What do you think the average price on an e-ring is these days?

[ursulawrite]

Date: 3/12/2004 5:34:17 PM
Author: glitterata

----------------
On 3/12/2004 4:37:17 PM Nicrez wrote:

----------------

On 3/12/2004 4:11:44 PM elle_chris wrote:









hi,

new poster here but I just wanted to ask.. when you say the nyc average is 1.5 do you mean manhattan?

because I have to say.. the outer boroughs is much smaller. In fact, it's rare that I see a ring over 1 carat.


elle


----------------

Depends on what borough...Westchester, North Shore of LI, the Suffolk county towns by the Hamptons, and parts or pockets of Nassau County definately all have higher than 1ct marks, but yes NYC would be 1.5. Again, this is the 'average' of some smaller stones and some behemoths some rich ladies sport (like Ms. F&I

with her 10ct ladies!), so tha average may scue a bit with those larger rings in the mix...

----------------

Nic, those aren't boroughs, they're suburbs. The five boroughs of New York City are Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan. And I agree with elle--in the non-Manhattan boroughs, diamonds are surely smaller on average?

It varies a lot from neighborhood to neighborhood in Manhattan, too. Diamonds on the Upper West Side are probably bigger than the ones on the Lower East Side.

Agreed. I moved from the Upper West Side to Soho recently and not many people wear e-rings down here at all. (Dean and Deluca is a massive exception; the bling in there is quite extraordinary.)

It also depends on what sector your fiance/husband works in. My husband is a corporate lawyer with bankers, doctors and business types for friends. My 1.3 carat is by far the smallest among our group, but I feel ever so out of place if I walk around Nolita or the East Village, where people mainly wear plain wedding bands.

 

[ursulawrite]

Date: 3/16/2004 11:26:26 AM
Author: chris-uk04

----------------
On 3/15/2004 12:00:55 PM Nicrez wrote:








Chris, I would be offended by that NYC comment of being shallow and all, but I know I am not, so I will just assume you haven't met EVERYONE in this area.






Everyone has different social circles, and even where one woman can have a huge ring, she may not always want to wear it. Case in point, my friend is finishing up her grad degree in Social work, and will eventually work in NYC with impoverished and underpriviledged people. Her BF bought her a (2tcw) 3 stone ring and anymore (and she could have gotten it) on her would look silly. No point in flaunting what you have in front of those who may have nothing. My other friend has some posh social circles and has a 3ct (5tcw) ring that commands attention amoung her wealthy freinds and wealthy interior design clients. To each his own, and whatever that person feels comfortable in.






We in NYC are no more shallow than anyone in California with their 'who has a better car' syndrome, or a lady in Brazil with 'who has a beter body' syndrome, or in England with 'who has beter breeding and lineage' syndrome, or even in Eastern Europe with 'who has more fur or gold' syndrome. I say this from the many people I know from each country. Each PERSON has their bias and their pride over SOMETHING. Even if it's to be the most ' down-to-earth', everyone compares. Especially women. In NYC, you can't have cars, breeding is too mixed, you're too cold to be perfectly tanned and shaped like a 21 yr old forever, so you have other ways of comparing and expressing yourself. Any insecure person can show off, regardless of where they live...I am sure someone out there in Minessota is sporting a particularly fancy something or other and bragging to the neighbors.






----------------

First off, I said generally. Secondly, I think you are right about how other cultures/people brag about different thing, but GENERALLY New York women are worse. Since, I’ve spent 23 years in the NYC area and subsequent substantial time in the Midwest, the South, and now Britain, I can say GENERALLY NY women are much more materialistic by comparison…especially when it comes to e-rings. (British women are all about fashion, but they don’t care about diamonds). That being said I haven’t spent much time in California, and by reputation, LA women probably could give them a run for their money.

Chris, that is SOOOO true about English women. It's all Chloe this and Balenciaga vintage that. My English friends were beside themselves when they visited me when I lived on the UWS. They couldn't believe that people schlepped about in jogging sweats on a Saturday afternoon -- THE time for showing off your best threads. They weren't even impressed when I pointed out the large diamonds most of the women sported.

 

[Dancing Fire]

i think most of the women with big diamond rings are located in ....
N.Y.C
s.f bay area,so. cal
some parts of Florida and Texas.

 

[ursulawrite]

The NY Post''s Wedding page (apologies; guilty pleasure alert) features weddings every week where ordinary guys like firemen, cops and the like have bought a two-carat e-ring for their fiancee.

I don''t always think this is a gesture of love -- rather, an extension of just how willing someone is to get into debt to fit in with the hyper-competitive attitudes prevalent in NYC.

Y'' gotta love the place, though

 

[BrightSpot]

Date: 3/15/2004 3:39:21 PM
Author: glitterata
In my circle of Manhattanites & Ivy-league grads, I''m one of the very few who wears an e-ring. My husband didn''t buy it, either--it was an heirloom. My friends tend to think e-rings are weird and wasteful. And believe me, they could afford them.

One of my few friends who wears an engagement ring and I were comparing rings after I got mine. I recognized hers as an old mine cut, set in a classic platinum setting with baguettes on the side. I guess it might be in the .50 to .80 carat range? I''m not sure, and I didn''t ask. It was really lovely.

She said, ''They told me the diamond is a hundred years old and the setting is a from a little later. I just noticed the diamond is sort of square, not round. When my brother saw it, he said, ''You know, diamond cutting technology has improved quite a bit in the last century.'' I told him, ''Good. That means E. [her husband] didn''t waste as much money on this thing.'' ''

Another couple I know wears silver wedding rings. Not platinum, not even gold--and certainly no diamonds. They own an apartment building in a wealthy part of town; she has a well paying job with a lot of responsibility, and he looks after their property. They certainly could afford diamonds if they wanted them.

Another friend hid her hand for months after she got her e-ring, she was so embarrassed to be wearing such a thing--but she didn''t want to hurt her (now) husband''s feelings by taking it off.

Others of my friends have narrow eternity bands, or small sapphires, or dainty cluster rings as erings, if they have erings at all. And again, let me emphasize, these are not poor people. They just have different values.

Glitterata, that''s very interesting. My bf''s family & I have very different views on the value of diamonds. My grandparents were jewelers so I grew up having a great appreciation for diamonds & fine jewelry. When I first met my bf''s mother, I was very surprised to see that she sported a very modest wedding set (matching yellow gold bands w/ small diamonds), when the family could obviously afford more bling. (they have a lovely house on the water, 2 boats, expensive cars, etc.) Apparently his family viewed wearing big diamonds as being flashy or tacky and wasteful. (unfortunately, my bf has inherited this view somewhat)

I''m working on re-training him.

 

[treysar]

All this talk about New Yorkers being shallow annoys me for some reason. (Being a New Yorker..)

First of all, most of the people who live in manhattan aren''t even from there. (Even myself, I lived in Manhattan, but I was FROM a suburb). So yes, call them all terrible people, but just because someone lives in NY doesn''t mean they are FROM there. So FYI, your view of shallow New Yorkers is skewed.

HMPH.

Maybe all the shallow people flock to New York City from where ever it is that YOU ARE FROM.

 

[heart prongs]

I wonder if bigger bling in NYC has anything to do with the number of people who do not own a car? No car payment/maintenance=bigger diamonds for lucky NYC ladies

klr

 

[kanne]

lol! I''m a New Yorker too. It''s funny that so many people think about New York City in such a negative way...ah well, waddayagonnado.

I really don''t think that New Yorkers are any more competitive than people in other parts of the country.

 

[Lorelei]

Ursulawrite and Chris, actually as a Brit I think where designer clothes are concerned you must mean Londoners and other big city dwellers. My group of friends have various incomes( some high) and social standings, but are not fashionistas by any means. In average England you would hardly ever see any Chloe or vintage creations. British women are stylish and dress fashionably but would not consider themselves to be all about fashion( just a British opinion ). We also adore diamonds but they are so expensive here and upgrading is virtually unheard of. Tiny stones are the norm here, maybe that is changing, but I don''t think we have the choices here of stones that there is in the States. Here, 1 carat is rarely seen and is considered huge. As to average spent on an e - ring here, IMO I don''t think spending too much is a huge priority, at a guess maybe in the region of $1000. Most engaged couples are desperately trying to get on the housing ladder, very difficult as the price of a small 2/3 bedroom terraced house can cost at the present exchange rate $300.000, in my area. Also it is rare to see fancy shapes, normal is the RB, maybe the odd Marquise and Princess. A popular choice is also coloured stones, sapphires and small diamonds, emeralds etc. I think most people would rather upgrade their car than their e-ring ( but not all of us)

 

[karenleah15]

I live in Kingston WA (Just across from Edmonds.) I had my .54 carat upgraded to a .80 carat. Boy I feel like it stands out now! I commute on the ferry and even one of the workers noticed it! But then Kingston is a different world from "The Big City." LOL!!!