love, love, love this ring even though it sits pretty high - I get tons of compliments and I'm obsessed with the side accent diamonds - they make the ring for me. FI did a great job!
How long it took to save: Well we were only together for 3.5 months before he popped the question, not very long. lol.
<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/13/2/dd519500-60ba-474b-8249-c0606acd0dbc.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" onclick="return gSiteLife.LoadForumPage('ForumImage', 'plckPhotoId', 'dd519500-60ba-474b-8249-c0606acd0dbc', 'plckRedirectUrl', gSiteLife.EscapeValue(window.location.href));" class="PhotoLink"><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/13/2/dd519500-60ba-474b-8249-c0606acd0dbc.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>
This will probably be my wedding band we havent decided yet but it's about $500.
I love my ring
It is a 0.55 D VS1Jubilee center stone (square shape, but faceted like a round brilliant) with two square cushion cut side stones. I think they are about 1/3 c. each. And I think they are G color. Oh and for scale, my ring size is 4.25.
All of them are excellent/ideal H&A cuts (though not all H&A stones are "ideal" just to be clear). That was most important to me. I love and study minerals so I wanted to make sure they were cut perfectly so that they sparkled and were bright.
FI already had money saved, just for general use. We looked at rings in July 2009 and had one made in November and we paid for it in "cash". It was appraised/valued around $9K, but we did not pay that much so we got a very good deal
ETA: Just wanted to state that the stones are beautiful (no visible inclusions and shiny as heck) ... I'm just not much of a jewelry girl which is why I said I could care less to know the specs.
I don't have a good picture of the rings on my hand...sorry!
E-ring stats:
.1 carat, I color (not L, but i), visible inclusions, very good cut, in a miracle square setting. There are six chips in the setting around it. The setting itself is platinum, and the band is white gold. The ring is from 1941, which is the reason it appraised as it did (just under $1000). Otherwise, it probably would've been a lot lower would be my guess.
Wedding band stats: Unknown really, but...4 emeralds and 11 diamonds of unknown size/quality. I inherited a cluster ring from my other grandmother, and we used the stones and gold from it to make my wedding band. My uncle did it as a wedding gift to us, so total cost to us will be the $100 it takes to have it appraised. The stones are channel set and the band is slightly curved to fit against the e-ring. I have no idea how old the stones are, but my guess is around 50-60 years.
DH saved a good bit of money my last year in law school (his first year working) by living with his parents. He took most of the money he had saved and all the money his dad had invested for him and bought a house for us (20% down payment to avoid mortgage insurance). I told him that was more important than a ring to me, and that I had inherited rings from my grandmothers anyway. He did save for about a year in case it took a lot to custom make my wedding band (at the time we didn't know my uncle wanted to do it) and for our honeymoon, and that was about $6K that was promptly spent to replace our roof. We really lucked out with my uncle being a jeweler.
Married Bio
Me: 31 DH: 30
TTC since 10/2010. 2012: HSG showed unicornuate uterus on right side; both kidneys and both ovaries present. High risk for preterm labor, IUGR, and C-Section. Dx'd Hypothyroidism.
1st BFP: 10/27/12, cycle before we had planned to see RE
Pregnancy Blog
396 were invited
250 will be there!
146 are missing out
0 are still thinking
RSVP Date: December 15th
I really didn't want to know how much my ring was, because I really didn't care (he could have gotten me a cracker jacks ring for all I cared), but he went ahead and brought the care package/receipt to me in case I had to take it to the store for anything. I did find out it was less than $200, so I was very pleased he didn't completely go broke getting it. We haven't gotten our bands yet, but we've looked at some that are in the $50 range (again, sterling silver).
My ring is lab-created ruby and white sapphires on a sterling silver band (I'm allergic to nickel, so white gold is definitely out). Not the greatest picture with my camera, but here it is (he's so proud that he picked it out all by himself)
[QUOTE]Ana and Dwest, I really, really love your rings! Modern and chic. LOVE.
Posted by desertsun[/QUOTE]
Thank you! We just started shopping for wedding bands and it turns out regular bands don't fit against my ring. I didn't expect that- it seemed pretty flat to me. Anyway, I didn't originally want one, but the contour bands fit much better. Where did you end up buying yours? That's pretty much what I want but I've only seen one at one store.
Guess I just gotta wait and be patient. Aw, shucks!
My pic isn't working. Lame.
Well, my stats are on a custom designed band, white gold, little curvy around the diamond (there's a picture in a few posts down... I think the one about the cluster ring). 1/3 carat (small by "standard", but it works plenty fine with the band since I have dainty hands) Color class D, Clarity VVS2, Round brilliant ideal cut. I have the certification papers, it's traceable and all that. I saw this History channel program recently about blood diamonds and it really sickened me. I knew my diamond had conflict free papers, but I really wanted to double check and was releived that it is completely fair trade. Whew! I have no idea of the exact cost, as my husband tried to take me completely by suprise in general. I had no input. But the longer I've had it, the more comfortable he is with throwing out comparisons, like it cost more than his new laptop. I really don't care about what it cost, I absolutely love it, and I was happy since I really had no idea what I was getting. We never shopped together, I just told him I didn't want yellow gold, not too bling-y and I didn't want it to be too simple.
Lovely rings ladies! Hope the picture thing works better for you than it did for me.
It's a 3 stone princess cut halo ring. The center stone is 1 ct, the side stones at .75 ct t.w., and the pave stones are .65 t.w. So the total is 2.6. The center stone is F color, VSII clarity and good cut. It was appraised at $15,500 but not sure what FI paid for it.
[QUOTE]We bought my band at Jared. They had quite a few contour bands, and we tried several until we found a good fit. They will size on premises -- they had both my e-ring and my band done in 1 business day, which I really like.
Posted by desertsun[/QUOTE]
Oh good there is a Jared's not far from here. We'll check there next. Thanks!
Total cost including tax is just over $2K (and tax here is 9.25%). The setting was about $1780 (includes band).
No specific saving or financing. BF paid 50% when we ordered it, and he'll pay the remainder when we pick it up.
I haz a planning bio
[QUOTE]sapphire I love your ring. I keep debating if I want a sapphire ring or moissanite ring. I really love the look of both of them.
Posted by bethsmiles[/QUOTE]
Totally missed your comment earlier
Thanks and I really love my ring - it's very me. I love sapphires so it was an easy choice for me ; ) I also really like the look of moissanite too so I understand your predicament. If I had known about moissanite when we were picking something out it's definitely something I would have looked into more.
Calindi, I wanna play too!
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