Was your first e-ring what you REALLY wanted?

[Niel]

(Leaving out the fact that we would all love a diamond that is bigger )

My boyfriend is amazing. He knows me very well. He knows I am very particular. One thing he does NOT know is anything about jewelry. So because of this he is letting me pick out my own e-ring.

We were talking today and I asked him, if left to his own devices, what type of e-ring he would have gotten me. His response was " oh i dont know what is the most classic shape". Now I imagine some salesperson at the store he would have went to would have probably said round,(or a princes ) which i wouldnt have wanted.

Now I know people say that its the thought that counts but I think of an e ring like a tattoo, and If im going to have it the rest of my life i would want to LOVE it. Plus, with that much money put into something, id hate to have any regrets.

Now Im just wondering how you guys felt with your original ring? Was it exactly what you wanted? Did your man pick it out ALL by him self?

 

[Mayk]

We picked it out together.. and they I still didn't like it after I had been wearing it a few month... and after finding PS... we agreed to change it together.. we both learned a lot.. Now I love it (halo).. but it doesn't mean when I see a classic Tiffany setting I don't think for just a few seconds.. wouldn't that be fun???? Then I remember my finger felt naked when I tried them on and I smack myself on the cheek... of course.. if I tried on a HUGE one.. that probably wouldn't have been a problem. This is a dangerous, dangerous place.. but a great place to do your research!!!

 

[Niel]

We picked it out together.. and they I still didn't like it after I had been wearing it a few month... and after finding PS... we agreed to change it together.. we both learned a lot.. Now I love it (halo).. but it doesn't mean when I see a classic Tiffany setting I don't think for just a few seconds.. wouldn't that be fun???? Then I remember my finger felt naked when I tried them on and I smack myself on the cheek... of course.. if I tried on a HUGE one.. that probably wouldn't have been a problem. This is a dangerous, dangerous place.. but a great place to do your research!!!

oh my gosh SUCH a dangerous place!! But thank goodness I found this place before we started picking or who knows what I would have ended up with

 

[Rhea]

We picked it out together, but it wasn't what I wanted. I didn't try on enough rings and just went for classic and a style that we both liked. I wish I'd listened to my girly side and gone for a frilly ring that I would've liked for longer. He's not wearing it but he got a lot of input (and paid for it). Engagement rings are hard.

 

[jewels2]

At the time it was exactly what I wanted. I told him what I liked and he went and picked it out, it was perfect. Fast forward 15 years later and the discovery of pricescope and I upgraded (twice ) on my own

 

[Enerchi]

I'm with ya, jewels2! Mine was what I wanted at the time - I did not want a RB, I wanted something different from what my friends had and something different from my first engagement. We also were shopping on a very small budget (what I had in my savings, I think!) so that limited our choices dramatically. I also think when we were engaged 28 years ago, the prices weren't the same or the pressure to have something large and the insistence on quality may not have been encouraged like it is now.

We bought it at Walters - long since gone under - but they were like Peoples & Mappins, here in Ontario. Birks was simply OUT OF THE QUESTION!

Now, I'm quite happy to be learning more and more on PS and doing the self upgrades!

 

[-Bella-]

Well no, hence why I've found this wonferful place and wistfully dream about my big rock daily

He originally found my ring, then we looked in there one day it was the one and only ring i tried on and thats what we got. I think i was blown away by the fact i had diamonds on my hand lol He hates the fact that i dont lie it now but im still working on him....

 

[two_little_birds]

I proposed to my husband, so he didn't have a ring for me.

Less than a week later I think he felt obligated and rushed out to get me something. He picked a solitaire from a store called People's (in Canada). It was simple and plain but I really hated the band. I was honest with him and asked him to return it.

Then we shopped together and went to Spence Diamonds (again Canadian only). Loved the ring but sadly and unknowingly we purchased a diamond that had a small flaw on the crown. It looked like a chip and it was disguised right beside a claw. We went back to Spence but of course they denied selling us a flawed diamond. We were so upset. After much anguish and almost taking Spence Diamonds to small claims court we finally got our money back.

Oddly enough shortly after this I was working at a Jewellery store. We had just gotten the money back from Spence's and I happened to be sorting through new stock and came across a princess cut diamond in a solitaire setting. Low and behold it's the ring we purchased. It's approximately 3/4 of a carat, SI1 and G/H colour. But no certificate. I think it came from Gemscan in Toronto as my boss always shopped there.

15 years later I am about to get my upgraded e-ring! Simple, elegant and much larger... and more importantly, GIA approved. Over the years I have learned so much about diamonds, and still continue to.

 

[TXJewel]

Actually, yes, it was a marquise. Unfortunately, I no longer have that ring (long, long story). For our 30th, my hubby is getting me the same shape, but it's from 1925 or so in it's original art deco setting. Really excited.

 

[CharmyPoo]

We picked out a design but it was executed very poorly so no I didn't want it at all. We had the ring remade and I still love my setting. I am having DSS so I want to upgrade but I still love my setting design and wouldn't want to change it.

 

[MissyD]

No...and I picked it! We were 21 when he proposed and I didn't care too much about the ring--I just didn't want him to spend too much $$ since we were still in university. We purchased a small $250 5-diamond band from People's (Canada), but within 2 weeks, one of the stones fell out. The diamonds on this band were teeny to begin with, but People's replaced the lost stone (crookedly) with an even smaller diamond that had a visible black inclusion, and the entire thing was pretty much ruined. They wouldn't fix it a second time because the "new" diamond was secure, and their warranty did not contain any guarantees about what quality stone had to be put back into the setting. I think I eventually wound up selling it on eBay for $60 because my (now) husband replaced the ring a few months later with a .33 solitaire. There have been 2 more upgrades since then (we've been together for 10 years, married for 6), one that he picked out all by himself, and one that I picked

 

[secretagentlaura]

My engagement ring wasn't even in my Top 2! My first choice would have been a a three-stone RB or princess setting, and my second choice was a bezel-set RB with pave (any Canadians who window-shopped at Birks about ten years ago might remember that setting). What I got was a RB in a plain setting. I still like it, and had a beyond lovely wedding band with sapphire baguettes made to wear with it, but it's definitely not what I would have picked out if I'd been asked for an opinion. To this day, my husband and I still aren't drawn to the same type of settings.

 

[CaratLover2]

We picked it out together, but it wasn't what I wanted. I didn't try on enough rings and just went for classic and a style that we both liked. I wish I'd listened to my girly side and gone for a frilly ring that I would've liked for longer. He's not wearing it but he got a lot of input (and paid for it). Engagement rings are hard.

This is similar to my story. Although I was in my early 30's at the time, he had recently been divorced and had children to support, so money was very, very tight. I was happy at the time, but it was a compromise for me. I've just recently up-graded ... and that's still not my dream e-ring. Pricescope is to blame for "broadening the horizons" so to speak! I also think the concept of being happy with "one" ring for the rest of your life is quite difficult too. Styles and tastes change!

 

[lknvrb4]

Nope, it was not what I wanted. We went to a mall store and I know I wanted at least a carat but the only choices they had in a carat was a round or a princess both with black carbons and I chose the round. I so wish I would have found pricescope before we bought that one. At least I sold it and have my pear now.

 

[yennyfire]

For the most part. I don't think I looked at enough settings to really know what I wanted and I didn't want to drive him crazy. He kind of surprised me when he asked me to look at rings and it all happened pretty fast after that, so I didn't have time to look at many options.

 

[SB621]

I pretty much picked out my ring but was under pressure to keep it within a certian budget as both DH and I had just graduated from college and were in debt. It was a pretty ring and I liked it at the time but never felt it was a ring I would keep the rest of my life. After finding PS I realized I wanted something way more classic and well larger! I ended up keeping the same setting and upgrading from my .76 to a 2.04ct RB. Then 2 years after that changing the setting to a halo. I think this current version I will keep for a while. Eventually I want to upgrade to over 4cts. But since we have only been married for 5.5 years I probably have a little while to wait for that.

 

[alene]

Mine was exactly what I wanted since I picked out both the diamond and the setting. I found PS months before we got engaged and knew way more than my now husband did. A couple of months ago, a few years after getting my ring, I had some issues with my setting and had the stone reset into a completely different one (halo), which I love.

 

[lapelirroja]

I discovered the Vatche Swan setting while browsing pricescope a few years ago and fell in love. Then i discovered Whiteflash was a vendor and how beautiful the ACAs are. I hand picked my diamond, put the setting in the shopping cart, and then when he gave the green light, said "OK, buy this please." He proposed about a month or so later

LOVE IT!

 

[Niel]

Problem with me is even with ps I'm never happy. I have 2 dream rings. Number one is an oval with half moon sides. Number two is a plain band pear with a halo. Number two seemed more affordable and I still love it so that's being made right now. The I'm trolling ps and see fortekitty was selling my oval dream ring! Gah why did i have to see how close i was to having that .My ring isn't even finished yet and I'm back to having ring envy!! Ahh!

 

[Christina...]

i picked out my first ering and it was exactly what I wanted and I loved it every day that I had it, unfortunately I didn't feel quite the same about my first DH. The ring was purchased long before I found PS so I was blissfully ignorant about stone quality. I'm don't remember any of the details and I have no idea if I would be quite as smitten today as I was then.

DH and I picked out my current ering together and we knew that the stone and setting were temporary while I searched for my dream setting and perfect stone size, so it continues to be a work in progress.

 

[Laila619]

Well I really loved the diamond, but not the setting. At the time, I really wanted a solitaire, just a simple plain shank. DH *thought* he did buy me a solitaire, but the setting had 0.15 ctw of teeny tiny pave diamonds in it, so that to me was not a true solitaire. Bless his heart, DH thought I would appreciate the extra little bit of sparkle, but I didn't like it, it just made the center stone sort of blend in. He was so proud of himself though, since he picked it out all on his own.

However, the diamond was a great size for me at the time. Back then before I found PS, I actually thought my 0.98 carat was too big, lol. PS really messes with your perception!

 

[Gypsy]

My dream ring was a Lucida. But the one carat Lucida was 12k and I knew our budget was much closer to half that. So I researched octagonal shapes and square ones (cushions never came up, else I would have gotten one of those) and narrowed it down to asschers and princesses. And then I researched what color/clarity/etc. was the right range, and researched good jewelers in our area and called them up and gave them my requirements and asked them to call in 3 good diamonds each. From there my husband went to those jewelers, and a couple others he found on his own, and picked my diamond. I had told him I was fine with an x-prong as a temporary setting, since I didn’t know what I wanted for my forever setting, and asked him to put the bulk of the budget for the stone, and he agreed.

It worked out. It’s my forever diamond. And I have upgraded my setting and now have my forever setting as well.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

We went shopping together. I had already decided I wanted a princess cut, so we got that and then returned it a week later for a better cut round diamond. It wasn't until I wore the first stone for a few days that I realized that shape doesn't look good on my hands and that out in real lighting, the cut of that stone was terrible. We had to "upgrade," which means exchanging for higher clarity/color and better cut, but it was the same size. ETA - and that was many years ago. I never have upgraded that diamond.

 

[distracts]

We picked it out together. I originally just told him I wanted a sapphire and to pick it out, but he kept saying "But you will wear it FOREVVVVEEEER, you must pick it out yourself!" He knew that I am picky and idiosyncratic and he may or may not be able to get the thing I love most. We looked online a ton, and after about a month of us each coming up with and rejecting various ideas, figured out that I wanted a pave band with a sapphire center stone and two flanking sidestones - originally I wanted trillions, but my fiance found a setting with half-moons and they looked SO much better on my hand. We both fell totally in love with that setting the moment we saw it on. And then after looking at dozens of sapphires, we fell in love with the one we got. We've been engaged over a year and a half now and are both still entranced by my ring and stare at it and go "SPARKLY! PRETTY! YAY!" a lot. Now, if only I could get him to stop putting his sticky fingers all over the ring right after I've cleaned it. He says when it's clean it's so sparkly he just wants to touch it, but his hand oils then make it less sparkly!

 

[eh613c]

My original e-ring that I still wear is MRB, where as at the time I was really into emerald and ascher cuts. My DH had no clue what he was doing and to top it all off, he was in law school. He had very little time to really do the research. The quality of the diamond is great, cut is very good and a solid 1 carat. I've learned to like round cuts, especially OECs (thanks to this dangerous forum). If I were to get an upgrade, I think I'll stick to round cuts.

 

[Rhea]

We picked it out together, but it wasn't what I wanted. I didn't try on enough rings and just went for classic and a style that we both liked. I wish I'd listened to my girly side and gone for a frilly ring that I would've liked for longer. He's not wearing it but he got a lot of input (and paid for it). Engagement rings are hard.

I also think the concept of being happy with "one" ring for the rest of your life is quite difficult too. Styles and tastes change!

That's the problem! My tastes have changed, but DH sees my want to change it as a rejection of his token of love. It's the one thing that you are expected to wear nearly everyday of your life, that you probably buy when you're just starting out and don't have a large budget, and that someone else is supposed to pick out for you. Or even if they don't pick it out, the norm still says that the guy pays for it so requesting a certain one, even if it's within budget, can be difficult.

DH didn't like my first or second choice. I then changed what style I was seeking in order to compromise with him as he was paying. I learned with the engagement ring, which I didn't wear throughout our engagement and still don't normally wear, not to do that with my wedding band, which I still adore! DH now, several years later, acknowledges that the compromise maybe wasn't the best idea. He still doesn't like the idea of upgrading so I don't wear my ring and we don't talk about it. He said once that he sees it as a mistake and doesn't like that my engagement ring was a mistake and bad purchase.

 

[KaeKae]

yes and no.
First, the proposal was a surprise, I had no idea it was coming. DH had a round stone,(transitional cut) given to him years before by his grandmother. He had it set in a classic yg solitaire. I did love it, and wore it for 22 years.
However, if I had been involved, and there wasn't an existing stone, I probably would have chosen a different shape (marquis were big at the time) and a more involved setting, though I've always thought the solitaire was a good choice because they never go out of style.
I do love the stone, and that it's a little bit different that most rounds. I reset two years ago, for our 20th anniversary.

 

[Dreamer_D]

No it was not what I wanted.

I did tell him I wanted an EC sapphire in a split shank, and he was valiant and got me just that. But what he could afford was much smaller than I envisioned, and when I first saw my ring I was sadly, secretly, disappointed I did not tell him, I praised him and we enjoyed our engagement and I still have sentimental attachment to the ring. But if I had seen it before we bought it then I would not have picked it, and would possibly have chosen a different setting or the stone size or opted for something different altogether within his budget. It makes me sad that he spent his good money on something I thought I wanted, but then was not something that made me giddy when I saw it in person.

This is why I always recommend the woman be involved in the design and stone selection process. not only so that her man knows what to get, but because SHE needs to try on the *exact style* to know for sure what SHE wants.

 

[rubymd]

Yes. I designed it. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a small marquise with 2 ruby baguettes in white gold (it is .5 un certified). The ring design was like my moms from my step dad (her's was .75 diamond with 2 diamond baguettes). The rubies were for me and my grandma. My grandma had been quite ill when I was designing the ring. She died right after my now hubby picked up the ring and I had to rush off for the funeral. We got engaged a week after her death. Being that it was the early nineties the whole designing a ring wasn't that common nor was white gold everything was in yellow then. Also adding colored stones made it hard. We were super young (I was 20 at the time). We didn't actually get married then. We got married 2 years ago. I decided that I needed to save the world and wasn't ready to be married so I broke it off. He gave me back my ring about 6 months after we broke up (he said you designed it and I want you to keep it). I moved it to my middle finger on my right hand and had it on nearly daily in the 13 years we had no contact. We are basically the movie the notebook . My ring is small (but so are my fingers since it is sized to a 3 3/4 so you wouldn't know it is a .5) and I now know that it isn't a super high quality (G but likely an SI3 or I uncert) diamond BUT it still means the world to me so I didn't want a new Ering when we got back together. I wear it with my grandmas 18k white gold wedding band that was given to me after she died.

 

[webdiva]

This is why I always recommend the woman be involved in the design and stone selection process. not only so that her man knows what to get, but because SHE needs to try on the *exact style* to know for sure what SHE wants.

yes!!! This should be printed on the Pricescope banner!

I got the ring I loved because we both planned ahead. Hubby knew I wanted to pick it out, I'm very picky and exact about things. Plus, I made wirewrapped jewelry and hubby knew I knew more than him about jewelry. He proposed without a ring and I loved it. I got a proposal AND a shopping opportunity! Bonus! I did a ton of research and tried on rings in our budget so I had an idea of size and what it looked like on my hand. Went from liking the Michael B petite princess to halo styles to make up for the stone size. I would look at stones and rings with him and he preferred certain styles but left it up to me. He gets a kick out of me staring lovingly at my ring and making it sparkle in the light - so we both won out!