When did you upgrade?

[YadaYadaYada]

I had to dig to find a picture so here we go:

This was my 10th anniversary set. The main diamond a 1.01 G VVS2 princess cut with bead set diamonds on either side and a matching bead set band all in platinum. This has since been sold, also my photography skills weren't the best back then, it was a nice set



On my pinky is my original wedding set from Zales, a little under 3/4 carat in 18k and a princess and baguette half eternity.

Ring finger is what I believe to be my forever ring, a .85 OEC in platinum surrounded by single cuts in the hearts. Color estimated at K but probably lower, SI-1 clarity

 

[stracci2000]

I believe to be my forever ring,

I know you love it!! I hope you keep it forever!!
But what happens when the next great OEC appears for a smokin price that you can't pass up? A problem we all face..................

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I know you love it!! I hope you keep it forever!!
But what happens when the next great OEC appears for a smokin price that you can't pass up? A problem we all face..................

I'll buy it and wear it for a while then sell it to you

Just so you know it would have to be like 1 1/2 carats plus so start saving!

 

[stracci2000]

I'll buy it and wear it for a while then sell it to you

Just so you know it would have to be like 1 1/2 carats plus so start saving!

I still have a little gold stashed away. But not enough to cover 1.5 cts.!
So don't tempt me, you vixen!

 

[16ocean]

What a -fun- thread.

DH and I have only been married 3 almost 4 years so no upgrades on the e-ring there are other financial mile stones and work around our home we would like to accomplish first and because of the sentimental value of the ring I am not sure if I ever will upgrade to a new engagement ring.

He proposed with a family ring OEC. My pricescope eyes can see a visible dark occlusion and a larger table than I prefer but it is very sparkly and my heart sees a gift given with love.

If anything my to do list for jewelry is: having to fix a bracelet from my grandmother(gold and amethyst approx 70 years old), fix some earrings bought on a trip to Croatia and perhaps a re-set for a diamond pendent I purchased for me and from me for my 40th.

 

[Fabulous50]

I got married in 2002 and did not get an engagement ring (long story...and not very interesting at that!). My hubby bought me my diamond 5 years ago for my 50th bday, and its MRB, 3.85ct, H color, si1, mdm fluorescence. We had been in "talks" about a diamond for a few years, lol. I wish I knew then what I know now about cut, thanks to all of you!!

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

I have been with my partner 24yrs this year and am only now considering an upgrade.
we were very young when we got together and spent all of our money traveling to Europe every chance we got.
after being together for a while he kept *walking* me past jewellery stores and telling me to just have a look.
Hmmm. Ok?
So after a while of looking and not finding anything that stood out to me as *mine* I was getting disheartened as I’m a very indecisive person and had no idea what I actually wanted.
it was walking past a local jeweller who hand makes all his own jewellery and buys and sells antique pieces that I saw something I loved. Two actually.
My first choice was a very large slightly yellow princess cut with white diamonds down the side (similar to what I needed up with but the diamond was much bigger and not perfect. My mother told me it was too big on me and looked fake.
So I asked to see my second choice (which is ultimately what I ended up with).
You will have to excuse my ignorance here but it was 15yrs ago and can’t be bothered going through files to find the valuation details....
But from memory - it’s a 0.7 ct passion8 hearts and arrows diamond centre with 36 surrounding diamonds of all the same clarity and colour. VVS1 E grade colourless. Set in white Gold the surrounding diamonds are on top and both sides with little hearts Set with diamonds in the gallery.
That description is probably super painful to anyone who knows what they are talking about.
Still learning here.

I have to say I have loved this ring to death.
I admire it every day and get many many compliments on it. With that said now that I am older - I wish I had asked for the centre diamond to be replaced with the imperfect but big and sparkly one.
My diamond for all extensive purposes is pretty perfect... and is well proportioned in the ring.
I have small hands so bulky things always look fake on me.
Maybe it just looks small next to my 8ct Sapphire.
when I chose it - I didn’t actually think he was going to buy it - so I didn’t care that it was $10,000. I was very surprised when he presented it on our round the world trip on top of the Empire State Building.

Do you prefer perfection? Or size and sparkle?

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

I have been with my partner 24yrs this year and am only now considering an upgrade.
we were very young when we got together and spent all of our money traveling to Europe every chance we got.
after being together for a while he kept *walking* me past jewellery stores and telling me to just have a look.
Hmmm. Ok?
So after a while of looking and not finding anything that stood out to me as *mine* I was getting disheartened as I’m a very indecisive person and had no idea what I actually wanted.
it was walking past a local jeweller who hand makes all his own jewellery and buys and sells antique pieces that I saw something I loved. Two actually.
My first choice was a very large slightly yellow princess cut with white diamonds down the side (similar to what I needed up with but the diamond was much bigger and not perfect. My mother told me it was too big on me and looked fake.
So I asked to see my second choice (which is ultimately what I ended up with).
You will have to excuse my ignorance here but it was 15yrs ago and can’t be bothered going through files to find the valuation details....
But from memory - it’s a 0.7 ct passion8 hearts and arrows diamond centre with 36 surrounding diamonds of all the same clarity and colour. VVS1 E grade colourless. Set in white Gold the surrounding diamonds are on top and both sides with little hearts Set with diamonds in the gallery.
That description is probably super painful to anyone who knows what they are talking about.
Still learning here.

I have to say I have loved this ring to death.
I admire it every day and get many many compliments on it. With that said now that I am older - I wish I had asked for the centre diamond to be replaced with the imperfect but big and sparkly one.
My diamond for all extensive purposes is pretty perfect... and is well proportioned in the ring.
I have small hands so bulky things always look fake on me.
Maybe it just looks small next to my 8ct Sapphire.
when I chose it - I didn’t actually think he was going to buy it - so I didn’t care that it was $10,000. I was very surprised when he presented it on our round the world trip on top of the Empire State Building.

Do you prefer perfection? Or size and sparkle?

Just some pics to go with the story

 

[asterismdispersion]

@missy , @YadaYadaYada , @16ocean , @Beautiful-disaster lovely detailing on your rings.

My cell phone camera is not the greatest, but without and with flash of my OECS:

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

I am not planning on upgrading my engagement ring as I'm very sentimental. DH says my engagement ring is "already the upgrade" since it's a 2.4ct MRB XXX F VVS1.

DH got me a 1ct tw 7 stone ring for our first anniversary to wear as a more casual, but still blingy alternative when I'm not comfortable wearing my engagement ring.

I would be open to alternate engagement rings for milestone anniversaries like a 3-4ct emerald cut F VVS, but I highly doubt DH will get me one.

I wouldn't mind making my own alternate engagement rings with Lightbox lab diamonds, especially in a larger ring size for when my finger swells. My ER varies from spinning to being snug.

 

[Fabulous50]

my upgrade story is a little weird because in all areas except sentiment, it's a downgrade.

Story begins in 2011. My now-husband and I had been dating about a year and were thinking about buying a house. We took a trip to NYC and shopped all up and down 5th. I dragged him to Tiffany and was drooling on the engagement ring floor when the salesman offered to let me try one on. I still remember my now-hubby's eyes got really big but he kindly didn't say no

So the salesman pulled out a .52 H/VS1 Novo, and I put it on and got all starry eyed. The salesman, being clever, wrote the numbers down on the back of his card and slid it across the counter. My better half took it without saying anything, and I reluctantly handed the rings back over.

Two ish years later, we've got the house, and the boyfriend becomes a fiance with an OEC 3 stone in the butterflies setting (new at the time!)

I wore that ring for 2 years and discovered I actually really disliked that setting. We got married in 2015 and by then I wasn't ever wearing the ring. So in 2016, when I got promoted, we agreed to upgrade and we traded that ring on a new 3 stone, with a 1.72ct center and (I had to go look this up) .55 sides in a classic setting.

I happily wore that for awhile, but then stopped wearing that one too because it just felt...big and flashy. I worked from home by this time, so wearing that to the grocery store just felt weird.

Then one day in early 2018, husband comes home and sets two Tiffany blue boxes on the coffee table in front of me and, in his engineer style, says "I got you something."

So I opened it and it is a .52 H/VS1 Novo, with the matching eternity band. He didn't go out and find a very near ring - he kept the salesman's card and it was the exact same ring I had tried on in the store in 2011. He'd been searching ebay for the serial number since before our wedding and it came up pre-loved. He didn't buy it to be my engagement ring, he just thought it was a nice sentimental surprise. Still, I got all misty eyed about it and wore it as my e-ring quite often.

I have some other pieces that I've bought for myself, like an asscher in a Sholdt setting that I sometimes wear as my engagement ring, and a 1.23ct round that was a master's graduation present from my parents.

We've decided this year to replace my 3 stone round on our 5th anniversary. Turns out that I am just not a round girl (I don't much wear the one from my parents, either). I've settled on a Singlestone 5-stone ring that will be revealed at some point, once the Covid delays resolve and it finally makes it to me

@kb1gra , your story of the Tiffany ring literally made me tear up! That is incredibly sweet and romantic!!

 

[LLJsmom]

For the first 15 years of marriage I wore only a plain domed 3mm platinum band. My 1.11 ct F VS1 sat in the safe. Then midlife approached, after two kids and two houses and I wanted something for myself. I randomly bought a new diamond, same specs, but around 2.5ish. Then I found PS and got a gorgeous VC setting for it. But too late. The OEC bug bit. I traded the MRB in for a 3.04 OEC and a new VC setting. Now looking at 25 years in 2022, I think I am ready for something new.

 

[RosieR]

For the first 15 years of marriage I wore only a plain domed 3mm platinum band. My 1.11 ct F VS1 sat in the safe. Then midlife approached, after two kids and two houses and I wanted something for myself. I randomly bought a new diamond, same specs, but around 2.5ish. Then I found PS and got a gorgeous VC setting for it. But too late. The OEC bug bit. I traded the MRB in for a 3.04 OEC and a new VC setting. Now looking at 25 years in 2022, I think I am ready for something new.

I’ve enjoyed watching your well thought out and considered bling journey. Some of which has helped me on my bling journey, thank you! I can’t wait to see what you decide on next.

 

[tinatark]

Got married in 1987 at 19 with a .25 pear solitaire, set in yellow gold with a plain band on each side. For Christmas in 1995, got a half carat round stone set with 15 pt marquis on each side. Had those diamonds mounted onto a wider band a little laters. Upgraded in 2012 to a 2.02 GIA Vs1 J radiant in a setting of a carat, with plans for that to be my forever ring. Unfortunately, that ring was lost (insured) in 2016-ish... now I have my forever ring. 2.09 GIA K SI2 XXX with SBF (I would have never considered my stone color/clarity until I saw it in person - no color and very eye clean!) round in a 3.78 setting.

 

[LLJsmom]

I’ve enjoyed watching your well thought out and considered bling journey. Some of which has helped me on my bling journey, thank you! I can’t wait to see what you decide on next.

Thank you RosieR. Very kind of you. I do feel like I’ve made my share of mistakes. Hope you can avoid those mine too.