Ring shopping?!

[Jewels305]

BF told me this weekend that he wants to go ring shopping (well, browsing) together in the next few weeks! I am so excited, but I am also a little nervous, haha. I feel like I am going to be overwhelmed by everything there is to see, and I don''t even know where to begin. I want to go to a few places so that I can feel like I have a good sense of what I like. He''s nervous that we''re going to be pressured to buy something, and he is not looking to make the purchase, just to get a sense of what I want so that he can buy it without me knowing

So experienced ring shoppers, where should I begin, and should he be nervous about being pressured? I know that this depends *where* we go and look because different stores will have different sales styles, but I am just curious about what others'' experiences have been.

 

[sugarjo]

Oh how exciting!!!! Just relax and have a good time! Don''t be afraid to try on everything! Or go to many stores! That is the really the only way to find out what you love!!!!

I understand your anxiety, when we first started shopping, I really passed out at Tiffany''s. Yikes!

Good luck and have a great time!!!!

 

[ahappygirl]

Go everywhere, have fun. Maybe make the objectives simple, like finding out your ring size, what shape stone you like on your hand, style of band. This is the fun part! Try on everything!!

Once you have these in mind and a budget, you can point to PS to help find the most quality for your money.

 

[neatfreak]

Relax, have a good time, and make sure not to take to heart anything the salespeople say. It''s their job to SELL to you. So just keep that in mind and take what they say with a grain of salt.

And make sure to try ALL KINDS of rings on, even if you don''t initially like them. You might surprise yourself about what looks good on!

 

[SailorsSweet<3]

The less a place pressures you the better service AND quality you''re bound to find. Keep that in mind. If someone is trying to send you out the door with a diamond and a setting dont stick around too long. It takes much more than one trip and some convincing by a sales person to find the perfect stone and setting. Take your time - have fun!

 

[sammyj]

Yay!!! That''s so exciting!!!

My BF and I actually went ring shopping for the first time yesterday. We went to a more upscale place and they were celebrating their 30th anniversary so there was champagne, hors d''oeuvres and even a human mannequin decked out in a cinderella ball gown and jewels galore. Before we walked into the store we both talked about how nervous we were..but not because we felt any pressure...more because it was such a huge step!

The first thing we told the salesperson is that it was our first time looking at rings and we were there to educate ourselves. We wanted to learn more about different cuts and we also asked to see different colour and clarity grades, different prong settings, and of course, different sizes of stones! We were shown a lot and we learned quite a bit. We spent about an hour in the store and felt no pressure to buy whatsoever.

Like everyone else has said, have fun with it and try EVERYTHING on!!!!

 

[vita*dolce]

that''s so exciting!! you''re going to have so much fun! and you shouldn''t be worried about being pressured, just be clear that you''re just trying to get an idea of what you like and you''re not going to buy anything today! let us know how it goes!!

 

[glitterazzi]

YAY! SO much fun! I''m rather jealous - my bf doesn''t want to go to a B&M (he know''s I''m not a big fan), and he really doesn''t want to shop. He''s a www junkie - so he''s all about online browsing. But it''s so hard to know what you really like when you can''t try it on! It''s like buying a dress without trying it on... what if it''s a "good on the hanger" kinda ring! Anyway - I know I would marry him even if he put a ring of twine on my finger - so I''ve let that go. A friend who''s getting married in Vegas, and my sister who''s just giddy to get married - but waiting on her {younger} guy to grow up a bit have both taken me into jewelry stores... I couldn''t bring myself to try things on! It just didn''t feel right doing that without my bf! He''s the one who needs to know how I react!! He''s said he''ll do anything to give me the ring of my dreams... but I''ve never tried anything on with him - oh well... I''ll be happy as long as he asks!

As far as being pressured, any jeweler worth his weight will not pressure you to do anymore than record your preferences with him. That way your bf can come back without you and make it a surprise. Don''t worry about that... and if you are in a store that says that one is the last of it''s kind - run! If they can''t get another of that setting if it sells before you bf buys it, and they can''t re-create it, they aren''t worth dropping that much money with!

Take a camera - take pictures so you can compare the rings from different stores later when you are home... And if you like one aspect of one ring and another aspect of another you can have a jeweler make the dream ring for you. Be COMPLETELY honest in this process... if you say you love something you hate just to make someone feel good you may end up wearing it for the rest of your life... keep that in mind. You can spare feelings without agreeing with everyone. a simple "it''s lovely - but not the ring" will do.

 

[Jewels305]

Thank you for all of your responses! I''m sorry I couldn''t reply earlier than now...

Sugarjo- I am not afraid to try on eveything, I can''t wait to try on everything. Of course I say that now but then when I get in there I''ll probably feel weird asking to try on more and more and more... I can''t believe you literally passed out in Tiffany''s... you must have just been overwhelmed by all that beauty in one place, hehe

ahappygirl- Your advice makes so much sense! I know my ring size (or at least what it was almost a year ago) but that''s something BF is going to have to know, and one of the most important goals I hope to accomplish is to have an idea about stone size and roughly what sort of coverage I hope to get!

Neatfreak- Thanks! That''s great advice that I should try on everything even if I don''t think it''s initally something I would like. I am so opionated and stubborn, but if I don''t venture out of my comfort zone I might miss something that is surprisingly perfect!

SailorsSweet- You''re right, it''s their job to sell but defintiely any place that makes us feel pressured to buy on our first day of looking is not going to be a place that we will buy from ultimately.

sammyj- Wow, champagne and diamonds?! That''s pretty much my dream come true! I don''t know that we will find any super anniversary parties but you''ve got me even more excited to go look and hopeful that it will be a positive first experience like yours was!! Congratulations on starting your ring shopping too!

vita*dolce- Yea I think that that is the best tactic; to just be honest and upfront that this is our first time looking and we are not going to buy anything today. I will definitely let you know how it goes, hopefully it''s soon, like this coming weekend! He said it was going to be soon, but then I asked him his definition of soon...

glitterazzi- Don''t be jealous at ALL! I totally understand your point about wanting to try rings on, although not all women do it that way, I personally want to make sure that this first big purchase towards our future is going to be one that both of us are happy with. But I am envious that your BF would rather purchase online because that''s where the best deals can *usually* be found and my BF is very hesitant to make such a large purchase online. I can definitely understand his hesitation, but I think that as long as you''re smart about where you buy from, then buying online is fine. I''m working on it with him, haha.

I was wondering about bringing a camera. Is that ok with most stores? Is it something that people often do? I think it''s a great idea as a way to remember all of the rings that you''ve seen and it would be helpful in referring to later, so I would love to be able to do it!

Thanks again for all of the replies!

 

[glitterazzi]

I would bring a camera and at least ask if you can take pics... for a purchase of that caliber you should get to MAKE SURE it''s perfect... they can''t fault you for that.

As for BF buying online - he''s a www junkie and is browsing online - but he talked to a couple of online jewelry designers, and a couple of local jewelry designers and has decided to go local. They were more willing to work with him on the down payments, and financing, as well as time line. It''s not a bad idea to ask around for local designers - many times they can meet the same standards that the online designers can.

Just something to think about!!!

Salut!