Carat Weight...

[PilsnPinkysMom]

My center stone is 1.01... My halo/band/etc total .3. I wear a 7.5.

FI and I NEVER talked size. I wanted him to get what he could afford. My ring didn''t put him in debt or cause any financial strain. He bought it, paid for it, and it was done with. He got a pretty good deal

If he had gone larger, I would have felt guilty. No offense to some, but I could never justify spending 20k+ on a piece of jewelry... or even 10k, for that matter.

I found out after-the fact that FI felt pressure from fellow pharmacist-friends to get at least 1ct. I think that''s a bit unfair. Then again- I love my ring... Soooo

But I MUST second whoever said this earlier: IRL, my ring is B-I-G. I mean, the halo def. pumps it up a whole lot... But there have already been situations where I have felt a bit uncomfortable wearing it. The holidays will be interesting, because the size of my ring trumps my moms/sisters/grandams/aunts/cousins/etc. PS world is not the real world, by any means... Though the jewelry on here is fabulous!

 

[Still_Waiting]

I''m in awe of some of the responses...my bf makes decent money (as far as I''m concerned, anyway), but owning a home, vehicles, etc. and after bills there''s very little to play with...those "big" diamonds cost A LOT of money. There are lots of VERY lucky gals out there...with millionaire husbands perhaps?! Maybe some of you are celebrities? LOL As much as I''d love a big diamond, I''m guessing .5 is what I can expect. Anything more than that will be VERY exciting...unless I can convince him to let me pitch in some...I haven''t tried on rings yet, so I''m just hoping that I''ll be satisfied with the look of a .5 on my finger. Well, I guess I''ll have to be!!! LOL I''d never complain anyway. I''d just be happy for the physical representation of our commitment!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

My dream size would be 1.25 cts, but I know that is probably not realistic being I want a top quality stone. I would be happy with a .8 ct stone, but would want something elce doing on with the ring (i.e a pave band).

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

When we started looking (in B&M stores) the carat size was around 1.5 to 1.75. When I discovered PS, I also discovered how being educated about diamonds can get you an amazing deal. Now we''re looking around the 2 carat range. He could care less what the size, color, clarity or cut is. He just wants the diamond, setting and wedding band to come in at or under his set price limit.

 

[Mediterranean]

Date: 12/6/2008 5:31:49 PM
Author: Still_Waiting
I''m in awe of some of the responses...my bf makes decent money (as far as I''m concerned, anyway), but owning a home, vehicles, etc. and after bills there''s very little to play with...those ''big'' diamonds cost A LOT of money. There are lots of VERY lucky gals out there...with millionaire husbands perhaps?! Maybe some of you are celebrities? LOL As much as I''d love a big diamond, I''m guessing .5 is what I can expect. Anything more than that will be VERY exciting...unless I can convince him to let me pitch in some...I haven''t tried on rings yet, so I''m just hoping that I''ll be satisfied with the look of a .5 on my finger. Well, I guess I''ll have to be!!! LOL I''d never complain anyway. I''d just be happy for the physical representation of our commitment!

...There''s an upside to waiting 35 years (and 43 in my FI''s case) til ya get married: mo'' money for the fun stuff!!

So, while we''re not millionaires or movie stars, we''re also not in our 20''s and just starting out in our careers, we don''t have/want kids, and we''ve already paid off school, bought the cars, the house, etc. at our age.

I seriously thought I''d get a 1.00ct. It seemed the "classic engagement ring" size to me for some reason. FI surprised me (shocked the $#!& out of me, is actually more appropriate) with an e-ring that has 3.12 carat center.

If we had kids, or student loan debt, or we didn''t own our own home yet, there''s no WAY we''d have been so frivolous!

 

[CheshireSmile]

BF let me pick out my own diamond, and he''s going to set it, so the rest is a surprise. Mine is a .78 ct colorless very clean cushion that I''m in love with and can''t wait to get it on my finger! My ring size is about 3 1/2, so I didn''t want anything too big - and I wanted the best quality diamond we could afford.

Now if only I could wear it!

 

[AprilD]

I was also surprised at some of the sizes that some of you ladies have.... WOWWEEEEEE!!!!

I was expecting about .6 - .7 range and was happy with that.... in my circle of friends its about the norm.

Well I just found out (secretly

) that he ordered a .8 Radiant!!! Im so excited and surprised that he did that.

I tried on a couple of .7 ranges in the store and liked them so I know that Ill be happy with the .8

 

[Haven]

Date: 12/6/2008 6:38:21 PM
Author: Mediterranean

Date: 12/6/2008 5:31:49 PM
Author: Still_Waiting
I''m in awe of some of the responses...my bf makes decent money (as far as I''m concerned, anyway), but owning a home, vehicles, etc. and after bills there''s very little to play with...those ''big'' diamonds cost A LOT of money. There are lots of VERY lucky gals out there...with millionaire husbands perhaps?! Maybe some of you are celebrities? LOL As much as I''d love a big diamond, I''m guessing .5 is what I can expect. Anything more than that will be VERY exciting...unless I can convince him to let me pitch in some...I haven''t tried on rings yet, so I''m just hoping that I''ll be satisfied with the look of a .5 on my finger. Well, I guess I''ll have to be!!! LOL I''d never complain anyway. I''d just be happy for the physical representation of our commitment!

...There''s an upside to waiting 35 years (and 43 in my FI''s case) til ya get married: mo'' money for the fun stuff!!

So, while we''re not millionaires or movie stars, we''re also not in our 20''s and just starting out in our careers, we don''t have/want kids, and we''ve already paid off school, bought the cars, the house, etc. at our age.

I seriously thought I''d get a 1.00ct. It seemed the ''classic engagement ring'' size to me for some reason. FI surprised me (shocked the $#!& out of me, is actually more appropriate) with an e-ring that has 3.12 carat center.

If we had kids, or student loan debt, or we didn''t own our own home yet, there''s no WAY we''d have been so frivolous!

Ditto to Mediterranean, well, except to the "frivolous" part.

My e-ring is a 2.01 ct cushion, set in an eternity band with 1.08 ctw rbs. This is pretty typical for our social circle.

We married at ages 28 and 38, both of us are well into our careers, we own our cars outright and we just bought a modest home. We are not millionaires, but we''re sensible with our money and we live well within our means. Hubby paid cash for my e-ring, and he wouldn''t have bought it if he didn''t have the cash for it.

Of course, had we married when we were younger (or less fortunate) I''m sure my center stone would not be 2 cts, and I would be no less thrilled with that.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

BF and I have looked at rings, and of course, he knows all about PS. Based on our incomes when we graduate (we're law students), and what we saw when we shopped, we decided that something between 1.75-1.85, RB, looked the best (1.85 was stretching it a bit - I have size 3.5 fingers! - but it was dazzling, haha).

But in the end it'll be up to him - he'll be shopping on his own for the ring

EDIT: To clarify, I won't be getting an upgrade. What he proposes with is what I'm keeping. And we're young, but we're starting careers that have a fairly high pay, he'll have no debt, I'll have debt but it won't take too long to pay off, we won't be considering buying a home for a long while since we'll be living in Manhattan, and we won't have cars. We also don't plan to go into debt for either the ring or the wedding.

 

[princesss]

I have no clue!

We''re a few years away from an engagement. Right now neither of us is making a lot of money, and we''re both looking into our futures and seeing grad school (most likely law school for him and business school for me). If I get a diamond solitaire, it''ll probably be between .5 and .7 cts, or I might just get a really gorgeous eternity band.

But who knows what it''ll actually be. Life has a really funny way serving up the unexpected, so I may end up with a plain band or a family stone (if there is one). I think his mom said that she''d love to pass down her grandmother''s wedding ring to the first of her children that gets married, so it could be just a simple gold band. Or I may end up with a gorgeous 2 ct. OMC a la boston_jeff. Who knows??

But given the way life is now, I would estimate about a .5

 

[mynewobsession]

Date: 12/6/2008 5:31:49 PM
Author: Still_Waiting
I''m in awe of some of the responses...my bf makes decent money (as far as I''m concerned, anyway), but owning a home, vehicles, etc. and after bills there''s very little to play with...those ''big'' diamonds cost A LOT of money. There are lots of VERY lucky gals out there...with millionaire husbands perhaps?! Maybe some of you are celebrities? LOL As much as I''d love a big diamond, I''m guessing .5 is what I can expect. Anything more than that will be VERY exciting...unless I can convince him to let me pitch in some...I haven''t tried on rings yet, so I''m just hoping that I''ll be satisfied with the look of a .5 on my finger. Well, I guess I''ll have to be!!! LOL I''d never complain anyway. I''d just be happy for the physical representation of our commitment!

I can see where you''re coming from - I''m in awe too! We''re both in our mid 20s and definitely don''t have a ton of money to spend on rings so mine will be quite a bit smaller. We picked out a .56 carat in the end. Who knows if I''ll ever upgrade 10 years down the line but for right now I''m more than excited because it''s a long time coming. I have small fingers anyway so I prefer smaller diamonds.

 

[vita*dolce]

Date: 12/6/2008 11:25:00 PM
Author: mynewobsession

Date: 12/6/2008 5:31:49 PM

Author: Still_Waiting

I''m in awe of some of the responses...my bf makes decent money (as far as I''m concerned, anyway), but owning a home, vehicles, etc. and after bills there''s very little to play with...those ''big'' diamonds cost A LOT of money. There are lots of VERY lucky gals out there...with millionaire husbands perhaps?! Maybe some of you are celebrities? LOL As much as I''d love a big diamond, I''m guessing .5 is what I can expect. Anything more than that will be VERY exciting...unless I can convince him to let me pitch in some...I haven''t tried on rings yet, so I''m just hoping that I''ll be satisfied with the look of a .5 on my finger. Well, I guess I''ll have to be!!! LOL I''d never complain anyway. I''d just be happy for the physical representation of our commitment!

I can see where you''re coming from - I''m in awe too! We''re both in our mid 20s and definitely don''t have a ton of money to spend on rings so mine will be quite a bit smaller. We picked out a .56 carat in the end. Who knows if I''ll ever upgrade 10 years down the line but for right now I''m more than excited because it''s a long time coming. I have small fingers anyway so I prefer smaller diamonds.

Thritto that, ladies!! my boy and i are both in our mid-twenties, i''m in grad school and he''s freshly out of undergrad, so if we''re getting engaged soon (and all signs point to yes!!) then i''m probably not going to be sporting anything much larger than .5 or .75, which is pretty common where we live. most of the married/engaged women i know have about a half carat. PS has majorly skewed my perception of "normal" carat weight, lol!!!

 

[Still_Waiting]

Date: 12/6/2008 7:06:56 PM
Author: Haven

Date: 12/6/2008 6:38:21 PM
Author: Mediterranean

Date: 12/6/2008 5:31:49 PM
Author: Still_Waiting
I''m in awe of some of the responses...my bf makes decent money (as far as I''m concerned, anyway), but owning a home, vehicles, etc. and after bills there''s very little to play with...those ''big'' diamonds cost A LOT of money. There are lots of VERY lucky gals out there...with millionaire husbands perhaps?! Maybe some of you are celebrities? LOL As much as I''d love a big diamond, I''m guessing .5 is what I can expect. Anything more than that will be VERY exciting...unless I can convince him to let me pitch in some...I haven''t tried on rings yet, so I''m just hoping that I''ll be satisfied with the look of a .5 on my finger. Well, I guess I''ll have to be!!! LOL I''d never complain anyway. I''d just be happy for the physical representation of our commitment!

...There''s an upside to waiting 35 years (and 43 in my FI''s case) til ya get married: mo'' money for the fun stuff!!

So, while we''re not millionaires or movie stars, we''re also not in our 20''s and just starting out in our careers, we don''t have/want kids, and we''ve already paid off school, bought the cars, the house, etc. at our age.

I seriously thought I''d get a 1.00ct. It seemed the ''classic engagement ring'' size to me for some reason. FI surprised me (shocked the $#!& out of me, is actually more appropriate) with an e-ring that has 3.12 carat center.

If we had kids, or student loan debt, or we didn''t own our own home yet, there''s no WAY we''d have been so frivolous!

Ditto to Mediterranean, well, except to the ''frivolous'' part.

My e-ring is a 2.01 ct cushion, set in an eternity band with 1.08 ctw rbs. This is pretty typical for our social circle.

We married at ages 28 and 38, both of us are well into our careers, we own our cars outright and we just bought a modest home. We are not millionaires, but we''re sensible with our money and we live well within our means. Hubby paid cash for my e-ring, and he wouldn''t have bought it if he didn''t have the cash for it.

Of course, had we married when we were younger (or less fortunate) I''m sure my center stone would not be 2 cts, and I would be no less thrilled with that.

Well, I still think you gals are lucky (we''re about the same age as you, early 30s)! Even if we had the cash, I don''t think there''d be ANY way I could convince him to spend it on a gorgeous rock for my finger! LOL But that''s okay. I''ll be happy with whatever I get, and I still get to admire all yours through PS!

 

[happygolucky851]

My BF bought a .72 carat EC. We both went to look at the stone before he bought it and it looked so amazing on my finger! I wear a size 5.75-6. He got a custom solitaire setting and is now keeping it hostage for the right time! I pretty much HATE knowing that he has it!! I drive myself crazy!!

The ring and wedding band was just a little over his budget but we got such a good deal on both! I cannot wait to be at that point in my life!

My mother had a small center stone (not sure of the carat wt. between 1/3 and 1/2 carat) and on their 21st anniversary my dad stole her ring with her thinking she lost it and replaced it with a RB just over a carat. It''s beautiful.

Although, as of now, I don''t think I will want to upgrade (We''re very sentimental) there will always be finger room for stacking rings!!

 

[Tuckins1]

Mine is .70 ct and I LOVE it!!!

 

[SparklyLibra]

Mine will be a .71.... Sigh.... Still waiting...

~SL.

 

[AllieGator]

I already know basically what I''ll be getting, although it is a long way off...

My boyfriend is a very thrifty person, and has told me he has $6000 saved for my ring already, even though we''ve only been together 6 months (He already had most of it saved for something else that he ended up not needing it for, and he added a little bit in)

Although I''m so happy that he takes it that seriously, I have told him that I won''t need near that much. The most I would feel comfortable spending is at most $3000, and that will easily get me what I would like in a very high quality.

Another consideration is that I will probably be teaching in an inner city school for at least 4 years, and I would not feel comfortable wearing something like that in a setting such as that, so I would not be wearing my engagement ring very often. I wouldn''t want to be flashing off a ring to children who are living such a difficult life, and I''m sure my simple wedding band will tell people that I am taken.

I''m very young, and I am one of those people who would feel awkward with a large ring at such a young age. Also, I have tried on some rings just for fun, and I found that I would like a sapphire center stone, and that I don''t really like anything larger than approximately the size of a 1 carat diamond.

So I''ve budgeted myself out for when the time comes, and $3000 will buy me a beautiful three stone emerald cut ring with a center sapphire and two diamond sidestones, all set in palladium. And I''ve also chosen rings at the budget points of $2000 and $1500, just in case there is some kind of change in situation. And of course, I don''t even need a ring (I''m not expecting one), but I know that my boyfriend would not be comfortable with that. It''s good to be prepared.

 

[laurel25]

My ring is 0.96 ct, but since it''s a sapphire it doesn''t measure quite as big as a 1 ct diamond. It''s right around the same size as a 0.75 ct diamond at 5.8mm across. I originally wanted a bigger stone, but found this one and was just blown away by the color and cut, and now that it''s on my hand I think it''s just perfect.

 

[violet3]

I am fairly untraditional - I have never really wanted a dimond engagement ring (as in solitaire or any ring with a sizeable diamond as the main attraction). I did want a sapphire originally, but the sparkle of diamonds grew on me over time, and i decided to try some on. I wear a 7, which to me is pretty big - to make the diamond sizeable enough, i''d think i would need at least a 1 ct. (and i would like the look of something bigger, but the 1 ct would completely max out SO''s budget). I didn''t love the way they looked on me when i tried them on at all.

When we ordered the ring (being made now) I decided on a beautiful 2 ct eternity band instead (10 pointers) - it''s perfect for me! Mostly, I love the way it looks on my hand -- it has just enough presence to make it stand out. And i really like that it''s different -- i guess some people will think that i am married already, but i don''t really mind that. As an added perk, eternity bands are so much more reasonably priced than are solitaires, so i felt really great about that. In fact, it was MUCH less than a 1 ct diamond would have cost without the setting, which i am sure was a happy suprise to my SO

.

I really hope it''s finished soon!

 

[Winks_Elf]

Because my bf is going to be using his mother''s ring, I already know what it will look like (classic platinum three-stone 4-prong Harry Winston style). The ring currently houses his sister''s birthstone, but she''ll be having a family diamond installed into it for me. Its going to be very small. More likely than not, the center is about a half carat or less.

Before I get jumped on for saying a half-carat is small, keep in mind that we are in our late 30''s, and my first engagment ring was a 1.52 carat radiant. I was used to larger stones. That being said, with four small kids and a SO who wants to see me wearing the ring daily once he proposes, its a very good thing the center is small. I haven''t had a daily-wear ring in years, and I can''t imaging wearing a big honker every day. I found myself not wearing my ring when I had one because of the size and fear of scratching babies. There is a very practical side to smaller rocks.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Mine is a .71 ct. Asscher and I love it! I have small-ish fingers at 4.75, and with the halo, it has good presence on my hand.

I have to ask, are you ladies who are asking for such large engagement rings giving your SO an engagement gift in return? A motorcycle, watch, or TV or something?

I just think that the engagement "tradition" has become so incredibly one-sided (and HEAVILY weighted financially in our favour), and in an environment where women are making as much, or nearly as much money as men, I feel like the one-sidedness of the whole engagement process really isn''t fair, any longer.

 

[lala2332]

I''m not planning on getting BF an engagement gift. But I think my wedding present to him will be much larger than his to me. Also, I didn''t ask for a certain size. BF told me his budget and we worked within that number.

 

[LoveRoundBrillants]

if i had to take a guess i would say something between 1.5-1.75, which is good for me!

 

[audball]

It''s still years away for my SO and I, but when I get my ring he will get quite a nice engagement gift. He''s really into guns and he''s wanted a Wilson Combat .45 from their custom shop for a long time and that''s what he''ll get. Depending on what add-ons and accessories are available and/or he chooses, it will run between 5-8k. He''s dead set on a 1.5-1.75 custom ring for me which I know (and have told him) will be much more than that. He knows it too so I''m more than happy to get him something that he REALLY wants. We too, will be well set into our careers when engagement time rolls around and do not want/plan on having any children. We''re on scholarships and will be through graduate school so we will have little debt other than small car payments and rent, etc.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I have a 2+ carat center with an additional 1.2 carat setting.

I, bought my husband 2 motorcycles in celebration of our wedding, one kawaskai and one harley, he in turn gave me 2.20 cttw diamond earrings...I feel it balanced.

 

[sammyj]

Date: 12/7/2008 4:54:02 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier


I have to ask, are you ladies who are asking for such large engagement rings giving your SO an engagement gift in return? A motorcycle, watch, or TV or something?

I''m not asking for a larger e-ring but my BF asked for a dog! I''ve never ever had a dog and he''s probably the world''s biggest dog lover. We''ve been looking for a breed that will fit both of our needs

.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 12/7/2008 5:40:06 PM
Author: sammyj

Date: 12/7/2008 4:54:02 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier


I have to ask, are you ladies who are asking for such large engagement rings giving your SO an engagement gift in return? A motorcycle, watch, or TV or something?

I''m not asking for a larger e-ring but my BF asked for a dog! I''ve never ever had a dog and he''s probably the world''s biggest dog lover. We''ve been looking for a breed that will fit both of our needs

.

Awwwww, that''s actually a really sweet gift.

 

[lisamarie84]

Date: 12/7/2008 4:54:02 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier
I have to ask, are you ladies who are asking for such large engagement rings giving your SO an engagement gift in return? A motorcycle, watch, or TV or something?


I just think that the engagement ''tradition'' has become so incredibly one-sided (and HEAVILY weighted financially in our favour), and in an environment where women are making as much, or nearly as much money as men, I feel like the one-sidedness of the whole engagement process really isn''t fair, any longer.

I totally agree (although, I''m very much a "giver" anyway). Justin will be getting a Tag Carrera.

 

[April20]

My center stone is a 1 ct princess in a halo (additional .39 maybe?). I have small fingers (4.25) and it''s a perfect size for me and looks bigger than it is.

My husband doesn''t make a ton of money but had savings. When we were getting engaged, his mother told him to empty his savings account because I was "older" and it''s the only ring I''d be getting. Um..... I was 29 at the time and since when does she decide if we upgrade? (there''s a part of me that wants to upgrade some day just to tweak her).

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 12/7/2008 4:54:02 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

I have to ask, are you ladies who are asking for such large engagement rings giving your SO an engagement gift in return? A motorcycle, watch, or TV or something?

I just think that the engagement ''tradition'' has become so incredibly one-sided (and HEAVILY weighted financially in our favour), and in an environment where women are making as much, or nearly as much money as men, I feel like the one-sidedness of the whole engagement process really isn''t fair, any longer.

I am planning on getting him a certificate to do an aerial dog fight