How can you afford such expensive stones?

[phiberoptik]

Ok so I have been on here a few months mostly reading and searching and less posting. I see so many threads about people buying 2ct+ diamonds like its no big deal. So I ask you all out there... what do you or should I say, what does your significant other do, to afford you ridiculously expensive jewelry. 20K for a stone? 37K for a stone?

Its ludicrous to me but to each there own. Maybe I should ask how big is your house and what do you drive as well... if you can spend almost $40K on a ring...

Please... tell away. And if you feel like gifting any of your money to a poor broke soul trying to afford a $4k ring... Ill gladly email you my address. I accept paypal also!

 

[belle]

get a good education > good job > spend/save wisely

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:23:19 PM
Author: belle
get a good education > good job > spend/save wisely

 

[belle]

i can''t believe i just leaked the secret to success on a public forum!

now everybody is going to be doing it.

 

[musey]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:23:19 PM
Author: belle
get a good education > good job > spend/save wisely

Thank you, Belle! I was sitting here sort of flabbergasted, with no idea how to respond to such a question. You put it quite well.

And phiberoptik, 2ct rings don't always mean a 20k budget. My FI and I were very lucky and managed to find our 1.9ct, total package, for under $10k

Any forum dedicated to high-priced luxury items is going to attract users interested in, well, high-priced luxury items. Don't be surprised when you find that many of those users really go all out with said luxury items.

 

[surfgirl]

You can get a 2ct. solitaire at a local B&M chain in CA for about $12.5k. But it''s not a great stone, quality wise, but the size is there if you want that.

As for affording more expensive rings, there are tons of women who have well under 2ct rings and many more have gorgeous under 1ct stones that are sheer perfection. It''s about getting the best quality for your money, though some prefer to get lesser color and more size.

As for how to afford a $20k+ ring? Get a good edumacation, SAVE money wisely, dont live above your means, and when the times right splurge a bit on a purchase that will last a lifetime.

ETA, many folks here are older and have well established two-career homes, or have been married for many years and are upgrading. I think you will find it much less common to purchase a very expensive ering for folks that are just starting out and in their 20''s, for example.

 

[Girlrocks]

Why would you come to a website for diamond lovers to bash on expensive, large diamonds?? Just like you said, to each his own. If you think its rediculous, I''m sure there is a forum out there that is devoted to that you could find.

 

[musey]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:35:53 PM
Author: Girlrocks

Why would you come to a website for diamond lovers to bash on expensive, large diamonds??

Girlrocks, at first I was thinking troll... then I saw that he''s posted many times before about his own ring search, so I guess not. Very troll-ish post, though.

 

[zoebartlett]

Good answer Belle! Short of winning the lottery, that''s the only answer I could come up with. I''m not sure I understand the point of your post, Phiberoptik. How people choose to spend their money is up to them. Sharing how much they spend is personal information, but if people choose to, why are you criticizing them?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:35:08 PM
Author: surfgirl
You can get a 2ct. solitaire at a local B&M chain in CA for about $12.5k. But it's not a great stone, quality wise, but the size is there if you want that.

As for affording more expensive rings, there are tons of women who have well under 2ct rings and many more have gorgeous under 1ct stones that are sheer perfection. It's about getting the best quality for your money, though some prefer to get lesser color and more size.

As for how to afford a $20k+ ring? Get a good edumacation, SAVE money wisely, dont live above your means, and when the times right splurge a bit on a purchase that will last a lifetime.

ETA, many folks here are older and have well established two-career homes, or have been married for many years and are upgrading. I think you will find it much less common to purchase a very expensive ering for folks that are just starting out and in their 20's, for example.

I agree w/Surfgirl! Plus if you look at the national averages in bridal magazines is something like $5K for an ering (I think).

 

[belle]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:29:59 PM
Author: musey

Date: 10/25/2007 7:23:19 PM

Author: belle

get a good education > good job > spend/save wisely

Thank you, Belle! I was sitting here sort of flabbergasted, with no idea how to respond to such a question. You put it quite well.


And phiberoptik, 2ct rings don''t always mean a 20k budget. My FI and I were very lucky and managed to find our 1.9ct, total package, for under $10k

lol musey, i''ll admit, my original response was worded a little different. okay.... A LOT different! flabbergasted indeed!

btw your ring is absolutely stunning! easily one of the ps best!(which is of course, better than just the normal best)

 

[musey]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:40:11 PM
Author: belle

lol musey, i'll admit, my original response was worded a little different. okay.... A LOT different! flabbergasted indeed!

btw your ring is absolutely stunning! easily one of the ps best!(which is of course, better than just the normal best)

thank you, belle! Coming from such a PS aficionado, that means a lot!!

 

[Girlrocks]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:38:52 PM
Author: musey

Date: 10/25/2007 7:35:53 PM
Author: Girlrocks

Why would you come to a website for diamond lovers to bash on expensive, large diamonds??

Girlrocks, at first I was thinking troll... then I saw that he''s posted many times before about his own ring search, so I guess not. Very troll-ish post, though.

Maybe he''s having a bad night, huh? His post definitely came across wrong!

 

[belle]

Date: 10/25/2007 7:45:05 PM
Author: musey

Date: 10/25/2007 7:40:11 PM

Author: belle


lol musey, i'll admit, my original response was worded a little different. okay.... A LOT different! flabbergasted indeed!


btw your ring is absolutely stunning! easily one of the ps best!(which is of course, better than just the normal best)

thank you, belle! Coming from such a PS aficionado, that means a lot!!

let's face it, we have some awesome rings on ps (i see a few others showed up here!) but a really good asscher is hard to find! obviously, you spended wisely

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

In all fairness to the OP, I think an honest question deserves an honest answer. I suggest marrying wisely (in short, "up") and spend your children's inheritence. Does that help?

cheers--Sharon

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/25/2007 6:32:31 PM
Author:phiberoptik
Ok so I have been on here a few months mostly reading and searching and less posting. I see so many threads about people buying 2ct+ diamonds like its no big deal. So I ask you all out there... what do you or should I say, what does your significant other do, to afford you ridiculously expensive jewelry. 20K for a stone? 37K for a stone?

Its ludicrous to me but to each there own. Maybe I should ask how big is your house and what do you drive as well... if you can spend almost $40K on a ring...

Please... tell away. And if you feel like gifting any of your money to a poor broke soul trying to afford a $4k ring... Ill gladly email you my address. I accept paypal also!

4K ring? That''s ridiculous! How can you afford such an expensive ring???

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 10/25/2007 8:13:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 10/25/2007 6:32:31 PM
Author:phiberoptik
Ok so I have been on here a few months mostly reading and searching and less posting. I see so many threads about people buying 2ct+ diamonds like its no big deal. So I ask you all out there... what do you or should I say, what does your significant other do, to afford you ridiculously expensive jewelry. 20K for a stone? 37K for a stone?

Its ludicrous to me but to each there own. Maybe I should ask how big is your house and what do you drive as well... if you can spend almost $40K on a ring...

Please... tell away. And if you feel like gifting any of your money to a poor broke soul trying to afford a $4k ring... Ill gladly email you my address. I accept paypal also!

4K ring? That''s ridiculous! How can you afford such an expensive ring???

Yeah, that''s a lot of cake, or pie here.....

 

[Hera]

Date: 10/25/2007 6:32:31 PM
Author:phiberoptik
Ok so I have been on here a few months mostly reading and searching and less posting. I see so many threads about people buying 2ct+ diamonds like its no big deal. So I ask you all out there... what do you or should I say, what does your significant other do, to afford you ridiculously expensive jewelry. 20K for a stone? 37K for a stone?

Its ludicrous to me but to each there own. Maybe I should ask how big is your house and what do you drive as well... if you can spend almost $40K on a ring...

Please... tell away. And if you feel like gifting any of your money to a poor broke soul trying to afford a $4k ring... Ill gladly email you my address. I accept paypal also!

Um..there are some that would say spending 4k on a ring is ridiculously expensive. Maybe you could answer your own question

 

[Pandora II]

Everyone has different priorities.

Personally I''d drop $20k on a diamond over a car any day. The diamond will be sparkling away when the car is rusting on a scrapheap down the line.

It isn''t necessary to spend a lot to have a beautiful ring - there are plenty of people on here with $4k rings that are just as admired.

Personally I love to look at bling and get just as much pleasure out of looking at other peoples as I would out of owning it myself - like a neverending jewellery box without the security headache. Enjoy, don''t envy.

How do you afford an expensive ring? Good qualifications, good job, 99% hard work and 1% of luck. An ability to live well within your means, priorities, sacrifices and a canny eye for a good deal...

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 10/25/2007 6:32:31 PM
Author:phiberoptik
Ok so I have been on here a few months mostly reading and searching and less posting. I see so many threads about people buying 2ct+ diamonds like its no big deal. So I ask you all out there... what do you or should I say, what does your significant other do, to afford you ridiculously expensive jewelry. 20K for a stone? 37K for a stone?

Its ludicrous to me but to each there own. Maybe I should ask how big is your house and what do you drive as well... if you can spend almost $40K on a ring...

Please... tell away. And if you feel like gifting any of your money to a poor broke soul trying to afford a $4k ring... Ill gladly email you my address. I accept paypal also!

Well I kinda think $4k is ridiculas too for someone who claimes too be poor but hey people that can spend $40k more power to em.
I likely wouldn''t even if I could but that makes the world go around.
I the mean time I will try and make sure they get a kicken $40k asscher instead of a dud $40k asscher!

 

[Beacon]

Date: 10/25/2007 6:32:31 PM
Author:phiberoptik
Ok so I have been on here a few months mostly reading and searching and less posting. I see so many threads about people buying 2ct+ diamonds like its no big deal. So I ask you all out there... what do you or should I say, what does your significant other do, to afford you ridiculously expensive jewelry. 20K for a stone? 37K for a stone?

It is a big deal. All of us here, including you, are spending good money on a tiny piece of rock. We are here agonizing over it and posting about it and that is the whole point of this website. Clearly this site is not representative of any "average" gem buyer.

But if you are asking in a general way, how can a person afford any expensive thing, well, you have been given the answer: you need money. You can inherit it, marry it or earn it. Stealing it is not advised. If you went to a web site for Porche owners you can ask them the same question - probably get similiar answer!

Good luck to you with your diamond search. Old Spanish proverb is useful: Do your best and look at no one.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree that it has to do with a very broad age range represented here, and I am sure incomes are just as diverse. Most of the larger expensive stones are anniversary rings or upgrades. We''ve discussed many times that the average ring on here is generally larger than the average in the general population. You probably won''t see many 22 year olds with 1.5 to 2 ct. diamonds.

 

[gailrmv]

Different jobs pay different amounts... different people choose different ways to spend their income.... I think we call that capitalism?

 

[somethingshiny]

I''m sure I''m in the bottom 1% financially on this forum. So, you can take my salt for what it''s worth. I buy nothing on credit. (except a house). I buy used vehicles with cash, I shop with cash, I bought my upgraded diamond with cash. We live on a tight budget. We always live below our means. I figure if I can pay for it for five years (as in credit), then I can also save for that five years and buy it outright.

oh, and my ring was under $2800.

 

[mimzy]

to be totally honest, i can''t say that i haven''t thought the same thing.

my FF is an engineer and i will have a masters degree in speech language pathology. we both save, live cheaply and spend wisely.....and i don''t think that we will ever that much money to spend on a luxury item. so i think it is more than getting a good education and spending/saving wisely. i think it has more to do with priorities.


even totally middle class people have cottages or a boat and take nice vacations and max out their retirement savings. maybe the people who have these 2+ ct. stones don''t have/do those things. one isn''t better than the other, it''s just a matter of what makes people happy. some people wouldn''t think twice about sacrificing something like a decades worth of vacation for a gorgeous stone. that being said, you never ever know a person''s whole story (which i guess is what you''re asking for?!). if you ever take a look into the shopping thread, you''ll see handbags being bought for 1k+. like they all said, to each their own! people have different upbringings, marry different types of people, value different things and have different tastes. you don''t have to understand it, or even totally respect it (and you wouldn''t be the only one), but it probably won''t get you very far to question it on a site that is designed largely around those luxury items.

of course there is always the chance that they just make a crap load of money as a company higher up or investment broker or something. most people on here are pretty modest and you aren''t likely to get a whole lot of posts detailing husbands or wives jobs and salaries.

and they are right, 4k is a lot to some people. a lot of people come of the boards looking for help and then leave - these are all the "Help! diamond on a budget!" threads...but those people don''t usually stick around. the people with a serious interest (and therefore bling directed intentions) stick around, and these are the 2ct+ posts.

our budget was 6k max, and i considered myself EXTREMELY lucky. that''s less than a tenth of a lot of budgets around here, and i just want to say that these people took no less interest in my FFs search than in a stone worth 100k. i know this is totally irrelevant to your post, but i just wanted to point that out.

sorry for being long winded, just wanted to offer perspective as someone who sort of has the same mindset. in all honesty i think it would be interesting to hear somebody that had to make some real sacrifices in order to upgrade and how they came to that decision.

 

[diamondfan]

Belle, ha ha and you kept it so under wraps for so long!!!

But on a more serious note...

My husband is very successful and works hard, always has. I love diamonds and he knows this. I have upgraded twice. Would he rather not buy diamonds? I think perhaps he would, he knows I love them but is a bit mystified by the whole thing. I would NOT assume for anyone that a significant purchase is no big deal. Personally I have read many posts from diamond lovers who have agonized over their purchase. Many are upgrades and also, many people make having a special stone their priority, so all of their expendable funds are saved towards buying their dream stone. Do some people max out cards, borrow and buy things they simply cannot really afford? Yes. But I have also seen many people here who do not go out to fancy dinners, or forgo little luxuries on a constant basis, so they might have the stone they want. I think your overall question has some merit, but you sounded a bit petulant and assuming something is a snap is silly to do. Most people here love gems in all shapes and sizez and colors and are happy to answer question for the most part.

 

[anchor31]

Compared to the PS average, my FI didn''t spend a lot of money on our engagement ring (not even as much as you are spending!). But compared to my area''s average, he certainly did, and I do get asked how he could afford it. So, I''m going to tell you what I tell them: "He saved up for it." Simple as that.

 

[ang3199]

Nicely stated Anchor. You and I are in the same boat, albeit a boat that I am happy and proud to be in!!

ETA: Not sure if 'albeit' was the right word after I read it. But, you get my point! Ha

 

[monarch64]

DH and I were fortunate enough to both have parents who made sure our educations were paid for. We both had good jobs when we met at 24 and 31. My car was paid off and he had a company car. So, no student loans, no car payments, and not much credit card debt between the two of us, we decided to get a nice diamond. If we had both been in debt and had crazy bills every month of course we would not have been in the position to buy anything more than simple gold bands, so there ya go. We do not live beyond our means but we live well and have fun, we travel occasionally and have a nice home (albeit small) just outside Chicago, but we both work and have no children. My diamond is a 1.5c RB, but size was important to me and color was less important...it''s not ideal cut, and it''s certainly not flawless, but I love it, and it was well below $10k. Our jeweler has a trade-up policy, so it''s quite possible that in 6 years for our 10th anniversary there might be a more expensive and larger stone on my left hand, but only if we play our cards right and have all our finances in order and are doing even better than we are today. If not, we''ll wait for our 20th!

 

[Haven]

Okay, so my initial response was very similar to Belle''s and Musey''s--get educated, earn some money, live far below your means, and prioritize.

And how odd that you refer to ANY diamond purchase that a PSer makes as "no big deal"--aren''t we all on here getting feedback, searching high and low for the perfect stone and setting, and agonizing over each purchase? "No big deal" would be walking into a jewelry store, pointing to the first suitable ring one sees, and slapping 20K on the counter.

Now, I''m guessing that I''m one of these people you''re referring to, since I''m 27 and my FI recently proposed with a 2 ct ring (for which he paid in cash, by the way.)

The truth is: it''s all relative, and we don''t spend a lot of money. 20K may seem like a lot to you, but that''s only "a lot" to you in relation to what you earn and what you spend. At a young age I decided that I was going to be financially secure and stable when I grew up, so that was my priority, and here I am. I''m highly educated with a great career, and I''m constantly looking for ways to save and invest. And I only part with my hard-earned money when the "thing" I''m purchasing is worth more to me than the cash itself.

If you want to know how ANYONE does ANYTHING that seems to be out of reach to you, there''s a simple answer--their situations are the result of a string of choices they''ve made over the years. And I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your situation as "a poor broke soul" is also the result of the choices you''ve made. I lived like a poor person for several years after college so I could afford to buy my own place, a new car, AND sock away the 15K a year that the government will allow me to stash in my 403(b). You may call my gorgeous ring ridiculously expensive, and I may call someone else''s Saturday night beer habit ridiculously expensive--it''s all about what you value.

And to answer your question more directly, my FI works as Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist, and I''m a high school English teacher and Reading Specialist. I assure you, though, that our jobs have very little to do with our ability to live life the way we please, it''s all about the choices we make every single day.

Good luck on your ring purchase.