calling new yorkers, what''s your e-ring size

[elle_chris]

There have been many threads on this board in regards to the average stone size, and i keep seeing a repeating pattern- NYC= big stones.

I''m in the city, and I honestly don''t see these huge diamonds. Maybe I''m terrible at guessing size, but it''s rare that i see somethng that screams LARGE. In my circle of friends the range is anywhere from .50 to a little over 2 carats and that''s because i think the guys are trying to outdo eachother. At work, I haven''t met anyone that has a 3ct stone.

So i''m curious, those of from the 5 boroughs, would you mind sharing your stone size? I''m also curious about the ladies with these bigger stones -did you go down in color/clarity to get a larger rock because you think lbig diamonds are the norm here.

Thanks.

 

[Circe]

I''m currently an expat New Yorker, but a New Yorker nonetheless ... and I''m wearing just shy of the carat and a half mark at 1.46 with a J VS2. When we got engaged, I''m the one who proposed, and the then-FH said that while he didn''t want a ring, he *did* want me to have one. Soooooo, we set our budget and started hunting ... I knew I wanted something between a carat and a carat and a half, in the near-colorless range, and VS quality. That''s exactly what I ended up with. I''m at the bottom end of near-colorless, which I didn''t expect, but I chose out of preference, and not practicality - in blind tests, I kept going for the tinted stones! Something about them had a little more life to my eyes, somehow. I can''t say that I ever had the conscious thought, "The city expects it from me - I must go for SIZE!" but we''re all products of our environment, so I can''t rule it out, either. I like your last question ... in many ways, it seems like it has the potential to become a bit of a vicious circle if it''s not kept in check.

 

[Harriet]

I may be the one who''s terrible at guessing size, but I see honkers regularly -- in my neighbourhood and at work. I sacrificed colour for size not because I wanted to keep up with the Joneses, but simply because I wanted a sizeable diamond.

 

[Linda W]

Date: 7/17/2008 10:28:38 PM
Author: Harriet
I may be the one who''s terrible at guessing size, but I see honkers regularly -- in my neighbourhood and at work. I sacrificed colour for size not because I wanted to keep up with the Joneses, but simply because I wanted a sizeable diamond.

And yours is a beauty Harriet

Linda

 

[Harriet]

Thanks, mother Linda! My diamond is a wee bit loose in its setting, so I can't wear it until Leon fixes it, and he's tied up till next week.

 

[Dancing Fire]

NYC avg 2.75 ct

 

[Bliss]

NYC average (as in 5 boroughs) would be .75-1 carat in my estimation. It might even be lower, as the majority of women don't even seem to wear e-rings. In Manhattan (people who live and work here), it would be higher. Perhaps 1.5 carats? And that's average because there are tons of young people living 4 to an apartment with roommates and etc. A lot of people in Manhattan also struggle to make it in different neighborhoods here that aren't so trendy. It's tough unless you have a very high paying job or come from family money. It is really hard to walk down the street and see all the stressed out people's faces. Ay ay ay! It's a tough city! Amazing city, but tough for many!

Among most people I work with and see, the average is around 3 carats. It isn't uncommon to see large rocks (7-10 carats), but those come out for charity galas, art auctions and opera night. Gotta love it! And they are all very high quality stones -- intense yellows, colorless beauties & etc.

We were young (mid-twenties) when FH bought the ring and it is 2.73 carats. He was looking at diamonds in the 3 carat range but this one was extra special and it made his heart sing He likes to tell me that it sparkled its little heart out like it was screaming, "PICK ME! PICK ME!" (I make him tell me the story he met the sparkly like a bedtime story! Hahahaha. Poor FH! I love him so!) He says it looked just as big as the 3 carats but was so much sparklier than the others...so he got it! And it makes my heart sing, too. He is very attached to it. LOL.

We wanted good clarity and in the colorless range (F was my sweet spot). DH is offering to upgrade because we hit the 3-0 and can afford much more than back then (different jobs, much different situations), but I think we'll wait for a special time to mark an upgrade if there will even be one. For now, I am designing an awesome setting (it'll be ready next week AAAAAAA!!!!) and maybe we'll do it after our first child.

We can't wait to start a family! Maybe in a couple of years? I'm sure once baby comes, I'll forget all about diamonds!!! Wait, did I actually WRITE THAT? Medics!!!! Call 9-1-1!!!!!

 

[elle_chris]

Thank you for responding ladies (and gentelman)

From what you guys wrote, it does give the impression that larger stones are the norm here. Harriet, you didn''t mention the size of your stone but i believe it''s somewhere around the 3.5 mark?

Dancing fire- When you say NYC is 2.75, are you taking the other boroughs into consideration? I ask because if you are, there''s no way the average would be that high.

My own stone is 2.52 and that was an upgrade from a 2ct. Only reason I even changed stones was because my first was just plain ugly. Of course once I discovered PS upgrades are constantly on my mind.

Anyone else from the five boroughs and wanna share what they have??

Again, thanks for answering

 

[scarlet16]

Elle_chris-I''m in Manhattan too, and like you, maybe I''m just oblivious to big stones but I HARDLY ever see them; and I''m ALWAYS looking. I can count on one hand where I''ve ever said "wow, that thing is huge" ... and I''m not counting the times I say it while I''m having lunch with Ms. Harriet. And as Bliss mentioned, it does seem most women rarely wear their e-rings at all interestingly. Oddly, I noticed quite a few larger rings in my bar review class; with all the girls looking quite young. From what I gleaned from conversations, they were all from Long Island (Hofstra students), if that makes a difference.

I''d also guess that the avg. in Manhattan is probably 1.5-1.75. Mine is a 1.66 cushion.

 

[ursulawrite]

Mine is 1.32 carats, and I was 24 when I got engaged (31 now). I see few e-rings in Soho and Nolita--people seem younger on the whole, or European, and are much more obsessive about cutting edge fashion.

Even on my trips uptown, sizing runs the entire gamut. I would put the average in NYC at around 1.6 carats.

 

[Harriet]

Bliss,
What a sweet story!

Elle Chris,
Mine''s a 3.5+.

 

[innerkitten]

Thats so interesting. From the sounds of it most people have pretty big stones in NYC.
I am always surprised when I hear this about New York. My mother is from Manhattan and still has friends and cousins there that we see regularly. They have all been there for years and years. They all have cheap rent in great neighborhoods, even some lofts. Anyway none of them have large stones or expensive jewelry. They are mostly in the arts. So I''m guessing it must vary from scene to scene.

My bio dad lives there too with his wife. They are both artists. His wife is an art buyer for the metropolitan, which is not a bad day job for an artist. But she doesn''t seem to have much in the way of bling either.

Next time I go to new York I''ll keep my eyes open for all the diamonds. It''s been a few years since I''ve been there and I guess I just never really looked before. I also want to visit the diamond district.

 

[ursulawrite]

Date: 7/18/2008 10:17:26 AM
Author: innerkitten
Thats so interesting. From the sounds of it most people have pretty big stones in NYC.
I am always surprised when I hear this about New York. My mother is from Manhattan and still has friends and cousins there that we see regularly. They have all been there for years and years. They all have cheap rent in great neighborhoods, even some lofts. Anyway none of them have large stones or expensive jewelry. They are mostly in the arts. So I'm guessing it must vary from scene to scene.

My bio dad lives there too with his wife. They are both artists. His wife is an art buyer for the metropolitan, which is not a bad day job for an artist. But she doesn't seem to have much in the way of bling either.

Next time I go to new York I'll keep my eyes open for all the diamonds. It's been a few years since I've been there and I guess I just never really looked before. I also want to visit the diamond district.

I'm a writer (obviously) and never wear my e-ring when attending conferences and such; the presence of it would be akin to thumbing through the Da Vinci Code.

We are somewhat of an anomaly as a couple, in that most of DH's corporate friends are married to corporate wives, or SAHMs. Multiple carat rings are the norm in that circle, whereas gold bands are the mainstay of my circle.

 

[Bliss]

Harriet, thank you!!! What a beautiful ring! Wow.

Ursulawrite, you kill me.

That is so funny! "Wearing an e-ring would be akin to thumbing through The Da Vinci Code?" I know exactly what you mean! (And this is after secretly reading and enjoying it!)

 

[Harriet]

Bliss,
You''re welcome and thanks!

Innerkitten,
Do let us know the next time you''re here.

 

[Babyblue033]

Where are all these NYers with honkin'' rings? I admit, I''ve been completely oblivious to diamonds until I found PS but now I''m looking all the time and still do not see very many *large* stones. I work in midtown, in a beauty industry none the less, yet the average size I see around me are 1-1.5 ct, maybe 2 at most. I myself wear a 1.03 ct. I live outside of city, in Queens to be exact, and the average there is probably more like .5-1 ct.

 

[ammayernyc]

My ring is 3.02 center stone with two .46 side stones. Most of my friends have 2 ct or larger. I see huge rings sometimes... also enormous eternity bands. They''re pretty, but not on ematiated little women!

 

[innerkitten]

Harriet, if we get there next year I''ll let you know. It would be fun to meet up with the NYC Pricescope people!

 

[beebrisk]

I live on the upper east side of Manhattan, and I thanks to PS, I am an avid "ring watcher"

It never ceases to amaze me when I see a really young woman (like 22-23) with a 2 carat -or more- stone. While that may not be considered huge by PS standards, I think for someone just out of college, it''s ENORMOUS. And here in the city they seem to be everywhere you look.

Don''t even get me started on the ladies who live on Park Avenue...Magnificent jewels all the way around. The ginormous diamond on their finger is often only the beginning. Sometimes I wonder how much insurance it takes to feel comfortable walking the dog wearing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bling!

And then there''s me with my lovely and very much loved .85er. Talk about Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome! Around these parts, my ring is TEENSY. Practically microscopic! Really, I would say the "average" ER is around 2-ish, but it''s not uncommon to see much bigger on a daily basis. To make it even crazier, they are often worn with a 6mm wide, emerald or rb eternity band. Oy!

 

[TravelingGal]

My cousin, who is a very successful career woman in NYC just got engaged. I haven't seen the ring yet but her sister told me it is probably somewhere between .25-.50.

Her fiance had the ring made from another diamond ring (band with smaller diamonds) he was given by his grandmother and the center stone was given to him by his mother. It was her NOSE ring.

OK, at first I was like,

I don't know...I guess only because it was in someone's nose? But it's not like it was *in* her nose or anything. After my initial gut reaction, I have to say, kudos to my cousin and her fiance...apparently she is totally happy with the ring and both are smart to save their pennies in an expensive city like NYC and not keep up with the Joneses.

ETA, for the record, they both live and work in Manhattan.

 

[NYCsparkle]

nyc runs from people who wear huge honkers to some who choose simple bands. In nyc its all aboutt preference and not tradition ...especially the artsy types. my sis works and sells her costume jewelry at a ritzy store(celebs come in everyday) and they buy her cz rings as if they were going out of style...lol.....there are a lot of rich women wearing high end costume jewelry in nyc...and because they are rich everyone assumes they are real.

 

[customcushion]

there are a lot of rich women wearing high end costume jewelry in nyc...and because they are rich everyone assumes they are real.

One of my fabolously wealthy friends has a stunning collection of jewelery and watches, but when she travels, it''s all CZ''s, costume, and replica watches. It''s really hard to tell if she has her real 10ct earrings on or the fake ones sometimes .

 

[JerseyGrl81]

Well I am not a New Yorker, as you can tell from my name. But I have a lot of friends and family that either live or work there. My diamond is one and a half carats and it is about the same if not a little larger than most of theirs. I am 26 and my friends/family are around that age and in their 30s. I think the New Yorkers with rings that are very large are older than us. And my friends that work in NYC work in finance /business fields.

 

[Haven]

How fun to see great big rings just walking down the street, regardless of the age of the wearer!

I see some big rings here in Chicago, but I think they''re a bit larger in NYC. So very jealous of your ring-watching abilities!

 

[beebrisk]

Date: 7/19/2008 10:47:11 AM
Author: Haven
How fun to see great big rings just walking down the street, regardless of the age of the wearer!


I see some big rings here in Chicago, but I think they''re a bit larger in NYC. So very jealous of your ring-watching abilities!

Haven,
Ring watching is my favorite ''sport''. I go from crazy jealous to just wanting to take a closer look and absorb the beauty that is a 3 or 4 or 5 (!) carat diamond.

Best was the time I was introduced to a friend of a friend. She was in her mid-20''s and engaged to marry a much older man who is on the Forbes billionaire list. Last I looked he was hovering around #200 on the world''s richest person list, Oy Vey! Anyway, she was so excited with her new TWELVE CARAT pear that she let us both try it on! OMG, that thing covered half my hand! And she would just walk around the city, shopping and running her errands like it was...normal!

That was my best brush with true diamond greatness but in NY, my eyes are always scoping out the blingage!

 

[NYCsparkle]

i love bling watching in nyc...although i think people sometimes think i have a staring problem..lol....anyways my fav bling was when i was at a yankee game and a pitching coach was sitting in front of me with world series bling on...i kept staring and then with a huge pair i asked if i could try it on

...lol...he didn''t think anything of it(a woman def would)...it was spectacularly blingy

 

[UCLABelle]

When I lived in Manhattan, I too noticed much larger rings---I would guess the average at around 1.6-1.75. On 5th, part of the fun was just watching the beautiful women and their 4+ rings. I also remember a very classy looking girl, with a Kelly Bag in black croc, with a 5+ eternity ring......it was stunning.

Manhattan is a REALLY fun place to diamond gaze-----

 

[butterfly 17]

I live in NY, but not in NYC, I live in Staten Island and I wear a 2.38 H VS2, which I just upgraded from a 2 G VS1.

My sister lives in the city, on 53rd and 5th Ave. and she just got engaged with a 2.17 cushion set similar to the Harry Winston one.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 7/18/2008 7:48:50 AM
Author: scarlet16
Elle_chris-I''m in Manhattan too, and like you, maybe I''m just oblivious to big stones but I HARDLY ever see them; and I''m ALWAYS looking. I can count on one hand where I''ve ever said ''wow, that thing is huge'' ... and I''m not counting the times I say it while I''m having lunch with Ms. Harriet. And as Bliss mentioned, it does seem most women rarely wear their e-rings at all interestingly. Oddly, I noticed quite a few larger rings in my bar review class; with all the girls looking quite young. From what I gleaned from conversations, they were all from Long Island (Hofstra students), if that makes a difference.

I''d also guess that the avg. in Manhattan is probably 1.5-1.75. Mine is a 1.66 cushion.

Scarlett, apparently we''re missing something cause based on many of these posts, people are seeing huge rocks.

Maybe we really just don''t understand size?

Butterfly17- You ARE in NYC

(last i checked Staten Island made up one of the 5 boroughs!!)

What''s interesting to me though, is that NYC is made up of more than just Manhattan but the average PS''er from NYC seems to be from Manhattan and therefore makes their observation based on the folks in "the city" are wearing. When I go outside of Manhattan (yes we sometimes do that

), I notice much smaller diamonds. I doubt the average in Brooklyn or Queens, The Bronx or Staten Island is over 1ct.

In Manhattan, based on what you ladies have said it does run from one extreme to the other.

 

[vespergirl]

I''m NYC born and bred, even though I live in the DC area now. My ring is 2 ct.