Need non-fish help from women....

[jester]

I'm in search of a diamond ring for the big "?".
What is more important to women when it comes to the ring. we (she)have picked out the style, but what about the color and clarity? any help would be great....
Ohh....just added the first 20#;s of l/s. it only took 3 hours to clear after puting it in. I can't wait to add more in a few weeks...

 

[whipple]

Just buy the biggest most exspensive you can afford and she'll be happy till after your married, LOL just joking its realy not that bad congrats man hope all goes well.

 

[fshhub]

well. no exactly a won=man, but hav shopped 4 them,and one hting i can tell you is if i had asked htese questions of the general public, i would not be married right now,
all women are different and to say what is imprtant to anyone, will get us all in trouble,
what does she liek, and how much do you wish to spend, , and what size, figut out the basics there and go to several retailers and ask them about color adn clarity adn size, make themexplain to you what it is you are looking at, so you can go to the nest and know hwaht they are saying, i had a couple of jewelers really take time wiht me(they want your money), and am glad i did, because my wife is unusual, for any one woman to have helped me with her ring probably would have been a fatal error, i aml sure she would have still kept it, but endless shopping withher helped more(only she knows what she truly likes)
HTH

 

[royce]

I told my husband that I cared more about the quality of the diamond than the size of it - I'll tell you, there is a HUGE difference in how they look when they are out in the bright of light, some sparkle away and others look like yellow duds. We could have gotten a bigger rock for what we paid for my smaller one, but once we put them side-by-side, there was no question about which one we liked better. One piece of advice, STAY AWAY FROM THE MALL STORES!!! prices there were almost double and the stones were not nearly as nice. Some women figure that eventually they will "trade up" for a bigger diamond later on in life, but not me - my husband came up with a great stone and a gorgeous setting and after 5 years I still love it <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" /> HTH and good luck with the big night!!

 

[kris walker]

To add to Royce's reply, if you're looking for quality, look for "clarity" and "cut". They are the principal things that make a real beauty sparkle. Inclusions are always there, and the more the worse, but they don't affect sparkle as much as clarity and cut.
kris

 

[bt_1999_66]

Just medicate with garlic on every water change, make sure you have 3-5 watts per gallon, and make sure she only drinks RO H2O.
Good luck bud...!
ps. After 12 years, they still love Diamonds...Diamonds are forever...!

 

[prinny]

I would go with the old adage "Size Counts" This is something she will ware the rest of her life. Make it count.

 

[broomer5]

I just went through the engagement ring thing last October. Decide what "you" want to spend - then darn near double it. This is one area you don't want to be cheapskate and absolutely NO DIY ... okay
I agree with those that believe quality is better than quantity, and learned what Royce and Kris described above. Get one that sparkles nice, and look at it under the scope.
Most important - watch her eyes when you go out shopping around .. when she trys one on and really likes it, you'll know by her expression when you see it.
Wish ya luck Jester
p.s. 20 pounds live sand - life is good

 

[marco]

I heard you are suposed to spend 1/3 of your anual income on a ring. I don't know who taught it up(some money hungy bi&^# ) <img src="graemlins//evilwhorn.gif" border="0" alt="[Evil Horn]" /> but anything less would be unaceptable. Good luck!!!!!!

 

[heavenly damsel]

We shopped at jewelry stores...I never looked at the size ring I really wanted, didn't want to spend the price of a small car to wear on my finger. The solution was simple enough. We got twice as much diamond for half the money at the pawn shop. Best decision we ever made. And yes, she will be looking at it the rest of her life, don't skom[ here. The sentimental value would stop her from ever exchanging it for a bigger one when you can more afford it.
Congratulations, marriage is wondergul.

 

[bruins14]

My wife wanted Quality And clarity over Size

 

[chainsaw5vent]

<img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" /> dude. take her on a hit&run mission to look at the ring types. then wait a few months so she can forget the fact that you took her to see rings, and then surprise her with it! you will be considered to be sooo with <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" /> <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" /> don't go into sticker shock though <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" /> <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />

 

[royce]

Chainsaw, as a woman, I must say that once she's been taken to 'look at rings", she ain't never going to forget about THAT little outing But definitely go for the surprise proposal <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />

 

[shel]

Jester, someone already nailed it on the head. Every girl is diffrent, I have been married to my honey and best friend for almost 10 years now. I am lucky if I wear my wedding ring a few times a year. It does'nt mean I don't love him or respect him. I am not comfortable wearing rings. I wear it when I remember and when we are going out. I would have hit the roof if he would have spent a small fortune on a ring, I would much rather have a new 180g sitting in the front room.
I don't really care about jewelry, if you have not noticed. That is why I say every girl is diffrent. All my girlfriends say clarity and quality are what they look for.
Good luck, Marriage is WONDERFUL

 

[jester]

Well thanks for all your replies.
I was thinking along the same lines as quality is better than quanity, but just wanted some more opinions.
Thanks again.

 

[sinner's girl]

Hey, a subject I know about! lol
quality big plus for some, size for others. Make sure you know what she wants. Example- I wanted heart shaped (which he thought anyway), but I wanted smaller then he wanted to get me, (about half the size)
also, shop around, take your time looking! there are some good deals but some places will stick you! you might want to check e-bay for loose diamonds, my guy got mind there and got a better deal then in the local stores. Once you have the diamond you can put it in a solitare or a simi-mount, depending on what she wants. (as my guys tell the ring people, I'm not the one who will be wearing it, I'm just paying for it) I can't tell you how many stores and websites we've gone to looking for the perfect ring. i've always heard two month salery-but how much you spend shouldn't matter
lmao! "I would much rather have a new 180g sitting in the front room." that's how I feel about spending lot's of money on a wedding. as i told my friend "why spend money on one day that i could spend on fish"
Oh and even if she knows you're getting one, she doesn't have to know when she's getting it. I've seen my ring, but do I have it yet? No! I have no clue when he's going to pop the question and give me my ring (it's a tease yes).
Good luck and congrats!

 

[sunnyspony]

A good jewlery with let you look at the diamond through there little magnifying glass. Believe me you can see inperfections and also a good color through that. Cut is also improtant, the more cuts the more sparkle. To me size does not matter, if it a good quality diamond it makes up for the difference.

 

[chainsaw5vent]

howdy royce. the surprise factor really did work. i had some friends show up for the presentation of the ring (trillion cut) like they were showing up for dinner. the fire engine thing didn't work out because they were busy. but after she calmed down from being angry about being awakened from a good afternoon nap, i had her sit down at the table while every one was watching (children and adults) and pulled out the verification card for the ring and asked her "..does this look familiar..?" jaw dropping, eyes wide open..you get the picture <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" /> and i also did a similar event for the purchase of a vehicle for her and the kids prior to that. left her at church and left a new van in the garage.. SURPRISE!! <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" /> <img src="graemlins//mischievous.gif" border="0" alt="[Mischievous]" /> needless to say, i'm married to her now. 4 kids and one baby + 5

 

[fshhub]

jester, as i said, learn what she wants, and ask the jewelers, most will help you, become familiar with what you are looking at, and the prices, so youget a good idea ifit is worht at least close to what you want to give for that exact one, and after you learn what you are looking at, if it is qualtiy, this is very important
READ THIS NEXT PART CAREFULLY
learn your grades and such,and learn to use the loop(all this is easy with the help of severl jewelers), then when you look at the diamonds before even deciding USE THE LOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!, a half decent jeweler can set a diamond up in a microscope(which many places have), and many will set it up to hide things, you want to use the loop and check all angles, so you can even realize the clarity and color(microscopes are tools used by them to sell things, not tools used by you), if i have offended any jewelers here, sorry but even you must admit you can hide things in the microscope, especially if yooou use the clamps

 

[royce]

Chainsaw - sounds like you have a very lucky lady! I'm glad the surprise worked for you. I knew that I was getting a ring, but didn't know when, just that it "wouldn't be around Christmas". When he proposed on Dec. 23, I almost didn't recognize it for what it was lol!
fishhub has great advice. If you decide to go for the quality, try to get a certified stone. Then all the dimensions and inclusions are written down and described. This is invaluable for when you want to insure the ring or if you should become victim to some unscrupulous character that tries to switch the stone on you. Please take no offense Jewelers (you know I love ya!), but a little protection goes a long way. Also, make sure that the setting fits her personality and lifestyle. As a scientist, I wear gloves much of the time and a high setting would just rip them up. We set my stone low, even though it isn't shown off to its full potential, so that I could wear it every day
sorry for the long post.